Loyal Nine Takes One Big Step Closer to Opening in East Cambridge

Score one for the revolutionaries. As reported on Cambridge Day, upcoming East Cambridge restaurant and café Loyal Nine received the necessary go-ahead from the License Commission, clearing one of the biggest hurdles en route to a possible March 2015 opening.

True to its colonial ethos, Loyal Nine (the name comes from the group of nine Bostonian protesters who became the Sons of Liberty, who then became the American Revolution, who then became America) will focus its menu of small plates on the rich source of vegetable and shellfish native to the old Shawmut Peninsula and—at 160-seats, plus café, plus patio—will be just large enough to host a small revolution of its own. Without the traditional mob-diverting influence of televisions.

As previously reported, the team behind Loyal Nine is at least partly derived from the people behind two pop-ups: Hand Taste Collective and Brasstacks. Cambridge Day notes that Dan Myers (of Hand Taste) is co-owner and manager of Loyal Nine. Marc Sheehan (Brasstacks/Bondir), David Beller (Puritan & Co.), and Rebecca Theris are also involved.

For the most part, East Cambridge has enthusiastically supported the influx of new life into this stretch of Cambridge Street. Yet on its way to approval, the commission did receive one letter of opposition, and Cambridge Day did record one quote echoing its protest: East Cambridge resident Anthony Chesnakas expressed his concern over parking and noise issues the full liquor license might either create or exacerbate, taking particular exception to its relatively late last call by memorably asking, "Who goes out at 10 o’clock at night except people that like hard liquor?" A statement with the true Colonial Boston ring if ever there was one.