Oleana

Most outdoor dining in Boston consists of nothing more than a few cramped, wobbly tables set up hastily on the sidewalk along a traffic-choked street. But not at Oleana, a Cambridge oasis with a lovely brick patio out back where blooming vines and flowers snake lazily along the wooden-fence walls. What better environment for enjoying chef-owner Ana Sortun's creative Mediterranean cooking, with dishes such as tuna and olive deviled eggs to evoke nostalgia for the best of summer picnics? Don't be surprised if Sortun joins you during dinner service on the patio, where she can often be seen snipping herbs for the kitchen from the adjacent vegetable patch.