Loyal Nine

Ahhhh! Such a cute find in Cambridge for brunch! We came at exactly 10:30AM on a Sunday and were the first ones there. The thing that threw us off was that this restaurant is on the list of best brunches in Boston, yet has under 4 stars on Unilocal.We rarely try restaurants below 4 stars but sometimes we do. In this case, we were pleasantly surprised.
The décor is adorable and refreshing. The service is fast. The brunch dishes are good — they have a variety of options and if there are only 2 of you, definitely order 3 plates just to try different things. The portions are pretty big but between the 2 of us, we finished all 3 plates. We were hungry, slightly hungover, and craving things like pancakes and popovers. All in all, great brunch.

This review is for the café, which serves coffee, tea, wine/​beer, and some pastries and sandwiches in the morning and afternoon.
Wow! What a wonderful space. Very cozy and modern feeling, excellent selection, thoughtfully prepared tea (rarely found in the states!) and kind servers. Really loved this spot.

Amazing place. This is the second time I have been there and every time the chef surprises me and raise the bar. This time besides the oysters I got the macaroni pork loin with Bartlett pear. Admittedly, when I saw my plate I was a bit disappointed and I thought my friend, who got the duck made a better choice, but I was dead wrong. The dish was phenomenal. I mean, high end cuisine. The macaroni were home made and perfectly cooked, while the park was tender, moist and tasted like butter. The pear added a little bit more sweetness that perfectly balanced the bitterness of the watercress. To sum up, my dish was awfully good. Truly recommend and chapeau to the chef!

Totally good digs in a space named after the founding fathers of the sons of Liberty — the good folks responsible for beginning to confront the stamp act.
If that indicates anything, it is that the menu harkens back to a time when food was prepared simply using available ingredients with little fancification.
An open space with outdoor seating available aside from the large open indoor area with open kitchen and hewn wooden tables chairs and benches.
The Bluefish on brown bread is similar to what many may think of when herring is on offer. In this version, the fish is subtle and a creamy pickling is used. The brown bread is sweet and thick and absorbs the bitterness of the sousing.
Pork belly is a large piece that is seared to a an extremely crisp skin with luscious, smooth and buttery pork melting beneath. Nestled on a bed of house made, thick pasta. Well seasoned, the dish is hearty and rich.
Chicken dumplings are served with a chicken thigh and breast, skin on that is pan roasted to a difficult to achieve crispness reminiscent of the pork belly. The dumplings are fluffy and seasoned well. The chicken meat is tender and pulls apart nicely.
Pork ribs glazed in molasses have nuts sprinkled atop. An unusual preparation which makes it difficult to differentiate between the crunch from fire charring and the crunch of the nuts. However, the glaze has been caramelized enough answer that question: there’s smoke and fire, brown crunch. Well done if a little on the over done side for a rib.
The Pease pudding with mussels is the most unusual dish we try — a picking liquid floats the pudding wih the mussels nestled in side. Worth trying if unusual. The fresh bouquet of flowers sits atop to lend some crunch and vegetable notes.
Somehow, it all works. There’s just enough dishes for the shy at heart I find something while having enough innovation to make it new and creative even though it’s by nature not.
Pleasant service. Excellent drinks. The pricing is reasonable from a portion to punch perspective. The plate of the night can be expensive so ask what you are getting before you order it.

The décor of this restaurant gives it a hipster yet somewhat romantic feel. Everything on the menu are little tapas ranging from $ 6 – 14 per dish, our waiter recommended that we each get at least 3 – 4 tapas per person for a normal dinner amount of food, making it quite a expensive place to eat if you have a big appetite. Even the beer here came in a smaller 13 oz glass.
We decided to share 4 tapas between 4 people and order their ‘pork special’, which was off the menu and supposed to be much more substantial.
We got the soldier beans (tasty finger food to snack on), salt and vinegar chips with fish mousse (this was my favorite tapa here, the mousse was delicious), Littleneck clams (they were very small clams, but they were very fresh and tasty), and the sweet potato (this dish seems like a joke, its $ 10 for 4 small slices of sweet potato, with very dry and tasteless sour dough cracker on top, $ 10 for half a sweet potato? Really?)
The pork we got was 90% fat, the waiter showed us the meat we were getting before they carved it up and we were surprised to see that we are getting a big hunk of pork fat.
Although the pork skin was quite tasty and crispy, the rest of the meat was just sickening. We had no bread to go along with it and had to ask for additional bread to eat the fat with. I only had a few bits and pieces of the meat before I felt sick and unable to eat anymore, it would have been helpful it the waiter told us we are getting a piece of pork fat and not pork meat.
Small, mediocre, and expensive tapas with a sickening amount of pork fat for entrée, I would not be coming back here again.

