Rendezvous Central Square

04/18/2008 Posted by DrJudy

For a reputedly "nice" restaurant, this place certainly does not cut it. Upon entering, one is immediately greeted by a saccharin-sweet, fake, snobbish hostess who pulls attitude at the blink of an eye. Decor is actually nice with a modern, clean-lined twist. Food is mediocre, although the desserts are decent. The owner truly takes the cake, however. He preferentially treats caucasian people well, ignoring all minorities especially those who are young-looking. We dined there with a large group of minorities - all young looking but all accomplished lawyers and physicians. He not only did not provide average service to us (while brown-nosing the caucasian group next to us), but he rolled his eyes when we mentioned water dropping onto us from the leaking ceiling during the rainstorm. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone unless you want to laugh at a farce of a restaurant.

Pros: decor

Cons: service, hygiene (leaking ceiling??)

04/12/2008 Posted by chong19

The hostess came by the table 30 minutes after seating us to let us know that there were people coming in after us and that we should be mindful of the time. We ignored this comment as it seems somewhat ridiculous and ate a decent, but definitely overpriced meal. Then as we were waiting for our friend to return from the bathroom, the hostess returned to our table to remind us that we had exceeded our two hour time limit and essentially asked us to leave. When we confronted them that we had never experienced this type of treatment before, the owner came over, introduced himself and said, "I am the owner." We didn't know what to say to that. He then defended the hostess, at one point rolling his eyes at our discontent. I have never received service this poor in my life. I should also mention that at the beginning of the night, when there was a thunderstorm going on, three of the people at our table had drops of water land on our shoulder, head and hands. To remedy this problem, they moved our table two feet over, after which we continued to feel occasion drops that went ignored.

Cons: Terrible place for dining in large groups because they set a 2 hours time limit on your reservation before putting pressure on you to leave.

03/02/2008 Posted by rftdlt

We have been fond of Rendezvous in the past so we were shocked at the shoddy treatment we received last night. The two beasts who control the seating were incompetent and ineffective. Despite a reservation we were made to wait for more than a half hour. People who arrived after we did were seated before us. When I questioned it, I was told that there are "different tables for different people". Then they tried to cram 3 of us into a table for two while other tables became available. Food was fine (not sensational) and waitstaff was also fine. Mamagement needs a major overhaul and needs to treat people with respect.

11/04/2007 Posted by tink033

My boyfriend and I recently went to rendezvous for dinner. I was very excited to go since I have heard so much about this place. I have to say I was disappointed. First of all we decided to take advantage of there valet service so we woudn't have to search for parking on a busy Friday night. The attendent comes over to my car and just stands there..so I finally say "how much is it??" He tells me $12.00 . We hand him a twenty and he asks.."how much do you want back?" I'm sorry but while we had every intention of tipping him to be so forward was just plain tacky. Our waitress was prompt as was overall service but not anything to rave about. For example we were never asked if our food was ok. At one point another waiter literally ramed into my boyfriends chair and didn't even said sorry. We got the gnocci to start it was very good. I got the duck it was nothing special. My partners steak was very good, however for the price it came with A (as in 1) mushroom and the smallest square of potatoes imaginable.Dessert actually made us laugh....it was a sliver of cake. I think they could have got 30 servings out af an 8x8 cake. Aside from the valet I would not say it was a bad experience but for the money you could have a far better one someplace else..I know I have.

Pros: nice wine selection

Cons: rude valet, pricey

09/10/2007 Posted by northshorefoodies

I love this restaurant and I can't wait to go back. The cocktail list is amazing (I recommend the curry gin cocktail) and the food is outstanding. The service is really nice and very efficient. We had the heirloom tomatoes - very ripe and delicious. I had the swordfish which was just spectacular; my friend had the cod, which was in the most delicious broth ever. Desserts were no exception. Overall we had a fabulous dinner here - I ate a lot but did not even feel stuffed!

Pros: Nice space, amazing food and service

Cons: Pricey...

09/23/2006 Posted by tpinckney

Central Square is finally getting some decent places to eat. It always had the pubs, Indian and low end stuff (all very good), but it's nice that a more upscale place has arrived. I've gone three times now and enjoyed each trip. The appetizers and desserts are excellent so far and the main courses are good to very good. The wine list is always interesting and the staff have been quite friendly. The downside to it being good is that it's gotten quite crowded and it can be a little noisey. It's nice that you can usually just walk in and get a seat at the bar and order from the full menu.

09/15/2006 Posted by magichat

I went here about 6 times within the first 2 months of it opening. The food is absolutely delicious compared to other places in central square for a similar price, ie, central kitchen, which has a few great appetizers but actually pretty crappy main courses for the price. Here, every course was just great. Ingredients used are of very high quality, and I strongly recommend both the roast lemon/lavender chicken and the gnocchi with chanterelles, despite normally thinking such dishes sound bland. At least the time I had it, the chanterelles were local and were amazing. Even the vegetarian main course (with the swiss chard) is delicious. They were also very accommodating of me every time I went, willing to turn an appetizer into a dinner portion, etc. The atmo is fine, but does leave a lot to be desired given that this is not a mid-range restaurant for central square. I knew the place when it was a burger king, so maybe it's just me, but I can tell. That said, central square and harvard square are overpriced in general, so i'd rather lose on the atmo and get some excellent food, which is what you get here. Wine by the glass choices are also good here. So why the disparity in raves vs. mediocre reviews? I think the answer is that you usually feel rather surprised by the bill at the end, given that the atmo just does not live up to the quality of the food and wine. And the service is a disappointment, too. More than once I have had to wait half an hour for water and bread, was brought check when I wanted to order dessert, etc. That said, everyone who works there is a nice and good person. Just tell them you want dessert, or flag someone down and ask for bread, and there is no problem at all. I'm sure they will work out the kinks in time. Meanwhile, we have a delicious place to eat.

Pros: food, wines by the glass, friendly

Cons: slow service, bland atmosphere

09/04/2006 Posted by whitelilac

Went for the Sunday evening prix fixe dinner--excellent and great value! The food was outstanding--bluefish cakes, swordfish nicoise, and lemon buttermilk pudding were especially good and well-prepared. The welcome and service were friendly and attentive.The room is lively but conversation still possible.We are looking forward to our next visit!

02/26/2006 Posted by eddavissq

Everything was good and there was nothing wrong with the food, but we couldn't see why all the professional reviewers are fawning so much over this place. Though it is touted as reasonably priced, the evening will still cost quite a lot. Apparently they serve only a small selection of cocktails, and it threw the server completely off when we asked to see a cocktail menu when our standard choice was beyond their capability; she was never able to fully recover her routine, and the drinks were nothing to write home about. The neighboring table was given an amuse-bouche, but we were not. The skate is delicious; my companion thought the salmon was just OK. I liked the creme brulee. I think you will have a better time here if you are connected with the "in-crowd" of chefs, restaurants, and reviewers.

Pros: delicious food

Cons: uneven service, long wait some nights

02/23/2006 Posted by djm200

Went with 7 people...every single person loved their meal. Salads and appetizers were wonderful and the main dishes were excellent. Some appetizers were ordered as main dishes and were plenty with a salad. Wine was priced fairly. Overall we all had a great time and a great meal and will be returning. Went on a Friday night..some used Valet but there was plenty of parking in the Green Street Garage as well.

Pros: Food, Food, Service

Cons: none