The Parsnipity crew had dinner last weekend at Black Ruby, which is in the space formerly occupied by Chalawan, right next to Bagelsaurus, on Mass Ave between Porter and Harvard Squares. This fun little restaurant has an interesting concept of Thai-inspired burgers and pasta.
The large plates which are listed on the online “soft opening” menu were not available on Saturday night when we were there. The joint was pretty full at 6, with not a single seat empty by 7, and I heard the hostess turn away diners. The space is cleaner, sparser and stylishly comfortable compared to prior incarnations.
Drinks and mocktails are available, and at $6 or 7 apiece, the mocktails seemed enough of a bargain that we even let the sprouts make a rare drink order. Thai iced tea with lemonade was the favorite.
The burgers were tasty, with my favorite being the Thai Garlic Beef burger. Gluten free buns are available, which was a bonus for me as a lettuce wrap is a disappointing way to go. Most of us ordered burgers, except for one sprout who is a noodle head and decided on the tom kha pasta with cod and white sauce. She claimed to like it, but to me it was the dud of the bunch and she did look a bit disappointed. We shared calamari- adequate for the price, but having had Contessa’s version a few days earlier, my tastes were spoiled.
Service was friendly and attentive and I think this place will do well if they focus on reasonably priced drinks and burgers (Side note- how did $16 for a burger with no fries or sides become reasonable? Am I old??!).