I have yet to be disappointed by Loyal Nine. Have been there a few times for dinner, attended their fantastic Memorial day lawn party and had a blast, and this morning tried their brunch with some friends. All I can say is wow.
Standout items for me are the pork ribs, the pork ribs (wait, didn’t I just say that). As good as they get, which is why I was surprised they had a very bland offering at the Ribfest in October. The Lobster popover was great in their brunch menu and the sourdoughnuts that I had at the lawn party have appeared as side dishes in the brunch menu and in my opinion are really tasty. Dense, not overly sweet and a great way to end the meal.
Their wine offerings are great, and it’s nice you can order various size pours, and their beer selection is quite eclectic. They had Lunch IPA this morning, which is one of my favorites, so I was extremely pleased.
I can’t wait to try the shared supper with a side of ribs, hopefully soon.

Loyal Nine is, above all, one of the more interesting restaurants I’ve eaten at recently. Per our server, the idea behind the restaurant is to focus on local New England fare with due respect to the area’s colonial past. The menu is odd, compelling, and filled with modern twists on archaic preparations.
My girlfriend and I ordered a variety of plates. The short version is that more of them hit than missed and the meal ended triumphantly, but the long version follows:
Fried soldier beans: Is what it is. Fried beans, topped with salt and herbs. Think a bowl of salty bar nuts, but piping hot and soft in the middle. Nice textural treat.
Poached shrimp: Three whole shrimp served on ice, with a hyper-​flavored bowl of minced herbs, salt, and garlic. I wasn’t blown away by the shrimp themselves, but I wouldn’t mind having the herb paste on hand at all times in my house.
Scallop: A scallop served raw, on ice, attached to the shell. Salt, poppy seeds, and angelica top the cold mollusk. This was a delicate dish that I had to order based on reviews, but it didn’t do much for me. My girlfriend loved it.
Bluefish: I loved this one. The fish was soused, which I guess means brined or pickled, but just barely, and it was served atop a sweet piece of brown bread with a horseradish spread. The whole thing was topped with thinly-​sliced radish. Dynamite dish right here.
Salt & vinegar chips: house-​made chips with a smoky fish mousse. I was convinced I’d like this, and I did. Simple and delicious.
Fresh cheese w/​veggies: A house-​made farmer’s cheese topped with olive oil, salt, and veggies. Ours were beets, bok choi, and shallot. Served with buttery toast. Another good dish. Of note: many of the dishes here are on the small side (which is fine), but not this one. This was the single most filling plate we had.
Sweet potato: This was my girlfriend’s entrée. She was a bit disappointed. The flavors were there, but the dish was served chilled. She probably would have gone with something else had she known this dish was served cold, and I don’t believe it was noted on the menu.
Braised lobster: Outstanding. The sweet lobster is drenched in an über-​rich sauce with hickory nuts (which I thought were walnuts at first). Served with crunchy toast to soak up all the goodness.
Dessert was great. We had the «brewis,» which was a sourdough chocolate cake and a bunch of different toppings. You can order it a la mode with a variety of ice creams, as well. Chocolate fudge, caramel sauce, peppercorn chocolate cookie, a yeast brittle, and brown butter streusel were the topping options that are brought tableside. Fun stuff, and delicious (note that it takes 10 – 15 minutes to cook the cake to order). We also tried the egg nog which was equal parts alcohol and christmas. Great stuff.
I want to give Loyal Nine 3.5 stars. It can seem ostentatious, and you get a taste of that from first glance at the menu. «Pondemnast» and «sallet,» really? Why not just call them porridge and pilgrim salad, respectively? For as highly as Loyal Nine was billed, I expected to have my mind blown by nearly every dish. That didn’t happen, but neither were there any failures. All that being said, I must give credit to their ambitious ideology and their commitment to execution. Not to mention, the lobster dish might be the best shellfish I’ve had in all of New England and the sourdough cake dessert (I refuse to call it brewis) was unbelievable.

