This is my husband and my favorite place!! Great food, fantastic staff, creative cocktails, and lovely atmosphere (including the patio!). Always a phenomenal experience. read more

I had such a fantastic overall experience here that I had to come and leave a review. One a recent weekend, I visited Scutra for a birthday dinner. My table shared the buffalo mozzarella specialty appetizer, the warm spinach salad (AMAZING), and the bacon-wrapped scallons (also amazing). For the main course, I had the filet mignon wrapped in bacon and covered in goat cheese. Two others in my party had the blue cod with lobster mashed potatoes, and my father had the veal chop. After stealing bites of everyone's meal, honestly, the execution in the preparation was flawless. The flavors melded seamlessly together, even on things that you wouldn't normally anticipate (like orange zest on the scallops). Even the bread and oil (which had a scoop of ricotta in it) was delicious. Service was attentive, without being overbearing, and the dishes were reasonably priced for the portion size and outstanding quality. I will gladly come again for a special occasion! read more

What a gem. This place is always fantastic. The food is fresh and delicious. Every meal we have ever had is great. The specials are always changing and we usually order at least on of them - they never disappoint! The chef/owner is clearly very talented and Louie the bartender is awesome. Prices are so reasonable for the area and most of the time we'd rather come here than have overpriced food downtown. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

Scutra's is my absolutely favorite restaurant in the entire Boston area! The food is always fresh, cooked to perfection and served by waiters who are foodies themselves. Of course, my bottom line is always to find delicious gluten-free foods that are not prepared simply by eliminating ingredients that have gluten. read more

Eaten here a number of times; Scutra is my favorite restaurant in the Arlington-Lexington area. Quality is generally quite good, and the price is very reasonable for the originality and quality. Highly recommended. I think it should be at 4.5 stars. There are better restaurants, but not so much in the suburbs. And the price-quality is excellent. The staff are a special treat at the restaurant as well. read more

i've been to scutra for dinner a few times, and it's a nice restaurant with an ambiance that manages to be both upscale and casual at the same time. it can be nice for a family dinner, a few friends, or a date night. they have a really nice wine and beer list, and i love the bread that they serve at the beginning of the meal. this most recent time we got a ricotta with olive oil that was absolutely delicious plus the bread is warm and fresh. the menu options are really appealing and i always have a hard time narrowing it down, plus there are typically a few appetizer and entree specials to pick from too. the apps are really good and make for an excellent start to the meal and are great for sharing. a few times we've gotten the bacon wrapped scallops and the salads are also really nice. most of the food is good, although some items are hit or miss. across the board they do seafood really well and this is always a standout. however some of the pasta dishes are just okay, and recently my husband and friend both got the frutti di mare, and while the seafood was outstanding the pasta itself was just okay and the sauce was really runny. i had the seared jumbo shrimp and again loved the shrimp but the risotto cake was not quite the right texture. the waitstaff is very kind and overall the speed of service is on point. read more

Wonderful Restaurant This will be our second eating at this hidden Jewel The device is nice the food very yummy and there's is parking Looking forward to our reservation and great food read more

Four of us celebrated my adult son's birthday at Scutra on Saturday night. From appetizers to dessert this restaurant served exceptional food quality. We are picky about eating out with high standards. We loved how tastes were combined, the portions, and the menu options. The 20 ounce steak was flavorful and cooked to perfection. The potato crusted salmon was scrumptious and the seafood dish had just the right spiciness. We each had a dessert. We raved about the grilled cheesecake, chocolate ganache cake, creme brulee, and a meringue with pears and praline. We highly recommend Scutra for its exceptional food. Without question we will return. Our waitress was attentive and all wait staff that helped along the way were wonderful as well. read more

Cozy place. Indoor/outdoor seating. Delicious inventive fare. Clever tasty cocktails.

