Quesadilla of the day ($10.95) is intended for bargain dining, and on our day it was chicken, held together with a lot of cheese and some black beans, and garnished with a mound of reasonably fresh salsa. It was large and satisfying, but not very interesting. Of course, not everyone wants to eat something interesting, so it could be functioning like hamburgers and simple roast chicken do at other bistros.
The wine list is short (18 bottles or so), reasonably priced ($18 for carafes, up to about $40, with most wines also priced by the glass), doesn’t list vintage years, and looks well-matched to the food. I usually order cheap, but could not resist a Chilean wine, Montes “Alpha” ($10/glass; $40/bottle), described as “the ultimate in cabernet.” Even our waiter acknowledged that the wine was “pretty good.” It was actually quite good, if not the ultimate in cabernet. The high-end South American style, which you can also find in some very fine Argentine cabs, is light and very fruity, almost to the point of red raspberry, yet with enough acidity to last many years and develop. Since our bottle was actually the 2003 (a little more aged than an ’03 Latour, since Chile has spring vintages), it hadn’t developed much complexity at all, but it did have wonderful bouquet and good length of flavor, and was outstanding with food. Tea ($3) is actually brewed from leaves. Espresso ($2) and decaf ($1.50) were excellent.
Desserts need work, however. This location near Mass Ave is not the North End, where patrons can stroll to a bakery or espresso bar for dessert. Our night there were only two desserts: Vasilopita ($4.95), a dense but rather dull white cake in a large slice with some over-aerated whipped cream; and cheesecake ($4.95), again not special, although the smooth raspberry sauce underneath was.
The restaurant used to be in two storefronts connected by a passage in the back. That is now all kitchen, so the restaurant is on the corner, while a bar (which also serves the full menu) is two doors down Columbus. In the restaurant, the redecoration is neither Peruvian nor Honduran, but Spanish, with a fine collection of antique steel Spanish gridirons on the floor, Alhambra lamps casting so little light you don’t notice the red-vinyl tile floor, and walls of a color between maroon and burgundy. The background music is eclectic and good. The service our night was excellent as well.
We seem to have something new here — an underrated restaurant. Perhaps it is just unusually responsive to criticism. Or, like many restaurants right now, it might be struggling with margins and price points. So here’s a pretty good, rather affordable South End restaurant without lines and with some interesting food. I’ll swap you a couple of overcrowded superstars for six or eight of these.
Columbus Café 535 Columbus Avenue, Boston | Open Mon–Fri, 11:30 am–3 pm and 5:30–11 pm; and Sat & Sun, 8:30 am–3 pm and 5:30–11 pm | AE, DC, DI, MC, VI | Full bar | Valet parking $14 | Up two steps from sidewalk level | 617.247.9001
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Email the author:
Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com