This is a review for Loyal Nine’s new brunch and NOT dinner.
Overall the flavor was good with the weakest points being the baked goods.
The biscuit was a bit too tough, the size was easily shared among three and the spreads were fantastic.
The soused mackerel portion was too small and easily overpowered by the molasses in the brown bread. The radishes were a nice refreshing touch and the salad was well dressed.
The fried clam sandwich (with an egg) was tasty but the bread used was not thick enough to hold the sandwich together and flopped around and broke apart. There were also too little fried clams – BUT they were fresh not canned so I understand why. A good sandwich that I bet will become great – I’d buy it again.
Overall the seasoning was great, the dishes were a fun change on brunch (I will have to try the lobster pop-​over next). The cold brew nitrous was not worth it but the barrista did a great job on the cappuccino and latte. Total was just under 60 for three people, not a bad deal for the quality of product – just the bakery needs some improving.

Really enjoyed Loyal Nine. We tried a handful of different dishes, but the ribs absolutely stood out. The ambiance at the chef’s counter was lovely, if a bit warm, and the cocktails were great.
Only real complaint was that the service was a bit slow.

Shared Supper menu was interesting and delicious. I few dishes could use the slightest tweaks – but I’m still giving 5 stars because the overall ambiance, service, décor, and kitchen execution – was the exactly the type of vibe I like in a restaurant. The chef was clearly passionate about what he was putting out and the ingredients are super simple which meant there was an impressive reliance on individual components taste and textures. It was an interesting concept that I was at first a bit confused about… but I understood as soon as I tasted the food.
Cheers for something that stands out in a world of «small plates».

While one might debate whether New England cuisine deserves a lengthy chapter in the annals of American culinary heritage, there is little doubt that that The Loyal Nine stands atop the pinnacle of the colonial tradition. However you feel about its penchant for molasses, vinegar, New World spices, hearty game, and briny fruits of the sea, one is sure to enjoy the refreshing hospitality and passion of Loyal Nine staff as well as their fresh perspective on the easily overlooked bygone days of colonial America. These are really, really nice people who obviously labor with decided passion for the food and heritage they represent. The Saturday evening I was there, the owner himself was slaving away in the kitchen – not supervising the staff but gleefully preparing the appetizers and entrees for several patrons including myself. What passion.
Whether or not one takes a liking to the peculiarities of Loyal Nine, one cannot deny that Loyal Nine offers its own unique contributions to American nouvelle cuisine. Just as Alice Waters defined a uniquely Californian culinary space, so too does Loyal Nine define a distinctive culinary palette than harkens back to the landscape, austerity, and seascape of our New England forefathers. As you enjoy your cocktail of elderflower, bourbon, and ginger beer, you can almost imagine Ben Franklin in a far corner of the bar decked out in John Varvatos and nursing a Sam Adams ale.
I started with the oysters which were luscious and meaty. These were Pemaquods that one can’t typically enjoy outside of Massachusetts. I next had the fish and chips. When you first had fish and chips as a kid, you probably expected potato chips and a deep fried fillet of cod. The child in you would therefore not be disappointed to receive a plateful of perfectly home-​fried Cape Cod potato chips, but these are instead accompanied by an ever-​so-​delicate fish mousse with the airy ghostlike consistency of whipped cream. The baked beans were equally unexpected. They were dry, light, and crispy. (The chef taught me that it was not until a mid-​1800 cultural revival when the relative affluence of those times allowed Boston baked beans to take on the butter-​honey-​and-​brown sugar decadence that we now know them for. Think Durgin Park with its more familiar but ironically less authentic rendition of the staple legumes.)
The braised lobster was different and delicious and was so delightful that I asked the chef to surprise me with another signature dish. He promptly – and quite enthusiastically – served up a perfectly prepared set of ribs. Then some wonderful fresh raw scallops.
If you are a woman with an ounce of romance in your blood – or a man with but a picomol of testerone flowing through your veins– you will love the lobster and the ribs. What could be more American?
I had the opportunity to chat postprandially with the chef-​owner, Mark Sheehan. He knew since the age of 16 that he not only wanted to cook, but that he wanted cook something SPECIAL. He studied history in college before attending culinary school. That education has served him well, instilling him with not only the historical background to create something really authentic and relevant, but with the kitchen skills and cupboard instincts to create something truly innovative, artistic and delectable. Chef Sheehan’s endeavor reminds me of Heston Blumenthal, who for years studied royal cookbooks from the 1400’s and 1500’s to create, in London’s Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, something that was historic, historical, quintessentially British, and pleasing to the modern palate.
Kudos to The Loyal Nine and its gifted Mark Sheehan for creating something that should resonate with not only the palate but also the heart and soul of every American.
I dare say my evening at The Loyal Nine was not only a delicious culinary exploration but a profound cultural education. America needs more chefs like Mark Sheehan, with a palpable passion for history and cultural relevance, rather than simply restauranteurs with an eye toward transient stardom and profits through short-​lived fads and foo foo aesthetics.

