Never heard of it but the Parisian in me was hooked at the word ‘cassoulet’
It’s the season for cassoulet!
The chef, Chris Douglas, was an early proponent of eating local, I think even before the term “locavore” caught on. The food was fabulous and the room was a delight, packed with beautiful wood furniture, many antiques from the turn of the last century arts & crafts movement.
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Meadhall which was in Kendall Square popped into my head today for the first time in a long time while I was jogging my grey matter for memories of spots where I’ve enjoyed quality, imported craft beers. The menu was wacky and there weren’t any good snacks to have with the beer but the bar itself was awesome and spacious and the beer list was stellar.
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Man, I remember when Meadhall opened…the excitement that B and I felt. Weren’t there something like 100 taps? The bar was the place to be. We would settle in before a Sox game or after work when I worked in Kendall Sq (B was across the bridge at MGH). Food? Yeah, I guess we ate something.
I’m probably alone in my opinion of Meadhall but I never warmed up to the place. I did and still do love a well-curated beer list (of which there are woefully few around these days - don’t get me going on places that have 15 variations of IPA’s) but Meadhall always struck me as someplace where the cool early-Tech bro’s would hang out cause they had a lot of different beers and could be seen. I never had the sense that the owners cared all that much about the beer, just that they had a lot of them. The space itself was odd and as everyone has mentioned, the food was forgettable. And I worked just a few blocks away at the time.
Redbones back in the day, Publick House, Sunset (in the 90’s) and Lord Hobo for awhile prepandemic were all places that I vastly preferred.
Armsby Abbey seems to be one of the few places around still carrying the good beer list flag and who really cares what is on tap. And I’d never say no to Olde Magouns or its sister locations.
Yes, I am an old curmudgeon. LOL
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I had similar sentiments regarding Meadhall. To me it was always part of the new Kendall and just had a weird vibe. A stark contrast from the vibrant character of somewhere like the B Side.
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For sheer number of taps there was Sunset Grill on Comm Ave. in Allston.
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The original Sunset Grille and Tap was on Brighton Ave in Allston (Trivia: there was a Russian restaurant in that location before it became the Sunset Grille. I do not remember its name) It opened in the late 80’s I think and closed in 2017 due to bankruptcy. The tap selection was truly impressive, especially for that era. Marc Kaddish opened Sunset Cantina on Comm Ave across from BU somewhere around 2000. I only visited it a couple of times. It is still open today and its beer list is pretty sad.
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Thanks for the address correction. I was fascinated by the plumbing for those taps.
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Was frequently there in college and mostly blame it for my freshman 15. They had this late night free buffet on Wednesdays IIRC and while the food was questionable and nothing to write home about, it was complimentary and broke college me had a lot of appreciation for the sustenance it provided. I miss that place. It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t super expensive, and there was nothing quite like it.
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Guys, I’m really, really missing Mary Chung’s in Central Sq Cambridge tonight. I’m deeper in the southern burbs of Boston and no Chinese restaurant scratches the itch in my area - none. Not a single one. And then I was remembering my delicious meals in that legendary spot and now I’m sad 
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Randomly watched half of John Favreau’s Chef earlier today and it made me want a Cubano sandwich so badly - then I realized that both Chez Henry and now El Oriental de Cuba are gone, the amount of Cuban food options in the greater Boston-area are fairly limited aside from Gustazo, there’s only really Havana Cafe in North Attleboro and Mimi’s in Rockland - which are both pretty good. Would be nice to have something closer to downtown though
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The unlikely Montrose Spa on Mass Ave used to have a surprisingly good Cuban. Haven’t had one in over twenty years, though, although Yelp suggests they still carry it. Formaggio Kitchen has it off-and-on on their lunch sandwich offerings.
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As much as I have a lot of love and respect for Formaggio, I’ve always found their prepared food to be a little more average than they should be. Then again, it’s been a minute. That being said, for cheeses and just about any other imported product they’re hard to be beat so long as you can pay for it
I do wish they still carried my favorite olives… oh Alfonso olives, I miss you…
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How many minutes? And do you mean their refrigerated, prepared foods (salads and suchlike – these can sometimes be a bit past their prime), their daily hot foods (put out noonish daily, and usually excellent), or their sandwich selection (again, put out fresh daily and, again, generally pretty good). The sandwiches are shrinkwrapped, but made that morning, and are very good value for money. They also have sandwiches that they will panini-press for you.
And, they now have a rotating selection of housemade foods – slices of head cheese, onigiri, and so forth. These are generally very good.
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Probably about a decade give or take a year or two. I moved far enough away where it would have been an hour drive+ and just not worth it unless in the area
I did also have their BBQ one weekend and was also underwhelmed.
Again, I can’t reiterate this, I really like Formaggio (especially the old location, which was tiny but mighty!) - the new one is huge and has too much stuff imo haha
I’m from NC and I really wanted to like the Formaggio barbecue. The potato salad and coleslaw without mayo are good to me, but even the Eastern NC vinegar barbecue is not.
I love the larger store, however, and the “too many things” although I can’t afford to try 99% of them. The cheese is excellent and always high quality so worth it in small quantities. The shop overall is very expensive (some items can be found far cheaper elsewhere) and so Harvard Square it can be a bit painful. I press on and explore!
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As a curiosity, which?
Rancho Gordo beans, for one. Some of the condiments are available at Whole Foods for less…can’t remember exactly which ones…and some spices are cheaper at Curio spice in Cambridge. Some items in the produce section are available at Eatly or Whole foods for less per pound for same apparent quality (or Momma’s, in North Cambridge). Same for some of the exact same cheeses, like from Jasper Hill. There’s a mark up for being in Huron Village and many of the patrons seem to be able to afford it and enjoy the convenience.
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