I only went in for a few appetizers, so I can't really comment on their entrees, but the appetizers weren't that great, especially for the prices they charge. The worst were the oysters, they tasted too fishy and were not fresh at all. I didn't expect the best oysters, but they were just so bad. Do not get the oysters unless you know they are fresh.
Review Source:Great atmosphere. Â Staff is a little standoffish, but whatever. Â They were efficient and got the food out timely and effectively. Â They did overcharge us with two meals that sent us over the $300 mark, but the waiter called to tell us and that is kudos on his part. Â
Food was very innovative and different. Â The price was okay for the restaurant it was. Â Not too expensive as a place like this in Boston would have been. Â It's trendy and one of it's kind in Waltham. Â The windows all open for a nice night breeze. Â
If you are looking for a night out with the girls or guys this is the place.
We saw a mixture of business, casual, and trendy. Â Drinks were great, nothing watered down, and it was very good. Â We had a spring martini with cucumbers in it. Â Yum.
Great date spot, good food. Â I like the creative food selection, though my boyfriend wasn't as big of a fan of the unfamiliar ingredients. Â They should add a couple of classics to the menu. Â The food was cooked to order and very good. Â It's a little loud in the restaurant (Friday night) but I don't mind that. Â The drinks were outstanding. Â We never got a specials list, and even though our waitress read some to us (she was a little odd), she missed others and I had to keep standing up to try and read what was on the chalkboard, they need to hand that out to all customers. Â It's definitely overpriced, they could go down a bit seeing as it's not huge portions, but nonetheless, great food and good experience.
Review Source:LOVE this restaurant! Every time I go here I can try something new and it is always good. Service is good and I seriously respect the fact that they have grass fed beef here. So hard to find that when dining out. Keep up the great work at making this an amazing restaurant right here in my home town!
Review Source:Always a solid choice. Â My wife and I have been there a few times for normal evenings, holidays, and restaurant week. Â The food is always good and prepared well. Â The wait staff is attentive and accomodating. Â My only complaint is the noise level. Â It gets rather loud inside. Â But, that aside, you'll have fun here where its a night out with friends or if you're just looking for a nice dinner and some drinks.
Review Source:We had an excellent meal tonight at Tempo Bistro! The seafood including spicy tiger shrimp appetizer and deconstructed chowder with flounder were fresh and very tasty. The specialty cocktails including muddled grape with elderberry liquor was outstanding and there is a good selection of wines and beer on tap. Our server, John, was extraordinarily polite, helpful and attentive. Will return soon and bring friends!
Review Source:Wow, how have I not reviewed this place yet? Â It's my favorite restaurant. Â No exaggeration. Â I can get something new there every time I go and I know it's going to be fantastic (they have an *extensive* and delicious specials list every night, not just weekends). Â I do have some go-to's on the regular menu as well so there are always great options if something off the specials menu doesn't strike me. Â The last dish I had was a deconstructed fish chowder and it was on the best meals I believe I've ever had. Â All of the seafood was cooked perfectly (mussels, clams, white fish) and the sauce was just so fantastic I don't know if I could put it into words. Â My husband had a rack of lamb and we couldn't decide which meal was better.
The ambience there is exactly what I look for as well. Â It's the perfect amount of casual and elegant. Â The service is on par with some of the most expensive restaurants I've been to. Â The waitstaff and bartenders really know the menu inside and out and are eager to make sure you get a great experience.
And now to talk about their cocktails. Â Easily the best in Waltham. Â They always have new and inventive infusions and change the list up regularly to match the seasons.
My only wish is that they would start having weekend brunches!
Good service, average food for the price, very loud.
We went on a Friday night with 4 people.  My steak was a bit tough... I've had better  for the money.  I will probably go back and try something different, or go in for drinks later in the night next time.
Bar has a cool atmosphere if you are looking to get drinks; if you are going in for dinner it is way too loud, with no separation from the bar area.
