Puritan & Co.

So here you have Chef Will Gilson's almost a decade-old original spot, Puritan & Company, and this is my first time here!!  It was our 3rd Wedding Anniversary in May of 2021. It was a coming-out-of-the-fog but still very strict pandemic era. Mask wearing was full on and tables were spaced strangely around restaurants like the ones here awkwardly fronting the bar. I was newly pregnant with my son, Ryder. I don't remember exactly what we ate because did not blog in 2021. It went something like: crab toast, burrata salad, orecchiette in short rib ragout and brown butter cod over creamy risotto. I remember Puritan’s team took special care with making us feel cozy, celebrated, and welcomed. And I remember all the dishes of inspired New England fare were really, really good!

Puritan & Company

1166 Cambridge Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

c h e e r s | best bars

hipster haunt: The Automatic | 15 Hampshire St | Kendall Square | get the MUDSLIDE.

Best in Brighton: Brighton Bodega | 328 Washington St | REDRUM (Tiki) ($14)- Hibiscus Rum/triple sec/oleo/orgeat/lime

when the weather turns warm: The Barking Crab | 88 Sleeper St | Seaport District | Sangria was great!

when in DTX: The Marliave | 11 Bosworth | The Great Experiment ($12)

Hendricks Gin/mint/lemon/orange/cucumber

Shepard

Hay Roasted Oysters ($18) | cultured sorrel butter

Monte Grappa ($12) | Rittenhouse Rye, Punt e Mes, allspice, nutmeg
Fluke Head ($10) | parsley butter, carrot + cabbage slaw

 Old Fashioned ($13) | High West Double Rye, Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon, bitters, sugar

Crab Head Custard ($11) | ham, cabbage, calabrian chili

Whole Wheat Gnocchi ($16) | sea urchin, chive, lemon zest cream

Cappellachi ($17) | countneck clams, ramps, swiss chard

bathroom paper towel holder (loved this, how creative!)

Apple Butter Cremeux ($10) | hazelnut shortbread, black walnut ice cream

 Campfire Sundae ($9) | torched marshmallow, chocolate ice cream, candied peanuts
bathroom mirror selfie + loving the bathroom light sconce

I had a wonderful dining experience the other weekend at Shepard! 
On cozy a residential street between Cambridge's Harvard and Porter Squares, Shepard serves thoughtful, unique French-meets-New England inspired dishes in a clean, stylish ambiance.  

We were celebrating 4 years together and they greeted us with glasses of sparkling Rosé! Such a special touch. 

Shepard

1 Shepard Street

 Cambridge, MA 02138 

Waypoint

Chef Michael Scelfo has done it again. Get yourself to his new restaurant Waypoint and without a doubt order the Uni Bucatini and the King Crab. There are some dishes that manage to get an entire city buzzing, and these are two of them. 

In an unassuming, sort of hidden subterranean industrial space on Mass Ave between Harvard and Central squares, Waypoint lures fans of Alden + Harlow with contemporary seafood focused plates and an absinthe centric bar menu. There's so much more than two of us could try in one visit - like crudo and caviar and clam pizza. It is an experience much like the Choose Your Own Adventure Books that the checks come delivered in; no matter which way the menu inspires you to tailor your order, you won't be disappointed! 

The interior is warmly lit by a distinctive neon green fish sign and a parade of hand blown glass lamps. Large and small booths tuck perfectly into cozy spaces, while communal high tops front the area between the bar and the open kitchen. Creamy marble table tops and gorgeous herringbone inlaid walls catch my eye. It is a space that is both buzzing and soothing all at once.

As far as the aforementioned dishes go - the intensely comforting Uni Bucatini ($18) offers thrilling heaps of sweet uni, a runny smoked egg yolk, pecorino crumbles and bottarga shavings among hollow strands of the al dente pasta. Plump and fresh King Crab ($22) is piled atop a heavenly chili garlic oil, a creamy brown butter aoili and toasty black rice; lending playful, contrasting textures and harmonizing flavors. 

Meanwhile, our other two dishes are not to be overlooked: Grilled Monkfish Cheeks with squid inked eggplant and kohlrabi salsa verde, along with a Squid Ink Gemelli ($17) featuring benton's ham, swordfish lardo, smoked pignola + pecorino crumble prove all of Waypoint's alluring coastal cuisine dishes shine. 

Being on a mezcal kick I passed up the tales of absinthe section and went with a house original called Portside ($12) with mezcal, manzanilla sherry, pickled cherry pepper, honey + lime. It was smokey yet balanced with a little fiery kick. Later on, a really funky, seafood-friendly wine appropriate for fans of sour beer, the Denavolo "Dinavolino" ($15) from Emilia-Romagna, Italy is a delicious, unexpected discovery. 

Waypoint
1030 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

Little Donkey

We kicked off a rare summer Friday in the city with a friends 30th birthday bar crawl at Charlie's Kitchen and bowed out after a few beers because - Little Donkey. Chefs Ken Oringer + Jamie Bissonete (Toro + Coppa) are my favorite! The fact that they are doing something entirely different here has been highly anticipated and so.much.fun. My only gripe was the uni; there was barely a bite each in that spiny black shell. I expected luscious, overflowing, bight orange sea urchin and was definitely disappointed. For me, it doesn't warrant spending $18. Everything else is fair game. The best dish that we ate was the Wok Fried Chow Fun. Runner up was the Monkfish Biryani. The Cucumber Feta Salad was a surprise from the kitchen - so nice of them to send that out!

Oysters ($3/each) Crowes Pasture (Dennis, MA) + Kusshi (British Columbia, CAN)

Live Santa Barbara Uni ($18) dashi, yuzu, chicharron

Black Pepper Popovers ($14) Wagyu Steak Tartare

Charred Avocado ($5) Pepitas, yogurt, pomegranate molasses

Cucumber Salad ($9) feta, buttermilk, spicy peppers

Wok Fried Chow Fun ($15) soft shell crab, rice noodles, mushrooms, escargot, 

Calabrian chili, black beans, green curry. 

Monkfish Biryani ($16) basmati rice, saffron cashews, cardamom

Octopus a la Plancha ($16) (unpictured) charred onion vinaigrette, potato tostones 

Matcha Pofiterols ($9) hot fudge, Pocky sticks

Little Donkey

505 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139