Craigie On Main (the bar)

It is my birthday today.  Last year for my birthday, I went to Craigie On Main with a couple friends and enjoyed an absolutely exquisite meal.  This year, I am in New York City soaking in the dining scene here.  Yesterday we enjoyed a meal at Sushi Yasuda, and tonight we had the chef’s tasting at Daniel.  Tomorrow I will have lunch at Le Bernardin, and finish with dinner somewhere downtown (any suggestions?).

I would love to post pictures, but alas, my pictures are stuck in raw format in my camera until I go home to upload them.  So, for today, please enjoy this post about my recent trip to the bar at Craigie On Main.

I first discovered my love for Tony Maw’s cooking back when his restaurant was actually located on Craigie Street in Harvard Square.  That man can cook, and that was one of the best meals I’d ever had in my life.

Back then, in that little townhouse on Craigie Street, they didn’t really have room for a bar.  Thus, experiencing the bar menu at Craigie on Main is almost like trying a brand new restaurant.  Or at least, a different style of food.

Here’s our interesting bar meal.  Oh, but before I begin, I should talk about the drinks themselves!  The drinks here are spectacular.  You have to try the flip (left), a cocktail made with an entire raw egg blended in.  Delicious!  Our favorite is the Florentine Flip.  Even if it’s not on the menu (they like to rotate), they’ll be happy to make it for you.  I tried a cucumber lime cocktail, which was also refreshing and perfect – not too sweet – just the way I like it.

Potato Galette with Salmon Roe

“If I liked roe, I would love this dish” – crunchy galette was fantastic.  I only wish I loved salmon roe more.

The infamous $18 burger.  Tony Maws incorporates bone marrow into his grass-fed beef burgers, a fascinating way of making lean, grass-fed beef juicy and moist.  Delicious burger and cool super-thin fries (basically potato strings).  These were good, but my favorite fries are still the truffle rosemary fries at Garden the Cellar.

Swordfish skewers $14

I used to tell one of my friends “I don’t like swordfish” because it was dry and tough.  I now realized I never had tried properly cooked swordfish.  These skewers were marvelously flavored and amazingly soft and tender!  Perfectly cooked!  I had no idea swordfish could be so buttery and soft!  It was absolutely delicious, although the portion a bit small.

The guy next to me ended up getting a salad after finishing the small swordfish skewers (presumably) because he was still hungry.

Simple Salad

He asked for simple mixed greens, and they gave him this slightly fancier version with some onion strings on top.  He was nice enough to let me take a picture of his salad, but I didn’t actually taste it.  

Duck fat Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels Sprouts, and the added duck fat made these quite delicious, although probably not as healthy!!!  I think I still prefer the Brussels Sprouts from the Foodbuzz dinner by David Lee of Namu, but these were pretty good.

Tony Maws is a super talented cook, hands down, and he’s created a pretty nice bar menu. I wish there were more dishes that could serve as meals (most people would think the skewers are not big enough, and frankly, besides the burger, there’s not much else you could order as an entree and be full).

Nevertheless, the atmosphere is great, the DRINKS are amazing, and the food is really good.  Just be prepared to spend a little more than you might have thought, since one “appetizer” is probably not enough for dinner.  I think we spent around $100 total for 2 (including drinks + tip).

Craigie On Main
853 Main St
Cambridge, MA 02139