red bird, waltham (photo from website) last night i did something that is sadly too rare for me. i drove over to the burbs and met some friends for dinner. this particular dinner was at the relatively new and highly reputed red bird in waltham. located on the vibrantly cosmopolitan moody street, red bird is a small and cozy welcoming restaurant. chef daniel stokes who hails from the nostalgically neighborhood popular franklin café opened red bird last summer. the second i walked in the door i felt the warmth not only from the cold rainy street but from the staff who welcomed me with hearty smiles. the restaurant is small with booths along one wall and a few open tables on the other. the restaurant area is separated by a low wall to the bar with more seating. the walls are adorned with music inspired modern art work and the lighting is coolly modern. i was seated at one of the open tables in the restaurant area facing the open kitchen. the restaurant was full and bustling. busy wait staff rushed around serving what looked like wonderful comfort food. our waiter poured some filtered water in a crystal bottle and asked if i would like a cocktail while i wait for my friends. i chose a loire valley chardonnay while i spent a little time perusing the enticing menu. the menu is just one page with about five appetizers of dishes like mussels, shrimp toast and short ribs. the entrées are split between fish, meat and pasta with just two to four choices each. the perfect length for a menu. my friends barbara and katie joined me and we got down to food. i had seen many steaming bowls of mussels come out of kitchen so requested that we share a bowl, which we did along with some shrimp toasts. the mussels are steeped in a thick and creamy tomato broth with large chunks of salty bacon and just a touch of fennel. this amazing appetizer could have been my main with about a loaf of bread for the broth. p.e.i. mussels – smoked tomato broth, bacon, roasted fennel,