Craigie on Main- fantastic special occasion dinner

[Parsnipity]

My dining companion and I went to the new location of Craigie Street Bistrot, on Main Street just outside Central Square last night and had a great meal.

The space is fairly casual- they really are trying to project a bistro vibe, with various knick knacks and decor. The kitchen is open and visible from many of the tables. It was quite mesmerizing watching the blur of activity back there, and I think if I went back I would want to sit at the bar facing the chefs. The couple next to us was doing a chef's tasting and the chef came out to talk with them during one of the courses. We overheard him say that he's thrilled with the new space.

The menu has an a la carte section, but there are also a multitude of various tasting menu options (perhaps too many?). You can do a 6 or 10 course chef's tasting menu- prices are not listed on the regular menu and all at the table must order which is fairly standard. You can also do a prix fixe for either $75 or 80, which includes an amuse bouche of the chef's choice then your choice of app and entree and dessert plus their choice of dessert wine. Finally, there is a "neighborhood" tasting dinner which I think was $38 for a foie gras app, chicken entree and your choice of dessert. Since we weren't that interested in dessert wine and it didn't seem like the prix fixe was that good of a deal without it, we ended up just ordering a la carte. I had a Sour Man cocktail- very good.

My DC had an app of cocks comb, rabbit sausage and crispy pork cheeks. The pork bits were fantastic with an ideal balance of saltiness and unctuousness. I'd never tried cocks comb before- slightly gelatinous, good flavor, not scary. I had an octopus app which reminded me of why I keep ordering octopus when a good 90% of the time it disappoints. This was the 10% winner. It was tender, creamy and bathed in a smoky paprika sauce, served with fresh hearts of palm and soft onions. Fantastic!

For entrees, I had pork two ways- a generous piece of soft fatty pork belly with crisped edges and a piece of organic suckling pig. It came with a ton of flavors on the plate- pickled peanuts, apple sauce, sour kim chi which might not have been cabbage, turnip-somehow it all worked together. My DC had hangar steak which came with marrow and tongue- perfectly cooked (we knew they weren't messing around when they didn't ask how he wanted it cooked- they were simply going to serve it the correct temperature, well-done steak lovers be damned), wonderfully flavorful. The tongue was strong and smoky flavored and really tender.

We shared a mille feuille dessert with Valrhona mocha cream layered with graham cracker pastry which was perfectly chocolatey.

The service was fantastic- knowledgeable, helpful, prompt and not the slightest bit condescending. The bill came to $160 for two- one drink, 2 apps, 2 entrees, 2 coffees and 1 dessert. It would have been easy to spend more, especially with wine.

I really can't think of a single sour note from the whole experience so I have to place this right up there with my other top area restaurants- No 9 Park, L'Espalier, O Ya.

[T.Clark]

Nice write up Parsnipity.
Does anyone know : Is the Bar suitable for dinner ? Are all menus available at the Bar or just the Bar Menu?
Going this week for a special occasion.
Thanks,
Tom

[MC Slim JB]

You can order off any menu in the bar: a la carte menu, special "neighborhood" menu (a budget priced prix-fixe), tasting menus, bar menu.

[hazel240]

I ate with my dining companion at the bar on a Friday night and it was a wonderful experience. We ordered from both the bar and the full menu. I had a wonderful potage with rabbit sausage and tempura fried cod cheeks, and my companion had the three-course tasting menu with fried smelts, roast chicken, and a fruit crumble-y dessert. The bar staff was impeccable and the food was outstanding. I would recommend it!

[tomgaroo]

The menu seems to show great disdain for those who don't eat meat. Is there anything on the menu that would appeal to those who find marrow and tongue a bit off-putting?

[zebedee]

The original CSB always had a veggie tasting menu, and a scattering of veggie a la carte options. Yes, your options are fewer, but too bad.

[Parsnipity]

There definitely was an emphasis on meat, but they offer a veggie 4 course tasting menu (I think) for (again, don't quote me) $60. There was one veggie entree option, and several fish dishes. I think you could eat well here as a veggie-- if you were content to eat the entree of the evening. If I were a vegetarian (and I was for many years) I would call in advance and see if the entree option appealed to me, or trust the chef on the tasting menu- everything he sent looked great and everything we tasted _was_ great. I guess I can't agree with tomgaroo's assertion that the menu showed "disdain" exactly for the non-meat eaters. It's not like they listed "crappy macaroni with cheez whiz for veg heads... $37". Now that would be disdain-- it merely showed not a large number of options in keeping with traditional bistro food.

[fromscratch]

I think they have one of the best vegetarian tasting menus in town. Tony Maws has just as much respect for produce as he does for meat, and even though I'm an omnivore, I frequently eat vegetarian here.

[finlero]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I love the "varsity level" meat items (bone marrow, organ meat, roast quail with the feet still on), but I've long considered Craigie to be one of the best high-end dining options for a vegetarian in the city.

It's certainly at its best during the summer and fall, when delicious local produce is so plentiful, but it's a great vegetarian choice regardless.

[GretchenS]

Sounds fantastic, thanks for the detailed review! Can't wait to get there....