THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED LOCATIONS EVOO

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED LOCATIONS EVOO Restaurant Review:

Somerville has come a long way from its meat-and-potatoes past, as a population overflow from Cambridge turned it into a beehive for academics, writers, artists, hipsters and high-tech-bonus babies. Chef-owner Peter McCarthy was one of the pioneers in its culinary awakening, and he still keeps the town on its toes both as a longtime advocate of local, seasonal eating but also as a flavor maven. In an airy and pomp-free room designed by Sandra Fairbank, McCarthy works multi-culti magic with New England's bounty from land and sea. At any given time, the cuisines of Santa Fe, Tokyo, Veracruz, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Provence may all be in evidence; it's the kitchen's penchant for updating age-old ethnic staples with drop-dead technique that makes each shine. Take the cornmeal-fried oysters. Fried with the light-handed deftness of tempura, their richness is both undercut and complemented by goat cheese fondue and apple-bacon salsa. Or chicken: McCarthy is one of the few who strives to make it new each season---for instance, using it for basil-scented sausage over polenta with fennel, peaches and Parmesan, all just bathed in broth. Even dessert partakes of his farm-friendly ethic---vanilla-sugar-sprinkled apple-butter sorbet fascinates as much as it refreshes. Perhaps best of all, McCarthy’s commitment to the local sustainable agriculture movement means you’re not only eating well, you’re doing good.