Green Street Grill is a rehabilitated dive bar near Cambridge’s Central Square. 

The indigenous people call it “the new Green Street,” but we were happy to see that it’s still a bit rough around the edges with a cramped and slightly dingy bar area separated from a long and narrow dining room, all dimly lit (therefore our pictures suck). We were attracted by GS’s reputation for excellent mixology, a comfort-food menu that appealed in frigid January, and a recession-friendly price structure. 

We arrived on time for our 8:00 Saturday rez. The room was crammed with cocktailers, but our table was soon ready so we didn’t have to muscle our way to the bar. The cocktail list offered some of prohibition’s best work and made for difficult deliberating. Mr. Rab started with the La Louisianne, GS’s nice shake on the sazerac. I choose the Bulldog, a mix of cherry heering, rum and lime which was so great that we broke out the shaker chez nous on Sunday night to recreate this gem. We picked at some crusty white bread while we kicked back and waited for our app.

The pork short rib starter saw three bones hidden under a green papaya salad. First daters should beware that these are old-school pick-it-up with your fingers and gnaw spare ribs, but they’re definitely tasty (even if I did want for a bit more bbq sauce). The slaw adds brightness to the plate and saves the dish from being heavy or monochromatic.

Mains were both a hit. Mr. Rabbit’s clam stew offered a hearty serving of bivalves, spicy sausage, white beans and spinach in a red sauce. He called it a “destination dish,” a unique plate worthy of a return trip.

My chicken in red wine was a slightly Americanized version of coq au vin plated on a bed of mashed potatoes. The chicken had a slightly crunchy skin and the meat was stark white against the reddish gravy and very tender. Mushrooms, onions, carrots and chewy lardons made this excellent winter-eating. It’s not quite how Julia would do it, but it’s a très satisfying variation.

Dinner went down with two more libations. We’ve been making a lot of Jack Roses chez nous, so Mr. Rab ordered GS’s Jacques Minot to see how they do it. Made with calvados instead of Applejack and with homemade pomegranate syrup, this is a more refined version than the classic, although I actually missed the slight rude-ness of the American liquor. My Lion’s Tail was a spicy bourbon cocktail and our introduction to pimeno dram, an allspiced Jamaican rum that may be finding its way into our liquor cabinet soon.

For dessert, we split the tres leches cake. Both new to this confection, the cake’s super-moistness (slightly reminiscent of a rum cake) invoked the old spoon or fork dilemma. Despite its sweetness, whipped cream and a caramel sauce didn’t overwhelm. And I loved the toasted coconut — sometimes the right garnish just lights it all up. Mr. Rab is anti-coconut, but he was all over this dessert.

We’d almost nixed our GS dinner plans because recent Chowhound reviews suggested service problems. There were, but there were less grievous than we we’d feared and actually a bit amusing. We were repeatedly offered food and drink we hadn’t ordered, and staff often stopped in to see whether we’d ordered or to be reminded what we ought to have coming our way. With all of this attention, we only felt ignored when we needed to order our second round of cocktails (argh!!), but there were enough servers orbiting that I was able to flag someone and remedy the problem. If we’d been a large party this happy ineptitude might have been semi-disastrous, but we decided to appropriate the comedy. 

Overall, we were impressed. GS met and exceeded our expectations. Cocktails were indeed fab, each plate had something noteworthy and interesting going on, we like the atmosphere, and although definitely confused, service was not neglectful or rude so its errant ways weren’t ruinous. Considering the value for money, we thought this place was great ($95 for 4 cocktails, one app, two mains and one dessert… after tax, before tip). Fantastic spot for a casual date or hanging out with friends. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend or to come back.

www.greenstreetgrill.com

And another thing… Sunday night’s Bulldog-making event yielded the following conclusions:

1. White rum works better (darker spirits proved slightly overpowering)

2. Go a bit heavy on the heering, and a splash of maraschino cherry juice doesn’t hurt (brightens up the colour and taste)

3. A whole lime worked better than a half

4. In a pinch, a travel mug with a screw top works very nicely as a cocktail shaker!

Posted on January 19th, 2009 by rabbit
Filed under: Boston, Restaurant Reviews