This menu is creative and fantastic. I had a special lobster ravioli with shrimp and gorgeous fresh vegetables and lovely sauce. A friend had the short ribs with porcini sauce I think. These were hearty and scrumptious. The appetizers were great: mussels in garlic and Parmesan and grilled shrimp skewers in tikka masala sauce. Cocktails were great, including a faux-jito! We sat on the back deck which was peaceful and nice. We each took some food home and sadly did not have room for dessert. Will definitely be back soon read more

We dine at Scutra quite a bit, and it is always excellent. We also take our toddler there (on the early side) and they are always very accommodating. Last month we hosted a large family birthday party there, and I can't say enough about the amazing food and wonderful service. Wait staff was very attentive, given we were such a large party, and the entrees were so delicious. Some of our favorites were the warm spinach salad, zucchini fries, braised short rib, and the gnocchi. Thank you for being a great spot and so close to home! read more

Disappointed. The burger tasted strange; the steak was over cooked, the soup was cloyingly sweet. For the prices, we expected better. Maybe the regular chef was off that night...? read more

I'll say first that I have not eaten at Scutra, and that's simply because I never got past the host's station. Based on my experience there, if I could give Scutra zero stars, I would. Gladly. I went in last night, my first visit. I hoped to get a couple of seats at the bar - no luck - so I waited to ask the hostess whether a table for two might be available. With the exception of two couples, the dining room was empty, so my chances seemed good. As I stood in front of the hostess, she spoke with a couple who had arrived ahead of me. She looked over her computer screen, then seated them.. The phone rang. A young woman - a server? - came over to answer it, looked over the reservations, finished the call, then walked away. A young man - a bartender? a server? - stepped up to the host's table, did the same as the woman before him, and walked away. Three people, and not one of them made eye contact or said a word to me. Not "hello," not "we'll be right with you," not "we don't give a rat's ass whether we get your business or not." If the way I was treated at the door is any indication of the way I would be treated beyond the door, Scutra doesn't deserve my business. (After I left, my companion said that he's a regular at Scutra, and that service at the door has always been a problem.) And for the record, we went instead to TRYST and had an amazing dinner with attentive service. Now THAT is a restaurant deserving of your time and money. read more

Biggest dining mistake ever.... Went here with my husband, son and daughter. When we were greeted at the door by the hostess/server (blondish short hair), the look of dispair with a child in a bucket and 6 year old were ice cold. Overall, we were treated like we did not exist. They don't have a children's menu for starters. They offer pasta for $8... fine, no big deal. I have food allergies, and the server was annoyed and told me I should have called the day before... ?? wtf? really? If you can't accomodate food allergies, you need to get out of the restaurant industry! My requests were mainly no butter, and plain cooked vegetables. It's not like I asked for my allergies sweetie! You don't have to make me feel like sh$t because I have them! And make me feel like sh$% she did. I was horrified.... call in a day in advance to notify you of allergies? Sorry, since when does the guest accomodate the restaurant? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Get your head out of the clouds!! The half a$$ed (again, short blond hair) server never checked back on us... we waited quite awhile to get the hell out of there... The food btw was actually pretty decent, my son and husband liked their meals, and the bus staff was incredibly attentive with water, but our server needs to find a new profession. She clearly hates people and can't be bothered. Food and bus stafff bring this place from 1 star to 2... I'm trying to be fair here. It's amazing how your interaction with staff can make or break a place even if the food is pretty good... I wouldn't return here... nope, never! read more

Lovely family owned restaurant. Great food, nice cozy ambiance. Great for a date night or a night out with friends!

