Deep Ellum — Restaurant in Waltham

Let's start off by stating only my dad came here for the beer. So I lose clout as someone going to a kraft beer restaurant with no interest in the beer, which would give them many more bonus points. This is based on my and my cousin's experience as our first time in this style of restaurant in Boston.

I was relatively unimpressed with this restaurant. My Scottish relatives came from overseas to see America and this is the place we went on my dad's suggestion as their first dinner at a kraft beer restaurant. To start with, I'll go over the positives. Responsible bouncers that weren't overly aggressive in requesting ID. The staff were overall pretty chill and accommodating. The tables were clean and the lighting was nice This is unfortunately where the positives end. It is important to keep in mind that this was around 5-6ish on Friday. Our food for 5 people didn't come for over 25 minutes. This was ordered BEFORE the place got super crowded.

The selection of meals was small and mostly unappealing. I can't remember it all that well, but the way the chicken and fish were described on the unprofessionally done menus didn't make my mouth water.

Let's talk about the meals. My cousin ordered a steak with fries and asparagus, which he wanted to ignore. Simple enough, right? Well, the presentation and portions were laughably unbalanced. First, the steak was BURIED under the fries which covered the whole plate. The steak itself was only about 5 slices of less than 4 inch long slabs of meat. This was much less steak than he had hoped. Unfortunately, the fries were ALSO buried under 4 huge pieces of asparagus. Additionally, the steak was over seasoned around the edges making it taste far too peppery, almost spicy hot in a way. Needless to say it was very unpleasant. Not at all worth 25 dollars. The rest of us got burgers which are thankfully pretty hard to screw up. The bun was very oily, but it was mostly unnoticeable. Even the burgers were however, only overall average compared to other bar restaurants. The salad was also strange. It was pretty dry, and had no dressing and a few cherry tomato halves.

Lastly, we'll talk about my mixed drink; what I go to bars for. I'm unsure if people simply don't understand what a 'Dirty Shirley' IS, or if the bartender was just lazy or thought this was generosity. Regardless, what I meant was a Shirley Temple (grenadine syrup + ginger ale/7up) with SOME (ideally a splash of) vodka. To start off, it was not made in a shaker. I know this because the ice was put in LAST resulting in a warm drink until the ice cooled it down over time. Second, I'm not convinced there was more than a SPLASH of ginger ale in my drink. All I tasted was vodka and grenadine. It was the strongest Dirty Shirley I had ever had. It had no less than 2oz of vodka in it. When I ordered a plain Shirley Temple, it had the same problem as the first; not actually being mixed. It was warm. (Sidenote: Any bartender worth their salt knows that mised drinks do ICE FIRST in the glass. NOT at the end.) I don't know how a seasoned bartender in Boston can not know how to do a Dirty Shirley.

Chill rock tunes like the B-52s "Rock Lobster" played in the background of the Cheers-esque ambience of the deafeningly loud bar. Terrible experience overall.

I will try to be fair and say timing might've hurt us a bit. Maybe some other time of day would be better for a nicer meal. But the ridiculous prices, awful serving time and small menu makes me think you can find plenty of better options in the area. But if you want to drink dozens of kinds of kraft beer, this restaurant could be up your alley. It was however a regrettable experience and a bad first impression of American cuisine for foreigners. All of this in consideration, I rate my experience as 2...

Bloody Mary + BBQ Breakfast = Bangin' $20 Brunch.

Deep Ellum ain't kidding when it comes to drinks. The menu boasts tons on beers on tap as well as numerous inventive cocktails. Already anticipating my BBQ meal choice, I opted for the Bloody Mary ($9) which came spicy and with a pickled green bean floating around for funsies. Spot-on. My dining companion ordered the Sancho's Iced Coffee which features tequila and is topped with a heavy dose of whipped cream. Interesting. Glad we tried it. Not gonna happen again though.

The BBQ breakfast ($9) is my ideal sleeping situation. Sauced-up, tender pulled pork lying atop a mattress of sweet, moist cornbread and blanketed by a perfectly fried egg sprinkled with pepper and aioli. I wish my bed was made this way every day. The combination is sweet, savory, and genius. I asked for extra BBQ sauce on the side to really drench the cornbread and bring everything together. My friend's kielbasa breakfast sandwich on an English muffin came with homefries, and the meat was spicy delicious. The portions aren't crazy huge, which is positive since we would have surely cleaned out plates regardless, considering the high tastiness factor of each. The waitress agreed that we picked the best 2 breakfasts on the menu and mentioned that she was going to eat the kielbasa one after her shift.

The space is small, so I would recommend brunchin' with just a few buddies. The 2 of us waited at the bar for about 10 minutes for a table. Once we were seated the service was fast, helpful (what drink do I order??), and attentive. Although the cocktails will run you around $10 each, the food prices are all reasonable, so even if your brunch is boozy (which it should be), it won't...

Deep Ellum is the pioneer of what is quickly becoming Allston's Restaurant Row. Next door to sister restaurant Lone Star Taco bar (YUM!), a Vegan Pizza shop and Vegan Ice Cream Shop, this come-as-you-are bar features delicious, hot pretzels with beer cheese, an amazing selection of rotating main dishes (risottos, pastas) and comfort foods like hot dogs and burgers.

The cocktails are always reliably well-composed, my favorites being The Black Market (Death's Door Gin, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Lemon, Black Tea Bitters) and the Ward Eight (Bully Boy White Whiskey, House Made Grenadine, Lemon Juice, Bitters). However, be prepared for the ultimate question. Cocktails or Beer tonight? The beer selection is unreal. The list of American Craft, Belgian, and German beers goes toe-to-toe with the most reputable "beer-bars" in the area.

Other perks? The 2AM close (just approved!), great proximity to Do Re Mi karaoke and The Model, and a back patio that's perfect for summer brunch. I recommend the BBQ Breakfast (Braised pork shoulder, cornbread, mustard aioli with a fried egg). This place is unreal. Despite it's small size, it remains one of my favorite spots for a drink and bite...