I went to tempo with my boyfriend on a week night. It wasn't crowded. We sat at the bar and were planning on having just a quick drink..  After looking over the menu we decided to order an app and went with the calamari. it was delicious.  food and drink wise this place is great. although service wise this place is below average. i ordered a glass of  chardonnay. my first sip i could tell it was a Riesling.  you don't need to be a wine expert to know the difference between a sweet and dry wine. when i told the female bartender they may have poured the wrong one, she didn't say a word.. she just took my glass, dumped it out and used the same glass to pour the chardonnay in. i don't need to be wined and dined, but i thought that was extremely rude and unprofessional. i will not be returning.
Review Source:Ok. Â I really wanted to like this place. Â It looks so sexy and romantic, so I really wanted to take my boyfriend there. Â
First we got some drinks. Â His was really good, but I wasn't able to drink mine due to the large strawberry pieces clogging the straw. Â I would have gotten over it if the drink was really good, but the flavor was also lacking. Â When I told the waitress, she brought me another drink that was much better without question. Â
Next we ordered apps. Â We got some mushroom pizza and the philly steak rolls. Â I wasn't impressed with either. Â The philly rolls, while tasty, looked pretty gross on the plate. Â It looked like someone shat on my plate. Â I tried one, but I couldn't look at them at all. Â The mushroom pizza had a thick layer of flavorless mushrooms. Â I felt aweful about telling the waitress to take them back, but we couldn't even get through either one. Â I think that she was getting annoyed with us by this time, because her response to us sending them back was a little short. Â I don't blame her though, I would have been irritated too, but just telling us that a dish is popular is a touch rude.
The salads came next. Â I don't consider myself a salad person, but they were good. Â My issue was that I had to put in a lot of effort to eat it. Â I'm just not a big fan of whole lettuce leaves on a plate surrounded by whatever else is supposed to be in the salad. Â Some people may like that, but I just feel like it is the kitchen's job to clean and cut the leaves so that they can be easily eaten. Â In a low light situation like Tempo, it ended up with me looking like an idiot being hit in the face with greens. Â It wasn't a huge deal, but combined with everything else of the evening, it was dissapointing. Â
We decided to skip entrees and go straight to dessert. Â Our favorite dessert was on the menu, creme brulee. Â There is nothing negative to say about it. Â It was the perfect size for the two of us, just enough so that you don't feel like a bloated little piggy leaving the restaurant. Â The texture was amazing, and it was just sweet enough.
All in all, I probably won't go back. Â I can't imagine myself spending that much money for so little to be done right. Â IF I were to go back, I would only go for dessert and drinks. Â Not worth the price tag.
My family was in the Boston area for my sister's track meet, and we decided that we wanted to go out for a celebration dinner after she came in second in her race. I made a last minute, late-hour reservation. While on the phone with the hostess, I mentioned that my sister was coming from a track event and was wondering if there was a dress code (the answer is no, there isn't a dress code).
When we arrived, the hostess greeted us by name (I'm guessing we were the only reservation for 10:15). She then proceeded to ask my sister about her race, and exchanged some stories from her own career as a track athlete. I was very impressed by her friendliness and attention to personal details.
Service was timely and professional. The server was ever-so-slightly terse for my liking -- perhaps something to do with the late hour of our arrival -- but overall did a good job.
I had the Pan Seared Long Island Duck Breast and Confit Leg, which was served with squash risotto and local bok choy. The serving size was quite generous, and the dish had a lot of flavor.
For dessert, I split the heath bar crunch bread pudding with my mother. This was to-die-for good.
I was very impressed with the food, atmosphere, and staff. We'll definitely be back for more!
What is is that truly defines a great restaurant? Is it the food? Is it the service? I think it is the soul, something that this restaurant clearly lacks. I came in for dinner tonight by myself and of course could not find a table on Valentine's Day, nor could I find a seat at the bar (a regular wouldn't let me sit next to him as he was supposedly waiting for his dinner date). I asked the bartender if anyone was almost finished and she said I could hang out and wait for the next seat. So I waited. Then a couple came up to the gentleman about 30 minutes later and he gave up both his seats to them. I guess I didn't seem nice enough to him. So I went back to the bartender and commented on it and she really just didn't care. She just said to keep waiting for a single seat. I finally got a seat, ordered a drink and some food, and listened to some bartenders and servers talking to each other, but any time I chimed in, they just ignored me or shrugged it off. I didn't matter and they didn't care about me. Nobody asked me how my food was, and frankly, the tuna tartare special of the evening was pretty, but totally lacked acid, fat, and seasoning, something I would have definitely shared as constructive feedback. I managed to receive an insincere "thank you" when I received my check presenter. Hospitality means so much to me, and I left this restaurant feeling empty and disappointed. After a wasted evening, I can assure you I will not return to this restaurant.