Unbelievably good. We loved every bite. I couldn't have been happier with our meal, the service, the drink, absolutely everything was wonderful. We can't wait to come back! read more

Although our waitress seemed distracted and nervous at times, the service was friendly. The food was not. We ordered bottled sparkling water and it arrived open and nearly flat. (Who has not experienced that ripoff before?) For appetizers, my "special" was a fila wrapped apple balsamic compote with gorgonzola cheese. It was a bad way to start. The only thing special was that the fila dough was burnt black in parts. There were actually charred black edges on top like the end of a burnt matchstick. I had to pick off the black parts. Why would you even serve that? It never should have come to the table. The onion soup appetizer was also unremarkable and bland. My entree of flat iron steak was boring. It was supposed to have a mushroom marsala jus. It was drowned in a brown sauce with no trace of mushrooms and very little seasoning. Not even any black pepper flavor. How do you miss that? The asparagus was good, perfectly cooked green and firm. The frites (fries) tasted and smelled as though they were fried in the same oil as a batch of fish. They were bland, neither crisp nor mushy, but had just enough salt. The Chilean sea bass came with the skin very thick and slimy on one side. Overall, it was so-so. The long list of fresh garden ingredients that accompanied actually buried it and cooled it down too much. The fresh baked bread served with dinner is excellent. At least someone knows how to bake bread well. What I took away from this first visit to Scutra is that they must have known that what they were giving us was not good. When I mentioned to our waitress that my appetizer was burned, she made no offer to replace it or to compensate for it. (As I said, she seemed distracted even though we were the first and only customers in the restaurant this night.) I had the feeling that this restaurant doesn't care if a few customers don't like what comes out of their kitchen. You don't serve a customer burnt food or flat water if you are trying to please. We kept putting off going to this restaurant because we had not heard people raving about it. Now I know why. It looks better on the outside than on the inside and the food did not satisfy. There are better restaurants in Arlington. We are checking this one off our list. read more

Really not sure why this place gets so many 4 and 5 star ratings. I read all the reviews before we went, and I did notice a fair number of 1-3 star ratings all saying the same thing -- well, I agree with them. We tried the scallops over polenta, the striped bass over couscous, the strudel appetizer, and a salad. All were very beautifully plated, but tasted mediocre. It's as if the chef went around to other restaurants and made note of all the trends (grapefruit in salad! balsamic vinegar! sun-dried tomatoes! frisee! Limoncella!). But the resulting combinations don't actually taste like anything special or good. A good chef & restaurant brings together different flavors & textures in satisfying, sometimes surprising, sometimes comforting ways. The food at Scutra just seemed like a blah jumble on the plate. My other big reason for giving it only 2 stars has to do with the small portion sizes. I watch my calories, and I am not someone who wants a platter of ribs enough for 4 people, but I think the teeny tiny portion sizes that some restaurants go for (while charging $23 for an entree) are equally appalling. My scallops entree came with only 4 medium scallops, a tiny 1/2c of polenta, and some sprouts and grapefruit garnish. I was starving afterwards. The strudel appetizer that my father ordered was about 3 bites. Lastly (and this may be a nit), I noticed their wine list had only 3 token wines from California/Oregon/West Coast. And none were from the better or more interesting wineries. Nothing inspired me. Bottom line - I won't be going back, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. There are better places, in Arlington and beyond. read more

I think 'meh' describes the experience completely. New to Arlington (from Cambridge), my wife and I are trying out all the local joints one by one. So far, we've been pretty happy (though Little Q Hot Pot still wins hands down in the all around competition). I had heard good things about Scutra so we wanted to try it out. Rainy Friday night and I planned ahead and made a reservation. Dropped my wife off at the door to get out of the rain while I parked. The hostess spent 5 or 6 minutes with my wife standing there gabbing with another couple. Not a good start. Good thing we made a reservation - the place was packed. The waitress was super super nice and chipper though she was clearly working too many tables by herself and therefore service was a touch slow (took 10 minutes to get cocktails after we'd order them). Got the calamari appetizer which came out in these odd fried 'sticks'. It wasn't really good, wasn't bad, but I guess when is regular fried calamari really good so I let it go. My wife got a steak frites, I got veal marsala on top of mushroom risotto. My wife's steak was truly bizzarre. The meat was totally bland and had an odd texture to it (like it had been previously frozen then thawed). Plus it was undercooked. She ate a quarter of it and thought it best not to push through. Figured it wasn't worth sending back as what we'd get back would probably be worse than where we started. My marsala was no better than Olive Garden - esqe. The whole dish was literally drowning in oversalted oversweeted marsala sauce. And it was thick - almost syrupy. The meat itself was in shreads and was no more than 1/8" of an inch thick. It had no flavor other than 'fried'. And the risotto - you know when you make risotto and maybe you cook it too long, then let it sit (in a fridge) and then heat it up again and it has than clumply starchy thing going on - exactly. It was just a mound of starch. Plus the mushrooms defintely didn't seem like portobellos like the menu said. I had no clue what they were. Not awful, but defintely not good, and definitely not worth $100 for two people I really really want to like and try local places, but we won't be back. On the other hand, given how packed this place is it certainly won't matter to their business. But (not to sound too snotty) for others whose standards are based on Boston or Cambridge, don't waste your time. read more

