PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Overlooking a little park just off Harvard Square, Upstairs on the Square is the perfect combination of comfort food and fine dining. It consists of two lovely spaces; I prefer the more casual one to its fancier counterpart. The second-floor Monday Club Bar dining room is a relaxed yet romantic space where firelight flickers on jewel-toned walls. The food -- unusual salads and sandwiches, satisfying soups, a daily pizza option (at lunch), fried chicken, inventive pastas, steak with ever-changing versions of potatoey goodness -- is homey and satisfying, and the bar is a tweedy Cambridge scene. The top-floor Soirée Room, a jewel box of pinks and golds under a low, mirrored ceiling, is the place for that big anniversary dinner. The menu is enjoyably old-fashioned, with straightforward main courses (a slab of halibut, juicy grilled lamb loin) that contrast with bolder starters -- delectable Jerusalem artichoke or watercress soup, simple but superb salads and shellfish. Tasting menus, for vegetarians and carnivores, let the kitchen show off. In both rooms, you'll find outstanding wine selections and desserts.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Boston 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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