Craigie on Main - three rings, no circus.

A long-delayed post on the first visit to the new location of Tony Maws' operation, Craigie on Main:
Having abandoned the cinetrix to the mean streets of Dot while I competed for cash and prizes in the Golden State, it seemed reasonable to have a solid meal together while we were still in the realm of restaurants not staffed by potentially disgruntled former students.

As luck would have it, we were able to sneak in last minute via cancellation for a table for the New Years' Day chef's whim. The courses went something like this, according to my bad notes:

1) Charcuterie: headcheese, jowl crouton (as seen in the summer in the corn soup), and lardo.
2) Maine oysters, with candied lemon peel.
3) A little bacon/cod fingerling potato horseradish thing.
4) Boudin noir with turnip puree.
5) Farro/marrow oxtail risotto.
6) Veal ribs and sweetbreads.
7) Desserts (several, and elaborate, sadly not recorded)*

It was all really good, and plated in a way that made it manageable from an appetite standpoint. Everything having to do with a pig was exceptional, and the rest was terrific. My only unease is inherent in the nature of the tasting menu -- it tends to disrupt the normal pattern of a meal, and makes it hard to know when the meal is in full swing. It is, also, in the hands of a sophisticated chef like Maws, an intellectual challenge. It can feel like a chess match, except you get to eat the pieces. That said, it was great to get to try so many things, so it may partly be a question of the kind of appetite and atmosphere you bring to the occasion.

The food was all of the excellence I'd come to expect from the old 02138 location -- Craigie St. Bistro. The slight unease of the experience may have been an effect of the translation into the new space. The old space felt grown-up, but never especially formal. It was white-tablecloth dining, but sans hauteur. The new dining room feels a bit fussier, perhaps, as if it is trying to be more serious than it wants. Adding to this impression was the service. It was as good and as attentive as previous, but more diffuse. The number of people involved in bringing and clearing our meal was such that it would be hard to say who was primarily responsible for our table. Again, this is an function of a larger space, and a larger space, but it it is a signfiicant difference.

On a note of unalloyed positivity, the new space is far more dynamic than the old in terms of the expereinces it offers. There is the aforementioned dining room, and a more casual bar. I'm really excited to check out the bar. You can break of salient pieces of what Maws does and get change from a Hamilton, and the space seemed more like a Toulouse Lautrec painting than I ever imagined any corner of Central Square ever could. Finally, the bar and the dining room flank the open kitchen that was the big draw for Tony in moving to the new location. When I was in , Maws was in a sweat, expediting and plating, doing things with an immersion blender, and at one point, even dropping an f-bomb on a sous who could not locate a requisite sauce. This is what greets you when you walk in off the street.

I cannot promise that Maws will always be at this station when you walk in, or indeed, that he will cuss in your hearing, but the odds are a lot better than for most any other chef of his caliber, and that points to maybe the biggest and best news about COM -- he shut down the old place, and opened the new, different one, where he cooks. Compare to the SOP for a younger chef who's gotten some Beard, F&W, etc. love. This chef gradually turns the reins of CSB 1.0 over to his sous, who then gives rein to his interest in Lao fusion cuisine. This chef snaps at the chance to take over the former Groceria COM space, but uses it to open his steakhouse concept, rather than continuing to challenge himself. (This nonexistent steakhouse would be called "The Maws-o-leum," BTW.) It's always sad not to be able to return to a restaurant where you had a number of fantastic meals, but diners in the 617 should count themselves fortunate to have access to these three perspectives on the second chapter in the Tony Maws story.
*There are mutual friends we have w/ Tony, which meant extra desserts.

Comments

[Addison]

The bad news is that you COULD be a restaurant reviewer. Not that you'd want to.

[The Gurgling Cod]

How much does a job like that pay?