Boston Globe Arts and Entertainment
February 13, 2003
Review by Alison Arnett, Globe Staff

Staging a comeback in Harvard Square

Dining at UpStairs on the Square feels as though you've fallen into the midst of a Broadway show, a little like one of those musicals where famous stars burst into song as dancers kick skyward in synchronization.

After losing their 20-year-plus home on Holyoke Street and then searching long for a new location, always with the threat that the Harvard Square dining institution might have to move to another part of the city, owners Deborah Hughes and Mary-Catherine Deibel caught the the brass ring: prime space in the Square. The new restaurant, opened in November above Grendel's Den, displays their exuberance in every aspect -- from the wildly decorative design to the ambience to the food and the chefs creating it.

UpStairs is really two restaurants: the Monday Club Bar downstairs, which started with a casual menu; and the much more elaborate Soiree Room several levels up. Hughes designed the place, and her flamboyant persona gleams in the animal-patterned rugs, the green walls downstairs hand-striped in pink, a carmine pink alcove, and gilded chairs. Then there's the upstairs, where swirls of silver and lilac overlay hot pink walls, and a little service bar in back gleams in Tiffany blue, all of it reflected in mirrored ceilings.

Then there's the cast. Hughes and Deibel have snapped up an impressive list -- from chef de cuisine Amanda Lydon, nee Metro and Truc, to Scott Olsen, the longtime UpStairs executive chef, to manager Lorenzo Savona, nee Les Zygomates. As a final fillip, Susan Regis, who was Lydia Shire's longtime co-chef at Biba, is cooking downstairs, revamping the menu into something much more ambitious than the opening repertoire. Yes, this is a blockbuster musical in the guise of a restaurant.
Which brings us, of course, to the main act, the food. My first visit was a Sunday evening in early January. The greeting was effusive in the Monday Club Bar; the warmth sitting near one of the gas-flamed fireplaces welcoming. But the fare, from quite sweet red pepper soup to all-white meat fried chicken to Arctic char, ranged from quite appealing to rather dull.
The butterscotch pudding was tasty, though, sliding down like satin.

After Regis arrived, I had to go back. Dull would never be an adjective applied to her cooking. A warm endive salad sprinkled with nuggets of bacon and cheese was adorned with a cloud-like soft poached egg that oozed sunny-yellow yolk. The menu mentioned croutons, but didn't say that they were three lovely little buttered and toasted ovals of brioche. A special appetizer of tiny clams in a spicy, wine-infused broth was equally appealing.

Many of the dishes on both floors leaned to the rich, with many a sweet note. Rabbit flamed in vin santo was transformed into a heavenly experience with whole milk ricotta risotto, as soothing and rich as cream. A sprinkling of biscotti crumbs gave the dish an unexpected crunch and a hint of sweetness. A special appetizer of tiny glazed quail boasted the softest ravioli imaginable, rich with the same ricotta. Even a grilled cheese sandwich stood out, small buttery triangles of grilled cheese imbedded with sweet bits of red pepper.

Sharp tones of chopped lemon and cracked green olive relish over a nice cut of swordfish appealingly cut through the richness of the other dishes. Only a pizzette one evening was disappointing, the fried parsley and tomato confit oily on top of a thin cracker crust that tasted almost like a nacho.

Regis says her aim is to jazz up the developing menu to match the electricity of the place. In the upstairs Soiree Room, reached by climbing several flights of leopard rugs, Amanda Lydon takes a more conservative tack.
The tone of the room, the service, the little extras, the food itself are reminiscent of bygone dining, very special occasion, and very like UpStairs of old.

Watercress soup, a deep jade green, was silky with a bright flavor and studded with big chunks of lobster. Beef carpaccio, a simple presentation, showed off its pristine appeal with hearts of palm as an interestingly nutty balance. Lamb rack, each little chop a beautifully meaty burst of flavor, was offset by a rich potato gratin and creamed spinach.

And for changes of pace, tiny bay scallops, crisped just enough on the outside and creamy within, their sweetness offset with celery root and bits of pancetta. Here, swordfish was amplified, thicker in cut and bolstered with a lemony and rich aioli.
Only a veal chop, big and gorgeous, suffered from being unpleasantly fatty.

Desserts by pastry chef Dina Sohenshein matched the rest of the production, sweet and elaborate. Downstairs, a very moist ginger cake was topped with liqueur-infused fruit, a most appealing end on a cold evening. A rum-soaked chocolate hazelnut cake upstairs was almost too alcoholic, making us turn to spoon up more of the refreshingly tart tangerine sorbet. But the treat at the end, chocolate turtles fat with caramel and nuts, and little truffle-like cakes imprinted with gold leaf, actually were the best of all.

The wait staff at UpStairs seemed to have caught the spirit of the place, generally solicitous and well-informed about the food and wine, and only on rare instances drifting off, leaving odd pauses in the rhythm of the evening. The wine list, which varied in price from quite affordable to stratospheric, is heavily Italian but has a range of interesting bottles as well as a long list of half bottles.
The old UpStairs was always an effusive place, its fans fiercely loyal, its traditions strong. The new UpStairs, more a recreation than a revival, is a little dizzying, but dazzling.

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