Russell House Tavern, Cambridge MA

For quite some time we have been looking for brunch places in Harvard Sq. Because the university attracts students and tourists in equal parts, brunch menus around the square tend to be either cheap breakfasts -sometimes with a texmex twist- or upscale prix fix meals. We love the latter, but you can't always pay $45 for brunch! Specially not this weekend, when a group of ten Argentinians crossed the Charles river to brunch with us and were eagerly waiting for our recommendation as to where to go. The whole thing was very spontaneous, and we found ourselves desperately thinking of places to go, where big parties could be quickly arranged and that would not make a big hole in our friends pockets. We remembered having seen the word "brunch" written on the windows of Russell House Tavern, a gastropub recently opened in the heart of Harvard Sq. Having dined there before, we knew the large downstairs room would be able to fit a big group. Since the dinner meal had not disappointed us -hearty French-accented American menu- we thought it would be good to give it a try.
Everyone at the table was very happy with their choice. Almost all of the men went for the "Pit Master"; a roasted pork and egg scramble served over golden toasts that was guaranteed to clog some arteries. Everyone of them finished the plate and did not utter a word while doing it, so I'm sure it was great.
Most of the women went for the more minimalist -although by no means healthier!- "Toads in the hole", one of my favorite breakfast meals. Rarely found in brunch menus (usually called "something" in a hole) it is a fried egg sandwich (in this case, sweet croissant, yummy) with the particularity that both slices have a round hole -a circle- cut in the middle, such that the yolk is left exposed. Of course, you are supposed to break it and eat the bread soaked in yolk. Delicious. The menu said it came with hash, but the side was more like homefries; small squares of fried potatoes. Also delicious.
Two people at the table went for the real healthy choice: the local leaf salad, a mix of greens, walnuts and dried figs dressed with a mustard-cider vinagrette. They both added shrimps to it; two huge chilled shrimps that topped the salad. Not only did the salads looked great, but they gave us a chance to test the patience and good manners of our server. Our friend Javier thought he had read grilled instead of chilled shrimp and complained and demanded the "error" to be fixed. Our poker-faced server brought a new salad with grilled shrimp. Then Javier decided it was ridiculous for the salad to come without bread (after all, everyone else at the table had some in their plates!), and he said so to the server. Once again, the server brought him some bread with a big smile on his face. There was a similar and final episode with the coffee... let's just say we left a generous tip!
As Russell House Tavern has a very sophisticated list of drinks and cocktails, we couldn't do without some alcohol. I went with a Mimosa, Javier had a classic Bloody Mary and the adventurous Diego asked for a bacon-infused-bourbon Bloody Mary. I asked him if it was similar to the one in Lord Hobo, but he said it was like comparing apples with pears, as one was with vodka and the other with bourbon. All comparisons aside, he quite liked it.
So, was this the perfect brunch? I personally enjoy being bathed by sunlight, even in winter, so I wouldn't always choose a downstairs salon (note that they have an upstairs room and a patio in summer...). But if you are in Harvard Sq. with a large group and do not feel like spending $45+ per person, Russell House Tavern comes close.