Meadhall craft beer restaurant opening in Kendall Square
UPDATE (April 27, 10 a.m.): Meadhall opens at 4 p.m. today.
Looks like Cambridge is getting another place to find an outstanding selection of beers. A new spot called Meadhall is opening tomorrow in Kendall Square.
The website Boston Restaurant Talk reported this morning that Meadhall is opening at 4 Cambridge Center, in the space formerly occupied by Quantum Books. Jim Sklaver, Meadhall's bar manager, posted a message on his Twitter account saying the inspections are complete and the restaurant will open for lunch at 11:30 a.m. 4 p.m. Wednesday.
What's more, Sklaver posted a picture of the draft list, and it looks sensational, with 110 craft beers on tap, from top-shelf American beers -- such as Avery Maharaja, Allagash Curieux, Pretty Things Baby Tree, and Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron -- to Belgian greats like St. Bernardus Abt 12, Houblon Chouffe, and Delirium Tremens. The IPA list alone features 18 different beers.
There should be plenty of room for it all. Meadhall has seating for more than 300 on two floors, plus a private function room.
Sklaver said that he and Meadhall's owner, Scott Cooper, are concentrating on small craft brewers. "We're trying to stay away from the big names," Sklaver told me. "We want to take care of the little guy. It took us a while to put the whole thing together."
As for the food, the menu will be upscale casual, with an emphasis on French-American fusion, said Sklaver, who spent five years as the chef at one of the country's best pubs, The Publick House in Brookline. Meadhall will strive to serve as much local food as possible, he said.
Kendall Square is becoming the neighborhood for craft beer in Boston, with Cambridge Brewing Company and Lord Hobo right in the vicinity. Hmm. Let me know if you're selling a house nearby...
