By Bovey Rao ‘19
From the creators of two popular Irish pubs, En Boca is a Mediterranean small plates concept that will be opening in the space that was formerly occupied by Sandrine’s Bistro. Near the construction of the Smith Campus Center, En Boca hopes to open on September 29. Classic Restaurant Concepts manages the Asgard in Cambridge and the Kinsale in Boston and is entering Harvard Square with a drastically different restaurant model. With wine on draft and a focus on small plates, En Boca aims to provide an alternative dining destination with a similar model to Alden and Harlow.
The head chef, Devin Broo, has an impressive resume as he worked at Restaurant Daniel, a former three Michelin Star restaurant (currently has 2 Michelin Stars), Bar Boulud in Boston, and the Elm Restaurant in Connecticut. His menu covers a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisines with connections to Spain and Greece. While classic small plates like patatas bravas (hot potatoes), bacalou croquettes (codfish cakes), and wood grilled octopus line the menu, there are many intriguing dishes like byrek (spinach pie), stuffed baby squid, and slow poached arctic char. In addition to the small plates, there are larger shared dishes like an Acadian redfish baked in clay.
En Boca will focus on serving dinner on the opening date, but it hopes to eventually expand with a lunch and brunch program.
I am looking forward to visiting En Boca in the near future and sampling a wide variety of small plates, while lamenting at the fact that I cannot explore their wine program.
crimsoncrave.com 