The beer-and-wine license is in the works, so your drink options are Harpoon sodas ($1.95), commercial sodas ($1.50/small; $2/large), rather good homemade lemonade ($2/small; $2.50/large), home-brewed iced tea ($2/small; $2.50/large), and something called an Arnold Palmer ($2/small; $2.50/large), which is a combination of iced tea and lemonade. The golfer apparently made this one up himself, let it go into the public domain, and has only recently trademarked “Arnold Palmer Tee,” distributed by Arizona.
The portions at SoulFire do not require desserts, but here they are: a two-pack of chocolate-chip cookies ($2) with more chocolate chips than soft cookie, and strawberry shortcake ($4), an entirely credible yellow-cake version with very decent strawberries and real whipped cream.
Service on a slow night was rapid, and the you-pick-up system suggests that it will always be pretty good. We also bussed our own table; that may become a problem, although the platter design (paper napkins on round metal trays) should make for efficient disposal if they set up a station or hire buspersons. The atmosphere is developing. It smells and sounds right and it looks pretty good, so they’ve built it right, priced it right, and people will come.
My original plan for this week’s column was 400 Highland, one of the dozen or so restaurants over the year that have closed between the time I ate there and the Phoenix’s publication date. At least it didn’t burn down the day before the review went to press, as happened to a pretty decent fish house. There we were on the stands with a review of merely historical interest. For the historical record, 400 Highland was an upscale move from the pizza-and-small-plates Sauce — probably a bad guess about the location and market. The food ran a little too salty and peppery, but there was a brilliant redo on Mexican posole with a strongly cilantro-flavored broth, and a memorable Meyer lemon tart. Look for them when this kitchen staff (executive chef Zachary Lord) resurfaces.
Soulfire Barbecue, 182 Harvard Avenue, Allston | daily, 11 am–11 pm | AE, DI, MC, VI | no liquor | no valet parking | sidewalk-level access, wide aisles | 617.787.3003
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Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com.
