State Park in quaint and cozy One Kendall Square – now sadly known as Alexandria Place after a buyout of the property by the biotech real estate behemoth – may feel like a post-work watering hole for data wonks and life-science brainiacs needing hoppy imbibes, pinball and a safe place for bad-boss diatribes. It’s much more. That haute-nerdy tag is apt but not complete, as State Park is a genuine melting pot and the food, which you’d have to call gastropub by default, is a pleasing olio of odds and ends, ranging from fancy-fine to finger food innovations as well as basic pub essentials such as burgers and beers. The menu’s got something for everyone and a pretty solid vegetarian lean. Where else can you get lean, rare roasted duck breast and a Genesee Cream Ale?
The folks who run State Park also operate Mamaleh’s Deli upstairs and the recently shuttered Vincent’s, now being repurposed as Mamaleh’s Kibitz Corner. The Texas bodega brunch that was at the heart of Vincent’s, with its super savory breakfast tacos, is now the weekend hangover cure menu at State Park.
On the snacks and small plate side State Park has beet-pickled eggs, buttermilk biscuits with garlic butter, fried Brussels sprouts with salsa macha and maple yogurt, mushroom gratin with gruyere and, for the curious, roasted bone marrow. The standout, though, is the roasted butter carrots. When I tried them they came with feta and a maple glaze; they now are listed as coming with a mint zhoug (a spicy cilantro-based puree), whipped tahini, pistachios and preserved lemon. On my last stop in there was an asparagus al la Milanese special, essentially poached asparagus with a fried egg and parmesan cheese. The asparagus, like the carrots, were large and plump and perfectly cooked – not al dente, but fresh and flavorful.
The dinner slate is not that big in girth, but it is vast in range and flavors. For my main I did have that roasted duck, lean medallions of juicy breast atop a bed of refried lentils and Brussels sprouts with pickled onions on the side for accent. For barely $20, it may be the most quality quack you’ll get for your smackers.
Others on the big-plate list are a fried chicken diner, grilled kielbasa sandwich and shrimp po’boy. The later two are on my to-try radar, as is the Impossible onion burger done Oklahoma style: a smash burger topped with smothered onions, American cheese and pickles and mustard.
Around the deliciousness, State Park is a dive bar vibe with man-cave trimmings, a gambol-and-gulp den boasting a pool table and movie-themed pinball machines (“Dr. No” and “Mars Attacks”). It’s a fun, bustling dungeon that lets you leave the world behind and may just surprise your tastebuds as well.
Note: In pursuit of pay equity – an issue of front versus back, because the kitchen cannot partake in tips legally – management adds an automatic 20 percent service charge. Be aware of that when paying.
State Park, One Kendall Square/Alexandria Place, Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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