Aquitaine Alums to Open 'West Bridge' in Kendall Square

Alexis Gelburd-Kimler, left, and Matthew Gaudet, right, will bring West Bridge to Kendall Square this spring. (Photos courtesy of All Heart PR)

It’s no secret that as a dining destination, Kendall Square has been blowing up as of late. Today, I bring you news of another great addition to the scene: West Bridge, a collaboration between chef Matthew Gaudet and general manager Alexis Gelburd-Kimler, both formerly of Aquitaine Bistro in the South End. I recently spoke with Gaudet and Gelburd-Kimler to get the lowdown on the new concept, which will be setting up shop in 1 Kendall Square (the same area that houses The Blue Room, Think Tank, and The Friendly Toast).

Since Gaudet’s background is in French cooking, West Bridge will have French influence, but instead of a strict bistro format it’ll be a mix of contemporary European cuisine and more New England-derived fare. “We will be focusing on very flavorful, aggressive appetizers and then regressing towards a smaller entree list with simple platters of roasts of different cuts of meats,” Gaudet says. These platters, which will also include roasted whole fish and roast chicken, will feed between 5-6 people. I also got an exclusive peek at Gaudet’s mock-menu teaser (see it in full below), which includes dishes like sunchoke chowder with Wellfleet clams and smoked pork shoulder, roasted cauliflower with verjus grapes and bone marrow, and duck breast with hibiscus beet vinaigrette and black rice.

On the beverage side, Gelburd-Kimler says they’ll be keeping it focused. “Both the wine and cocktails lists will be on the small side, which is different and new for me—the Aquitaine wine list is very large,” she says. Cocktails will be designed to reflect seasonality and complement the food, and many of the 50-odd bottles on the wine list will be available by the glass.

As for the space? “I wanted something kind of raw and large and spacious, with good windows and a front entrance to the street,” Gaudet says. This will all be present and accounted for at 1 Kendall Square, in a space that will seat 135 inside and 40 outside when the weather turns warm (which, given our winter, could be at any time, really).

West Bridge is aiming to open this spring, and we suspect that the already thriving Kendall Square will the better for it.

WEST BRIDGE MENU PREVIEW:

Sweetbreads

buffalo sauce, blue cheese, celery

Sunchoke chowder

Wellfleet clams, smoked pork shoulder

Egg in a jar

farm egg, hen of the woods, pomme puree, crisp skin

Cauliflower

verjus grapes, bone marrow and harissa & sherry vinaigrette

Duck breast

hibiscus beet vinaigrette, black rice, rainbow carrots

Cod

white bean, chorizo, black pernod jus

Lamb shoulder

eggplant fig puree, fresh cheese

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