Shepard

Came in with a reservation and a group of 5, and though we liked the food, it was pretty pricey, and the service left a lot to be desired.
Started with some cocktails, which came quickly, and we all loved. I would say this was the highlight of the meal.
We were still waiting on one, but decided to order a few small plates: beef tartare, fiddlehead ferns, ricotta, and pinwheel sausage. All were pretty good, I loved the ricotta personally, and thought the beef tartare was a tad salty, but delicious. The fiddleheads also had a nice flavor. The sausage was juicy but not particularly memorable.
For entrees, we decided to split 3 to share: steak, scallops, and… a white fish I can’t remember. We were under the impression that this was a sharing type restaurant based on how the waiter described the menu, but it was clear that each person needed their own entrée. The scallops surprisingly were under-​seasoned, but cooked well. The steak was also cooked nicely, but I had such a small bite that I feel like I can’t judge it fairly. The fish was not memorable at all.
We finished the meal with an apple dessert and the churros. The apple dessert had a crème anglaise poured tableside, but it was only meh. The churros were definitely the standout of the meal, they literally melted in my mouth.
Our server was very curt and totally disinterested, and unfortunately it put a damper on our meal. Someone behind me accidentally spilled her red wine on me and he literally didn’t even blink or offer any help, which I thought was really bizarre.
I’m willing to give Shepard another try, now that I have better expectations on pricing (perhaps for a date night, or girl’s night, rather than with a big group)…and I’d hope that service is much better!
Sidenote: the décor in here is very minimalistic, and the kitchen area is literally like a workshop, which I loved.

We booked a family dinner for 7 to celebrate our son’s graduation from a nearby college. From the moment we booked we knew this would be a special experience — and it was! I week before I got a personal call asking me if we would like to set up a special menu (we didn’t). We also discussed the bench seating at their large table and they were able to accommodate our need for at least one chair with a back. Then on the night we were warmly greeted, promptly seated and had a truly memorable meal. The food was wonderful! Straightforward but impeccably flavored with great local vegetables and just the right mix of creativity and taste. The whole family — from meat-​eaters to vegetarians — enjoyed it. If you’re looking for creative bistro cooking in a simple but elegant setting this is the place to go.

Truly vibrant atmosphere, and truly vibrant food! Small plates are great — try the crispy kale, mozzarella or chorizo — then move on to medium plates — steak, pâté and a veggie couscous prep… what wonderful tastes and how good they look, too! We had a wonderful time, and we will be back!

Fantastic new restaurant in Cambridge. Ended up coming here two nights in a row during a recent visit to Cambridge/​Boston. Food and service excellent and lovely relaxed ambience. The ferns on the menu were delicious as was the popover for dessert.

I went here with a friend on a weeknight to grab a bite for dinner. We made a reservation as we had heard this place gets pretty crowded and were seated right away, but there were a couple of tables available throughout the meal.
We were pretty hungry, so we decided to split a few dishes:
Chamomile ricotta (4 stars): I don’t know if I have ever had ricotta that was so creamy as this, though I wish it had a little more variety of items to put it on.
Cured meat (3.5 stars): The cured meat on this plate was not particularly memorable, but the honey and crema it was served with was very tasty – I just didn’t feel like it paired well with the meat.
Spring greens (4.5 stars): One of the most unusual vegetable dishes I have had, but all the flavors came together really nicely. We were especially fans of the fried onions as they provided amazing flavor and texture to the dish.
Bavette steak (4 stars): This was solid, but didn’t blow us away. It was a very simple version of the dish that highlighted the flavor of the meat, but did not bring a lot of other flavors into play.
Roasted chicken (4.5 stars): This dish was also very solid as the chicken was cooked perfectly, but again the emphasis was on the meat, so there was not a lot of additional flavors. In addition, though I like the skin to be crispy, I felt that the skin was a bit overcooked and sort of hard to eat.
Churros and chocolate (4.5 stars): This was a pretty sizable dessert and was the perfect ending to the meal. It was a bowl of chilled chocolate pudding with a hearty serving of churros on top that melted in your mouth and paired nicely with the chocolate.
Overall, the food here is quality and well thought out, but a bit simple for my taste. This is a place that prides themselves on taking classic dishes and preparing them very traditionally and letting the food speak for itself. For someone who enjoys a very clean/​classic french style of cooking, this place is your Mecca, however for someone who yearns for a bit of creativity and invention, this place might be a bit too traditional. That being said, the ambiance here was great and the service was extremely friendly.

Not quite the charm of Chez Henri, but some items on the menu are quite dazzling. The rabbit gnocchi in particular is divine.

