MIDA — Restaurant in Newton

We visited this black owned establishment on Thursday, July 28, 2022. I made a reservation on Open Table. We mistakenly went to the Boston location initially which was closed. Keep in mind the Boston location doesn’t open until 4 pm on Thursdays. Upon arrival there was street parking by the hour for $2 which you can update via your phone with the given website if you need more time. Otherwise keep in mind you will be ticketed like we were for $15 since we missed adding more time with payment. Upon arrival to the restaurant it was clean, modern, and upscale. The host was professional and seated us right away at a lovely table. We didn’t need the reservation and the host didn’t check to verify it. Our waitress was Maria who was from Greece and she was very attentive, professional, and nice. We ordered the following menu items: alba bambini, cocchi americano, arancini, bucatini All amatriciana, crispy chicken sandwich, coffee gelato, and citrus cake. The drinks came out first and were the start of a great experience. The alba bambini drinks were nonalcoholic and refreshingly sweet. The presentation was really cute with deliciously sweet dark marinated cherries. I order the cocchi americano drink in the spritz format. It was the sweetest selection on the drink menu and wasn’t too bad. It was refreshing and had a bit of a bitter taste, but was definitely still sweet. We did receive bread and oil on the table and Maria even brought us more bread when we requested it. The bread was warm and freshly baked which paired so well with the oil. The arancini appetizers came out shortly after was very delicious. The four cheese balls were crispy with ooey gooey goodness inside. They were so flavorful and with the tomato sauce included it was the perfect dipping additive. Also they had a great presentation as well. I did use the restroom while I was here which was clean and had beautiful portraits of notable black women including Nina Simone, Phylicia Rashad, and Debbie Allen. This restaurant also had nice patio seating for patrons to enjoy in the front and the back of the business. We received our main entrees about 6 minutes after our appetizers. The bucatini All amatriciana was a flavor explosion. It was seasoned so well! The noodles were cooked to perfection and the tomato sauce danced with the pork on the plate. This dish was also hot temperature wise to the point the steam was coming out when it was brought to the table. My mom enjoyed her chicken sandwich and decided to eat it open faced. It came with a side salad which she also enjoyed. She did stated the chicken could’ve had a tad bit more salt, but it didn’t take away from the flavor overall. She did tell the waitress to put the the bacon jam on the side which she didn’t care for. It was great to have a waitress listen to a request because that jam would’ve ruined the sandwich for her. I do like that this business has a pride flag in the window meaning they welcome guests of all identities. We did decided to order dessert after we boxed up our entrees which I listed in the menu item list we ordered. About 20 minutes after our entrees we received our dessert. The coffee gelato was really tasty. It had a nice balanced coffee flavor which wasn’t overwhelming like coffee can be. The gelato paired so well with the cake which had a bit of a tartness due to the blueberry guava jam topping. The gelato definitely helped to cut the slight tart flavor and was such a great dessert pairing with the balance. I must say the Newton location is much bigger than the Boston location. I haven’t been in the Boston location since it was closed when we went accidentally. With that being said I do know it would be hard to top the Newton location since it is very swanky inside and has great service and food. We had a great experience overall and it was a great first impression for me as my introduction to Boston. I know this restaurant is ranked as one of the top Italian places in Boston. I would highly recommend everyone in Boston visit the Newton location and patronize this black...

MIDA consistently delivers an enjoyable dining experience, and my wife and I, being regular patrons of the Downtown location, recently decided to explore their new Newton establishment. What immediately struck us was the elevated atmosphere and notably spacious layout compared to the downtown venue.

Our culinary journey commenced with the mussels, a starter that exceeded our expectations in terms of flavor and presentation. Encouraged by this promising start, I decided to venture beyond my culinary comfort zone and opted for the brisket lasagna. While the dish was undeniably good, it seemed to lack that "wow" factor one often anticipates from an upscale dining experience.

My wife, on the other hand, selected the Bolognese, which was flavorful but marred by slightly overcooked pasta, missing the al dente touch that elevates such a classic dish.

One consistent hallmark of MIDA that we deeply appreciate is the utilization of high-quality ingredients, all while maintaining a price point that is more than reasonable. This restaurant offers an accessible yet upscale dining experience, ensuring that you leave satisfied without breaking the bank.

A crucial element that truly elevated our visit was our server, who provided an excellent and engaging experience. She demonstrated genuine interest in us as patrons and struck a perfect balance in her conversational approach, enhancing our overall dining experience.

In conclusion, MIDA continues to uphold its reputation for offering a reliably pleasant dining experience. While the brisket lasagna and the texture of the pasta in the Bolognese didn't reach the highest culinary peaks, MIDA's commitment to quality ingredients at an affordable price point ensures that you'll leave with a sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, the exceptional service we received further solidified our appreciation for this...

We started at the bar since we arrived 20 minutes before our reservation and it was a busy Saturday night. The environment was intimate but well lighted, music but not too loud, and busy but not overwhelming, just well balanced. The bartender (I wish I caught his name) was very knowledgeable about drinks: he offered me an amazing red wine & for my boyfriend, a special cognac thats not advertised like most "luxury brands" dont do. He turned it into a delicious sidecar. One word about the food: YES! We started off with the arancini and calamari+clam strips, both really good. They served complimentary bread & olive oil - I think there's room for improvement there (season the olive oil or add cheese on the side, something is missing). My boyfriend got the short rib lasagna which had no shortage of short rib (he also got a taste of basil in there which he commented he wished there was another 1-2 basil leaves throughout) & I got the roasted chicken with mushroom risotto. The chicken was cooked to perfection - crispy skin cooked through but still moist, and the risotto was soo good! They kept refilling our waters through the night (which they can slow down a little bit on as it was at times disruptive to our conversation but I did appreciate the attentiveness). The chocolate skillet + icecream for dessert- chef’s kiss. Everything came out in such a timely and orderly fashion and the total cost had our jaw dropped especially considering we were in Newton, very reasonably priced. The kitchen stayed calm and managed with the dinner rush which leads me to the cherry on top: Felipe ! I believe he was the manager on shift: everything was running smoothly, he checked on the patrons, and came by with complimentary limoncellos for my boyfriend and me, described it to us, and let us enjoy it. Overall, everything was 10/10 and its...