I tried this place in Watertown Square again this evening. You may recall that on my previous three visits, the service was extrordinarily poor and I wasn't planning on going back, even though I live about a two minutes walk away. I really have been praying for a while for another good restaurant in the square, so I decided to give it one more chance in between dance classes. My experience was dramatically more positive than on the previous occasions. I arrived at 7:40 and asked how long a wait for just one person. There seemed to be some line, but the hostess was able to seat me at the "pizza bar", which is the wide and pleasant counter surrounding the open kitchen. I like to watch people cook, and the counter was spacious and was nicely decorated with a couple of plants, so this was just fine. I had to wait about 10 minutes for anyone to show up and get me some water, but once I had ordered, everything went OK. The waiter did a couple of check-backs and food and drinks arrived quite promptly. There seemed to be several floor managers roaming around checking on things and handling additional ordering; I was visited by one of them. I got the impression that, unlike my previous visits, the place was being actually managed by some people -- adults, even -- who cared. The staff was definitely more courteous and customer-oriented than before. The food was pretty good. It lacks a certain gourmet quality that they might be shooting for, and comes off as a little more factory. But it is fairly tasty, and not too non-traditional, either. I would place it between The Ground Round or TGI Fridays and the Cheescake Factory. The chicken quesidilla with chipotle dressing was a little bland, but it was grilled, and it was not merely the usual oozing cheese smush that most places serve. The meatloaf was meatloaf - I can't understand why they use Angus beef in it. The gravy was OK. I couldn't discern any garlic in the mashed potatoes. The items I chose did not result in a taste sensation, but they were quite acceptable meat and potatoes. Management appears to be proactively trying to improve the restaurant. With my bill came a 3-panel multiple-choice comment card, and I was informed that turning it in (to a woman seated at the other food bar) would result in a $5 discount certificate. Things were much better than before, and there is considerable evidence that it's not by accident. So they have definitely earned another try. I hope they continue their improvements!
Boston, MA