It took almost two years for Keith Pooler’s BISq, serving inventive American cuisine with inspiration from international flavors, to open. And on Saturday night, it finally did.
Short for “Bergamot in Inman Square,” BISq joins a growing roster of solid chef-driven locales that are the extensions or siblings to other venues in town. The small plates and cozy quarters (date night suggestion: Grab one of the corner booths in the back bar) saw droves of people pour in during launch night, and we got to see the action.
Below, bisQ opening night dinner, by the numbers.
Number of cleavers in blocks of wood spotted from the back bar: 1
Bottles of wine that have been chopped and turned into an ornate, quasi-retro chandelier in the back: 35+
Percent chance that a cleaver was used to make the chandelier: .0000001
Minutes it took to fill the 49-seat spot from front to back after the doors opened: 15
Beards and flannel shirts observed on the same body: 5+
Number of sliders that come with San Augustín sanguiches: 2
Number of those that come with sizzling pork belly: 2
Times some variation on the words “Mm, that’s damn good gazpacho” were heard floating in the air: At least 3
Times those words were spoken by someone at our table: 2
Chefs spotted working in the sleek, functional kitchen on display: 6
Items served on the mixed charcuterie board: 6
Number that were a chicken-pate-ish take on “ants on a log”: 1
Number of colored sand vials held in the “perfect tea timer” hourglass contraptions the staff hand you with your tea: 3
Minutes you should steep tea to make it strong: 5
Glasses of wine to cups of tea consumed during investigation: 3:1
Number of items on menu that are aphrodisiacs: 2
Number of those with names employing large jungle cat metaphors: 1
Number of times blurting out “I just ate a bunch of conch shell Tiger’s Milk ceviche, let’s sex” will in fact get you laid: 1 (if you’re lucky)
BISQ. 1071 CAMBRIDGE ST., CAMBRIDGE. 617.714.1693. BISQCAMBRIDGE.COM
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
