Over the past two years Kendall Square in Cambridge has become a restaurant hot bed. Catalyst, Area Four, Belly and more.
One of those new eateries is Abigail's on 3rd Street. I had been wanting to visit for quite a while and on a very chilly night I headed there with a friend to catch up.
Thankfully, Abigail's is only one short block from the Kendall/MIT stop on the red line, making it easy to find and keeping us out of the cold.
Abigail's has this incredible curved ceiling in their main dining room that is mesmerizing. It's like dining inside of a spiral sea shell.
We had a very perky and attentive waitress who delivered us the evening's menu.
We started with two glasses of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, which has become my go-to white wine.
We were having a tough time deciding what to order because every category of the menu had wonderful choices.
After much deliberation and a consultation with our waitress, we ordered the gouda fries. As the name suggests, this dish a large bowl of French fries covered in gouda cheese. The dish also comes with two garnishes - bacon and chicken gravy.
I wanted to love these more than I did. Though you really can't go wrong with cheese fries (no matter how gourmet the ingredients), these had weak flavor.
For dinner my friend ordered the papperdelle pasta with short rib. She said, "This is the perfect cold weather dish. The sauce the beef is braised in is very rich, the meat is tender and falls right off and the dollop of ricotta cheese is perfection."
I had the veggie burger which was made with a black bean veggie patty. I have learned over the past 15 years of being a vegetarian, that there are two main categories of veggie burgers - veggie/soy based patties and black bean patties. When you get a black bean patty, all you can taste when you bite into the sandwich is the beans. The flavor completely overwhelms the entire burger, no matter what else is on it.
If you love the taste of black beans, the burger was beautifully presented.
Throughout our meal the restaurant was playing great music. Everything from Jesse's Girl to Don't Stop Believin'.
I have to say, with all the other great restaurant choices in the neighborhood, I wouldn't return to Abigail's. The food was good, but not great, and the staff was way too aggressive clearing plates, sometimes with half the plate still untouched.
Next up in Kendall Square, Area Four! I am headed there tomorrow to try their famous brunch. Any must-order items?
