Dinner at Cambridge Brewing Company

By now, most of you know how much Z and I love Cambridge Common and Lord Hobo. But one local microbrew spot I fail to frequent is Cambridge Brewing Company. After my most recent dinner there, however, that will change.

Z and I met some friends at CBC for dinner and drinks a few weeks ago, and I immediately fell in love with the cozy, family-friendly atmosphere. For a restaurant that's known for it's homemade beer, I was pleasantly surprised at how focused it was on sit-down dining (versus just being a "beer bar"), and how the menu embodied pub grub with a fresh, unique twist.

To start the meal off right, I ordered CBC's Great Pumpkin Ale (4.2% ABV).

The flavor of this beer isn't like those pumpkin beers that can be almost sickly sweet and chocked full of nutmeg. This beer tasted like how it was made - with fresh, real pumpkins. The flavor was reminiscent of traditional pumpkin beers, but without the unnecessary sweetness.

For an appetizer, the four of us split the Hand Cut Fry Basket ($5), which was topped with Romano cheese and sage, and served with pumpkin ketchup. 

The fries were delicious, and were clearly made from fresh potatoes (versus frozen). The tangy, slightly salty cheese also added a wonderful, additional flavor to the mix. The pumpkin ketchup, on the other hand, sounded intriguing - but it was nothing more than cold pumpkin puree. Regular tomato ketchup would have been a much better accompaniment to the fries.

For a meal, Z and I both got the Autumn White Bean and Barley Burger ($11), which was meant to be topped with local squash, kale and cranberry herb mayo served on Biga Harvest Bread, with a house-brewed 1/2 sour pickle. For sides, we had our choices of French fries or mixed greens, and we both went for the greens.

The burger itself was a unique, well-seasoned twist on your average veggie burger, but was missing the kale and local squash. While I loved the addition of the locally-made bun, I missed the veggies that would have really made this burger something special.

Overall, our meal (and brews) at CBC were good, although when I pay $11 for a burger, I do expect it to come as it's described on the menu. The atmosphere, friendly service and local brews will keep me coming back for more, though.

What's your favorite spot in the Boston area to enjoy a glass of beer (or two)?

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for The Real Food Diet cookbook! You have until midnight tonight to enter.

Pin It