Review Source:My husband and I came here on a Saturday night to celebrate our anniversary. We had made reservations online and requested a table with some "privacy". We arrived at about 6pm and we were seated at this cute table, kind of in a nook, and we were very pleased that they were able to accomidate us.
Our waitress was very outgoing with a bubbly personality, which is always great! We had ordered the chips with fresh guacamole and pineapple salsa. The guacamole was so delicious (and very fresh!), my husband who doesn't even like guacamole was addicted!
With our dinners we ordered the grilled cesear salad without anchovies. Again, the salad was delicious! We ordered the full salad and split it between the two of us, which the halves were huge!
For dinner I had ordered the Roasted Marinated Gianonni Farms Organic Statler Chicken. Upon ordering our waitress let me know that the chicken does take about 35-40mins to cook because they cook it fresh, which I had no problem waiting for. My husband ordered the Chipolte Marinated Grass Fed Angus Steak Tips. Our waitress checked on us a few times while we waited for our meals- she kept our drinks filled and brought us some bread. The Statler chicken came with a good size portion of chicken, 3 butternut squash ravioli's, and green beens all drizzled in a brown sauce. I don't know how they cooked the chicken but the meat was very tender and melted in your mouth- it was DELICIOUS! My husband's dinner had a huge portion of steak tips, arugula and crispy potato salad with grilled onions, gorgonzola cheese and peppers. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his dinner as well.
For dessert we had ordered a peacan chocolate cake- which too was very delicious!
This place is now on our "go to" resturant list, which we only have a few. Our waitress was very attentive and the food was extremely fresh and the flavors delicious! You could tell that the food was prepared fresh that day or right when you ordered it. Oh yes, for drinks my husband had ordered a Kentucky Kooler martini, which he ended up not liking it (he doesn't drink bourbon very often and it was too much for him) and the waitress had it taken off the bill and hadn't a issue bringing him a beer. I had ordered a Fruit Cupitini and glass of wine and both were great!
We will definitely return to this restaurant again and soon!
Thanks for a great atmosphere and fabulous food!
went in there a few months ago, the appetizers were out of this world. The Philadelphia egg rolls were awesome. The entrees were good. Menu is  alittle pricey. Waiter jason was not professional and rude, insulted one of my buddies for being a vegetarian. Wouldn't go back here unless it was for a company gathering and would hopefully be lucky enough to have a better waiter next time. Those appetizers were really good....nom.
Review Source:WOW!!!! I just received a message from Erin, and not only did she address my personal issue, she has made the entire restaurant a very soy-allergy-friendly place! She's even gone so far as to purchase small fryolators for soy-allergic customers (call ahead to get them heated up)!
I'm blown away by the customer service here. Gobsmacked even!
Also, a retraction: The steak that they offered me WAS grass-fed. The server neglected to say so, as she assumed that I'd read that part of the menu.
Plus 2 stars & a HUGE thank you to Erin!~ WOW!
My husband and I love coming here for dinner. Great food - they do a wonderful job changing out menu items according to seasonal ingredients - probably my favorite thing about this place! The bartenders do a fantastic job with the drinks and also change out seasonal martinis and beers. Their 7 before 7 is a really good deal - $7 apps before 7pm and after 10pm, and because of it, the bar can get pretty packed after work on a Thursday or Friday night. I love the atmosphere in here...romantic but energetic. Will definitely be coming back every season to scope out the seasonal menu items!
Review Source:What an awesome find! Normally, I venture to Moody Street for some adventurous, international cuisine. We decided to try out this New American spot  for a change during our last visit. This place has a great modern yet warm ambience. Leather chairs and booths, lots of wood details, and funky lights. I loved the bar setup; it was massive and so man cave-esque!
