Worth Every Penny: T.W.Food

Maybe not the greatest name for a tiny little French inspired fine restaurant, but well worth spending a couple of hours there.

Nestled in a hidden corner of north Cambridge in a first floor shop front beneath some apartments, you'll find this unassuming place. The decor inside is simple, faintly modernist, classy but unassuming, kind of like the best clothing. White table cloths, comfortable grey leather chairs, Walter Gropius style silvered light bulbs and good jazz played at an unobtrusive volume. Score points for atmosphere.

Nine small tables, and a waitstaff that absolutely will not hurry you. Once in your seat,you can expect to be treated to a leisurely 2-3 hours of comfort. Score points for service,and a knowledgeable waitstaff who knows how to leave you alone.

And then the food. All the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced, and the menu changes frequently. House made charcuterie is a particular feature here. While there isn't a dud t be seen on the well assembled menu, the real snap is the grand tasting menu. $65 gets you six courses, $39 adds six wine pairings. If you're gonna buy $100 worth of dinner, that's how you do it.

Tonight's menu featured:
-Beet soup with creme fraiche/ Alsatian Gewurztraminer
-Rhode Island fluke, dredged in flour and lightly fried over orange infused potatoes with a beet and Banyuls syrup/ Tourraine Sauvignon Blanc
-Charcuterie course of pork rillettes, chicken liver mousse and jamon persille/ Grenache-Syrah blend from Southern France (actually this wine, Mas du Guiot, is one of my current favorite good cheap bottles down at the shop)
-Scottish Woodpigeon Gateau, with foie gras in puff pastry (sort of an over the top gourmet mini chicken pot pie) with Autumn vegetables/ Portuguese Tempranillo-Touriga Nacional blend
-French Camembert, Twig Farm cow/goat milk blend hard cheese from Vermont with apple slices and toast/sweet Normandy sparkling cider ( a nice, unexpected  touch)
-Dark chocolate custard with candied hazelnuts, sea salt and olive oil/ tawny Port (a good dessert, but perhaps a pinch overdone with the olive oil)

Tell me that, plus the company of your wife and a break from the shouting wee ones, is not worth a hundred bucks? Happy Birthday to Me.

Sartorially speaking, I kept it classy but comfortable with a grey herringbone tweed jacket, blue university striped shirt, and a new black silk knit tie (courtesy of Lands' End, post coming soon). Down below, charcoal flannels, and since the jacket has brown leather buttons, a brown belt and brown suede shoes. The perfect foil to the modernist/comfy vibe of T.W. Food.

Check the place out on a special night, but be sure and reserve a table.T.W.Food is worth every penny.