The Main Event


1220458745I stopped by Craigie on Main—the future (bigger, fancier) Central Square home of Craigie Street Bistrot in the former La Groceria space—on my way to work this morning. Or, rather, I stopped by the work site that will become Craigie on Main in about seven weeks. Tony Maws was there, going over plans, and he gave me a quick tour.

If you’ve eaten at Craigie, you know how tiny that space is, and how subterranean. If you’ve ever seen the kitchen (my closet is bigger), you’ll understand why people talk about it in terms of lemons and lemonade. Nevertheless, I’ve always enjoyed Craigie’s coziness, and felt a twinge of nostalgic regret when I first heard about the move.

But having seen the new place, I’m counting down the weeks.

First, there’s the kitchen, which is fully open and so centrally located that it’s your first encounter on entry. “I want it to feel like you’re coming to somebody’s house,” Tony said. To the right is the bar—easily as big as the entire current restaurant and flooded with natural light—where customers will be able to order off a more casual menu, as well as the fine dining one.

The main dining room is in post-demolition phase, so there isn’t much to report, but it has nice proportions (big enough to fit more tables without feeling cavernous), a painted brick wall, and a view of the kitchen.

The old Craigie did its best (or, rather does its best, since it remains open until sometime in mid-October) to appeal to the surrounding neighborhood with a smartly priced prix fixe menu. The new Craigie will be able to truly function as a neighborhood spot with lunch and brunch offerings, as well as the aforementioned bar eats.

Given what Tony has managed to pull off these past six years with limited resources, I can’t wait to see what comes with this expansion.