Cafe ArtScience

It finally happened: the worst nightmare of all for a food blogger - forgetting your camera while checking out one of the most highly anticipated restaurants openings of the season.

It's not completely my fault. Last minute schedule changes led to an unexpected free Saturday evening. Originally, we had a packed schedule full of diving classes (yes, we are getting SCUBA certified!), which meant we wouldn't get out until closer to 10 PM. At that point, we figured even the most popular restaurants would be available, so we didn't even bother making a reservation for dinner.

And then we received a phone call asking if we could reschedule our diving class. Before you know it, we had completed our class and it was only 7 PM.

7 PM on a Saturday night spells death for reservations at popular restaurants (and even less popular ones). It's almost impossible to get any sort of last minute booking at that point. Good luck trying to walk into a popular place.

And then I saw a 7:15 PM opening at Cafe ArtScience  pop up on Opentable.

I quickly reserved it, convinced it was available because word hadn't gotten out yet about this place.

Cafe ArtScience is the restaurant associated with Le Laboratoire, the "cultural innovation center partner of Café ArtScience".   David Edwards of Harvard University created Le Laboratoire in Paris in 2007 to explore the fusion of art and science. He decided to open up a second location in Kendall Square, arguably one of the most innovative hubs in the U.S. Cafe ArtScience is not only a restaurant that serves great food, it's a places where diners can sample some of the latest food science creations coming out of Le Laboratoire.

Edwards has put together an impressive team which includes executive chef Patrick Campbell (No. 9 Park, Eastern Standard), sous chef Chris Cordeiro (Clio), pastry chef Renae Connolly (Marea in New York), Bar manager Todd Maul (Clio, Uni), and general manager Tom Mastricola (Commonwealth).

I won't hold you in suspense - I loved my entire experience there. The modern feel of the space was bright, open, and just slightly nerdy (don't those lights look like space filling models of molecules?). Sure, the unprotected door resulted in uncomfortable drafts every time guests entered the restaurant ("we're working on it" the server told me), but overall, it was pleasant. Service, for the second day of opening, was surprisingly smooth, with just one course taking a little too long. They voluntarily apologized and sent over a free snack - a perfectly graceful way to make up for the wait.

The food was excellent. Below, please enjoy this "first look" at our meal at Cafe ArtScience. I tried my best to make my iPhone photos look OK. I think they actually turned out decently (yay new iPhone 6 camera). Originally, due to my lack of "real" photos, I had decided not to write this post at all. However, Bryan convinced me to share our experience, since the restaurant is so new and people would be curious.

So, here you go. Enjoy, iPhone photos and all. 🙂

The small menu is divided up into four sections: cold appetizers, warm appetizers, mains, and desserts. There are only 2-3 choices in each section, so it's very, very manageable. They say they plan on changing the menu seasonally depending on the availability of ingredients.

From the cold appetizer section, Bryan and I each ordered a Marinated Oyster ($3.50 each), a local Maine oyster topped with minced ginger gold apple, burgundy truffle, and baby shiso leaves. The oyster was sweet, clean, and fruity - not briny at all.  I thought it was pleasant. Not exactly exciting, but nice.

I loved our first warm appetizer, Poached Farm Egg ($18) which had the creamy, velvety scoop-able texture of a 65 °C sous vide egg. It came topped with seasonal mushrooms and chicken skin with a foie gras vinaigrette. I especially loved this dish because it had matsutake mushrooms, and I love matsutake mushrooms. 

I just had to ask.

"Where where you get the matsutake mushrooms? Are they from Japan? Or maybe Oregon?"

I almost fainted when she told me they were from Maine.

"Maine? Really? They have matsutake mushrooms in MAINE??"

Note to self: find out how to buy local matsutake mushrooms when you get home.

Needless to say, I really, really enjoyed this dish. Even the foie gras sauce was subtle, not too "liver -like" at all.

