You may remember our previous excursion to have a happy hour (read - excuse to leave work early) at McCormick and Schmick’s.  I was told that Rustic Kitchen also had a happy hour which was worth trying, so Kenny, Charles, Vernon and I decided to go check it out.

I expected a slightly higher class of happy hour at Rustic Kitchen compared to McCormick and Schmick’s, as Rustic Kitchen is a better restaurant.  I was very pleased to discover free freshly fried chips on the bar counter as soon as we arrived.  The chips were somewhat soggy (they had likely been there less than an hour based upon my inherent chip sogginess instinct), but still very delicious and, most importantly, free.

Charles recently converted to being a pescatarian, so he and I decided to share a few of the happy hour plates.  Unfortunately, there were only two vegetarian plates (the rest were neither vegetarian/pescatarian friendly), so we each ordered one.  Unlike the McCormick and Schmick’s $2-$3 appetizers, Rustic Kitchen’s happy hour dishes were $6 each, so you already start expecting a lot.  Charles ordered the arancini, rice balls filled with mozzarella cheese.  I never understood the fascination with arancini, and for me the rice balls were just too greasy, and the tomato sauce was not robust or tart enough to temper the fattiness of the arancini.

The cheese pizza was decent for the price, though if it were a few dollars cheaper, you’d really feel that the hour was happy.  There was nothing particularly special about the pizza, which makes me wonder just how good the $18 pizza actually is for dinner.

The Rustic Kitchen happy hour is pretty disappointing, not just on the minimal selection of vegetarian options (who’d have thought that a seafood place would be more vegetarian friendly?), but also because their happy hour appetizers are quite expensive.  At best, I’d say the food at Rustic Kitchen is pretty good, though they have limited vegetarian selection for happy hour (there is plenty of pasta and pizza options for dinner).  However, I would say the price is prohibitive for the quality of food that they serve.  So, for that, I can only give them three cheese sandwiches.

Rustic Kitchen
210 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116-5426 
(617) 423-5700

Every Friday afternoon, my work has a happy hour with free food and is a good opportunity to hang out with work colleagues.  Each laboratory in the department rotates responsibility for hosting the happy hour, and over the last 3-4 months, the quality of the happy hour has gone down dramatically, with many labs forgetting about it or not doing it, instead offering a breakfast happy hour the following week as compensation.  But if you want to kick back and relax with co-workers, that opportunity cannot be regained, unless you go outside.  After the latest failed happy hour, a few work friends (Vernon, Sam and me) ended up going to McCormick and Schmick’s for happy hour.

I had heard many great things about the McCormick and Schmick’s happy hour, but I had no idea how cheap it actually was.  We were able to order 5 appetizers, 3 of which were vegetarian all for 12 bucks!  Two of the appetizers were actually quite filling on their own, and together they ended up being our dinners.  We split the bruschetta which was pretty good, with a fresh flavor of the tomatoes, basil, and basalmic vinegar being a highlight.  The bread was a little too Pepperidge Farm-y for my liking (very buttery, less bread-like).  Considering I was only paying $2 for it, I can’t complain to much.

The spinach-artichoke dip was a little too salty for my liking, but it did come with a lot of dip and a lot of chips, and for $2 again, I can’t complain too much.  The food we normally get for most happy hours at work are free, but of usually low quality.  So, by that standard, the spinach-artichoke dip was slightly better than free, and priced accordingly.

The deal of the day was the hummus, which came with greasy pita chips and cucumbers and tomato slices.  In itself, the hummus plate was a filling meal at $2, though it is not something I would like to eat on a regular basis.

The old adage “You get what you pay for” applies very well to McCormick and Schmick’s happy hour.  The food is very cheap, and also tastes very cheap.  However, I have had worse spinach artichoke dip, bruschetta, and hummus at other restaurants and paid much more.  So, in that respect, I’ll give McCormick and Schmick’s some credit, despite having a limited vegetarian selection on the happy hour menu.  Therefore, I’ll give them three and a half cheese sandwiches, as it’s one of the best food deals you can get in Boston on a Friday afternoon.

