Queen Anne’s Sitting Room is the antithesis of fast food. It’s not that your meal doesn’t arrive pretty promptly after you’ve ordered; it does. But everything about the small, cozy place—from its chicly shabby mismatched couches and intimate two-tops to its back-room bookshelf—encourages patrons to slow down and smell the roses (or the brie, the Chablis, the smoked duck breast . . . ). It’s also almost impossible to feel unattractive against the room’s softly painted walls and low lamplight, which explains all the couples, heads bowed together over tart dolmas ($6.75) or the smooth European cheese board ($8.75). Still, there are plenty of platonic post- or pretheater patrons (On the Boards is practically next door) and friendly singles at the long, glossy bar that takes up a good part of the far wall.
The food, like the pace, is tr購/I> European: hors d’oeuvres like wine salami and cornichons ($6.75), a daily bruschetta ($7.75), and fresh, garlicky tapenade ($5.75); a half-dozen panini sandwiches ($7.75) and hearty salads stand in for entr饳. A large order of the Salad Lyonnaise (seasonal greens with applewood-smoked bacon, roasted red potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and tomato wedges in a Dijon vinaigrette, $9.75/$7.25 for a small) or greens with duck breast, grilled asparagus, and toasted hazelnuts (same price) are delicious. And almost as filling as the panini, which are uniformly very good but sometimes a little skimpy on the fillings. Try the one with prosciutto, provolone, grilled red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and fresh basil; or the brie, grilled mushroom, spinach, and roma tomato, all gooey and warm on thick, hearty bread brushed with olive oil. The beer and wine list, which includes aperitifs, nonalcoholic options, and 17 bottled lagers, ciders, and ales plus a good dozen inexpensive reds and whites, is nicely selected to appeal to those of us without our copy of Wine Spectator. Not that they’d ever disturb you if you wanted to sit back with a chilled glass of 2001 Cheverny ($6.50) and a smoked salmon plate ($8.75) and read the whole thing cover to cover. Or War and Peace for that matter.
