By Iron Chef Leftovers
If you find yourself in Boston, as I have been a lot lately, and you live in a city with an ahead of the curve dining scene, as I am blessed with in Seattle, you find yourself stuck in a rut in choosing restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, Boston has some fantastic places at the higher end of the price range and some great places at the lower end (inset plug for Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston – great burgers and entrees and a killer beer selection), but there isn’t a ton in the moderately priced sit-down category that is worth writing about. One of those places is Hungry Mother, located in Kendall Square in Cambridge, right near the Kendall Square Cinema.
Hungry Mother is the kind of place I have been looking for in Boston – small bites run around $5, apps run around $10 and entrees from $20 – $25 on a small and ever changing seasonal menu. While small, the menu really does cover something for everyone, including the vegetable inclined. Most of the dishes are “southern influenced”, but are really updated versions of southern home cooking – the kind of things that your southern grandmother would easily recognize and would order and probably say, “Damn, that is better than I used to make.” Meat is really the focus here though and that is where I went with my menu selections. They source locally as much as possible
I started with the Warm Beef Tongue on Toast and was just blown away. If you don’t like beef tongue or have never tried it, try this one. What came out was essentially an open-faced steak sandwich in a small bite. On a thick slice of lightly toasted baguette, you get perfectly tender, thinly sliced beef tongue, slathered with Dijon mustard and quite possibly the best gravy ever and topped with melted Swiss. I honestly could have eaten this all night and been happy, it was that good. I don’t know how particularly southern it was, but hell, I would kill for one right now.
I then moved on to what was called Lamb Pancetta. I was both skeptical and intrigued by it and after a recommendation by the waiter (and passing up the Green Tomato Gazpacho), I went for it. They took a lamb neck, de-boned it, flattened it, cured it as you would pancetta, rolled it and cooked it. This lead to a perfectly seasoned piece of meat with crispy exterior and a melt in your mouth unctuous interior that could not have a better contrast – and a very mild lamb flavor. Coupled with hominy and an out of this world jus, I found myself practically licking the plate clean as I devoured the dish.
In a delirious state from the deliciousness of the first 2 courses, I eagerly awaited my main course – the fried chicken. As I couldn’t decide between 4 out of the 5 entrees (I ruled out the catfish as it is really not one of my favorites to eat), my waiter steered me toward the fried chicken. He told me it is their most popular dish and it is not on the menu all the time and when it is, it usually sells out quickly. I am particular about my fried chicken, but with a glowing recommendation like that, I had to try it. What I received was one of the best fried chicken meals ever – a half chicken perfectly with a perfectly crispy breading on the outside and mouthwateringly tender and juicy on the inside. The chicken had obviously been given a long soak in buttermilk and you can taste it, adding a slight tang to the salty, crunchy, tender chicken. This bird needed no additional seasoning. My common complaint about buttermilk soaked chicken is that you never taste the buttermilk – not a problem here. The dish came with some simply cooked greens topped with a house made pepper vinegar which could not have been better.
Sadly, I was stuffed and did not try any additional sides or deserts.
I would be amiss if I didn’t talk about the service. Hungry Mother has the kind of service you would expect in a much higher end restaurant; the attentive wait staff (I didn’t see any table who ordered a bottle of wine one have to fill their own glasses) with a great knowledge of the menu (and pairing drinks with the food) without being too intrusive, were stellar and paid attention to the little things – changing the silverware between courses, clearing plates, filling glasses, etc., all while handling a small but packed dining room; it was a true team effort on their part. Dining solo can lead to lousy service and that was definitely not the case here – I never once felt rushed or like they didn’t want me there despite a line out the door when I left the restaurant at 9:30 (I was there for nearly 2 hours). This was probably one of the 10 best services that I have had at a meal.
In addition to the food, Hungry Mother also has a full bar with a small specialty cocktail list and a small but solid beer and wine by the glass selection as well as a nice wine list covering both new and old world at just about every price point. You are going to want to make a reservation in advanced – this place is always packed.
Overall, I was floored by how good this meal was, so good that I will honestly say that, in 12 years of living in Boston and 8 years of traveling back there, this was the single best meal I have had in the city. Hungry Mother would fit right in with the Seattle dining scene and I would highly recommend going to Hungry Mother as hungry as possible, with as many people as possible and order as much as possible. You won’t be disappointed.
FlatbreadGarden 