Birds

This lively restaurant/bar is an important part of the Franklin Avenue scene, where a row of cafes and trattorias compete for customers.

The room is splashed with red paint, with a lone brick wall sporting a huge picture of Alfred Hitchcock -- a bird on each shoulder -- peering out over the dining room. Other ornithological images abound, particularly roosters, and the kitchen's specialty is a well-prepared rotisserie chicken. It has a nice crackly skin and is served with a choice of international dipping sauces -- French (an artichoke-garlic aïoli), Mexican (chipotle salsa), Malaysian (a sweet-and-hot concoction) and American (a spirited barbecue sauce). Other options include an ahi tuna burger (be sure to specify rare), as well as a veggie burger, chicken burger and an array of lavash bread roll-ups such as steak-Caesar, barbecue chicken and Cajun shrimp with jalapeño sauce.