I came here late one evening at around 9:20pm, just barely catching the kitchen before closing. My mother and I were wanting to eat something special but were delayed flying into the city. Shepard’s hostess was wonderfully accommodating, and the waitstaff performed admirably as well. Our order was placed (with recommendations) by 9:30, and we left well-​fed by 10:10. The experience was delightful.
The food itself is utterly incredible. So delectable was my feast that I went back the next evening for a repeat. I cannot emphasize enough the level of scrumptulescence that this restaurant has managed to achieve.
The ricotta appetizer is incredible. Follow it up with the sweet potato. Finish with the steak. This is not a steakhouse, but still it is still the best steak I’ve ever had in my entire life. The bearnaise sauce was utter perfection – far lighter than is standard, offering a far more nuanced flavor. Finish with the bread pudding.
If I could give higher than 5 stars, I would. My experience was so good, it made me regret majoring in history; if I were a software engineer, perhaps I could eat dinner here every evening.
Smart casual attire. Drinks list looked fantastic, though I chose not to partake this evening. This would be a great date location. James Beard finalist (well-​deserved). 100% on any scale. A+.

This review is for the Mei Mei dim sum pop-​up.
As a huge fan of Mei Mei and having heard all the buzz about Shepard, I marked my calendar as soon as I heard about this collaboration. However, I was disappointed — largely by the service and inconsistency but also by the food.
The service:
+ Server pushed the dim sum cart beef tendons on our group (we expressed 0 interest) and promised «money back guarantee.» However, after leaving the barely touched dish at the edge of our table, said server did not stop by to follow up on the dish once. We finally told her that we didn’t care for it… but still it was left on the bill
+ Paying the bill: credit cards left on the edge of table and multiple servers eyed it but made no effort to pick it up or even acknowledge the fact we were waiting. It took +20 minutes to pay bill because of this.
The food:
+ Cabbage dumplings, bean paste buns, and lamb shoulder buns were favorites
+ Did not enjoy beef tendons, other menu items were unmemorable.
I’m hoping the poor service was due to the unique situation of the pop-​up. I’m still planning on returning to Shepard for dinner in the future and hope the normal dinner service makes up for this experience!

Came here for my mom’s 65^th Birthday, and they were able to get a reservation at the time we wanted too by calling in and leaving a voicemail and having someone call us back. The food was **SO GOOD**
Everything was AMAZING.
The kale was amazing, sweet potatoes were great, loved the fish and everything else we got. For sure will come here again!

Pros: Some really excellent plates. We loved the grilled clams, mozzarella (get this!), pork belly pasta, and scallops. The bread and yogurt butter is the best thing ever. We will definitely go back!
Less than pros: Tight tables mean waitstaff was squeezing next to us every so often. Quail wasn’t to our taste (though might be to others). Recommendation of one small plate, one medium plate, and one entrée was way too much. We ordered two smalls, two mediums, and one entrée for two people and we were beyond stuffed! (I’m still stuffed and it is a day later!)
If you miss Hungry Mother, this is a great place to try!

Shepard is confusing. On average, the reviews on Unilocal are pretty lackluster. However, its been praised in all the local news publications and it even got a James Beard nod. So, I went in with an open mind.
I have differences with the space and the waxed floor that I was sliding across, but lets just talk about the food. Grilled little necks were nothing I could not have prepared myself at home. Maine uni was drowned in horseradish the point the that I could not taste the delicious crustacean. The star of the night, and dish that I would order again is the gnocchi. The steak came out on a board so big that it did not even fit on the table with everything already there. And it was nothing but a well cooked steak.
I’d go back, but only after trying the dozen other places on my list to try.

Saw Shepard on best Boston restaurants of 2016 so trekked out in the snow and didn’t regret it a bit.
Absolutely fantastic meal. Ordered 3 petits and 2 moins petits, all of which were fabulous. The chamomile ricotta was deliciously creamy, and the rabbit terrine petit was flavorful and well textured. The baked clams too had subtle flavors and were well cooked.
Shepherds pie was atypical but delicious, as well as the cress corzetti pasta was al dente and a surprising shade of leafy green!
No idea why this is only 3.5 on Unilocal

My wife and I went here Sunday night for our Anniversary and were very impressed.
I was a little nervous after reading recent reviews of service but our service was perfect — not overwhelming and not underwhelming — just right.
We started with some drinks which were good and then we had several Petits — the Beet dish was delicious, the Mozzarella was great but the Brandade was just out of this world — creamy and great on the bread. We shared a Moin Petit — the gnocchi which was very light and also great. For our main course my wife had the Scallops and I had the Bavette Steak. My steak was cooked perfectly and with the accompanying Bordelaise /​Bearnaise sauce was just heavenly. Our server recommended for us a lovely Pinot Noir which worked with both my Steak and my wife’s Scallops — a Red Sancerre.
My wife is a foodie and ex-​fine dining chef and she was very happy with her meal.
The meal was $ 200 but was worth it for the special occasion. We’ll be back!

