Last month I was invited to Firebrand Saints on the first night their kitchen was open and serving food to the public. For this reason, I’m going to defer my customary review which takes into account the service and can be critical of the food. This is not to infer that either the service or food was displeasing, but it was hardly a typical night that can provide an accurate review.
The restaurant / bar is located in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge and joins a handful of other new dining establishments in the area. Local media has joked that Firebrand Saints is marketing itself to MIT, Mensa-types, and FBS plays this up with cheeky touches like bathroom signage written in Japanese, reminding employees to wash their hands. The bar must have 20 outlets for one to charge your phone, tablet or laptop, and there is plenty of visual stimuli to keep even a dull date going with the ever changing LED programmed words racing behind the bar and distracting wall projections.
The menu is a bit pedestrian for my liking but the price point makes it a place you can visit a few times each week without putting a serious dent in your wallet. The bar serves an excellent assortment of ales and with John Drew (former bartender at the South End’s Anchovies) those who crave cocktails will find an adept mixologist who is quick, personable and excellent at pouring drinks.
Below are: FBS-styled deviled eggs ($4) cold poached lobster salad ($18) and sirloin burger ($9). You can view their entire menu online here.
Firebrand Saints is located at 1 Broadway, Cambridge MA (617) 401-3399 – Reservations accepted
BosGuy 