i've been lax in posting ... been methodically making my way through every cambridge eatery i've happened to miss since my time in boston, as well as checking out the few new ones. some quick comments: bombay cafe (harv sq): it's been a long time since i've been to this place. not bad, but it's the type of gussied up indian food (like kashmir on newbury st) that i'd pass up in favor of more homey fare. 9 tastes (harvard sq): relatively new thai place. you've gotta wonder about any thai place that has an "all you can eat" special. this has earned a spot pretty near the bottom of my list of thai places in boston. pretty sloppily prepared and bland all around, and not bland in a minimal way like the popular MIT-student destination thailand cafe on mass ave. pepper sky (pearl st, central sq): has become a regular spot thanks to its closeness. pretty standard americanized thai food, and although the curry is depressingly bland, the spicy pad thai (also pretty minimal) is acceptable. the drunken noodles are prob. the best thing i've gotten from here. middle east (central sq): no one goes to the middle east for the food, and for good reason. the falafel was okay, but half of our grape leaves were inexcusably gritty. falafal palace (central sq): tiny place, but not bad. picante's (central sq): ecchh. i don't remember this place being so incredibly bad. have they changed management since i was in school? pretty inedible stuff. mass ave restaurant (b/t central and harv sq): the breakfast was okay, but the lunch (pseudo-mexican) is pretty much on the level of picante's, i.e. pretty terrible. in related news i've pretty much had to strike hamersley's (tremont st, south end) off of my list. went last night, and at the server's strong recommendation (although much against my better judgement) i got the mushroom wellington w/ madeira sauce, a sort of pot pie. this dish really chrystallized hamersley's failings, namely that in their pursuit of the full-bodied french rustic feel every dish is so buttery and creamy that they're overwhelmingly rich, heavy, and in the end just uninteresting. andy had the so-so duck confit, and our warm chocolate tart was similarly lackluster (just as most of the desserts we've had there have been). we've had some good meals there, but i've had too many subpar ones that it'll be a long time before i'll be persuaded to go back. so now that those mostly mediocre places are out of my system, i'm looking forward to hitting some new places w/ the warm weather. top of our list: upstairs on the square (in harv sq), petit robert bistro (kenmore sq), salts, the blue room. also, after the disappointing trip to hamersley's i'm more enthusiastic about hitting rendezvous again.