Tory Row: the rebuttal

This week I reviewed Tory Row, the new place in Harvard Square from Matthew Curtis and Chris Lutes. They're the pair behind Audubon Circle, Cambridge 1, Middlesex Lounge, and Miracle of Science, all places I like fairly well, some quite a lot. But I didn't much like Tory Row.

When writing less-than-kindly about a new business, something I take no joy in, the least I can do is offer a forum for rebuttal. Here's the e-mail I received from their publicist, Elizabeth Lascaze of marlo marketing/communications:

"Saw your review of Tory Row in today's paper. We were disappointed to hear about your lackluster experiences but as the owners continue to fine-tune their newest project, we hope you'll consider another visit in the future once it's more established.

"I also wanted to take an opportunity to respond to some of the questions outlined in the review - really more of an fyi. Hope it helps.

"Raison d'etre - Tory Row is meant to serve as a continuous (breakfast, lunch, dinner) community meeting place at one of the most interesting intersections in the county - particularly as people watching goes. The concept behind the entire storefront being glass is for everything to be as transparent as possible, creating an open dialogue between the restaurant's dining room and the vibe of Harvard Square.

"Menu - the menu's theme is Pan-Atlantic. The owners chose to showcase simple American and European dishes, i.e. the Austrian raclette, Spanish black bean soup, etc. All of their seafood (lobster, cod, clams) is locally sourced and brought in fresh daily.

"Dessert - Chris and Matthew keep desserts minimal as they feel there are a lot of great dessert options in the Square (Finale, Upstairs on the Square and L.A. Burdick) and they want to encourage exploration of the neighborhood.

"Hummus - Would like to clarify that the hummus is house-made."