We’ve long been fans of the sourdough pizza at Source in Harvard Square. The eatery is named for the cultured yeast, called “Mother,” that is the source for their pies. Proprietor Daniel Roughan and executive chef Brian Kevorkian kept with that matriarchal theme when they opened Alice & Monarch in Kendall Square this May, its name a tribute to Roughan’s great-grandmother.
Alice & Monarch is a different space and a different concept than Source, which I humbly describe as a cozy place for comfort food with friends. Alice is more cosmopolitan and corporate, which makes sense for its Kendall Square digs, just around the corner from Flat Top Johnny’s and the MIT Open Space. Monarch is the venue’s downstairs night club, a speakeasy-style lounge adorned with elegant Art-Deco accents and an enigmatic vibe that calls to mind the Overlook Hotel’s bar lounge back in its 1920s heyday.
It’s an impressive space that works on many levels — and that is clearly the aim. It’s a dining destination, a get-business-done lunch spot, and a place to unwind and meet new friends late at night. Alice is open for lunch and dinner daily, and brunch on the weekends. Some of the pizzas and pastas are the same (margherita and cresti di gallo) as those at Source, but Alice leans into a more upscale menu, with squid ink linguini and shrimp scampi pie with capers and lemon. Happily, you can get that scampi delight for lunch in an addictive calzone: succulent shrimp, lemon zest, and stewed tomatoes with the pert zing of capers, all tucked into an airy, sourdough fold. It comes with a half-salad of your choice — tri-color greens with goat cheese and honey vanilla vinaigrette; farro with kale, roasted beets, candied walnuts, and an apple cider vinaigrette; or wild greens with fennel and a citrus vinaigrette. All this for about $20. The half-salad is substantial. I’m partial to the farro; tender roasted beets and candied walnuts always win me over.
I’d highly recommend the branzino, a simple, pan-roasted filet with crispy skin. The dish stays moist and flaky atop a white bean ragout with roe. The ragout is tomato-leaning, lite and subtle — the caviar lends little pops of salty richness.
The salads appear on both the lunch and dinner menus, as well as the octopus, lightly battered tentacle nuggets (tempura-esque) with olives and brown butter potatoes. There’s also one giant raviolo stuffed with a soft-cooked egg and cheese, lightly toasted with a hearty cream sauce. For either lunch or dinner, both make for nice starters.
When Alice first opened, it boasted a seafood sausage on its lunch menu. It was the reason I went to Alice several times, only to find it wasn’t there — it had sold out or the seafood shipment hadn’t come in. I’d never heard of a seafood sausage before Dear Annie introduced its Sea Dog — and while I was apprehensive, the rich, savory juiciness of the shrimp, scallops, and whitefish combo was transformative. So when I saw it on the Alice slate, my brow arched in flavorful anticipation. But I never got to try it. After three or four misses, I was told the sea sausage was leaving the menu and being replaced by a surf and turf hotdog. Say what? I asked?
Sometimes it’s best not to ask questions and just roll with it. The new menu item came on a toasted roll, a hand-packed wagyu-beef hotdog topped with delicately poached lobster meat and kisses of caviar. The combination of savory and succulent played well together and the varying textures offered individual tastes of the proteins.
Monarch has its own menu that leans toward decadent and sweet. Desserts include a baked Alaska, chocolate soufflé tart, and a strawberry tartare, as well as fanciful finger victuals for snacking; ceviche, foie gras, arancini, and, for the late night hungry, steak frites.
Given its locale between the tech-heavy Kendall hub and MIT, Alice & Monarch seems aptly positioned; t’s right off the T and there are parking deals at the garage next door. The revamp of Main Street in Kendall Square has seen the arrival of Roy 34 and the build out of Eastern Edge, and now, at the southern end of Main, the merry matriarchy of Alice & Monarch has come to roost with good food and grand style.
Alice & Monarch
285 Main Street, Kendall Square
$$$ (out of $$$$)
Have a favorite dish or dine out spot that we’ve not covered and you think we should? Email Tom at tmeek@cambridgeday.com.
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