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    Home » US Travel » Boston » Cambridge » Harvard Square

    Alden & Harlow

    Published: Feb 13, 2014 · Modified: Oct 28, 2014 by Jennifer Che

    _DSC6027
    It's finally, finally here.

    There's been a ton of anticipation for the opening of this restaurant by Chef Michael Scelfo, formerly executive chef of the (still) dearly-loved Russell House Tavern. Chef Scelfo's first solo project, Alden & Harlow, is a HUGE undertaking.

    It's located in the space that was formerly occupied by Casablanca, a Harvard Square institution that's been there for over fifty years.

    Scelfo has a soft spot for that space.
    _DSC6020
    "I used to dream at Casablanca about what I would do if I opened up my own restaurant. I would look around at the space, using it as a model."

    "Never in a million years did I think Harvard Square would be the place for it."

    And now here we are, Scelfo himself taking over the exact same space where he dreamed so many late nights as a young chef.

    _DSC6024
    Scelfo decided to expand the already large Casablanca space, taking over the neighboring eyeglass shop and remodeling the whole space from the ground up.

    And the result?

    It's gorgeous.
    _DSC6017
    It's rustic yet sleek and modern. It maintains a ton of old world character (paying homage to the history of the space), yet clearly has touches of style that make it feel current.
    _DSC6015It's also a bit loud.

    After all, it's a huge space, and the bar is enormous.
    _DSC6018
    We went at peak time (around 7PM on a weekend evening), and there were times when I had to lean in closer to my dining guests to hear what they were saying.
    _DSC6022
    The place was packed, which is not a surprise considering this was pretty much the first week for this highly anticipated restaurant. I'm seriously impressed at the hardworking team in the kitchen, churning out so many small plates to so many guests.

    It must be an organizational nightmare to keep track of it all.

    Did I hear you say small plates? 
    The entire concept of this restaurant is small plates. That's pretty much all they have on the menu. There are a few slightly larger "entrees", such as the burger, the steak, and the lamb sirloin. Most of the other menu items are smaller. The plates range in price from $8 to $17, and they recommend ordering 2-3 plates per person. We came with a party of four and ended up ordering ten plates, which was plenty.
    _DSC5979
    We started with some house pickled green beans, which were complimentary. They were surprisingly sour (I guess they ARE pickles) and a nice way to cleanse the palate.
    _DSC5981The Market Crudo that day was striped bass, and it came with cauliflower kim chi, chili oil, and uni aioli ($15). The fish was quite tart, almost like ceviche. The flavors were decent, though the uni cream did give the entire dish a hint of that slightly fishy uni "stink" that makes some people shy away from uni.
    _DSC5983
    The Smoked Moosabec Farm Mussels ($13) were fantastic and one of the favorite dishes of the night. Flavorful smoked mussels were piled high on top of a large, toasted crostino and tossed with parsley, tarragon, and aioli. _DSC5985Locally Foraged Mushrooms ($11) came topped with a perfect, creamy 60-degree egg and tossed with pine nuts and a citrus crumble. Lemony and salty, the mushrooms had less umami than what I typically associate with mushrooms. Perhaps the citrus and salt muted the earthy flavors of the mushroom? The creamy egg was delicious, and tempered the saltiness of the overall dish.
    _DSC5989
    I loved the flavors of the Mesquite Tortellini ($13), homemade pasta tossed with grilled broccoli rabe, Bianco Sardo (a pasteurized sheep's milk cheese) and Colatura (anchovy sauce). The sauce was deeply flavorful; I loved how the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe stood up to the strong anchovy  sauce.

    Furthermore, the dish had just the right amount of heat to give each bite a pleasant kick. Perhaps there was just a tad more oil than I would have preferred, but it was very, very tasty and I would totally order it again.
    _DSC5992
    The Island Creek Oyster Gratin ($16) was a rich and decadent dish where oysters were cooked in a velvety sauce of uni, creamed leeks, and guanciale. The leeks were sweet and super tender (almost like caramelized onions).
    _DSC5993
    Though I'm not the biggest foie gras fan in the world (of course, there are exceptions), I actually enjoyed the Grilled Foie Gras ($17) here. This one was mild and did not have a strong "liver" flavor (which I don't like). It came with spiced fruit, sherry vinegar, and a warm crumpet.
    _DSC5988
    The Earl Gray cured Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly ($13) had a lovely crispy top and came with cold smoked corn grits and roasted kumquat. Though I'm not sure how I feel about the kumquats, the pork belly itself was executed beautifully.
    _DSC5998
    Bryan couldn't resist when he saw the Secret Burger (limited availability - $14) on the menu.

