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Recent Dining Out reviews
THE MET BAR & GRILL 508-651-0003. SEL DE LA TERRE 508-650-1800. Both in the Natick Collection, 1245 Worcester St., Natick. The Natick Collection stretches definitions of mall dining with real restaurants, namely branches of Chestnut Hill's Metropolitan Club and Boston's Sel de la Terre. Natick's Met Bar & Grill is on the rowdy side, Sel de la Terre is civilized. Met Bar has great burgers, Sel de la Terre great steak frites. Both fall short of the standards set by their parent establishments; nonetheless, both are above-average mall eateries. Inside the Natick Collection, there is a "grove" of fake birch trees. A stroll beneath their verdant metal leaves is a lovely prelude to dinner. Like whichever restaurant you're about to eat at, this isn't the real thing, but it's an oasis nonetheless. (03/12/08)
HIGHLAND KITCHEN 
150 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617-625-1131. Highland Kitchen has soul. You can taste it in the seafood gumbo, brimming with okra and andouille, deeply flavored from the dark roux at its foundation. You can hear it on the well-stocked jukebox, along with country, blues, and other eclectic nuggets. Off the beaten path, a mile from Davis Square, the self-titled gastropub has hit upon the perfect formula for the area. Locals were longing for a real hangout, with solid bartending, good food, and a relaxed vibe, and that's what Highland Kitchen delivers. (03/05/08)
ANGELA'S CAFE 131 Lexington St., East Boston. 866-403-9921. California transplants eternally lament the lack of good Mexican food in Boston. But it's here - it's just harder to find. Take Angela's Cafe. Once you home in, you won't forget how to get here. Angela's is memorable. From the simple, ultra-fresh guacamole to the complex, 50-plus-ingredient mole, this is true Mexican soul food. (02/27/08)
DA VINCI 162 Columbus Ave., Boston. 617-350-0007. Chef Shingara Singh, known (a la Madonna) as Peppino, used to cook at La Campania in Waltham; now he has his own place with co-owner Wioletta Zywina, and his city-dwelling followers no longer have to make that trek. He was born in India, spent his young adulthood in Germany at an Italian restaurant called Leonardo Da Vinci, then came to the United States. This far-flung trajectory isn't visible in his food: Italy is the only land that lands on your plate or in your wine glass. The pasta is made fresh every day, and it's excellent. (02/20/08)
TEN TABLES 597 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. 617-524-8810. When the lights are down low, jazz is playing softly, and the chefs in the open kitchen are laughing, plating, and drizzling, it's easy to see that Ten Tables makes diners happy. It's cozy, a little box full of good smells. And the food is fantastic, from the house-made charcuterie to the seared scallops with farro, Meyer lemon salsa, and beets. The only drawback is the crazy-making reservations system - and the fact that it can be hard to get in. After all, there are only 10 tables. (02/13/08) - DEVRA FIRST
