Monday, October 5, 2009

Green Street Grill: Waiting and waiting and waiting

The Green Street Grill in Central Square Cambridge is probably good; that is, if you aren’t hungry when you arrive. We came in famished. To the waitstaff, it should have been easy to realize that we were hungry. You know that point in the restaurant experience, after the hostess seats you and before the waitress introduces herself? Yea, we were all ready to order at that point and we did. We ordered scallops ($21) and swordfish tacos ($15), two dishes that may need a whopping ten minutes to prepare and cook. We can understand if the restaurant was packed (it was half full) or we were enjoying a martini or bottle of wine and wanted to pace ourselves (we weren’t); however, when two desperately hungry individuals come in, look at the menu for about three minutes and immediately order, you can be assured that they are there to eat.

It was 40 minutes when our food arrived, and this took two reminders to the waitstaff and many anxious looks towards the kitchen. We can't even tell you how it tasted because we devoured it as soon as it arrived. We can tell you that we wish the portions could have been larger - especially for the price.

The ambiance was pleasant enough, but watching other people who arrived after you eat dishes that come out in less than 15 minutes, is a bit distracting. Although we can't say we will never return, we won't make a huge effort.

Green Street Grill
280 Green St
Cambridge, MA 02139-3312
(617) 876-1655
Cambridge/Boston Restaurant Review

2 comments:

  1. Just saw that this post made a headline on Grubstreet.com, which is national. You say that you can not comment on the food, but comment on the portion size? This sounds more like you wanted to rant but leave out many very critical details of the experience. Only commenting because it seems unfair since thousands of readers will see the headline and make assupmtions about the restaurant.

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  2. Point well taken! The Palateers write untraditional reviews. Sometimes we write in narrative, sometimes poetry, sometimes just pictures. We believe that the main reason people go to restaurants is for the experience (otherwise they would order takeout or cook at home). When we write reviews, we want to capture the experience--the smell, atmosphere, food, people, the whole kitten kaboodle. However, it is often the case that the food is not the most memorable part of the restaurant experience. If this is the case, we will emphasize other parts of the experience that stood out for us. hope this helps and thanks for commenting.

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