like the opposite of laser tag
the place: grendel’s den, 89 winthrop st., harvard sq.
the date: tuesday, 03.24.09
the plan: easy dinner and drinks
I hadn’t been to grendel’s den, but I’d always been curious about it, so when it was suggested while trying to find something in the halfway point between allston and somerville that is harvard square (thanks to my favorite 66 bus), I figured “I like new places. why not?” well. there are definitely a few reasons why not.
drinks, of course: there’s a $3 per person beverage minimum, which is a bit weird, actually, but not a problem for me. I had two magic hat #9s and at $4.50 each, easily covered that. unfortunately, the beers were not exactly up to par. a bit off in taste, possibly on the flat side, and yet, I ordered a second one because there wasn’t anything else on the beer list I thought would taste better. not awesome.
to start: the food is half-price before 7:30, so we ordered some nachos to start. they were tortilla chips with cheese and then a spoonful each of bean chili, salsa, gauc, and sour cream. none of this was particularly tasty and I managed to have a series of soggy chips break and leave stains on the table and my shirt. also, not exactly awesome.
the main event: one of the specials of the day was “sebastian’s sandwich” and it sounded like an excellent concept. ham with mango chutney and curried coleslaw. served on sourdough, but I substituted multi-grain because I’ve never been a sourdough fan. I was really looking forward to this, despite the disappointing beer and nachos. apparently, I’m not that smart. the sandwich was surprisingly flavorless. how you can combine chutney and curry and still not really taste like anything is confusing to me, but grendel’s managed just fine. three strikes on the not awesome front.
I had pleasant company and good conversation, so it didn’t particularly matter where we went and, thankfully not only was the food half-price, but the meal was covered as part of a concert ticket debt, so I didn’t really spend any money. however, between the vaguely surly waitress, the low-quality food, the off-tasting beer and the relatively non-inviting atmosphere, I don’t think I’ll be trying grendel’s again and I definitely won’t be recommending it.
