A couple of years ago, when HubSpot was still located down in Kendall Square, I would frequently lament the lack of decent restaurants in the area. But over time, new restaurants started popping up. One of the first to move into Kendall was EVOO, and sister restaurant Za. Oddly, I never had any interest in EVOO until recently. I had looked at the menu and was scared off by how eclectic it was. With Thai, Mexican, and French dishes all on the same menu I assumed it wasn’t going to be very good.

My attitude changed after I joined friend and investor David Skok for lunch at EVOO. It was restaurant week and we ended up having three courses, despite it being lunch. Everything was good, especially the coleslaw with cornbread croutons. After that lunch I knew I would be coming back for a dinner at some point.

For New Years Eve 2012, Krystal and I decided to stay in the neighborhood, not wanting to deal with travel around town. EVOO is within walking distance of home and is upscale food with casual dress, so it seemed like an excellent fit. They also had a three course prix fixe menu that was not jacked up just for NYE.

My first course was a Beef Empanada, filled with beef and cheddar cheese. The filling was not ordinary ground beef, more like a diced steak. On the plate was a side of salsa which had a little heat and a lot of sweetness. The empanada was not a huge portion, but it was an appropriately sized starter.

For my main course, I ordered the Lamb Croquettes. At first, I assumed that the dish was braised lamb and croquettes as a side. But I was wrong, and the braised lamb had actually been rolled into a ball, breaded, and fried into a crispy croquette. There was a flavorful lamb jus on the plate and some picked vegetables. The pickled items were amazing, full of vinegar and spice, and it cut right through the heaviness of the fried croquettes, an excellent pairing.

Dessert was Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. The plate had a deep pool of warm sauce and a square of sweet, soft, warm, bread pudding in the middle. There was not anything out of the ordinary with this dessert, just a straightforward sweet dish to end the meal.

The pacing and service was excellent. All of our dishes perfectly executed, seasoned properly and served hot. We also opted for the wine pairings with dinner and were surprised to find that it included dessert wine as well, a nice touch. Despite a somewhat random menu, EVOO managed to deliver course after course of delicious food and with good value.