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Egg in a Jar Takes The Cake at West Bridge

Photo: Facebook/West Bridge

STUFF restaurant critic MC Slim JB assess the new West Bridge in Kendall Square, "a terrific independent effort doing original, French-leaning, locally sourced New American cuisine." Slim dubs the craft-cocktail program "first-rate" thanks to concoctions like the Wheelwright, "a superb aperitif made with fino sherry, Dolin bianco, Galliano liqueur (which lends a radioactive yellow tint)." The food's not bad, either. A dish of dandelion greens, duck confit and gooseberries is "a minor symphony," but the winner is, surprisingly, an item called "egg in a jar." The combination of poached duck egg with pomme purée, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and crisp chicken skin is "slightly absurd in its faint echoes of baby food" but "Maybe infantilization is the point: this dish can make you coo like a contented newborn." [STUFF]

For the Phoenix, Robert Nadeau reviews Tonic in JP, giving it two stars. Readers also learn Mrs. Nadeau was once asked 'How did a cupcake like you end up with an unmade bed like him [Mr. Nadeau]?' That being said, the Unmade Bed thinks Tonic is "brilliant" but "erratic." There are "visually arresting dishes" like a beet salad "presented like a scorpion roll" but the parsnip chowder is "just hot milk filled with tiny cubes of parsnip that have no flavor." Nadeau's favorite item: "hearty double pork chop ($18) with some molasses glaze and sweet-potato fries." [BP]

Globe food editor Sheryl Julian just adores the new Otto in Coolidge Corner. Her requests for "Girlie beer" are nailed on multiple occasions, causing her to marvel at the staff: "Who trained these folks? Because whoever did, well, I’d like to give you a list of restaurants that need you." The salad is surprisingly good given the emphasis on pizza, and the pizza is generally very good: "roasted tomato, ricotta, and basil ($21 and $12) is divine, the rich red fruit perfect with warm ricotta." [BG]

Richard Chudy's Man Food column on Chowder tackles the new, to-go lunch option at Hungry Mother known as "Backdoor BBQ." This is stripped down dining: the only option is a "North Carolina-style, cole slaw-topped pulled pork sandwich" served on a slices from "a homemade Pullman loaf," to which you can choose to add a bag of Wachusett Chips, a can of RC Cola, or one of the "over-sized house-made triple chocolate chip cookies." It works: "The real surprise is the balance and abundance of flavors that are packed into such a seemingly simple sandwich. " [Chowder]

The Globe's Short Orders section also weighs in on Hungry Mother's Back Door BBQ, noting the long line and observing that "The interplay between smoke and brine makes this a standout." As a result, "You could inhale this sandwich." With the rise of Southern cooking and barbecue, a growing preference for comfort food over haute cuisine, and a trend in non-traditional meals from full-scale restaurants (i.e. pop-ups), it seems chef Barry Maiden has found a cozy niche. [BG]

West Bridge

1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139 Visit Website

Hungry Mother

233 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02141 617 499 0090 Visit Website

Otto Pizza

1432 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 617 499 3352 Visit Website

West Bridge

1 Kendall Square, Building 300, Cambridge, MA