Our server could not have been more awesome. He was so attentive during the whole meal and consistently made sure we had everything we need.
I started with a dirty gin martini (standard for a Saturday evening) and my mother actually was able to drink a gluten-free beer! Both were great. We started off with the mussels, which were absolutely fantastic. The broth they were served with was so good that our server brought over a spoon and extra bread (not even on request) so we could enjoy it to the last drop. For dinner, I ordered the pork chop, which comes with a healthy serving of baked macaroni & cheese, grilled asparagus, caramelized onions, and this out-of-this-world cranberry apple reduction. My portion was huge; I could have easily gotten away with eating half and saving half for later. I made it to about 80% completion before I finally threw in the towel. It was just too delicious to stop.
Highly recommend Tempo for a family dinner out or for date night. I would say skip the generic spots like Legal Seafood or Skip Jack's and come here instead for a great seafood dinner. They try a lot harder and it shows.
Only reason I give 4 stars is because 5 star reviews are often filtered out. I've dined at Tempo several times and felt compelled to add my 2 cents after seeing 2 recent negative reviews based on service (I actually came on here to simply update my review). First off, this is a place that really cares about your entire experience as illustrated by responses to negative reviews. As for the two recent negative reviews, who show's up to a fine dining restaurant for food at 11pm or even 10pm?! Of course it sounds like the waiter was out of line but come on...plus two negative comments for one visit? Really? Maybe its time to realize that bad service can happen in even the best establishments and give credit for the effort Tempo clearly made to appologize. One of these women even commented "I've dined around the world"...oh ok your highness you've written 2 yelp reviews and your friend  has written 15. Sometimes there is no pleasing some people (not even after the waiter was put on leave and the tip was refunded completely). Grow up. I feel bad for a great restaurant that has to deal with spiteful / vindictive customers like those two broads. Eww.
As for my experience, this place is great. The chef really cares about top quality, fresh food. The preparation and flavors of the food are excellent. I had a burger here the other day that was honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had. The swordfish chop and statler chicken are two of my other favorites. Salmon and tuna tartar and oysters are two of my favorite apps., everything is awesome though. The drinks are also awesome! One of the bartenders even mixes fresh infusions each week (to make specialty margaritas, martini's, etc.).
I've only experienced great service from everyone that works there. The restaurant has an awesome atmosphere and is very warm and welcoming. Go to this restaurant any day of the week and it's filled with customers, that speaks to its caliber. I highly recommend you try this place, it's easily deserving of 5 stars and can compete with the finest restaurants around.
If you haven't been to tempo, then you are missing out big. Â The food is fantastic and they change the specials every week. Â They also have a gluten free menu for those people with food allergies.
The bar has the best bartenders around ( Spiro, Rob, and Lauren) I visit Tempo at least twice a week and it is because of the staff. Everyone is friendly and the food is top notch
I quite enjoyed Tempo. A group of four of us stopped in around 6pm on a Saturday without reservations. They offered us some seats at the bar for the 45 minute wait. We decided to go across the street to another favorite bar, and the hostess was very nice and accommodating. She said to check back in a half an hour, so we did, and they seated us. The place was hopping. It has a good vibe.
I liked the staff. The minute your water got low, someone swooped in to refill. Our waitress got a couple of the drinks wrong, but it was fine. What she brought us was comparable, and we may not have been clear. She was nice and attentive anyway. Regina. She said it was her first night, and for a first night, she was great.
The food: I got an arugula and beet salad with pistacio crusted goat cheese. Delish. And the bread and butter is very tasty. The kind of stuff that you fill up on if you aren't careful. :) My boyfriend said that the coconut chicken skewers were a bit overdone, and the shrimp in the scampy were just a bit tough. But the home-made pasta was very good, and the flavors were on point. Our friends that were with us really liked what they had (another scampy, and I just can't remember the fourth dish. :))
Nice drink menu. Fun stuff. They let you buy small beers, like tastes, and I always like that. I just had wine, but it was good. And the cocktail list was fun and interesting. Seasonal, good stuff. Mostly beer at our table, but everyone liked what they had.
We didn't do dessert, but it looked delicious.