This place has slipped considerably. The food is now hit or miss, perhaps because they have not been able to keep up quality following the expansion. Sometimes under-seasoned sometimes over-seasoned, sometimes over-cooked. The bar and TV have really knocked it down a peg or two as well. read more

-Food was okay (some yummy some gross so 3 stars for an average rating.) -We had bad service. it sounds like other yelps mention bad service too. -I got the vegetarian plate and it was 1/2 good and 1/2 gross. it came in 4 separate sections and 2 were really bad. -friends had mixed reviews on the tuna roll. apps were good-we ordered several. -the bottle of riesling was good but very, very mild/subtle. May be too subtle for some so be sure to ask for a taste before officially ordering the bottle. Wouldn't be excited to go back. read more

My wife and I went here on a Saturday night. We heard good things about Scutra from several people. The food was VERY good but the portions were very small for the price you pay..30 dollars for a small beef tenderloin with risotto. The service was amazing and the restaurant itself was great. The 3 stars was due to the prices being on the high side and the portions being rather small. Be prepared to spend 60-65 dollars per person for drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and dessert. read more

Disappointing all around. Super noisy room, like eating in a cafeteria. Our beet salad had exactly two beet slices. My Parmesen gnocchi came out cold, and very soupy, and pretty flavorless. After his Chicken and eggplant parm, my husband was hard pressed to recall where the parmesan was in the dish. The menu strikes me as bizarre; my husband called it 'precious,' like they were doing it all just to be different and for the attention. Grilled cheesecake? Fried artichoke gnocchi? We won't be returning. On the plus side, our server was quite attentive, and our (cold) dishes came out quickly. read more

My wife and I had dinner tonight and we were so disappointed. We had been looking forward to eating at Scutra all week. Our server was pleasant. Our appetizers were tasty, I had the fried oysters (although I only received two) and my wife had the beet salad. The crab and shrimp rav's were tasty and the sauce very flavorful. However, the pork ossobucco with cherry sauce was bland and gamey.Just terrible.Even extra sauce did not help because it too, was incredibly tasteless.So,I tried the ribeye .It came out too rare,fatty and grizzly.I have had better at the Outback.The twice baked potatoe had to have been frozen.The top was hot and the inside cold.By now I was so aggravated I just want to go home. Support staff unpolished.Busboy(man) waltzing through the restaurant with a bucket full of dirty dishes and a soiled apron,a stained shirt and then re-appears with a fresh plate of food.No gloves while transporting the dirty dishes.Doubt he washed his hands between trips to the kitchen. I would give one star but Jessica worked hard and was not responsible for the mediocre meal. read more

