Catalyst Restaurant — Restaurant in Cambridge

I don't understand people's gripe about this place. I had a very good experience there while having dinner with a friend. Having heard many things about this place and receiving recommendations on what to order, I was very much looking forward to my meal there.

I OpenTable'd a reservation a few weeks ago and met my dining companion at the bar there for a quick drink before being seated for dinner. Immediately upon entering, I noticed how sleek, modern and yet so simple and welcoming the decor was. There's a lot of metal, woods and even stone: yet it is very simple and quite elegant. I can't exactly describe it, but it is very modern and with a naturish kind of twist: I totally dig it. On my left, I also noticed a nice gas fireplace which was a nice touch. The place isn't too dark either - I feel like they really outdid themselves and designed a very clever layout. It's spacious, it's inviting and has a great flow to it.

At the bar, I decided to order up an "Undecided" ($11) which let the bartender decide what I was drinking, after asking me what I was in the mood for. I requested something with some whiskey and ended up with a drink featuring some bourbon, Benedictine and lillet. It went down smoothly and i was now ready for the meal.

We were seated and bread arrived along with the menus and some water. After taking a quick glance at it, I was ready to order. I was going to get an appetizer and an entree and share a side or two of their small plates with my friend since we were both very hungry.

My meal started with their caramelized onion soup which was topped with a raclette toast and some roasted Cipollini onions ($9). Then came the main course which was a medium rare tournedos of beef with some rainbow chard, some house-made Tallegio ravioli with a Bordelaise sauce ($28). The meat was absolutely divine and extremely tender; the pasta was tasty however a tad dry (maybe from a heat lamp?) but the sauce paired well with the dish and my plate was clean within instants. I loved every single bite.

Luckily my meal wasn't over - as my main course arrived, so did two smaller, shareable plates: the first was a dish which was recommended by a friend of mine who had dined there previously and was their Garganelli pasta served with chicken oysters, bacon, black truffle butter ($10). That dish was pretty damn tasty and the chicken oysters were both original and absolutely amazing. For those who aren't familiar with the ingredient it's basically a piece of dark meat that's in the back of the chicken's thigh. They are about the size of the quarter and there's only two per chicken making it somewhat of a delicacy. It's delicious.

Along with that dish came an order of their grilled scallions which came topped with some almond pesto ($6) - They were pretty tasty as well.

All in all this place is an incredible addition to the Kendall Square food scene. While it's not a very affordable option, it's also not completely out of price and the quality is great. But aside from the great food, the service and the atmosphere make it a neighborhood gem. I look forward to returning there in the future whether it be for lunch, dinner, brunch or...

Gist: Slow, but friendly, service. Food that tries really hard but falls short.

The experience of our party of 6 on a Thursday evening did not start on a high note. When we arrived we were told we would have to wait for our table, even though the restaurant was roughly half empty and the table we eventually were seated was empty and dressed. It took them 15 minutes beyond our reservation time to seat us.

From there water was immediately served, however after 10 minutes we had to request table bread, it was neither brought nor offered by the hostess or the table staff that brought our water.

For our table of six a single drink menu was provided, this was probably to slow our selection and give their staff time to eventually make their way to our table. What should have been a 5 minute process took at least 10. By which time we had decided it might be a good idea to order some appetizers immediately. We ordered the Puffs, fries, and fried string beans. None of which were much to speak about, and the puffs were downright bland and boring.

Eventually our dinner plates came and they too were on the whole nothing special. Two fish plates, the filet mignon, the roast chicken, the lamb, and one of the house made pasta plates. The fish was well cooked and lightly seasoned, nothing offensive. The chicken was, well, roast chicken, nothing special, well cooked. The purple potatoes with the chicken was bland, or as my companion commented, tasted like the bland salted potatoes of Passover... The lamb was properly cooked, but bland and tasteless, the beets it was plated over being the highlight of the dish. I did not partake of any of the other ordered meals, however my companion who ordered the pasta said she enjoyed it.

The space itself is lovely. Open and with high ceilings and wall to wall windows. However the wooden seats our party sat at were very uncomfortable, a comment made by all in our party. One companion tried one of the cushioned seats available at the smaller tables on our way out and said they were much more comfortable. Make a seat request with your reservation or...

I have very mixed feelings about this place. The location is really convenient to where I work so I've ended up here a lot either for drinks with colleagues or bringing out-of-town visitors to dinner. Atmosphere is a little on the corporate side for my tastes, which is fine for stuff in my work life; but it's not somewhere I'd seek out for social purposes. Sit-down dining experience: The food is decent, plating is pretty good, and prices are average. There's no one thing that stands out as amazing to me, but also nothing bad. I've had mixed experience with wait staff being great vs aloof, so average marks on dining service, too. Bar experience: This is where I have a love-hate relationship. I've had several excellent bartenders here who've made great drink recommendations and even let me sample different tequilas to help me decide what to order. Unfortunately, there's one absolutely horrible bartender who is usually the one I get stuck with based on where bar seats are open and there's more space for large groups. In the 20+ times that he's been my bartender, he's messed up billing with an adjacent party (sometimes to my advantage, but usually to my disadvantage after the other party has already left). He is always belligerent in insisting that I pay for "people in my party who have left" even if the items he's charging me for were ordered by strangers who happened to be sitting next to me who he forgot to bill earlier. I've tried to be nice and ask for recommendations to try to build up a good repertoire, but he's pretty condescending. It's pretty strange behavior.

With the pandemic I haven't been here for over 9 months so maybe this has all changed. Overall I'd say it's an okay place to go if you're in the area and it's good to support restaurants during this difficult time, but just know service may...