FOOD: Ode to Rialto's Lounge [Boston--Cambridge]

As a life-long Bostonite, Rialto is the first restaurant I ever recognized as a place people went to for reasons besides a self-playing piano (you're always in my heart, J.J. Grimsby's). I was all of ten at the time, and this September Jody Adams' famed Harvard Square restaurant celebrated its 20th birthday.

While I would highly recommend Rialto for any occasion in which one wants to ingest outstanding regional Italian entrees, I also have to agree with Boston Magazine's recent awarding of "Best Bar Menu." I took myself to the Rialto bar last Sunday evening with clear intentions: one cocktail and three small antipasti plates. The lounge is every Pinterest bride's dream: seating areas secluded by sheer curtains; small light bulbs strung criss-cross on the ceiling; a vine-ensconced patio; and a single, flaming orange Gerbera daisy on each table for that pop of autumnal color. In short, classy, airy, and extremely comfortable.

The antipasti menu was tantalizing (3 plates for $14) and I settled on the stuffed fried olives, the arancini, and the char to accompany my Charles Lindbergh cocktail (a server recommendation). The olives, stuffed with pork sausage and Parmigiano, released their tangy brine when chewed. The saffron arancini came on a sweet tomato sauce and oozed creamy Taleggio cheese when pierced with a fork. I could have eaten about 22 of these delicately crisp, gooey rice balls but three was a healthy serving. The char, a cold-water fish related to salmon and trout, was a light finisher to the fried plates.

My cocktail acted as the perfect aperitivo (literally, "opener," in Italian) with a blend of gin, Cocchi Americano, and cardamom bitters. After a few herbal, smokey sips, I was easily talked into $10 burger night. Yes, that burger up there-- ten dollars. It arrived a solid medium rare, as ordered, topped with Taleggio and caramelized red onions. With a top bun sporting perfect grill marks and a bottom bun gone delightfully chewy with absorbed burger juices, this was a thing of beauty. Rialto has solved the shoestring or wedge debate with freshly cut, crispy, browned potato slices that give to a slightly soft center.

After 20 years of serving and satiating Boston's diners, Rialto proves its overall excellence with a bar menu that can stand on its own legs. When the "bites" are as thoughtfully crafted and beautifully served as the meals, you know you've got a winner. Here's to another 20 years.

Rialto
One Bennett Street, Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138