We drove by Scutra for almost a year and heard rave reviews from others in town before we finally made the time to go. Atmosphere and menu were both European, though many of the dishes showed a fusion with Eastern cuisine. Service was was definitely. Courteous, prompt, attentive service. I was impressed by the beer selection -- something Boston restaurants, especially higher-end ones, tend to phone in. Nice mix of imports and features a Belgian or two. The food, on the other hand, was a mixed bag. My wife's appetizer (squash soup) was amazingly rich and she wishes she could have had it as a main dish. On the other hand, her entre (roasted chicken) was rather dry and tough. My appetizer (duck tamales with wild mushrooms) sounded amazing, but was ruined by the quality of the duck meat (tough and full of gristle). My entre, though, was a fantastic medley of seafood and is up there among the better meals I've had in the last year. So you can see why it's hard for me to judge the place. Normally, I'd give the place four stars, but given the cost of a plate, the hit-or-miss nature of the food we got was especially disappointing. I probably need to give Scutra another try, and I'm definitely willing to go back to do so. read more

We had a really great meal at Scutra recently. We went on a weekday night, and it was pretty empty, but I was not surprised by that. I am willing to bet Wed-Sun the place is jammed based on the taste of their food alone. We started with a few apps that were really good. One was off the special menu that consisted of some shrimp and cheese in phyllo dough that was delicious. We also had the garlic mussels that live up to their name. They were garlicky, but this is not a bad thing. They were baked with lots of cheese and garlic, and the leftover cheese and oil tasted even better on a little slice of bread (save some from the bread basket or ask for more!). We also had the croquettes which were crispy and tasty. The mango sauce was the perfect pair for them. So far, so good... Then the entrees came, and live got better. We had a few of the pan roasted chicken dishes that hit the mark, and a veal chop off the specials list. The veal was my choice and it was gone shortly after it hit the table. It was a perfect medium rare and tender as can be. They provided a steak knife, but it was barely needed. I found myself nawing on the bone to get the last few bits off, and I was a happy man. I thought it couldn't get any better than the veal, but then dessert came. The special K brownie was crunchy and tasty, as was the grilled cheesecake. The cheesecake was just a little warm which made it melt in your mouth. It was a toss up between which one was better. Both were really good. All in all, we had zero complaints about Scutra. The staff was very helpful and attentive, and the space is quaint and trendy. We will be back for sure next time we are in town. Great meal! PS: I am not sure why this place is listed at $$$ for price. Its closer to $$. Starters were between 8-10 and I didn't spot any entrees over $28ish. Therefore, I am giving it $$ for price. 3 of us ate with 8 cocktails and 2 coffee drinks for less than $200. I think that's a worthy price for the quality and taste of the food. read more

A+ for food, service and outdoor atmosphere! Love the menu! A great selection of fresh, seasonal options and specialty cocktails. It was hard to choose! read more

My daughter took a year off between high school and college and worked as an au pair in suburban Paris. I visited her and we took a train trip through Brittany (in search of monoliths and Breton, but that is another story). We had a meal at a tiny local restaurant in Quimper that was the culinary highlight of the trip (I ended up cooking most of the time!). This is one of two American restaurants -- both in Arlington -- that remind me of that place. I dined there recently with a friend, both of us celebrating finally having full time jobs after years of scrounging. The food and the wine and the desserts were wonderful. I actually had seen the place for years and avoided it: the exterior verges on run down and the street on which it is located is definitely down-at-the-heels. This restaurant is anything but. There is a dearth of real, neighborhood restaurants in chain (read for the great-unwashed, a figure of speech that desperately needs resurrecting) dominated America. While some might argue that the food here is too expensive for the designation neighborhood (and I lean toward agreeing) there is no reason why a fine dining experience requires a commute. read more

Came here for New Year's Eve and was super-excited to check out a new (to me) restaurant. Now, my parents have always moaned and groaned about restaurants on holidays and how they always seem to have special (read: limited menus). And I always used to think, "quit your moaning and groaning." Well, now I am moaning and groaning. I understand you're busy. I understand no substitutions. Fine. But when your menu says (something to the effect of) that you'll accomodate food allergies and my grain/starch-free boy requests no mashed potatoes on his plate--and then you bring him mashed potatoes on his plate--that's not cool. We get that you weren't able to swap those mashed potatoes for an extra serving of veggies. But no potatoes means no potatoes. Really, we're not big on complaining in restaurants, but he shouldn't have had to flip over his piece of fish and scrape off the potatoes while you watched from the waiter station right behind me. I give you two stars (I'd throw in another half if I could) because my meal was pretty tasty--but the service left a LOT to be desired, for us. Plus (and maybe it was because it was a holiday), the place was replete with old folk. If we want to hang with the blue hairs, we'll go to Grassfield's. read more

