Center of attention in Harvard Square

This has a lot to do with the menu, which is neither here nor there: some flatbreads, raclette, Spanish black bean soup, pot pie, veggie burgers. Tory Row is named for Brattle Street, with its Loyalist mansions. According to its website, "Having since cast aside its loyalty to royalty, Tory Row is now Harvard Square's crown jewel, offering an eclectic range of euro American food and traditional drink." Parse the gastro-babble and you're left with a question: Why? A cheeky name like Tory Row practically begs for a menu of cheeky riffs on British cuisine.

Instead, it attempts rebellion with mixed results. Flatbread topped with cheddar, spinach, and bacon is a great snack, the edges browned, the flavors meshing. "I never liked bacon pizza before, but I love this," says one diner. The menu also features a fantastic salad of greens with generous shreds of duck confit, tangy pickled shallots, and plenty of dried cherries, accented by Dijon mustard.

If only other dishes shared this sense of balance. The cheeseburger would be good if not overwhelmed by its giant bun; it's seasoned well but a bit overcooked. The veggie burger is dominated by an abundance of wild rice in the patty. The croque-monsieur is crisped to the point where one can barely taste the ham over the almost-burned bread. The dry sandwich would benefit from the addition of bechamel. Chicken pot pie has plenty of carrots, peas, and green beans but not much chicken; we poke around under the not-so-flaky crust and find all the meat sitting in one spot.

Cod is baked with leeks and fingerling potatoes, tasty enough but desperately in need of visual pizzazz. A sprinkling of chopped parsley on top of this all-white meal would make it look so much more appealing. Hanger steak is as blue as Bob Saget, but we ordered it medium-rare.