WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019 The Boston Globe G7
twining vines and flowers in
bloom, potted plantsand shel-
tering boughs, opened umbrel-
las and stringsof twinkling
lights. Coveredseating off to
the side offers a view of the
greenery, withtiltedmirrors
that reflect it backto those fac-
ing in the opposite direction.
For yearsI’ve wantedto re-cre-
ate the corner nook,withits
roundmirrors,trellises, and
low-slungMoroccan tables, in
my backyard. Someday.
If you can embrace not-
knowing, you will be rewarded
here.The chef’s choice of four
vegetable meze and dessert is a
deal:$45. If you find you try to
control thingsmorethanyou
wouldlike, if it is hardfor you
to let go, if you are looking for a
gentle and deliciousway to in-
crease yourstamina for sur-
prise, here is an exercise for
you. Arrive at Oleana withouta
reservation. Let the kitchen de-
cide what you’re eating.
uWHAT SHE'SHAVING
ContinuedfromPageG1
On one of thoseperfect
nights recently, the crowdis
lovably Cantabrigian, equal
parts tweedy and bohemian,
sensibly shod. The service is
personal and sparkly. We sit un-der a turquoiseand white-
striped umbrella in the garden,
wherethe air swells with ozone
and wafting spices. It seems,
given the location, wrong not to
order the Patio Punch, a drinkbasedon Byrrh, an aromatized
red wine,with lemon and mint.
Not too sweet, not too strong,
and refreshing.
The mealbeginswith
squares of za’atar-crusted
bread, oil for dipping, and con-
versation. It’s leisurely. The
mezestart arriving. They
change all the time, so that the
chef’s choice is an entirely dif-
ferent meal from night to night.
So while we have a pea salad
toppedwitha fluff of shaved
cheeseand a sprinkleof hazel-
nuts,itsgreennessandlight-
ness accentuated by mint, you
mightget charred carrots with
lemonlabneandhazelnut
sauce.We have toast topped
withslow-roasted tomatoes
and meaty gigante beans; you
mightget spinachfalafel with
tahini and beet yogurt. We have
fatteh, a dish of caramelized on-
ion and Romanescotopped
witha paper-thin, rectangular
pita cracker, yogurt, pine nuts,
and crispedmushrooms;you
mightget imambayildi (“theimam fainted”), stuffed egg-
plant with corn,peppers, and a
dark tahini made withblack
sesameseeds.We probably
both have topik, described on
the menuas “stuffed hummus,”
a chickpea-potato mashup
lashedwithsweet date molas-
ses. At the end comessome-
thing sweet: Turkish-style prof-
iteroles, maybe — or, if you’re
lucky, baby baked Alaska, an
adorably miniaturizedversion
of Oleana’s best-known dessert.
A very nicethingto do is
shareall of this with a friend,
and ordera few additional
mezeto round things out. This
way, if you wantmeat, you can
have it, although the vegetable
dishesare put together in such
a way as to be quite filling.
We eat a skewer of charred
shrimp withcharmoula and
slow-cooked Romano beans,
the tang of Meyer lemonin the
background. We gnaw on lamb
chops served witha spill of
labne over corn, cherry toma-
toes,and zucchiniflecked with
dill. Both dishesare specials,
ephemeral pleasures. We share
a glass of wine because we care
aboutTomorrowMorning Us.
“What a lovelyplaceto be a
bird,” we hearsomeonesay,
watchingone bob about the
garden. “What a lovely place to
be a human,” her dining com-
panion replies.
The windis picking up. It
feels ominousand invigorating.
As we eat our dessert, a deep
rumble comes fromabove. The
gods must be hungry.
Andthen the deluge. Fat
drops splat on the bricks
around us, and people start to
run for cover. But we are dry
underour stripedumbrella, or
dry enough. We eat the last
bites of baked Alaska as the rain
sheets downaround us.
134 Hampshire St., Cam-
bridge, 617-661- 0505 ,
http://www.oleanarestaurant.comDevra First can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow
her on Twitter @devrafirst.MATTHEW J. LEE/GLOBESTAFFLeft to chance, dinner outside
at Oleana proves rewarding
For a gentleanddeliciousway toincreaseyourstaminaforsurprise,arriveatOleanawithoutareservation.Letthekitchendecidewhat you’reeating.AnaSortun,chef and
ownerof Oleana.
standsamidthetables
onthebackpatio of
the restaurant.ARLINGTON
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