KARTABAR,

Don't you love discovering a dish so enjoyable that it's like a favorite song, one you want to play it over and over? Well, during a recent evening at Kartabar, I noticed that three diners at a nearby table were enthusiastically digging into one plate of fried calamari -- one plate each. One of them had apparently been humming a catchy ditty to her friends, so to speak. I knew I was in the right place. Kartabar is a cute play on Kartaba, the hometown of Lebanon-born proprietor Phillippe Maatouk. He used to own Hot Pockets up the street on Thayer and also runs Phillippe's, the sandwich place next door. Kartabar has a prominent marble-topped bar, and eight wines by the glass on its all-over-the-map wine list (mostly from California). There are nearly a dozen appetizers at Kartabar, including daily specials. Kartabar has only a half-dozen entrées besides a couple of daily specials, a situation that keeps down prices while assuring freshness.

Full review.