McCormick and Schmick’s
34 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116-3911 
(617) 482-3999

“This life happy; I can die, here, knowing the Lord of all life has never watched me wash my sword in blood born of my own family.”

I will start this review in the same pretentious manner as some Harvard students might have in their admission essay - with a quote from Beowulf.  Ironically, Beowulf describes Grendel’s Den as the place where Grendel died after having his arm ripped off by Beowulf.  This could be considered an inauspicious name for a bar/restaurant, but it is fairly accurate.  When you enter Grendel’s Den, you can’t but help be charmed by its cavernous interior and its cozy decor and think “this is a place where I could die slowly and agonizingly”.  During the summer, you don’t have to be enclosed in this space and ponder your mortality, as there is patio dining.  Nevertheless, I don’t believe anyplace is better to spend an evening in the winter than Grendel’s Den.

Before getting to the food, some word should be discussed on the drinks - from 9-11:30, you can get half priced food with over 3 dollars spent on drinks.  A pseudo happy-hour menu.  Grendel’s has a decent beer selection and their hot mixed drinks are the star of the show during the winter months (especially the peppermint schnapps hot chocolate).  So order a drink and grab some food more than $6 to get one of the deals of Cambridge.

Now to the food:

I first ordered the ale-cooked cajun bean bruschetta, which doesn’t look very appetizing, but it is pretty good.  This dish is a special of the winter months, so get it soon before it goes off menu.  Garlic bread accompanies the cajun bean sauce/spread, and is slightly spicy (though could be spicier for my tastes). You don’t really taste the ale, but I’ll take their word for it.  This is a pretty good starter for happy hour, though if I had my choice, I would stick with the Nachos supreme (chips, veggie chili, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and house-made salsa).  The surprisingly spicy salsa (say that three times fast) blew me away the first time that I had it, as most restaurants make their salsa to err on the side of blandness.  So, finding a spicy regular salsa is rare feat.

The Kerala Coconut Curry is really quite redundant.  If you’ve ever been to Kerala, it would be pretty obvious that coconut would be involved in any curry that is Keralan.  Nevertheless, this creamy sauce can come with meat, or tofu as well as veggies and rice.  This dish is actually quite disappointing, as the lack of spiciness made it less Keralan curry and more Stephen Curry (meaning it was bland, but had enough flavor to still drop 15 points per game).  There are several other vegetarian options on the regular menu including a portobello reuben or wrap sandwich, vegan chili, vegetarian banquet (includes spinach pie, hummus, tofu and vegetables and rice, and salad), and a salvadoran vegetables and tofu.  A note on the Salvadoran vegetables/tofu, there is a special dish that I regularly had last summer called Salvadoran (or Ecuadorian, I can’t remember…) Quinoa Stew, which was coyote squash, cheese, and quinoa.  This could be served with Cajun tofu, which made one of the most delicious meals I ever had.  If Grendel’s served this dish as a regular part of the menu, I would give it 5 cheese sandwiches gladly.  Unfortunately, during the non-quinoa stew season, the food is pretty great but not outstanding, as merits a five cheese sandwich review.  Therefore, I will give it four cheese sandwiches for serving a wide variety of vegetarian options, as well as having a great drinks menu and outstanding atmosphere.

One caveat would be one waitress at Grendel’s Den, whom I affectionately call “Grendel’s mother”.  She frequently is the rudest waitress in residence and obviously hates her job by refusing to serve or make anything.  I have come in a couple of times at 11:15, and she said that the kitchen was closed, despite the fact that the kitchen is supposed to be open until 11:30.  Other waitresses/waiters have happily taken our order at 11:25 and up to 11:35 with no problems.  Grendel’s mother also turned down many of my drink requests saying that they were out of hot chocolate or other ingredients.  Keeping that in mind, I give Grendel’s four cheese sandwiches.

Grendel’s Den
89 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-4929 
(617) 491-1050