Hello From one foodie to another
:West: Bridge
Some of the members of the family are about to embark on a new chapter of their life. West Bridge was the perfect place to mark this transition. It’s a meal to remember and I hope to visit again if I’m in the Cambridge area.
The interior design of West Bridge suited the context of the evening: packing my sister’s apartment up. White paint-covered brick walls were held in stark contrast to the wood furnishing and dim lighting. Bare light bulbs dangled out of industrial rope, twisted around a hanging beam. It was spacious, like a warehouse, but the furnishings were welcoming as was the service.
We ordered only a handful of dishes out of their extensive tapas selection (small dishes) and one entree. We were all famished from the long day of packing, but I knew that even though I wanted to eat all of the Egg in a Cup, I couldn’t because we eat family style. On a typical night, the dish is no sooner put in front of you to take a bite as it is being passed on to the next person to try. After four rotations, we lay claim to our favorite and make quick work of the remaining morsels.
Overall, what impressed me about West Bridge was the creative combinations of ingredients and flavors. Each dish was also a sight to behold, in terms of presentation.
Egg in a Cup: The best approach to eating this dish was, as instructed, to break the poached egg yolk and to thoroughly mix the contents of the mason jar. Each bite was rich because of the buttery, creamy potatoes which combined smoothly with the egg. The mushrooms were earthy, but the flavor was subtle. There was also a mysterious cracker, which added a pleasant crunchiness to the dish.
Calamari: Two places where the calamari was particularly memorable for my family was in Venice, Italy and West Bridge. I’m not sure if the chefs have realized, but they have mastered clam chowder, the deconstructed version. It seems to be the latest craze, all this deconstructed food business. Some people know how to do it right; West Bridge has it down, folks. The calamari was piled in the middle of the bowl with clams around the outside and a piece of crispy, olive oil brushed toast propped against the bowl’s edge. My sister asked if the “stuff” in the middle was spaghetti, because the thin noodle shaped pieces were al-dente, like pasta. It was actually the calamari. Rarely can one find such tender squid in a restaurant. The fish broth was not overwhelmed by heavy cream, but instead reminded me of miso soup, fresh and light. I would willingly gulp it down in large quantities any day of the week.
Bacon: It came as a juicy and tender chunk of cured pork belly. The bitterness of the tart melon balls soaked in alcohol were a welcoming contrast to the sweet and salty pork.
Skirt Steak: The steak was marinated in a lime pickle, the citrus flavor made immediately apparent. There were flavorful baby bok choy strewn across the plate and a small onion bulb, a fail-proof side to steak.
Cauliflower: We were raving about this dish. I’ve had cauliflower with raisins, in curry, with tomato and potato, but West Bridge undid all of those expectations for cauliflower flipped them on their head, spun it around, and turned it up a notch. Thinly sliced cauliflower with hazelnuts, apricot, and grape halves all lightly dressed. I put the ingredients out there, ‘nuf said.
Asparagus: The asparagus was an interesting blend of Asian flavors - miso, soy, sesame, mushrooms, etc. It was slightly overwhelming and the mushroom flavor was quite strong. It did, however, have an interesting mushroom cracker. It was overall a fine vegetable dish, but it did not bring the same wow-factor as the other dishes.
Chicken: We asked the waiter which entree he suggested and he said that the Chicken at West Bridge was not like any chicken he’d had before, just try it. So we did. An entire chicken came on a plate with an iron dish filled with stewed vegetables on the side. The chicken was pretty average, by itself. It was, indeed, flavorful, but a little dry, as expected of white meat. However, the soup completely redeemed the dish. Cranberry beans, not to be confused with the fruit, squash, cabbage, and corn, ingredients that would usually be made as a side to a chicken dish in the form of purees or cold salads, became a crucial element to the dish. It almost seemed like the chicken was a side for the soup.
DESSERT
Although we all insisted we were too full for dessert, the homemade cookie with ice cream sounded too delightful to pass up. It was a warm chocolate chip cookie leaning on a heaping pile of ice cream, sprinkled in powder sugar. We all ended up gently pushing each others spoons out of the way in order to finish it up. Just kidding. By the time the waiter came to check on our progress, we had finished it. So I guess it was good. I luckily was able to snag a picture of it!
West Bridge is a must. I need to go back because there are so many other dishes that we didn’t get to try.
Cuisine: French/ New England
1 Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
July 26th, 2014