We love Scutra. We originally discovered this place a little over 3 years ago when I lived in Arlington and my husband (then boyfriend) was on a very restrictive diet. We almost never went out to restaurants and when we did, he was usually reduced to ordering a side of dry broccoli. We really wanted to go somewhere nice for a special occasion and Scutra's menu looked somewhat promising. After calling the restaurant, we found they would be willing to accommodate my husband's diet. And they did. The chef, Didier, came out, talked to us, and worked out what dishes he could make. We liked everything so much that we kept returning, even after my husband went back to eating regular food. Each time, we really enjoyed our meals. When we started thinking about our wedding, the very first detail we decided on was that we wanted to take our small group of wedding guests to dinner at Scutra after the ceremony. We met with Didier initially to get an idea of pricing and options. Unfortunately we didn't solidify the date properly (I guess) because when we called a few months later to talk about the menu, they had no record of us and had already booked another large party that night. However, Didier was willing to open an hour early so that we could get in and out before the other party. We met with Didier again just to make sure everything was solid and ended up talking with him for almost an hour about his thoughts on owning a restaurant and what it means to share a meal with others. It was really interesting and we really enjoyed getting to hear about his passion for food. He also told us that if we gave him everyone's orders ahead of time, we could have everyone order from the menu instead of giving them only two or three options. This made us really happy because we really wanted everyone to have their choice of the whole menu. He was also willing to make special meals for the vegan and children we had in our party. The day of the wedding, everything at Scutra went off wonderfully. Everyone really enjoyed their food and the service was great. The restaurant was mostly empty even up until the time we left, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. It was exactly as nice of an experience as we had hoped. read more

appetizer: Wilted Baby Spinach Salad [hold the Bacon], Onions and Mushrooms Warm Raspberry Cider Vinaigrette main: Parmesan Gnocchi Primavera with parmesan pressed gnocchi, roasted Vegetables, and butternut squash cream. with Scutra side-card: Conjure Cognac-Cointreau-Peach Puree-Fresh Lime The gnocchi had good texture, and the roasted vegetables were seasoned well. The cocktails were quite pleasant and seemed to be a showcase for the restaurant. Our service was prompt and efficient. I have dined here once. read more

I haven't gone through the full menu because the baked mussels with parmesan and garlic stopped me cold in the appetizer section! Worth the trip for that dish alone. We get a bottle of cold white wine and two orders of the mussels and are in heaven. The actual full menu looks awesome too. In the summer they have an outdoor deck that looks over the minuteman bike trail and I can't wait to sit out there after biking over. Good bar, good food, delicious bread and ricotta to start. Overall, it's a solid choice! read more

My wife and I went here for dinner. Arrived a little early and sat at the bar and had drinks. The drinks were good and the bartender, seemed passionate about his craft. We were seated and ordered one of the specials. Was pretty good but ended up wishing I had ordered something else. The dessert was delicious and made up for the so-so meal. Would consider going there again and giving it another try, has potential. read more

Overall, good. However nothing special. The atmosphere is nice, but the menu reads better than the food tastes. The artichoke appetizer and stuffed quail are ok. read more

Scutra Restaurant - Stuffed quail - Modern European Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

