MIDA — Restaurant in Boston

My friends and I had a comedically terrible dining experience at MIDA South end on Saturday night March 16, 2024. If this evening was written as a scene in a book, I would have read it and thought “Wow, that's not very realistic, there is no way it could have been that bad.” And yet, it was.

The reservation was for my friend Alice’s birthday. She had booked at 4 pm for 8 people but forgot to account for herself so there were actually 9 of us. I arrived at 4:20 and took the eighth seat. My friends told me that they already asked to add an additional chair but were told that adding a ninth chair to the table was a fire hazard. That's fine. Our ninth friend arrived at 4:25 and while we were devising a complicated seating rotation where one person would have to sit at the bar for fifteen minutes at a time, a very nice gentleman sitting alone at a two-top adjacent to our table offered up the seat across from him. One person from our group took him up on it.

We ordered drinks at 4:35 and got them at least 10 minutes later. No less than 20 minutes after that, someone took our entree orders, which weren’t delivered until after 5:30 pm. I remember the timing, because one person from our party had to leave at 5:30 to make it to something else. She had to leave without eating. After she left, a spot was open for our friend that had spent the previous hour sitting with a (very gracious) stranger.

Our friend told us that while he was sitting with the stranger, a female member of staff approached and asked him if he had asked to sit there, in front of the man who had offered the seat.

My friend was taken aback by the implication that he had inserted himself at this man's table. The stranger chirped up to say that he had invited him. By 5:20ish the man had actually finished with his meal and left, leaving my friend alone at the two-top for less than 10 minutes when another member of staff came by to inform him that he would need to vacate that two-top within fifteen minutes for an upcoming reservation. Mind you, our friend had already ordered a drink and an entree, he wasn't loitering.

I ordered the Arctic Chard. I remember eating it and thinking “This doesn’t taste very good,” but I was starving and wasn’t about to add anymore negativity to this experience, so I ate it and kept my mouth shut.

At 6, our waiter took our dessert orders, which almost everyone wanted. Dessert was the most important part of the meal because this is a birthday dinner, so we were going to sing happy birthday to Alice. At 6:15 another member of staff came over and asked if we would be willing to take our dessert to-go because they had another reservation coming in a few minutes that would need the table.

What?

At this point most of us canceled our dessert orders and were visibly annoyed. Around this time, my stomach started turning.

Our server was apologetic, and took one dessert and the meal that my friend who left early never got to eat, off the check.

Nevertheless, we were fed up and started to walk out to the sidewalk when I realized that I was about to be ill. I went back inside the restaurant bathroom where I proceeded to violently vomit up the cursed arctic chard I had choked down 30 minutes prior. I informed the hostess on my way back out that the Arctic Chard was spoiled.

We got in an Uber, where I rode with my head hanging out of the window. Inevitably, I did spew fishy-puke all over the side of this Uber’s Range Rover. Luckily, the Uber driver had better customer service skills than whoever is managing South End MIDA and offered me a bottle of water.

I would like it noted that I had not had any alcohol that day. I had ordered a diet coke. We were a quiet group of grad students in our mid-twenties that dressed up for a 4 pm dinner reservation to celebrate a birthday. I honestly doubt that if we had been a bunch of Beacon Hill boomers, we would have received such second-class citizen treatment.

Meanwhile I had to cancel my St.Patricks day plans because I can’t keep down so much as a...

I love this restaurant so much, and have been here about 4 or 5 times. Every time I come here the staff members are all so kind, from the hosts at the door to the waiters. Eating here always feels like being welcomed into someone’s home for dinner, including that someone offers to take your coat at the door! (Too few restaurants in Boston do this, which is crazy to me given that we wear coats here most of the year.)

The food quality is incredibly high, and it’s really worth the price to eat pasta that’s freshly made in house. (That said, it is objectively expensive, so I do tend to prioritize coming here during Dine Out week.) I’ve also learned a lot about wine here because the waiters are always happy to explain their offerings and provide generous tastes. My favorite dishes here have both been seasonal Dine Out offerings, but as an example of the quality/flavor genius: one was a short pasta shape smothered in slow cooked chicken ragu with lots of herbs, which had all the soul affirming flavor of the best chicken noodle soup of your life in pasta sauce form; the other was a summer sweet corn and ricotta ravioli.

All but one of the times I’ve dined here I’ve been in the front room, nestled into one of the bay window nooks, which is such a lovely, cozy atmosphere for catching up with friends or date night.

Two small areas for improvement based on my most recent time eating here, which is why I took 1 star off atmosphere: The last time I ate here, I was sat in the back room where the open kitchen and bathrooms are, and it was like dining at a totally different restaurant. The decor and coziness seem to drop off back here, and the vibe is so much louder and more chaotic. I think they could do well to make sure their whole restaurant space is a consistent atmosphere, or else enable reservations for the back or front room specifically.

And also based on this last visit, I would appreciate if the bussers and waiters did better to give diners some peace. My friend and I were really lingering over our meal, eating slowly, sipping our wine, and nibbling on bread. Every 2 - 3 minutes someone would come and whisk something from our table, like the bread or a glass of wine with an ounce or 2 left or the extra cheese we’d asked for or an entree with a few bites left, and we’d have to yell, “WE’RE NOT DONE!!!” We took to sitting there with one hand on a dish at all times, which is not relaxing. It’s really okay to let people sit at the table with mostly-empty dishes until they ask...

On a quiet weekday evening, we ventured into Mida, a culinary gem nestled in the heart of Boston, where the promise of Italian-inspired delights awaited us. As we stepped through the doors, the warm glow of the restaurant enveloped us, a cozy embrace that hinted at the flavorful journey to come.

The ambiance was inviting, adorned with rich woods and soft lighting that created an intimate setting for our dinner. The air was filled with the tantalizing aromas of freshly prepared pasta and fragrant herbs, igniting our anticipation for the feast ahead.

We began our meal with the Arancini, golden rice balls stuffed with gooey mozzarella and draped in a rich marinara sauce. Each bite was a delightful crunch, giving way to a warm, cheesy center that sang of comfort and nostalgia—a perfect start to our culinary exploration.

For the main course, I chose the Pasta al Limone, a simple yet exquisite dish that showcased the brilliance of fresh ingredients. The pasta was beautifully al dente, enveloped in a silky lemon cream sauce that twirled around the noodles like a gentle embrace. My partner indulged in the Braised Short Ribs, tender and flavorful, served atop creamy polenta that captured the essence of home-cooked warmth.

As we savored our dishes, our excitement was slightly tempered by the service, which felt disjointed and inattentive. The waitstaff, though friendly, seemed overwhelmed, and we found ourselves waiting longer than expected between courses. Our glasses remained unfilled, and the rhythm of the evening faltered, casting a shadow over what could have been a truly enchanting experience.

To conclude our meal, we could not resist the allure of dessert. We opted for the Tiramisu, a classic that arrived beautifully presented, its layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone inviting us to indulge. While the flavors were delightful, the dessert felt rushed, lacking the finesse we had hoped for.

In reflection, Mida is a restaurant filled with promise, where the food shines brightly like a beacon of culinary creativity. However, the service left us yearning for a more polished experience—a smoother flow that would allow the flavors to truly take center stage.

As we departed, hand in hand, we carried with us the memory of delightful dishes and a longing for a more harmonious evening. Mida holds the potential to be a remarkable dining destination, and we hope that on our next visit, the service will rise to meet the brilliance of...