45 1/2 Mt. Auburn St.

For those who come from towns that can boast only two Italian and one Chinese restaurant, Hemispheres is a whole new experience. Friends back home will think you've gone crazy when you rave about the asparagus sandwich called the Hemispheres Special, and you'll really jolt them when you go on babbling about such weird dishes as baba ganoosh, falafel, and baklava. Let them eat spaghetti.

Hemispheres opened a few years ago, and instead of following the example of many other student-priced restaurants in the Square that quickly go broke, it has expanded its facilities ever since. Over the summer, the newest addition was a roof garden that was build on top of Hemispheres' two rooms. The downstairs area still has an atmosphere that can only be described as unique--where else other than the Sistine Chapel is the ceiling (covered by art prints) more interesting than the walls? The best of Bach and Beethoven rounds out the "cultured" atmosphere and also serves to filter out the noise of the Mt. Auburn St. delivery trucks and buses.

Hemispheres is undoubtedly one of the best late-evening dessert handouts in the Square area. Abandon any hopes of staying on your diet and dig into owner Fred Mojavr's homemade ice cream pie. Hopefully the rumor isn't true that the chocolate cheese cake, another Hemispheres specialty, is no longer on the menu. Unfortunately, the rumor is true that the price of all cheesecakes was recently raised to $1.25.

At a time when most restaurants are changing the prices on their menus every other week, meals at Hemispheres are still a good bargain at around $3. Lamb is the basis of many of Fred's dishes, with Lamb Shishkebob being the most popular dish and the house specialty. The vegetarian dish, in which the vegetables taste surprisingly fresh, and the cold cherry soup are two items on the menu that shouldn't be overlooked.

Hemispheres does have its share of flaws. All the tables, for example, seem to have one leg that is shorter than the others, and on those occasions when the Bifstek is tough, your efforts to cut it may spill water over you and your friends. And, although the waitresses are friendly, the service is often slow--probably the result of understaffing. If you're in a hurry, you'd better stop next door at Tommy's; if not, be prepared for a very leisurely meal.

Underdog

6 Bow St.

There are very few convenient places you can go and find real delicatessen--real pastrami (some eateries go so far as to spell it pastromi), real nasherai. Fortunately, however, one of the best places to go in the Boston area is right around the corner, at Underdog.

Underdog began its career selling varieties of Hebrew National hot dogs--plain, with cheese and bacon (the blasphemy), stuffed into a fresh French bread with Dijon mustard (the sauci), and so on. Then it began to expand its repertoire, at the request of the pinball regulars.

So due to popular demand, Underdog now boasts a larger menu, including the underbird, a turkey combination; underfed, a cold-cut combination; and underground, the second only to Bartley's for the number-one-hamburger-in-the-Square award (and some might argue that).

The prices, which used to seem somewhat high, have remained stable while the rest of the Square eateries were adjusting their menus, and are in line with what you'll find elsewhere. But Underdog is a much better deal for the money.

The pinball machines, on the other hand, are lower priced than most Square locations; the people are extraordinarily friendly; and there's a lot of the personal touch in every serving. Give it a try.

Legal Seafood

237 Hampshire St.