With my beau in Boston for biz for a full week, we decided it would be fun for me to join him for the weekend and make a lil getaway out of it. We decided to mix it up and stay in Cambridge and are very happy with the decision. The neighborhood was pretty quiet since school is out, but that just meant it was easy for us to get into Waypoint for dinner on Friday night.
I was drawn to Waypoint because the menu seemed super inventive and seafood-heavy. Boston as a whole – especially in summer – is seafood heavy, but it was nice to see a place that approached such fare in a more unique way.
Also unique: a section of the cocktail menu devoted to absinthe based drinks. I tried the millions of peaches (bourbon, absinthe blanche, peach & jalapeno, lime, peychauds) and thought it was great – the absinthe just gave it a little something special that I wouldn’t have necessarily been able to put my finger on had I not read the menu.
We basically ordered the full menu. For apps, we started with oysters (how adorable is that hot sauce?) and a bread basket. The bread came with two dips: a seaweed butter and a white bean with squid ink. I can honestly say they were both firsts for me and both were really good. Normally I think a bread basket (that you have to pay for) is a scam, but I definitely recommend ordering this one.
When it came time for appetizers, round 2, Albert got himself more oysters and I got the smoked bluefish, at the waitress’ recommendation. It wasn’t a dish I was particularly drawn to – lured by foodie buzzwords, I was originally going to get the uni caviar crostini, but the waitress said this dish was her favorite and I’m so glad I listened. The fish had a deep smokey flavor and the miso and egg yolk mixed together to create an unbelievable sauce with salmon roe just pop pop popping for that extra lil something.
Next we worked our way to the larger plates. We got the lobster cacio e pepe, which was very tasty but not a true cacio e pepe since it was more oil based sauce with pepper and parm vs. the parmesan sauce that is usually created when this dish is made by swirling the hot pasta inside the wheel of cheese. We also got the white pizza with fried brussels sprouts, guanciale, and tons of garlic. The crust was just a liiiiittle chewy, but the flavor was great. If you like garlic, this is a winner. I happen to be a garlic fan and since we were both enjoying the pizza, I wasn’t so concerned about making out with my man later.
At this point, we were beyond full but there’s a whole section on the menu of share-able roasts that we didn’t want to pass up. We got the 10 oz ribeye, which came with grilled gem lettuce and fried potato wedges. The steak was a little salty but had a nice crust and I really enjoyed the grilled gem wedges. Grilling lettuce is a trend that I’m not totally mad at.
There was no room in my belly so we were going to pass on dessert, but our waitress was so nice and brought out the roasted corn panna cotta anyway so I made room. I love seeing corn in desserts and the blackberry mousse gave a brightness to the dish that made it feel nice and summery.
When it comes to seafood I usually believe simpler is better. Just let the fish have its moment with some butter. But Waypoint is doing some really fun things with coastal cuisine that I really enjoyed. Sometimes it’s nice to get a lil crazy.
Peaches to Apples 