Nice ambiance. Booths, tables, cloth napkins. Not overly fancy though; you could bring kids, but maybe leave the babies at home:). I'd say very good for dates. Low lighting, wood and leather. Classy.
I'll be back.
Personally, I can not think of one negative thing do say about Tempo! I love the place, stopped in tonight and enjoyed 7 before 7 appetizers at the bar! I had the Philly steak and cheese spring rolls, sautéed Maine muscles and fried calamari! SO good and such a great deal, especially when you wash them down with one of Spiro's (the bar manager) DELICIOUS infusions! Today, I tried the pumpkin pie martini, yum!! Vanilla vodka infused with fresh sugar pumpkin and cinnamon sticks. Lauren and Rob  were working tonight and were super attentive, helpful and fun. I'd recommend visiting the bar to anyone who reads this!
Review Source:Our waiter was absolutely rude and obnoxious.
I've read some of the previous comments, especially where the manager replied to a negative comment saying that Tempo would work on training their staff- that was over five months ago.
On Friday, my friends and I went to Tempo and our waiter, J.K., ignored us for the majority of the time. When we finally got his attention to get some bread, he proceeded to tell us that he didn't think that there were any more and left.
Despite the bad service, we still tipped him 15%. However, when we were about to leave, our waiter proceeded to advance on us in a very threatening manner and yelled vicious insults at us in front of the entire restaurant. I have never been treated thus before at any restaurant and I have dined internationally.
Today, I found out that my friends and I were charged double for the tip- which is theft. I am planning to call my bank and Tempo to get this settled.
Needless to say, this was absolutely the worst dining experience I have ever had. Hopefully, Tempo will do a better job in the future with their future customers.
Thanks to Tempo, I now have a better idea of what it's like to be in an abusive relationship.
Our waiter, Jason K, was slow in bringing our food and spent most of our time there ignoring us despite there being almost no other people in the restaurant. I try to be nice about these things, since maybe he was stressed out and the slow food was the kitchen's fault.
But, no. We tipped 15% despite the lousy service. When we were getting up to leave, we were suddenly confronted by Jason, who in his fury literally yelled at us, "HAVE YOU NEVER EATEN IN A RESTAURANT BEFORE?", amongst other things, and started loudly berating us in front of the entire restaurant. I still don't know exactly what he was upset about, but it had something to do with the tip - I couldn't really  understand him through his stream of insults. He was getting up in our faces, yelling and trying to intimidate us into tipping him more. This is the sort of behavior I'd expect from an abusive boyfriend, not from someone in the service industry. We tried to be as calm as possible and to temper him, because honestly he was getting really frightening, and we left.
Flash forward to this morning, where my friends and I discover that he charged us double the tips each of us wrote for him. I am quite sure that I did not tip him 30% (I should've tipped him zero), but at this point I'm not even surprised by this behavior.
Tempo, I would take notice. You're clearly a well-respected restaurant in the area, but the conduct of your waiters is beyond unacceptable, and I would suggest that you change that before one of your waiters verbally assaults another group of diners.
Food was quite good, about average for the price. Â Service was plain bad. Â Waited for our food for an hour and a half. Â Watched everybody else get their food except us. Â Waitress only apologized for "mistake in the kitchen". Â Most places of this class and price will offer some restitution or at the very insufficient least have the manager come by. Â A simple apology from the waitstaff is below insufficient.
A decent restaurant distinguishes itself by food and service, and a good restaurant will also recover very well from mistakes. Â This one didn't.
Bottom line: food is fine but if Tempo wants to play in the big leagues they need to grow up.
What? Â They are filming a Phantom Gourmet segment??? Â There is nothing on the menu with ooey-gooey goodness. Â Why is Dave Andleman and the Phantom crew here? Â So odd. Â The bright camera lights detracted from the subtle lighting.
The food was very good. Â I ordered the spicy shrimp and scallops. Â It wasn't spicy hot, but it was spicy flavorful. Â The broth was heavenly and the rice was and excellent vehicle for sopping it up. Â The shrimps were a little overdone, but the scallops were spot on! Â
My date had the bolognase and seemed to really enjoy it.
I thought the waiter was a little MIA, but maybe I was just not enjoying myself of the date.
