Paradise lost

Once a charming, suburban restaurant, Cyprian's Bistro trades in its unique menu

by Margaret LeRoux

Cyprian's Bistro 284 Temple Street (off Route 140) Boylston 869-9900 Hours 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Major credit cards Full bar Handicap accessible

It was the reports of a new chef and new menu at Cyprian's Bistro at the Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston that brought us back to this popular restaurant. Darren Collupy, formerly of the Jefferson House, took over earlier this year; and John Rovezzi, whose creative dishes set a new standard for suburban dining, is now catering director.

The bistro itself hasn't changed since the Cyprian Keyes mansion was rebuilt a few years ago. It's a lovely building: as you walk up the winding path you feel like you should be attending a wedding reception, and sure enough, the large function room at the front sees many a bridal party. The bistro is at the rear, overlooking the golf course. It's a small, pretty dining room with cream colored walls and golden lighting.

But it was the new, expanded menu that brought us here on a recent evening. For sure, there are more choices, but the flair of the unusual seems missing. I wonder if a few years in the Boylston woods has tempered the kitchen's ambition. Appetizers now lean heavily toward pub food: potato skins ($4.95), chicken wings ($5.95), and thin-crust pizza ($5.95) are but a few examples. To be fair, there are also mussels Provençal ($6.95), crab cakes ($7.95), and sautéed mushrooms ($6.95). But missing was a standout first-course selection from the past: shrimp on endive with shaved radicchio and wasabi dipping sauce. Instead of making waves, the new menu seems very middle of the road.

Our party of four asked to share the spinach dip, served warm with artichokes and crostini ($5.95); but we were told it was out. Instead, we ordered bruschetta, three hefty slices of grilled Italian bread topped with garlic, chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, and Romano cheese. The bread was firm: it didn't get soggy under the mound of tomatoes; and the pungent basil and garlic flavors dominated.

The wine list did not impress the wine connoisseur in our dining party. We passed on the by-the-glass offerings, nothing outstanding there. Rather, we shared a reasonably priced bottle of Jekel cabernet sauvignon ($22).

A few of the entrees come with a salad, but a nice house salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, and shaved carrots is only $1.95. The zinfandel vinaigrette is a good choice for dressing. I selected the field greens salad ($4.95), more of the same greens topped with surprisingly bland gorgonzola cheese and with finely chopped pecans. The balsamic vinaigrette dressing was very tart. We passed on French onion soup ($3.95) and the soup of the day, cream of leek ($1.95 a cup; $3.95 a bowl).

The dinner menu is divided into three categories: pastas, "from the grill," and house specialties. There is also a short list of daily specials. Two of us went right for these, ordering sautéed haddock ($16.95) and risotto with chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and portobello mushrooms ($14).

And for the wallet conscious, there are a number of meals offered for under $10. You can choose smoked mozzarella ravioli with chicken and tomatoes in basil butter sauce ($9.95), rigatoni in tomato cream sauce with vodka or angel hair pasta with tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms (both $8.95), or pasta marinara for $7.95. One of my companions selected farfalle posillipo ($11.95), the bow-tie pasta topped with marinara sauce, scallops, shrimp, and mussels. The marinara sauce was fresh -- we all sampled and approved -- even though skimpy is an appropriate adjective to describe the amount of shellfish.

My other companion focused on the grill items, rejecting fire-grilled half-chicken ($9.95) because we anticipated chicken in the risotto special; same for the fire-grilled salmon ($11.95) because haddock was to be sampled. The choice was then between sirloin marsala ($14.95) and costoletta oreganata ($10.95), two large and thick chops coated with oregano. My sample was quite tasty, though a bit dry. Along with the chops came a mound of potatoes and bright and al dente green beans.

The risotto had a mealy texture, slightly overcooked, I think, but the flavors of chicken -- bite-size pieces -- and sliced portobello mushrooms dominated. It was, however, the least successful of our four dishes. My haddock, on the other hand, was a winner. The generous fillet was cooked perfectly; the fish flaky and tender in a buttery sauce with strips of red pepper, green onions, and sliced mushrooms. I enhanced the potatoes served alongside with some of the sauce.

Desserts ($4.95) aren't from Cyprian's kitchen, and, though they are prettily displayed on a tray presented by our waitress, choices we selected looked better than they tasted. Key lime pie lacked tartness, and a multi-layered chocolate cake was mostly sweet rather than chocolatey. The four of us lingered over coffee, but realized as the clock slipped past 10 p.m. we were the only ones left in the bistro. Another concession to suburban dining, Cyprian's kitchen closes at nine. Our bill for four was $102.53 before tip.