The Globe Critics on Study and Brothers

This week, Boston Globe food critic Devra First visited Study, where, in one dish at least, "The flavors are as elegant and cool as the presentation," she writes. First gave the Kendall Square restaurant 2.5 out of a possible 4 stars.

A meal at Study is more even than First's initial taste tests of sister restaurant Journeyman had been. "[It's] not as long and drawn out, with fewer failures but fewer breathtaking highs, without as much heart," she writes.

"Chef de cuisine Jon Sanchez, sous chef Nick Anichini, and team create beautiful landscapes on the plate," First writes. A raw scallop offering, the aforementioned elegant and cool dish, is a highlight, as is Study's rabbit, which she calls "stunning, delicious, whimsical."

But she goes on to describe a handful of dishes that "feel overthought and undertested." A squid gnocchi plate, for example: "It’s eye candy. The flavors and textures don’t make the same impression."

Study offers fine touches throughout First's experience, from the complimentary bread and butter to the "well-informed service" to the dessert course and wine list. But she also describes a few misses: a chipped plate, being turned away in favor of reservations that never show. "But [Kudayarova and Lim's] singular, sometimes eccentric approach to food and the business of serving it remains a constant. The effort and its outcomes are admirable."

In the Globe's Cheap Eats column this week, Ellen Bhang tries Brothers, which opened in Coolidge Corner in January. Chefs Edison and Cesar Gutierrez — the namesake brothers — and "honorary brother" Concepcion Perez "turn out an ambitious yet approachable menu of American, Italian, and Mexican specialties, plus full breakfast, daily," Bhang writes.

The short rib taco, a "stylish riff on the traditional street-food snack," is a highlight for Bhang, so much that it overshadows the also-delicious Baja fish taco. But later in the meal, "a cumin-spiced lamb kebab burger ($13) steals the show," she writes. It arrives cooked perfectly to her requested temperature and is "outstanding, as are the French fries, extra crisp from a double-dunk in their fat bath."

But breakfast is the main attraction. The three Brothers chefs all brought something to the new venture, and Cesar Gutierrez's speciality is the first meal of the day. A cumin-seasoned poached egg dish resembles a menu offering from Cesar's alma mater, Soundbites. But "If the eggs don’t entice you, perhaps two menu pages worth of pancakes, waffles, and stuffed challah French toast will."

But with this perfection comes a drawback: Brothers is crowded and the service "sluggish" during weekend brunch. Bhang predicts dinner there will catch on soon, too.