Our next warm appetizer was a Cauliflower Veloute ($13), which came with sea urchin, lobster oil, and curry salt. The soup was ultra smooth and a had rich, beautiful flavor. It went well with the uni and lobster oil. I thought it was nice of them to split the soup into two small bowls for us, since we were sharing everything (note that the above photo therefore depicts a dish that is half the size of a normal portion). In fact, by coursing out our cold appetizer,  two warm appetizers, two entrees, and dessert over a span of six courses, it felt more like we were having an elegant multi-course tasting than just sharing a bunch of dishes.

There were only three entree options: a veal, pork belly, and fish. I ordered the Filet of Tautog ($22), a sturdy white fish topped with beef lardo and Brussels sprouts. It was well executed, solid, and very good.

Bryan chose the Veal Loin en Crepeniette ($29), which came topped with pancetta, gnocchi Parisienne, and grilled cabbage. I absolutely loved the gnocchi, which was crispy on the outside but creamy and oh-so-soft on the inside. The overall portion sizes of the entrees were smaller than at most restaurants. The photos above show the whole entree, not half.

In our meal, the veal was our final course, and it took a lot longer than all the other courses. The assistant general manager came by, apologized for the wait, and offered us a snack while we were waiting.

"Surprise us" Bryan said.

In a few minutes, four little hollowed out radishes, filled with herbed butter and topped with ossetra caviar, came out. These were crunchy, refreshing, and very good. They are usually available on the bar menu for $9 (as are the gnocchi Parisienne!).

Currently there are three desserts on the menu ranging between $12 - $13. What's fun is that if you don't feel like committing to a complete dessert, you can order a "Tiny Spoon" for only $4. This allowed you to have a tiny bite version of some of the desserts that are on the dessert menu. On the left is the PB&J, which includes roasted peanut mousse, Concord grape foam, caramelized brioche, and frozen milk. On the right is the Cherry Wood Old Fashioned, which consists of cherry wood Bourbon gelee, burnt orange meringue, warm maraschino financier, and angostura lace. These were both fun, tasty, and the perfect size to satisfy that sweet craving.

All in all, we had a great time at Cafe ArtScience. We didn't even really fully explore the cocktails, which are one of the greatest draws of the place (it's no secret that Todd Maul is one of the best bartenders in the city). Bryan really enjoyed the one cocktail that he tried, The Burnt Cherry Wood Old Fashioned (pictured at the top), which consisted of a house blend of bourbons, charred cherry and orange, and Demerara sugar.

After dinner, we tried some aged rums, something we had never really explored. The bartender told us that he thinks rums are great, under-appreciated (and thus undervalued) drinks that most people haven't really discovered yet.

"I've never had a rum like this" remarked Bryan.

After trying several, Bryan chose a 21-year special reserve El Dorado rum from Guyana as his favorite.

Before we left, we visited the area right behind the bar where all the coolest Le Laboratoire innovations were displayed. We were too full, otherwise it would have been fun to try a Wikipearl ($2), ice cream housed in an edible casing that also has its own flavor. The edible skins eliminate the need for bowls or spoons. They also protect the ice cream from the heat and allow it to stay cold longer outside the freezer.

"Next time. We'll just have to come back."

Overall, I'm thrilled to have this place near our home. The food is excellent - solid, traditional French cooking executed well. The cocktails look great, and I can't wait to come back and try more of them.

There are a few downsides. Parking was a pain (Bryan eventually found Cambridge permit parking about a 10 minute walk away) {update: there is validated garage parking for $1/hour in the building!), and the portion sizes are a bit smaller than most places at that price point. We each ordered two appetizers, an entree, and a tiny spoon and ate everything. Usually we take home leftovers. Personally, I like the smaller portions, but bigger eaters might leave the restaurant still feeling a bit hungry.

All in all, this is a great addition to the area and I look forward to visiting again. I really want to try the bar menu, as well as sample a few Wikipearl ice cream balls {update, I finally got to try them)!

Cafe ArtScience
650 Kendall St
Cambridge, MA 02142