Grafton Street Pub & Grill — Restaurant in Cambridge

After touring colleges that morning, and afternoon as well, my brother, father and myself went to go find a place around Harvard to eat. Though no one was particularly famished when we arrived (our last meal was at 11:30 that morning and it was then 4:30 approximately) everyone was a little bit hungry, so we settled on Grafton as we saw they had small dishes, which would be perfect for our specfic appetites. Upon arrival I was immediately charmed by it's immaculate . The interior design was amazing and the lighting was perfect to fit it's pub-ish atmosphere. After we ordered, we barely waited at all, our wonderful waitress, Bella, brought us our food. We had gotten the coconut curry shrimp, small lobster tail, calamari, and the fried oysters. Though the cod fritters we ordered afterwards were excellent, there's a reason we had got another order of the fried oysters. The food was genuinely the best I've had my entire time out here in New England, and though I'm no acclaimed critic, it was deserving of a Michelin star. The calamari was delightful and refreshing. The shrimp were sweet and perfectly balanced by the curry's richness. The lobster was cooked brilliantly and the sauce served alongside was fantastical. The cod fritters were clearly fresh in their taste, and the batter was light and perfectly seasoned. Yet above all, the fried oysters stood out the most. The oysters were served on their shells, with the fried portion inside. The fried oysters were placed inside the bottom shell, with some sort of juice based sauce pooling at the bottom. This was a perfect re-use of the shell after fried the morsel, as it collected a delicious brine that really completed the flavor profile. Atop the oysters sat greens, and white truffle, which both perfectly matched and balanced the flavor profile of the seafood it sat upon. The oysters were simply heavenly, and I will be thinking about them until I comeback to Cambridge. After sending my compliments to the chefs, and our wonderful waitress, Bella, we left. Thank you Grafton, the chefs, and waiting staff, for a meal I will never forget or shut up about for the...

Started with french onion soup. This is one of my barometers for how good a restaurant is. The soup it's self was rich, and flavorful. However, it was advertised as having a brioche crouton. It was anything but. They literally just tossed the botton half of a hamburger bun on top, and melted cheese over it. The result was a big pile of soggy bread mush. You can't just toss half an untoasted hamburger bun on a french onion soup and call it a crouton. A crouton is crispy by definition. A proper crouton will remain crispy in the soup for a pretty long time. Definitely a fail on that part. As for the main course, I ordered the shortrib cottage pie. (Pictured below) Presentation was nice. However the "stew" underneath was so thin, it had the same consistency of my french onion soup. I mentioned it to the bartender, who tried to explain it away, not knowing I soent most of my life as a chef. It just annoys me when servers try to explain cooking to me when I point out a mistake. I know how it's supposed to be. Anyway, the mushrooms were super rubbery, and the whole thing tasted of uncooked wine. That happens when you don't fully cook out all of the alcohol. Such a shame. It could be so much better if they just took the time to cook off all the alcohol, used a proper roux. All together, I give this place 3 out of 5 stars. I will give them another chance at some point, because it was obvious the ingredients were fresh, and of top quality. The execution was just a...

Love this pub. Surprisingly laid back, friendly neighborhood vibe considering the location. Just a nice place to take a breath and enjoy a beverage. The first time my wife and I came here, we had our two-month-old daughter with us, and it was actually one of the first places that we were able to go out to since she had been born because, before then, going out anywhere was a bit much. Because of this, we were a little self-conscious about bringing a baby into a pub (or any other kind of bar or restaurant for that matter). We were slightly concerned that everything that comes with having an infant in tow might not be well-received in such an environment. But fortunately, we were mistaken. The staff was super accommodating of us and our little one—especially Paul, the bartender who was warm and welcoming and even let my wife nurse our baby in the private lounge area, drawing the curtains for discretion and everything. Maybe it was just me being cynical, but I did not expect this pub, or any other for that matter, to be so family friendly. Like I said, there’s an unexpectedly friendly neighborhood vibe to this place. Also, they always have interesting, local beers on draft, and the food is pretty damn good, too. And Paul even remembered us when we came back! I hope this place is here to stay and...