Last week we talked about the speakeasy vibe at Vera’s in Union Square. This week we’re telling you about the good eats at newly opened Lou’s in Harvard Square, which also has the Prohibition era aura down pat. The cozy subterranean space below The Gap store in Brattle Square had long been an ever-shifting concept (Beat Hotel, Beat Brew Hall and Beat Brasserie) by the group that runs the popular Beehive bar and jazz venue in the South End. None of those slightly varying themes really took root, and during Covid the Beat venture shuttered for good. Now developer John DiGiovanni – another big Harvard Square real estate holder and developer alongside Gerald Chan – has stepped in along with the folks behind American Flatbread to pretty much rekindle what was there before with an uptick in elan and a jazzy kick in the pants. The name honors DiGiovanni’s dad.
The interior pops with a homey, plushness that’s ostentatious and lush to the eye yet down-home comfy with little den setups in the middle of the main space – stately chairs with low-profile coffee tables to perch drinks and noshables on – and upholstered banquettes lining the adjacent wall. The bar is long, elegant and oaky. It’s a big open space that doesn’t feel big because of its dark, warm ambiance, sectional divides and low ceiling. What’s that behind that curtain at the end of the bar? A whole other bar and lounge space sculpted around a stage where, nearly every night, jazz or bluegrass cues up or DJs spin.
The food is an ambitious bridging of gastro comfort and nouvelle spins on Northeastern classics curated by executive chef Jason Bond, who ran fan favorite Bondir in The Port. The menu casts a wide net. The burger and chopped chicken Caesar salad wrap, which is tucked inside a warm, pliable, housemade pita, are perfect fast fine dines before the curtain opens and you head into the next lounge for your evening listen and further imbibing. These handhelds come with salt-and-malt vinegar chips, which are quite satisfying – though my taste buds were left a bit wanting on the salt and malt side of things. A warm beet salad and a classic wedge with blue and bacon are other simple options.
There’s also a notably pescatarian slant to the menu, with a grilled fish of the day, ceviche, a swordfish alla Norma (olives, eggplant and other Sicilian goodness) and Milwaukee shrimp cocktail (pickled pearl onions and a hot cocktail sauce). The centerpiece from le mer – and on the menu, as it’s presented – is a clams linguini. You may only see four or five opened steamers around the edge of your bowl, but there’s more out of shell packed under that mound of pasta, as well as spicy sausage slivers in a savory white, butter and wine sauce. It’s a salty, sage-y, buttery delight that is strong in its flavors. Also from the sea is the fish chowder, a spin on classic New England chowder: Instead of clams, you get perfectly roasted cubed filets of white fish. It’s pretty much roasted haddock sitting in a creamy, white chowder base with al dente potatoes. The broth was mild and the fish delectably flaky.
Other large plates include a schnitzel, steak frites and roasted chicken, which comes atop a puréed bed of mashed potatoes with a thin yet pleasing gravy. The poultry falls right off the bone – if the clams linguini is a bold flavorful burst, this is homestyle comfort.
For vegetarian fare there’s a housemade veggie burger, rutabaga steak with greens and summer gazpacho, which is super refreshing during these hazy, hot days. The soups come in two sizes, but are the belle of the ball: Go big or go home.
When Bond closed Bondir, leaving a space that is now Judy’s Bay, he expressed a desire for a bigger venue. You really can’t get much bigger than Lou’s, and the combination of food, live entertainment and cool cocktails seems to have all the right elements to succeed where others have floundered. Part of that good boding is the passion and commitment you feel as you walk in.
Lou’s,13 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The 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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