Grafton Street Pub and Grill
1230 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-497-0400
Named after the spirited cobblestone-lined shopping district in Dublin's famed Temple Bar area, Grafton Street Pub & Grill has been a beloved institution of Harvard Square since its opening in 1996. With tones of cream, beige and brown, accented by black trim, the spacious dining room combines a traditional Irish pub's warmth and coziness with a contemporary and comfortable environment.
Grafton Street’s dinner, lunch and brunch menus feature contemporary American cuisine from hearty meat and poultry offerings to delicate seafood dishes, inventive appetizers and salads, as well as more casual fare like burgers and pizza.
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Matthew Richey
Chef at Grafton Street Pub and Grill
When Matthew Richey took a summer job as a kid washing dishes at his local fine dining restaurant, he was under the impression that it was "just a summer thing." Thirteen years later, his would-be summer fling has become a full time love affair.
The son of a chef, Richey began his culinary career in 1995 at the Craftwood Inn, a Manitou Springs, Colorado destination specializing in wild game. He started as a cook and worked his way up to Lead Line Cook in just a few short years. Inspired by his experience in the kitchen, and overcome with a desire to become a full-fledged Chef, Richey then attended the New England Culinary Institute where he received an AOS (Associate of Occupational Science) Degree in Culinary Arts.
In 2003, Richey found himself in Portland, Oregon where he accepted a position as a line cook at the Kimpton-owned Red Star Roast House. In this capacity, Richey applied his formal culinary education to create new menu items for the popular Portland eatery, and assisted the head chef in everyday tasks such as food sourcing. Richey was quickly promoted to Line Supervisor, a role that was created specifically to test his management skills and to further immerse him in the standards and procedures of the Kimpton Group.
As a result of the promise Richey showed, he was then promoted to the position of Lead Sous Chef where he was responsible for, among other things, hiring, training and reviewing other members of the kitchen staff. Working under then-Executive Chef Mauro Pando, Richey was first exposed to the philosophy of sustainable agriculture, and using local, organic food products whenever possible. Little did he know at the time, this would be an influential philosophy he would carry with him for years to come.
After working his way up the ranks and further developing his culinary skills at the Red Star Road House, Richey was offered an opportunity to transfer within the Kimpton Group - a move that would land him all the way on the east coast in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was named Sous Chef at Bambara in the Hotel Marlowe under Executive Chef Nathan Powers. In this role, he was given more responsibility than ever. With his newfound creative license, Chef Richey was prominently involved in all menu changes - be it season to season, or day to day. He was also given a broader management role, and became a key figure in Bambara's highly lucrative special events sector. Richey's dedication and expertise soon helped to raise Bambara's revenue a remarkable 10% from the previous year.
In the fall of 2007, Richey joined the team at Grafton Street as Executive Chef, where he serves up contemporary American cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week, including a prized Sunday brunch. A Harvard Square institution, Grafton Street is named after the spirited cobblestone-lined shopping district in Dublin's famed Temple Bar area.
- Aïoli
- 1. noun A blend of ail (garlic) and oli (oil) in the parlance of the Provence region of southern France. Around here, we'd call it a garlic mayonnaise.
- Brioche
- 1. noun A soft, yeasty French bread enriched with butter and eggs.
- Chutney
- 1. noun A spicy, fruity, sometimes marmalade-like Indian condiment.
- Confit
- 1. noun Meat (usually goose, duck or pork) that is slowly cooked in its own fat and preserved with the fat packed around it as a seal.
- Frisee
- 1. noun French for curly, but usually refers to curly endive, the bitter salad green of the chicory family.
- Frisée
- 1. noun A curly, mildly bitter member of the chicory family, eaten raw in salads.
- Jus
- 1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
- Lemongrass
- 1. noun A lemon-scented herb used liberally in Thai cooking.
- Pancetta
- 1. noun Cured Italian bacon.
- Pesto
- 1. noun An Italian sauce traditionally made with basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Romano and Parmesan cheeses.
- Porcini
- 1. noun Smoky, meaty wild mushrooms.
- Ragoût
- 1. noun A thick, seasoned stew of meat or fish, sometimes with vegetables.
- Ragu
- 1. noun Tomato and meat sauce from Bologna.
- Risotto
- 1. noun Italian dish made from rice cooked by intermittently adding small amounts of stock or broth. Other ingredients are added as required.
- Tapas
- 1. noun Appetizers in Spain; trendy nibbles in the U.S.A.
- Tartare
- 1. noun Ground or finely chopped, seasoned raw meat (traditionally beef). May or may not come mounded, and with a raw egg.