I'd go back-with someone else, though.
Beautifully plated food that tastes as good as it looks and arrives faster than seems possible. Â On this night, Tempo represented constant motion and speed. Â Missing was the Italian definition of tempo (time), which slows down during a relaxing meal. Â
The two of us were seated on a long bench next to other couples. Â The two on my right gawked at my appetizer and the party on my left gaped at and discussed my dessert. It is loud, but you can still hold a conversation, or listen to the ones on either side of you. Â It would be fun for a group.
Our waiter was in a hurry all night, and asked for our drink order as soon as we sat down, before we'd seen the wine list. Â Servers were ready to snatch our plates as soon as the last morsel of food disappeared.
I enjoyed the fresh oysters, accompanied by a tangy apple-cucumber sorbet. Â My special, the sea bass, was moist in the middle, crispy around the edges, and propped on top of sunchoke-stuffed ravioli, with sauteed baby spinach and a pepper sauce. Â I ate every bite - very sloooowly - despite the visits from the busboy waiting to whisk away my plate.
I recommend the mini-tasting dessert for people like me who can't choose one thing. Â Put a tiny bread pudding and a tiny brownie sundae on one plate and I'm a satisfied diner. Â (I couldn't finish the tiny apple tart.)
I have been staring at this place for about a year. I'm not sure why it took me so long, but I'm very glad I went in. The ambiance is warm and soft. I could see myself spending long lunch or dinner in a cozy booth.
The food was good. I got mussels and my friends got salads. The waitress was lovely. The vodka was ice cold. I will return. For sure.
The hostess was my only issue. Otherwise, I had a really awesome meal, a nice waiter, and some delicious beers. What more can I ask?
I believe I had a pumpkin ravioli special; yum yum. Also, dessert sampler was mouth-watering.
So what was the issue with the host? Â It was one of those nights between Christmas and the New Year and there was no one in the restaurant (literally 1 other couple) and my friend and I were asked to sit directly next to them, practically pushing elbows. I said I preferred another seat, and she kindly brought us over to other side of the dining area. I'm not sure what that's all about, but they accommodated us.
How have I not reviewed Tempo before?!
Ok, I'm biased because it is in my neighborhood and therefore caters to my laziness. That aside, Tempo has a lot to offer.
Decor sets a nice atmosphere somewhere between professional after-work feel and an upscale cafe. Windows open fully in warm weather (similar to Solea down the street).
One of the reasons I love Tempo so much is because of their specials. They have a modest sized menu of constants - and then the 'blackboard specials' which usually have several apps, entrees, sides, and desserts listed. I almost always order off the blackboard - they have some really creative stuff there.
Wine selection is decent enough - although I could do with a few more choices for reds by the glass, but oh well. Only complaint I have is that the servers almost always recite off the ENTIRE black board specials list. First off, they are displayed prominently in the restaurant so by the time the server has come over I have already read it. Secondly, normally this wouldn't bother me except for the fact that Tempo has SO many specials. Its frustrating to sit through 5 minutes of someone reciting 10 different specials, after already having read them. I would MUCH prefer it if they would ask us if we would like them to recite the specials. That way, anyone who had difficulty seeing the blackboard could hear them, but everyone else can be spared.
I'd like to give Tempo four stars, but I'm going to go with three.
The place was totally full and jumpin' on a recent Thursday night (not one of their specials nights) during Restaurant Week. Â The windows on the street can be opened all the way on a nice summer evening, which this was, letting the fresh air in and connecting it to the street more. Â The bar has a enthusiastic group following the Pats game. Â They have a noteworthy wine list. Food was very good, but not "OMG I've never had anything so delicious" good. Service was very good, as well. Â Portions were ginormous; my wife's baby back ribs were straight out of the Flintstones, and the ribs had lots of tasty meat on them. Â All that should qualify it for four stars, but I'm deducting for...
- Very noisy place, and so it's hard to hear casual conversation with others at the table. Â I think patrons were talking louder to try to make themselves heard above the din, and with everyone doing that it just gets louder.
- the bread basket they they brought out was embarrassing for a restaurant with otherwise very good food -- a few piece of fairly plain white bread that didn't nearly fill the basket.
