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Craigie On Main (the bar)

November 18, 2009 by Jennifer Che 7 Comments

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.
The bar at Craigie
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.
Craigie On Main Drinks
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
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.
Burger + Fries
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
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
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 roasted Brussels Sprouts
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
Craigie On Main on Urbanspoon

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Cambridge, Central Square, Kendall Square, Restaurant, Review Tagged With: American, French

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Comments

  1. Ravenous Couple says

    November 18, 2009 at 6:28 am

    Happy birthday!! what a great feast to celebrate..more brussel sprouts too, yumm!

    Reply
  2. and this blog says

    November 18, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    happy birthday !!!!! looks like ur having a real tasty short getaway!!! cant wait to see pics

    Reply
  3. thelaygastronomer says

    November 18, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    Happy birthday fellow f-blogger! I’m dragging an out of town friend here this weekend, so I’m excited you gave it a thumbs up.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Kirkland Tap and Trotter Brunch says:
    May 26, 2015 at 10:42 am

    […] didn’t have The Burger. Tony Maws’ burger, which he first introduced on the bar menu at Craigie, quickly attained a cult-like following and became so popular that Chef Maws had to limit the […]

    Reply
  2. Jen's Top Restaurants in Boston says:
    July 7, 2015 at 3:18 am

    […] zone in on local burgers that have attained a cult-like status, like the super limited burger at Craigie on Main in Cambridge (only 18 made per day!) or the ever-changing “Secret Burger” at Alden […]

    Reply
  3. Giveaway - Battle of the Burger 2016 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    August 5, 2016 at 9:26 am

    […] of places both local and far away (like, for example, one of Boston’s most iconic burgers, the burger that became so hard-to-get they had to take it off of the menu and only serve it at the bar, or many, many, other excellent […]

    Reply
  4. Craigie on Main Pig's Head for Two - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    December 17, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    […] Bryan has been wanting to try this forever. We had already tried Craigie’s Whole Roasted Misty Knoll Chicken for Two (which was fantastic, by the way), the Ultimate Craigie Experience, brunch, and the famous Burger. […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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