I went here in the middle of March '06 and it was awesome. Great, cozy restaurant with good attentive service. A friend of mine recommended this place to me and it was everything he said it would be. I started with a Mussel appetizer which was about 15 mussels roasted in the oven with garlic, butter, and parmesan. I HIGHLY recommend this dish. As an entree I had a pistachio crusted sea bass with a buttery rissotto that had a hint of truffle oil. I think the veg that came with it was broccoli but I can't remember. The fish was light, flakey and succulent. It was the special for the evening so I don't know if any Yelpers go that this dish will be available. For dessert the lemon tart was AWESOME. It was perfectly sweet and tart for the ending to a great meal. I would come back here in a heartbeat. The price worked out to be about $50/ person (with tip included in this total) for dinner and well worth it. I think for the food we got, we would have paid a 1/3 more if we were in Boston center. This place is not good for big groups but a party of 4 or less is fab. I'm sure you could rent out the place for an event though. My guess is that the place doesn't fit more than 40 or 50 people in one sitting. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday dinner on a whim. I had been looking for new restaurants to try and I love Arlington, so we headed here. The service was, to say the least, confusing. Our hostess was also our waitress. Some guy who brought the water over read us the specials, but couldn't read all of them because our waitress could "explain one of them better". It was kind of a mess. We didn't get to place our drink orders until we had already been sitting for 15 minutes. The reason this place gets four stars is for the food. We started with the pulled pork involtino. It was SPECTACULAR. Pulled pork and peanut sauce together?? Who knew it would work so well. I got one of the specials (the lamb osso bucco). It was fall of the bone delicious, served with parmesan risotto and asparagus. My boyfriend got the sirloin special covered in a goat cheese crust, also with risotto. We shared a piece of the lava cake for dessert. It wasn't the best I've had, but it was still tasty. The price was pretty good for the quality. I'm not sure I would be back here anytime soon though. read more

I would have never thought that Arlington would have this kind of an intimate upscale dining experience. Scutra is an excellent restaurant that serves delicious European cuisine in a beautifully decorated cozy room with a great wait staff and wine list. The ingrediants are fresh and the chef is able to combine them effortlessly into something novel and comforting at the same time. Since Scutra has less than ten tables, make reservations since it can fill up easily. The menu gets updated according to the season or available ingrediants. I highly recommend Scutra as a treat to yourself or for special occasions. read more

I ended up going here last night with my fiance and another couple, and I really enjoyed it. It's really an unexpected gem in Arlington. It has an unassuming storefront that real hides the quality of the restaurant. The food is all Mediterranean, with a gourmet flair. The vegetarian entree is really impressive. It's unique to the particular customer and is essentially what the chef decides to throw together although it's usually some sort of 'tower' (so they stack that broccolini high). The seafood looked tender and every dish was well composed. There were a ton of specials... And the wine list was top notch. I had this bottle of Syrah that is now one of my favorites. The only negative thing that happened was that a waiter knocked over my glass of wine, but it didn't get on anyone's clothing. They quickly mopped it up and BAM new bottle of wine. And, as I said above, it was a good bottle. So, I ended up getting kinda trashed and enjoyed the food. A win all around. read more

Driving by, you'd never know that one of the best places to eat in the Boston area is tucked into this little nook. The food here is absolutely scrumptous and the service has always been good. On several occasions we've been lucky enough to be offered a sample of one of the chef's latest creations. I'm happy to be a guinea pig knowing that there's a good chance I'll come back looking for what we're about to be served. That's one of those personal touches that gets missed by so many of the upscale restaurants in Boston. My only complaint - parking can be hard to come by. read more

ACMi's board had a fantastic holiday meal at Scutra on 12/5. The waiter was masterful at handling orders, dealing with questions, and genuinely related to every one of about 18 at the tables set around in a square formation. The only downside was that the configuration did not allow for much conversation except for the person next to you or across the corner. But that was more the fault of the size of our group than the restaurant. My stuffed flounder was superb, healthy ingredients, and just the right temperature. Water and wine was filled, sides and entrees arrived on time; everything was perfect. And I DO recommend the pumpkin bread pudding (shared with spouse). Best to go to Scutra before they finish the condos right in back on Mill Street; likely much more difficult to get a reservation after those several hundred hungry dwellers catch on to the treasure nearby! read more