Potluck

Kettles is always stewing up something good

by Margaret LeRoux

Kettles
274 Shrewsbury Street
753-8711
Mon.-Thurs. 12-9 p.m.
Fri. 12-10 p.m.
Sat. 5-10 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

Michael DiGregorio, chef-owner of Kettles, is back in the kitchen of the Shrewsbury Street restaurant. DiGregorio opened Kettles in 1995 and sold it about a year ago. In the meantime, he opened a restaurant in Andover and did some culinary consulting. But recently DiGregorio bought the restaurant back, and now he's cooking there again along with chef Meg Carey who's been at Kettles from the start.

The restaurant's small size necessitates the kettle style of cooking for which it's named. Its tiny kitchen is in full view and is equipped with two huge kettles, steam heated, producing a super hot surface for sautéing. The chefs cook each meal individually in the kettles; patrons can watch Michael or Meg preparing their lunch or dinner.

On a recent midweek evening most of the tables in the larger of the restaurant's two sections were filled; we snagged a table near the open kitchen. We noticed that only one waitress was handling the entire room. "Wow, she's got her hands full," I said to my companion as the waitress zoomed by laden with plates of pasta. While we dined, more people kept coming through the door, and our waitress showed her mettle. Without looking the least bit harried, she welcomed each new group, assigned them seats, and kept her eye on the rest of us. Her skill and good humor made for a most enjoyable evening.

Kettles' decor makes it feel cozy. Several of the walls and posts are papered to look like crammed bookshelves; the rest are painted dark green. The dark woodwork matches the chairs; glass-top tables are decorated with small copper kettles of silk roses. Taped music played in the background, but on weekends a blues duo performs.

The menu offers an array of reasonably priced wines available by the glass or bottle. I chose a glass of Black Marlin ($3.50) described as a blend of chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon grapes from Australia. As promised, it was soft; a nice, sipping wine. From the appetizers we chose bruschetta ($4.25): chopped tomatoes marinated in garlic and olive oil on hot, crusty, Italian bread topped with melted mozzarella cheese. It was very good, even though we're still months away from the best tasting tomatoes. Our other choice, described simply as steamed mussels ($5.99), couldn't have been better. The serving was sizable, the plate heaped with the delicately fresh shellfish. I had intended to taste one or maybe two, but my fork continued to make its way to the pile. These were some of the best mussels I've ever eaten; their garnish of chopped plum tomatoes and pecorino cheese was almost superfluous.

For my entree, scampi ($12.99) appealed more than the rest of the fish selections, which are all served with tomato sauce. Kettles' scampi offers the choice of shrimp, scallops, or clams sautéed in garlic (actually the menu says extra garlic, so be forewarned) served on linguine. I asked if I could have penne instead. "Of course," was our waitress's cheerful reply. I noticed that she also granted the request of a couple seated nearby to substitute eggplant for chicken in the pollo parmesana. I chose shrimp, and received a large portion of them; jumbo, they were as fresh and delicious as the mussels. There was more penne than I could manage to finish; our waitress supplied take-home cartons without our having to ask. I noticed that many of the other diners left carrying the styrofoam containers, too. The servings at Kettles could easily feed two people with moderate appetites. My companion's combination of chicken and Italian sausage in a spicy tomato cream sauce over penne is named Cardinal sin ($12.99). It was sinfully rich, the cream taking the edge off the spiciness of the sauce and giving it a pretty pink color. The chicken was tender, and the slices of sausage had the right blend of fennel, oregano, and hot pepper. Another winning dish.

Even though we were pleasantly full, we wanted to view Kettles' new pastry case, a multishelf cabinet tucked into a corner of the restaurant. Our waitress pointed out carrot cake, a chocolate swirled cheesecake, tiramisu, and two rectangular pastries whose names she couldn't remember. One dark chocolate covered, she described as a "fancy yodel -- it's got cream and chocolate cake inside." The other was coated in white chocolate with cream on top ($2.50). My companion, a fan of white chocolate, persuaded me to share it. The cake inside this pastry was dry, and too sweet for my taste ( my companion agreed on the dryness, but thought the sweetness was just right), and there were strawberry preserves as filling. Clearly, Kettles' strengths are its appetizers and main courses; they're so good you don't really need dessert. Our bill including tax and tip was $51.52.