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| First dance |
November was a big month for Claire Blay. She picked our restaurant for November and then four days later she got married. Congratulations Claire and Keith!
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| Musicians |
This month we went to the Beat Hotel which recently opened in Harvard Square, which is a little confusing because it’s not actually a hotel. Opened by the same folks who are behind the Beehive in the South End, it’s actually in the space where the old (and kind of shady) Tannery was on Brattleboro Street. Most of us had memories of the Tannery, but they really re-created the garden-level space and it does not resemble its predecessor at all. It feels just like the kind of place where you’d want to go for a good meal, a few cocktails, and some live music…good thing that’s what they’re serving up! During the meal we were trying to figure out how to “classify” the type of food, and all we could come up with was “New American”. I think the description from their web site fits quite well: “Our regularly changing menu of American and international-inspired dishes will please carnivores and vegetarians alike!” Another bonus, all of their wines are on tap.
There is live music every night…the only downside to that was that it was difficult to carry on a conversation when the musicians were playing. Though I think this was mainly because our table was right next to the stage.
For appetizers we tried the lamb nachos, spare ribs, and the grilled octopus. We had one non-rib eater and two non-octopus eaters so it was a pretty balanced selection. Everyone loved the lamb nachos, though I wish the chips were smaller in size (easier for sharing). Dave, a special guest, also ordered the wedge salad, which did not look like a traditional wedge.
- Pulled lamb nachos with apple salsa
- Grilled octopus & baby artichoke with parsley sauce
- Smokey chipotle BBQ spare ribs
- Little gem wedge salad with bacon, blue cheese vinaigrette
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| Grilled octopus |
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| Lamb nachos |
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| BBQ Spare ribs |
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| Little gem wedge salad |
I had a very difficult time deciding what I wanted for my entrée, mostly because I tend to be swayed by the side accompaniments. The braised beef brisket was on my short list because of the sweet potatoes and sprouts, and the Earth bowl was interesting because of the pumpkin tahini sauce. The Earth bowl is a “super natural selection of vegetables, 5-grain pilaf, and pumpkin tahini sauce”. Our server recommended anything with the frites…which is one of the four options to accompany any of the “Steak, chops, birds” and “Sea and fresh water” proteins. After much deliberation, I went with one of the server’s recommendations, the blackened shrimp with frites. It was a good decision.
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| Blackened shrimp |
And luckily my fellow RC’ers are good sharers, so I also got to try the braised beef brisket with sweet potatoes and petite Brussel sprouts (which was pretty fatty), the skirt steak with frites, the “Earth bowl” with skirt steak, and the gnocchi that came with the organic chicken piccata. I did not try the mussels frites, but I will take Kendrin’s clean plate as a good sign.
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| Braised beef brisket |
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| Skirt steak |
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| Earth bowl |
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| Chicken piccata |
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| Mussels frites |
For dessert there we tried two of the three options. I can’t remember what the third option was, but we went with the banana crème brûlée bread pudding and the chocolate peanut butter devil’s food cake with salted caramel and espresso. They both seemed to have a lot going on…but the bread pudding was the clear winner. Someone named Jerel might have said that it was the best dessert he’s ever had.
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| Bread pudding |
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| Chocolate peanut butter cake |
There are probably many more sophisticated ways to judge, but at the end of the day, I like to judge a restaurant by whether I’d be excited to go back. And I’d definitely like to go back, sit at the bar, and order the lamb nachos, the Earth bowl, and the bread pudding. Not to mention all of the other menu items I didn’t even get to try…I might need to go back more than once. Great pick Claire, perfect for a fourth choice!
The damage
I can’t remember! I think it was in the 50 dollar range.
The rundown
Beat Hotel
13 Brattle Street, Cambridge
Kara Cooks and Eats 