For Cristo’s birthday, I made reservations at Ten Tables in Cambridge — their second location, in the space the original Craigie Street Bistro used to occupy, and which actually has at least 14 tables.
The food and service were amazing. Because we ate on a Sunday night, they weren’t serving a full menu. But they were serving a $33 prix fixe. Here’s a super-quick wrap of what we had.
surprise!Amuse Bouche
Chilled cucumber-mint soup. So amazing.
First
Cristo: braised octopus with garlic chips.
Me: roasted beet, fennel, bleu cheese, and pistachio salad with housemade vinaigrette.
Meal
Cristo: choucroute plate — housemade bratwurst and sauerkraut, smoked pork loin, cornichons and a fantastic gritty, spicy mustard. For the win! The best bratwurst either of us have ever had.
Me: housemade ravioli — filled with local roti squash in a mushroom consommé. (Yes, I accidentally ordered a fully vegetarian meal.)
Dessert
Cristo: warm raspberries and peaches in ice cream
Me: For the win!! rosemary-and-olive-oil cake with compote of apples, balsamic vinegar ice cream, and fresh basil.
Okay, I know that dessert probably sounds vile to about 80% of you but it was amazing. It was basically a tiny slice of pound cake; my best guess for how they prepared it is they most likely tossed a handful of giant-crystal sugar into a cast-iron frying pan, and pressed the slice over it, because there was some amazing caramelization happening. The ice cream was the most amazing flavor with the cake. It did incredible things with the sweet/savory palate. Additionally, when our waiter brought us complimentary glasses of muscat (because of somebody’s birthday), I loved it. Traditionally, I can’t deal with ports, eisweins, anything with that cloying medicinal sweetness. But the subdued sweetness of this dessert made the muscat taste incredible on my palate.
