The Abbey | Brookline

My girlfriends and I arrived to Washington Square on a warm Friday evening, stepping into a dim lit space roaring with conversation; we had decided to check out The Abbey. The space was formerly occupied by Dalia's Bistro and Wine Bar; where intimate velvet booths, rich chocolate wood table tops, gray walls and carpeted floors are completely redone with exposed brick walls and gleaming hardwood floors. Its opening no secret, The Abbey was already packed with patrons.
We put our names in with the maitre'd, snagged the next available seats to open up at the polished wood bar and ordered ourselves some wine. It did not take long for us to be seated. The menu was perused in anticipation as the wine, cocktails and conversations continued to flow. I ordered a Galliano Sour ($10) Galliano, brandy, bitters, lemon juice, simple syrup and one egg white.

Unexpectedly more sweet compared to sour or bitter, I just now learned Galliano is a sweet herbal Italian liqueur.

We were served bread with a zesty garlic hummus and started with a few small appetizer plates. The Fried Halloumi Cheese ($4) is an unusual and tasty appetizer served with a tangy yogurt dipping sauce. Halloumi is made with sheeps and goats milk and can be pan-fried without melting. This creates an incredibly unique texture where the light crispy batter breaks exposing warm, dry and salty cheese crumbles. We enjoyed vegetable side dishes including the Spicy Julienned Snow Peas ($4.50) which were sautéed and flavored with a bold kick and Hoisin BBQ Broccoli ($4.50) was also excellent. Our entrees were served when we realized the waitress forgot about our Lamb Lollipops - which was disappointing only for a minute. I was certainly excited to try the dish, but it seemed a blessing in disguise as the ladies and I knew we ordered plenty of food otherwise. We shared a beautiful plate of crispy and well seasoned with parsley and parmesan Truffle Fries ($4.50), dipped in a side of roasted garlic mayo, which we absolutely loved!And for the finale of foods - my entrée of Bison Bolognese ($17) served with fresh linguine and romano cheese was the just right portion size of a really excellent dish. With a thoughtful and fun presentation, I was thoroughly satisfied by the toothsome linguine in a richly flavorful sauce and the plentiful chunks of ground bison.

The Abbey does not take reservations but are open for lunch, dinner and late night so there is ample opportunity to check out the new digs. I used to live on Beacon Street @ Englewood not too far up the road, so I'm impressed to see positive change and reasonably priced food in a neighborhood near and dear to my heart!

The Abbey | Washington Square

1657 Beacon Street

Brookline, MA