The Backroom at Moody's (Waltham, MA)

Oh, the 'nduja was absolutely delicious. It’s a great idea to add it to a pasta sauce. Yum. We also had sweet and hot sopressata, comte, Great Hill Blue and aged Gouda. Those pickled onions were awesome and a great way to cut a bit of the richness of the rest of the board. Good to know they sell them in the deli.

Oh, and whatever honey they served was a really nice complement to the cheese. Floral and delicate.

And, yes, we do occasionally enjoy Moody’s at home with our own curated playlist, but sometimes we just enjoy being in that lovely space. Oh, well, I guess we’re just too far in years beyond the hip hop generation.

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You are not alone. :wink:

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I love me some old skool hip-hop. That makes me want to go really badly.

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Yeah, I guess it’s just a generational thing. I’m fine with hip-hop in lots of places (I work with teenagers), but when I’m paying top dollar for a stellar food experience and a time to reconnect, it’s just not what I’m looking for. I guess I just need to head elsewhere for a date night out, which is fine. I’ll still happily support the deli and will probably give the new taco/bbq place a try when we want a quick bite.

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My sister and 16 YO nephew were in town from AZ for a couple of days so I took them to the Backroom. We ordered the meatballs right away to nosh on while we were negotiating the rest of the meal. They were absolutely fabulous, heaped with an insane amount of fresh ricotta and shaved parm. My sister and I split one and the rest were consumed with great enthusiasm by the teenager. He ordered the spaghetti with roasted tomatoes and our fantastic server (Casey N) said, “shall I throw some more meatballs on there?” OH YES PLEASE!! She knows her audience. My sister got a couple of oysters to start which she loved. We then shared the “Bacon and Eggs” (pasta Bolognese with a poached egg), slow-smoked half chicken with roasted vegetables, and grilled asparagus with prosciutto vinaigrette. The pasta was divine but for my taste there was too much sauce for the amount of pasta – that is a nitpick because every bite of pasta, sauce and egg was terrific. The chicken had amazing flavor and was truly succulent, even the white meat. It came with a ton of veggies which I didn’t really get a crack at. The asparagus was great but had (for my taste) an over-abundance of the prosciutto vinaigrette, much of which we left on the plate. My sister had a Cab she really enjoyed and I had the Backburner cocktail (Rittenhouse rye, Averna amaro, cinnamon honey, cherry bitters – I asked for it without cinnamon which I loathe and that was no problem). It was delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, not least because the service was so terrific. As has been noted, however, this menu is all about meat, so beware and have a salad for lunch before you go. :slight_smile:

ETA: the taco place (El Rincon de Moody’s) had available seating as we passed it both on our way in and on our way out. So anyone who was waiting (as I have been) till the crowds died down is probably OK to go.

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As a fan girl of Moody’s and New England Charcuterie, I was disappointed to read a report in the April 14 Boston Globe that chef Joshua Smith is no longer affiliated with the businesses. Kara Baskin reports that Smith is starting a new project and focusing on family. No word on what that new project might be.

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Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that. I wish Josh well and hope he stays local. I’ve really appreciated having Moody’s in Waltham.

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Oh dear, I wish him well. I also hope the remaining crew can maintain the exceptional quality. I do think there is a lot of other talent there.

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Nothing should change. Josh was the face of Moody’s, but someone else was handling the charcuterie production.

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I still feel sad about this. I don’t know any of the parties involved, but it must have been a pretty difficult experience for Josh to part ways given how high-profile he has been and how integral he was in conceptualizing the whole brand. I wish him and his family well. We always enjoyed interacting with his wife when she was behind the counter as well. That said, I’m sure there are many sides to the story and there is plenty of talent behind the scenes to keep the place thriving. It will be interesting to watch the evolution of The Backroom, and to see what develops in the taco space.

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Well, it looks like the changes are already starting, according to Bring Retail to Waltham’s facebook page. The Moody’s Deli’s facebook page says that the deli is closed for renovations. No other info available.

Boston Restaurant Talk is checking the status of the other locations.

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oof. that sucks.

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Thanks for sharing. Not encouraged by the sound of it though.

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So the taco place has been closed for renovations all winter, now the deli is closed . . . . and they just renovated to expand the backroom . . . . wonder what is going on - maybe they are converting the entire space to one restaurant??? It was a good run while it lasted.

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Well, I guess we’ll see what goes on with the Back Bay deli and the one in Napa (If it did indeed open) as well as the whole Moody St. configuration. There’s certainly a lot of money invested in the brand. Time will tell…

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Eater Boston reports that Moody’s Deli and The Backroom in Waltham are both closed for now. Back Bay location of Moody’s remains open.

Sigh.

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What i’ve heard is the licquor licenses are in Josh’s name. Since Josh is no longer associated with the businesses Waltham had no choice but to shut them down. It could take several months for the licenses to be transfer and the restaurants allowed to re-open.

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What a tragedy that it’s gotten to such ugliness. It was once a wonderful thing.

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Just read the same thing.

MOODY’S SHUT DOWN

The signs say “CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS.” That’s not true.

The city’s license commission has closed down Moody’s Delicatessen at 468 Moody Street because company officials are not named on liquor and food licenses.

All the licenses are under the name of former employee Joshua Smith, an acclaimed chef and meat maven who appears to have left under a cloud.

Without his involvement, none of the involved businesses (Moody’s Delicatessen, The Backroom and El Rincón de Moody’s) can serve food or liquor by law.

The Waltham Police liaison for the city’s license commission confiscated the licenses Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Moody’s was closed.

“It may just put us out of business for good,” company official Dan Revers told the commission during an emergency hearing Tuesday night.

Revers, a wealthy businessman from Weston, worried that Moody’s staff will quit if it takes “a month or two or three” to resolve the situation.

“I feel terrible,” said commission chairman Wayne Brasco, explaining that he had no choice. “I know what happens when you shut the door.”

The complicated process to transfer all the licenses could take two months, but the licenses to serve food could be transferred sooner, possibly in three weeks.

The situation is worsened by what appears to be a bitter split between Smith and company officials.

Starting in 2013, Smith built up a slate of ambitious businesses on Moody Street.

But he recently parted ways with Moody’s, telling the Boston Globe he had another project planned and wanted to spend time with family.

“No, it wasn’t good,” Dan Revers said about Smith’s departure.

“A lot of things were not good there. I backed someone I thought was a friend. A lot of things didn’t go right. We parted company,” Revers said.

Revers said he was “doubtful” he could get Smith to come to the Moody Street business in an attempt to speed up the license transfers.

But he added that Smith is “obligated to cooperate” as part of a legal agreement, so he would contact Smith’s attorney.

Meanwhile, the commission is trying to assist Moody’s as best it can.

A 10,000 SF meat processing facility on Clematis Avenue, New England Charcuterie, was not affected by the closure.

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How difficult for the staff. So many of them have been there for years, and now to have no source of income. Ugh.

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