- it's expensive for its style, location and quality. The "$30 and under" on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a> is not accurate. With a salad/appetizer, entrée and one drink you're going to be closer to $50/person.
- a niggle: the Web site is not up to date (sorry, but I create Web sites). It's late August but if I click on the home page page link for their $5 BARbites (which I'm told are good; I want to know more), I go to a menu from Restaurant Week last March. There's no way on the site to send them an email.
I went on a busy Tuesday night and quickly got one of the last tables available.
I was really interested in the duck breast but they didnt have an decent pinot noir so I went for the Angus beef tips. Â The beef tips were tasty and not at all dry which can easily happen.
As much as their wine list sucked, their beer list was pretty damned good with plenty of local offering which for an out of town business traveller was nice to see. Â I was please to see a NOLA favorite Abita ale. Â One normally doesnt see that outside Louisiana.
The service was quick and friendly. Â The noise level was a bit high but not too bad at all.
Oh man, I'm writing this review with a little bias, seeing as TEMPO is actually closed during the day and doesn't open for dinner until 5 pm. One of our co-workers is a regular here and was able to manage to them to open just for our lunch that HP (yes the Hewlett-Packard) was going to buy for us.
They set up a pre-set menu especially  for our group. We started with appetizers to share which included buffalo chicken pieces, calamari, and grilled pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.  After apps, we were each given a light salad with romaine, carrot strips, a smidge of Parmesan, and a light Asian dressing.
For my entree I chose the flank steak and it was delicious. Actually one of my co-workers advised me that he would have licked his plate clean if he could! That's how good it was. Served with asparagus and roasted potatoes. Personally I would have preferred more of the asparagus and less of the potatoes, but regardless, I cleaned up my plate as well.
The staff was super with our group especially since we're the only group in here other than another private party being held in the bar area, since again the restaurant opened specifically only for our private function.
Kudos to the chef(s) and staff!
We needed a place for our rehearsal dinner, and given that we got married in Lincoln, there wasn't  much for restaurants to choose from in the area. After realizing Waltham is a short trip I contact a friend for suggestions.
We go scope out the place and have a fantastic dinner. The boy got seared tuna and said it was the best he ever had. I can't remember what I got, but I know I liked it. We also split the fig and goat cheese appetizer, yum! We're sold and call later in the week to arrange the rehearsal dinner.
The rehearsal dinner went so well it amazed me. We all got to order straight from the menu, and at different times, yet the timing of the food was perfect. Usually with group dinners something always goes wrong, but that wasn't the case here. From drinks, to appetizers, entrees and desserts all was executed so well. I think we all were impressed, both with the service and with the food.
One note, if you do go, save room for dessert as they have some wonderful ones. Can't decide? Go for the sampler, you literally get a smaller version of every dessert. So delicious.
Well, you can color me unimpressed. (Which according to Yelp stars, is yellow).
We dropped in for dinner, were seated quickly, which was nice and decided to start with lettuce wraps and the philly cheese steak egg rolls.
The lettuce wraps are better at the Mad Raven. The Philly Cheese Steak egg rolls were both interesting and delicious.
I got the house made seafood pasta. Which was lemon-y and a little weird... The seafood was good and hearty and I was ok with that. the pasta was REALLY lemon-y. As a sauce, it needed some balance. It was not the highlight of the evening by any stretch.
The boyfriend got the fisherman's stew which he said was pretty decent, but he would rather go to Solea for the paella (mostly because it rhymes nicely, but second because it tastes better..).
Afterwards, we got a cupcake. For $5. It was extremely tiny and not really that great. I bet the $5 bill would've been tastier.
I think it's overpriced and not that impressive. The tastes weren't fantastic and for the money, not really worth it.
Great place to hang out. Lady's are open. Service is great.
The waiters/waitresses actually know what's on the menu and  are of very good help when you don;t know what to get. Everytime I go there is a pleasent surprise, so far the only thing I would not recommend would be steak. The appetizers, salads and entrees are great, specially the ones with seafood.
The music is great from thursday to saturday. It is not a quiet place if you are looking for a calm place.