While there are several bars in the same vein as the Cambridge throughout Philly, it's a welcome site on this stretch of South Street. They have a fantastic beer list and I would label their collection of cocktails as "classy," take that as positively or negatively as you will, but I enjoy them. And even though the price to taste ratio is not quite as high as I'd like it to be, the Cambridge is always a solid place to go for a drink or a bite to eat.
I want to point out that the people who own the Cambridge also own the fantastic Hawthornes, which recently fell into some
hard luck due to an apartment fire above their shop. So even if the food may have been a bit pricey, knowing that it can maybe help contribute to the rebuilding of one of the best places to grab beer on draft and in bottle brought me some solace.
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| appetizers galore! |
We had quite the large contingent that evening, and happened to arrive at a time where there was room to fit our party of 6-7 people. And while only a few of us were there at the start, the hostess sat us right away and they didn't seem too annoyed that it took some time for our complete party to arrive. I only comment on this because I've worked in several restaurants for a total of 5+ years, so I am super hyper sensitive to all the annoying things patrons of restaurants can do. Not to say that our party arriving at different times was an issue, but just glad that the waitstaff was happy to accommodate us despite not everyone being there right away. And before I somehow manage to turn this into a long rant about the pros and cons of seating parties right away even if everyone isn't present, I will get onto my actual review.
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| ginger beer + rum = :) |
To start, I perused their extensive beer list to try and decide what I was in the mood for - I settled on Bell's Cherry Stout, which was an excellent choice. Deep in flavor and something good to sip on while waiting for food to arrive. For appetizers, we went with brussel sprouts, pork belly crostini and charred octopus. I have recently become a huge fan of brussel sprouts, and these did not disappoint - nicely roasted with lots of flavor (they were served in a cider reduction with pancetta, parmesan cheese and chili flakes). But, I have to say that the pork belly crostini were the winners of the night for appetizers. Delicious, creamy pork belly fat balanced with some sweet (fig) and bite (lemon). I, unlike Sandya, am not a sucker (haha, good one Sandya) for octopus, so I did not venture a try, mostly because there was a lot of food being ordered and I wanted to save room for my meal. Somewhere in there I ordered one of my favorite cocktails, a Dark and Stormy, as a follow-up to my cherry stout. It did not disappoint.
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| the main (f/d)ish |
Speaking of which, I ordered the salmon, which was served with crispy skin, puréed celery root, more brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips and chive coulis. I think this is where my complaint about price to quality ratio arises - the dish was $17 but I didn't find the salmon particularly stunning in the taste category, and the side veggies and fancy edible accoutrements were not as flavorful as I would have liked. The meal wasn't bad in any way, it just wasn't memorable. The appetizers, on the other hand, were better constructed, which is why I would suggest this place more for a bite to eat than a full meal.
The Cambridge
1508 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(267) 455-0647
FYI Hawthorne's/Bella Vista people own Bainbridge Barrel House and not the Cambridge
ReplyDeleteFrom the note posted by Hawthornes: "For the time being, we will hold events in support of rebuilding Hawthornes Beer Cafe in an effort to come back better than ever! Each week I will continue to make it my duty to keep all of our guests informed of what is coming up and what to look out for. Many of these events will be held at our sister shop, The Cambridge (1508 South Street), which is also a brainchild of Heather and Chris."
ReplyDeleteDoes sister shop and brainchild mean something else in this context? :P