Rating: 5 forks
After attending the opening party a couple weeks ago, this past weekend Mike and I eagerly joined a couple friends at the new Ten Tables restaurant in Cambridge, MA. Although I love opening parties, they are typically all about mingling, sipping wine, and strategically positioning yourself in the server’s line of fire to grab that passing appetizer (which, by the way were all spectacular) and not as much about trying out the menu; so we were super excited to give this new hot spot a true test run.
Occupying the former Craigie Street Bistro space, Ten Tables is the sister restaurant of the original Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain and the latest passion of owner, Krista Kranyak. She wanted to create an intimate and relaxed European-inspired bistro and she did just that. According to Krista, “I have a unique affection for dining at a restaurant that makes me feel as if every aspect of the experience has been well thought out with passion and care. I fell in love with small restaurants that made me feel like I was at a dinner party in someone’s home. I took every part of those experiences back to the states with me in hopes of replicating the experience in Boston.”
I couldn’t have said it better, and she undoubtedly succeeded in her mission at this new location. Warm candles (which are actually LED b/c Cambridge has a no-real-candles law) add mood and a romantic ambiance to the otherwise dark, basement level room in a classic Cambridge brownstone. There are in fact 14 tables, not 10, but on Saturday night I am sure they wish they had the room for twice as many. Our dinner reservation was at 9:15pm, and the entrance area was overly-packed with eager diners sipping wine (no hard alcohol is served, and there is no bar) and a line snaked up the staircase to the front door. Seems like the word is out. And although when we first arrived we thought we would never be seated, the wait was only about 20 minutes, and they managed the crowd well as it soon thinned out and all parties were seated.
Krista, and chef/partner David Punch, leveraged the same guiding principals as the JP menu when they created the menu for the new restaurant: use local, organic meat and produce, make it affordable, and change it often. From the appetizer menu, we ordered quite a feast, including; steamed mussels with spinach, saffron cream and garlic crouton ($9); tomato soup & grilled cheese with San Marzano tomatoes, tallegio and caraway ($8); spicy steak tartare, toast points & watercress ($10); and a dozen Wellfleet oysters on the half shell ($24). And from the dinner menu, we ordered a couple each of: handmade Cavatelli with spicy squash, sage and ricotta salata ($17) and sea scallops with farro, roasted beets, Meyer lemon and picholine olives ($23). The food was fresh, bursting with flavor, and truly divine!
I’d highly recommend you make the trip to the other side of the river to give TT a shot, though I would suggest you make a reservation during the week to avoid the weekend rush. Parking is a little tough, and no valet is available, so make sure you give yourself enough time; otherwise take a cab or the Red Line to the Harvard Square stop and it's about a 10 minute walk.
Ten Tables Cambridge
5 Craigie Street Circle
Cambridge, MA 02139
www.tentables.net
617-388-8324
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