This place was very very meh. It definitely had thought out food, but much of it was either just decent or bad food. Service however, was top notch. We went when they were fairly new, so once I get my nerves we will have to try again.
AMBIENCE: farmhouse feel, we went in winter and noticed they had plans for a patio which seemed cool.
SERVICE:Really great and warm service. Waiter was patient explaining everything, but there was so much info I just wished we’d had a glossary (this may have changed as of late?).
DRINKS: Their drinks are likely good, but the glasses of red we received were AWFUL.
FOOD:
Salt & Vinegar Chips were my favorite. Very inspired and quite delicious. Periwinkles? BARF! Think sugary seafood… yup. Potato was potato, very comforting. Dessert was great, stuck to the teeth, but was unique and appreciated.
CONCLUSION: these guys were getting their footing when we walked in, it was a great concept, but at the time execution was lacking. Magazines from around the country say it’s great, so something may have changed. Just don’t get the periwinkles.

Definitely don’t go to the café! I’ve been going to this place pretty much every weekend for the past couple of months, and as an informed individual I can confidently say you won’t like:
— The incredibly vast selection of coffee styles. Drip, pour over, chemex, aeropress, nitro coldbrew and more. They have the widest selection in Cambridge.
— The beautiful open air patio that’s never full on weekends.
— The talented baristas they miraculously poached from Render and other fine establishments.
— Free and fast wifi with outlets along the wall.
— The fact that very few people know about this place.
One time they brought me a cortado that I didn’t even order! For free and with a smile. You definitely don’t want any of that, right?
So yeah, please don’t go here. There are many crowded, overrated coffee shops that depend on you to buy their day-​old coffee and pay-​as-​you-​go wifi. Go to those places, especially on Sundays from 11 – 4.
One serious note: sandwiches aren’t their strong suit.

This is a review of the café, not the main restaurant. Extremely comfortable spot. Sit outside on the patio or inside in the shade looking out on the patio through the huge open garage door. Free wifi, outlets and nice big tables make this an easy place to work or just hang out. Food wise they have a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches and few salads.
I got the chicken salad sandwich with a glass of cold brew coffee. Chicken salad (with raisins and celery) was really good and served on toasted sourdough. Coffee was strong and refreshing. It was even served in a tall, frosted (nice touch) glass.
Definitely want to come back and try more.

Pros:
Awesome locally sourced food
Creative raw bar options
Great drink menu
Homemade beverages
Huge space and lots of seating inside and out
Great menu selection, everything we had tasted fantastic
Cons:
Pricey — $ 10 for a single scallop? Really?
Unforgivables:
Took two hours to get the five small plates that we ordered.
We did not dare order dessert — didn’t want to wait another 30 min!
What we got:
Oysters
Scallop
Maine sea urchin
Corn and mushroom samp
Ribs

We had a super rude waiter. The food was mediocre and absolutely overpriced for what you get. Certain dishes took waaaay too long to come out. Even getting basic bread and butter took 20 minutes. Also, very pretentious without a ton of real rationale or reason. Why was the salad hand tied… really?!? Get the basics right and then worry about hand tying the salad. The place was mostly empty and now I know why.
1 star for my company. 0 for Loyal Nine.

How entertaining coming here! Definitely not the average vibe; it’s very open-​spaced, with a direct view into the kitchen. It has an exotic/​vacationy feel to it.
The food comes in very small but flavorful bursts (delays between getting dishes)! Salad portions were tiny, and bread had to repeatedly be ordered…
We were 5, and we started out with the Steak Tartare, Fluke Tartare and both were wonderful! definitely a must on the Steak Tartare. Grilled Ribs – AMAZING!
Pork Shoulder and Brisket are both excellent options.
Overall… i liked it, but didn’t fall in love with it.