    It has a mysterious ingredients list: an eight ounce "House Creekstone Grind" patty, a house made Parker roll, and "Your Faith."
    _DSC5999
    "Your Faith" turns out to include these addictively crunchy house made potato chips (which we couldn't stop picking at!) . . .
    _DSC6009
     . . . as well as an excellent burger.

    Made from a blend of ground short ribs and chuck, it was cooked a juicy medium rare, served with house made pickles and a creamy, tangy sauce. The ratio wsd perfect: juicy patty, crisp pickles, soft Parker House roll, and a zippy creamy sauce. This is one solid burger that definitely stands up well to the crazy competition of burgers in the Square.

    One minor note: We did ask for the burger to be cooked medium (my friends prefer it that way), though Bryan was more than happy that the burger actually came out medium rare instead.

    Overall, this was another one of the favorites of the table.
    _DSC6001
    The Chicken Fried Local Rabbit ($14) was served with celery, apple, blue cheese and chili oil. The rabbit reminded me of a breaded and deep fried chicken "patty". It was crunchy on the outside yet juicy and flavorful on the inside. It was fine - nothing super memorable about it.
    _DSC6004The Grilled Lamb Sirloin ($16) was rubbed with cocoa nibs and served with a grilled carrot and coriander mash on a splash of ramp greens. The lamb was cooked beautifully (you can totally tell from the photo), though the sweet, almost raisiny flavors of the rub on the lamb was a bit weird for me. Perhaps I'm not as used to such flavor combinations.
    _DSC6011Bryan always prefers a salty "dessert", so we went with the Single Composed Cheese Selection– $11. They were serving Oma from Von Trappe Cheese Makers, which I absolutely loved. This cheese is creamy, salty, yet has just enough stink to make it beautifully complex without being too strong that I can't handle it.

    It worked with the fruity accompaniments: kumquat, house torrone (nougat) and honeycomb.
    _DSC6012
    The server recommended the Smoked Chocolate Bread Pudding ($9) which was topped with Jacobsen Salt Ice Cream. I'm a sucker for bread pudding, so it's no surprise I would be drawn to dessert.

    I especially appreciated how the dessert was not too sweet at all. I really liked how I could really taste the essence of the chocolate (which was high quality) without being overwhelmed by sugar. Of course, the salt ice cream added even more of a savory component, balancing out the dessert perfectly._DSC6025
    All in all, we had a nice time at Alden & Harlow.

    Considering how crazy huge the place is, and that this was just their first week open, I thought things went very smoothly. This team knows what they're doing, and they are executing solid dishes. There were definitely some standouts. The smoked mussels was a universal table favorite, and we all loved the burger. I personally really enjoyed the pasta and desserts as well. Though there were some dishes that I didn't love, I'm sure Chef Scelfo will continue to refine and change the menu over time in response to the seasons, available ingredients, and customer feedback.

    I love the small plates concept. There's really nothing quite like this in Harvard Square. You really do get to try a lot more different tastes in a single meal, which is something my easily-bored palate prefers.

    Congrats Chef Scelfo!
    _DSC6021Alden & Harlow
    40 Brattle St
    Cambridge, MA 02138
    Alden & Harlow on Urbanspoon

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    Trackbacks

    1. Naco Taco Cambridge - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      May 29, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      […] doubt that Michael Scelfo is one of the hottest chefs right now in Cambridge. His first restaurant, Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square, is pretty much always packed. It’s virtually impossible to get a […]

      Log in to Reply
    2. Jen's Top Restaurants in Boston says:
      July 7, 2015 at 10:05 pm

      […] live in Cambridge, so my choices may be a little skewed towards places that are convenient for me. Alden & […]

      Log in to Reply
    3. Grilled Bok Choy says:
      January 28, 2016 at 9:31 am

      […] I had developed a few months back after being inspired by the delicious deep fried bok choy from Alden & Harlow (yes, crispy bok choy leaves are awesome). On a whim (so out of character!), Bryan agreed to try […]

      Log in to Reply
    4. Boston, MA: Alden & Harlow – the handsome says:
      January 31, 2016 at 9:28 pm

      […] source: tiny urban kitchen […]

      Log in to Reply
    5. Giveaway - Battle of the Burger 2016 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 1, 2016 at 9:38 am

      […] they had to take it off of the menu and only serve it at the bar, or many, many, other excellent burger joints across this […]

      Log in to Reply
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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