Big meh.
Inattentive service (lingering dirty plates, lingering empty drinks, etc…)
Great cocktails but…
Mediocre food: everything was too delicate– it seemed like it was all struggling for flavor. Sliced steak tartare was still partly frozen when they brought it out — yuck.
Great décor and fireplace but precious yet boring food. Went next door to Giulia after dinner to get a full bodied wine and some pasta– delicious.
Don’t waste your $$$

I wanted to love Shepard — exactly because I had such affection for Chez Henri and didn’t want to be yet another crank expecting it’s replacement to disappoint — but disappoint it did. The space is austere, the service is tentative, and the food — for all the hype — is unimaginative.
The Space — as first impressions go, the space is cold — white on white, devoid of décor (with one weird exception) — my wife described the look as «Shaker Chic» but I think the owners were going for Scandinavian modern. Not a bad thing if done well, but Danish design is also about creating comfort if not coziness from simplicity, and there’s nothing comfortable about it. Tables are cramped and the chairs are low to the ground and uncomfortably small. The bar is longer and accommodates more guests than its predecessor, but the service and vibe are lackluster.
The Food — in a word, underwhelming. Or perhaps just «safe.» We shared a few small plates and the steak with bearnaise, and while it was fine nothing stood out for us. The sweet potatoes were tasty, and simply prepared, but otherwise unremarkable. Given the accolades and the chef’s reputation (and the price point) we expected to be wowed.
The Drinks — cocktail menu is decent, some reliable classics and a few twists. Wines by the glass are disappointingly limited, though they do offer a nice choice of sparkling wines by the glass. And as stated above, I wouldn’t come here for the bar, when so many more intimate and interesting bars abound.
The Service — attentive and professional, but oddly formal and stiff. I can forgive this, given how new the place is, but from the bar to the waitstaff to the front of house the mood was somber.
Overall this place just strikes a dour tone, especially for Cambridge. I hope Shepard finds a way to lighten the mood. With any luck those back-​killing Lilliputian chairs will need to be replaced in short order. That would be a good first step.

10 Star food review and a low stars for the seating/​décor. 3 stars for the service. I would definitely go there again to get those tastes and textures. The Rabbit was extremely satisfying! Sweet potatoes was like nothing else I could have imagined. I tried my friends chicken and was shocked at how perfect it as cooked and how rich the flavor was. Drinks were good. Dessert was the most memorable in a very long time (forever). Wow, the squash dessert was just very complex and balanced, so incredible!

Food is about ok — not worth the price.
Drinks are good.
Had the rabbit which was too salty. The bluefish pâté is alright — nothing special.
The sweet potatoes were very good. Well done and caramelized on the outside.

Food was fine. Not as exciting as I thought it would be. The whole chicken platter next to us looked amazing– would try that.
Place is cool. Dark. A bit sleepy.
Dashi? Don’t call the broth accompanying the fish heads dashi.
Pricey, romanesco was tasty

Mediocre. And very austere. To the point that it is glaringly painful to sit in the chairs and be blinded by the excruciating whiteness of the place.
Hard tables. Hard chairs. Hard floors. So little warmth. Even the open flame in the open kitchen seems to be small and cold.
Service is polite but rather unmemorable. It was difficult to discern who our server actually was as we had three different folks helping us at different times. In fact the woman who took our order was never to be seen or heard from again. A second person took one drink order while a third person brought us our check. Consistency is king and this night was not successful.
The beet cappellaci ($ 22) with lobster and tomatoe is rich and delicate. An interesting combination in which the beet noodles sweet yet subtle, the tomatoe is powerfully rich and the lobster tender.
An order of blackened Shishito peppers ($ 10) are far under grilled. Instead of being sweet and crisp, with flecks of fire, they are soggy and sour.
A companion complains that the chicken wings are soggy which they are. Included in this smaller plate are the wing tips which in this dish have no place on the plate. These wings seem to have been breaded, deep fried and then coated in a thick sweet glop of a glaze. The wings are generally smallish as well.
The half chicken ($ 27) served with small onions and lovage pesto is rather dry. Although the skin is crisp, the meat lacks succulence — little juice flows as the meat is cut except for the thigh. The leg, breast are painfully lacking in moisture. In contrast the to Shishito peppers, this dish is well past its prime cooking time. A much needed dash of moisture comes from the minced lovages’ olive oil component. At $ 27, this is also one of the most expensive half chickens in Greater Boston.
$ 30 for a decent size pice of cod is to be expected. However, the meat itself had a grey ashy color to the entire exterior except where it had been grilled, almost as if it was dropped in the ashes of the fire. Texturally, flaky and moist, buttery. The bean and root vegetable «succotash» was flat in that nothing stood out as one flavor. Too little corn. To little tomatoe.
The drinks are prepared well — rich and thick, chipped ice floating on top.
A new place trying the revamp the horrid memories left behind by its predecessor. While not there yet, hopefully improvement will come as time passes.

I did not have high expectations of this place to be honest, but I had a pretty enjoyable meal here. My dining companion and I shared a few small plates and one entrée, and what we ordered was about the perfect sized meal.
I think everything we ate was delicious, but I especially liked the duck liver pâté. I was pleasantly surprised by the serving size, and the plate itself was very eye catching. I also loved the coppa, which I believe was made in house. And then lactarius was not as sour as I feared and very savory/​robust considering it is a mushroom.
One thing I noticed is that Shepard loves to use pickled veggie as sides/​garnishes on their dishes. I am not a huge fan of pickled, sour things so I thought I would mention that. I understand that the menu changes often so maybe the dishes I tried will no not be there when I return.
Considering quality and portion, this is a pretty reasonably priced (read: good value) restaurant. I appreciated that our server was very familiar with everything on the menu.