CBC blends a passion for fresh, flavorful beer and delicious, imaginative cuisine to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience for greater Boston.
The atmosphere is nice and casual. The walls are decorated simply, with high ceilings, and an airy floor. The interior certainly shows some potential but it is defeated by the Pizza Hut tables, kitchen chairs, and the cheap flooring. At the back, an entire wall is stacked with brewing supplies. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it does look like they just ran out of storage room.
On-line, this restaurant looked elegant. I was worried about showing up in jeans and colored shirts. However, when we got there we realized we were overdressed.
The menu is an interesting combination of dishes. Pizza, Filet Mignon, and Mac n’ Cheese are a couple of items. The portions are huge! We started with Nachos Garcia: homemade corn chips topped with vegetarian chili, cheddar-jack cheese, jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream ($8). The meal was large enough to feed at least 6 people!
Service was highly satisfactory. I had a hard time deciding what beer to get. I felt torn between a seasonal brew and a pale ale. When I asked the waiter for his opinion he brought me a sample of both. We were never in want for refills, and the food was served hot.
Outside the restaurant, there was a fire “pit” where I could imagine would be nice to sit and wait for a table in the spring. The smell from the fire wafted into the restaurant giving a feeling of comfort although, unfortunately this masked the scent of food.
Not that it took much to mask the scent-both entrees we ordered were bland. I ordered the Pan Roasted Statler Chicken Breast with mashed potatoes and pancetta, corn and sweet pea pan gravy ($17). The mashed potatoes were decent, the pea pan gravy was somewhat flavorful, but the chicken was bland. My date on the other hand ordered the Grilled Bone-in Filet Mignon with gorgonzola mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas and roasted shallot & porter dressing ($22). Same experience, and the filet tasted like char.
That said, the restaurant has a lot of potential. The actual space could lighten up if they spend a little more on the tables, chairs, and flooring. The food would be greatly improved by adding more flavor and they could certainly cut down on such huge portions. It’s large enough for a learning team or even section dinner, and would be good for a casual date.
If 1 is the best and 5 is the worst, I give it a 4.
Cambridge Brewing Company
1 Kendall Square, Bldg. 100
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-1994
www.cambridgebrewingcompany.com
