Oleana- Cambridge, MA

So I already mentioned my affinity for Top Chef (minus the shameless mid-show product plugs- I mean, really?). Lucky for me- and all of you fellow Bostonites- I have several TC stars right in my own backyard. While I may never get to experience the plates they whip up on TV, I guess I can settle for tasting what made them famous in the first place.

This was not my first rodeo when it comes to TC dining. After the first season of TC Masters, I made my way right to Michael Schlow's Radius during Restaurant Week (groupie? me? nooo). Well, suffice to say, I was amazed that someone who did so poorly on the show could cook such fantastic food... if he flopped, I could only imagine how the winning food tasted. While the details of that trip are for another review, anyone who gets a shout out from Billy Joel when he's on stage at Foxboro is alright in my book.

But enough about Michael, let's talk about Ana Sortun. Season 2 of TC Masters welcomed two Cambridge chefs, Jody Adams of Rialto and Ana of Oleana. Although Jody did get farther in the competition, my vote goes to Ana when it comes to the food from their restaurants. Granted my Rialto experience was pre-TC (so it may not count as much), I thought Oleana won on taste. Each plate looked fresh and had huge depth of flavor. Every dish had a sweet and savory (and sometimes spicy!) component that made the sum of it's parts even better. What a great way to make the exotic more approachable- and delicious.

The food was the high. Now, I know I've pretty much only been giving glowing reviews so far but I'm not always flowers and sunshine. Unfortunately, I have some lows to share about Oleana- most of which came before we even got the food (which truly saved both this review and the evening). As you may or may not know, Oleana has an outdoor area that is almost as popular as the cuisine served there. When asked about the possibility of sitting outside, the hostess very cooly told us there would be over an hour and half wait. I almost felt like I was inconveniencing her or asking about something I should have known better than to ask. After that reception, we were brought over to what I can only describe as the North Pole of Cambridge. Knowing I would probably get chilly in air conditioning, I brought a cardigan with me. Not even that could keep me comfortable. After about 2 minutes in the arctic, we asked to move. Comically, we were moved to a table with the sun shining directly into the eyes of one member of our party and where I couldn't cross my legs without shifting my body to the side and asking someone else to do the same. Not one to cause too much of a stir, I was beyond uncomfortable and was dreading asking for any more accommodations. Apparently we weren't the first to experience the "beauty of the sunset." When we did make a comment, another waiter came and threw a blanket over the glass partition to block the light... something you'd think would have been proactively resolved when we sat down.

As I mentioned, after we got the food all was forgiven (clearly not forgotten, as referenced above) but didn't leave Oleana at the top of my list to return to again soon.