I went here after a very tiring week and the evening went by in a very pleasant blur.
The food included some unusual choices. Flash-​fried soldier beans made for a unique and tasty bar-​snack (though I agree with some other reviewer that they could maybe benefit from some lemon or spice), the vegetable dishes were interesting, and I enjoyed the pondemnast (a savory porridge with mushroom and egg).
The bar was very cool, if a bit loud (which resulted in one mixed-​up order, though that was swiftly corrected).
The cocktail menu is a winner, too. Probably the stand-​out for me that night was the dirty martini with a sauerkraut brine. They also have some good beer (Night Shift and Jack’s Abbey on tap!).
It’s an unusual restaurant for sure (at least as far as the dinner service goes), but I’m a big fan!

Go with adventurous friends, order everything to share and keep an open mind.
The menu is divided into three sections: on ice, with hands, and trenchers (i.e. larger dishes).
What we tried:
Scallop with Bartlett pears & poppy seeds
Oysters with Smoked Porter Vinegar
Fried clam + Pig Ear Roll w/​a bitter relish
Caveach of Butterfish with Black Walnut + Smoked Oyster Root
Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips
Cornish Cross Chicken
Pondemnast (a porridge with lentils, turkey and an egg)
The pork special of the day — a pork tenderloin prepared 3 ways — this was a beast and a wild amount of food, mostly delicious.
Most everything was either delicious or interesting enough to spark conversation but be forewarned — some dishes are a bit twee (scallops), some leave you wanting a lot more (the butterfish), and some may have you scratching your head (the Pondemnast).
A variety of local craft beers and ciders available. The cocktail list is unique. Rounding it out was an interesting wine list broken down by the glass, a section of $ 40 bottles and a section of $ 60 bottles.
I’d say we ordered one dish too many but 2 – 3 per person is a good guide. The servers are friendly and more than happy to talk you through the options. The space is industrial and the seating is a bit rough (the unfinished picnic style seating could use some upgrading). All in all, if you go out on a limb this makes for a unique, different (and potentially fantastic) meal.

This is going to be an interesting review to write, as this is a VERY interesting restaurant. It will probably take me a couple of days, but here are some quick impressions.
So far so good, it’s already packed on a Wednesday (4^th night of service). Several of the dishes were brilliant, most notably the sea bream tartare (when was the last time you saw kidney beans in a fine dining restaurant, let alone in a raw fish dish???). The scallop with pear and poppy seed was also great. Breads are FANTASTIC!
Some of the dishes were less successful. Dare I say even ill-​conceived? For example, the periwinkles were an irresistible order, and delicious, but most will never order it again once they realize that delicious thick sauce makes a complete mess of your fingers and there is no finger bowl or wipes to clean up. [I hear they have now fixed this.]
The oyster and pig ear roll, well that deserves a whole paragraph to describe how ill-​conceived it was. [I did post a description of this dish on Chowhound and my problems with it. YMMV]
BBQ pork ribs were excellent, and reminded me of the sticky Chinese 5-​spice ribs I make at home.
Several other dishes that I’m forgetting at the moment were also very good. But I thought the rum cake had to much of a raw alcohol flavor (although being Irish I loved the Carrageenan Moss pudding that accompanied it!).
The room, attractive and open, but very loud, even more so when not full (I guess more bodies absorb sound). But the oddest thing is that while going for a «coastal New England» vibe, half the seating ends up being downright anti-​female. At least any female who isn’t wearing jeans (unfinished pine wood plank benches that will snag any cashmere or stockings within 6 feet).
Excellent cocktails. Not sure why the bar is so tiny, but I’m not a restauranteur. Took some photos of the largely European wine list that seemed long on «natural» wines (things like Sebastien Riffault Sancerre and several Beaujolais), but I’ll have to peruse that later.
Service was friendly and knowledgeable, but inconsistent. Our drinks sat empty for a long time, which is money down the drain for the restaurant. And I don’t think I’ve had so many different people serve me during a single meal since the old days at Aujourd’hui. We kept getting asked the same questions by different servers, so apparenlty they need to learn to communicate with each other.
Definitely, a «must go» restaurant, but whether you go a second time will depend on your tolerance of its quirkiness (and maybe your sex). I can usually tell from a first visit on opening night or opening week if a restaurant will be successfully, but the complexity of Loyal Nine’s vision makes this a difficult prediction. I’ll definitely be back…
More later, and some photos…