MC2 American Bistro

Having just moved to Boston a few months ago, on my early nights I have been fortunate and unfortunate at times to try some of Cambridge’s hot spots for dining. Last week it was a long day helping a friend and I popped into MC2 American Bistro which I assumed would be your typical American Cuisine. I was pleasantly surprised to learn other wise. The Boston Bib Raspberry Salad was to die for! I then had the Miso Glaze which for as much seafood you don’t see a a lot of Salmon on menus in most restaurants out here. I loved my meal so much I gave my compliments to the Chef and I am happy to say planning on returning in a couple of weeks, can already taste the Miso. Friends on Unilocal,this a must find.
Enjoy and Bön Appetit

The food was good here, nothing to write home about, but fresh ingredients and a nice ambiance, quiet atmosphere. Many people come here from the conventions or conferences held in the Marriott so this is a good place for the business lunch or dinner. There are plenty of other restaurants around though if you want to try something different. Try this place after the lunch hour and before 7pm for the best timing and service though.

It’s a Marriott hotel restaurant. Seriously, what do you want? I mean hotel food is hotel food, just like hospital food is hospital food. Dinner was ok even for a hotel restaurant.
We had the truffled fries, caesar salad and 2 orders of the flat iron steak with mashed potatoes and veggies and it was quite good, but a bit too much food (I’m only saying that because our room doesn’t have a microwave to reheat the leftovers).
The pear and cranberry tart with whipped mascarpone cheese was underwhelming to say the least. The «tart» (purposeful quotation marks) was not so much a tart as pears and cranberries in batter, baked then smothered in way too much mascarpone (which was very bitter and un-​pallatable).
The staff was attentive and polite.

They discriminated against my group and refused to seat us. We were a group of 9, told them we were a group of nine, the host lady was pulled aside by her manager and was told not to seat us thinking we couldn’t hear her. Terrible. the host lady said they were all booked and couldn’t seat anyone then ran into the back.
This place was empty and obviously she was lying.
What a terrible place and it made our stay at the Marriott a terrible stay.

OK, looking at my previous reviews, you can guess I am a breakfast person, and a really good breakfast buffet really «rocks my boat». My favorite breakfast buffet is in the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa, and this one in the Cambridge Marriott is very close. It just doesn’t have some of the exotic Thai delicacies available in Thailand. It seems strange that I wrote a somewhat scathing review of the sports bar here last night and this review is the polar opposite. This restaurant is located on the 2^nd floor of the Cambridge Marriott and I just love the name. MC2 or mc2 is clever for one because the Marriott is adjacent to MIT, and it could refer to Einstein’s famous formula for energy: E=mc2. One of Einstein’s great insights was to realize that matter and energy are really different forms of the same thing. Matter can be turned into energy, and energy into matter. The other meaning of MC2 could be «Marriott Cambridge». Of course, I like the first explanation better. Why? Because there was a lot of energy (E) in the restaurant: the hostess, the wait staff and the cook did everything possible to make my experience a good one. I ordered an all-​veggie omelette w/​a little cheddar cheese, with salsa fresca smothered over the top. They had fresh raspberries, blueberries and pineapple so I just added it to the mix. Yum. Where do they get fresh raspberries this time of the year? I don’t care. I just love the idea of getting fresh raspberries in the Winter. McLuhan was right: we do live in a global village. Anyway, after that I brewed my green tea, and ordered a waffle: fresh raspberries on top and the waitress brought me the real stuff, 100% maple syrup. Yum. I polished everything off with a little oatmeal, sprinkled with powdered cinnamon, and mixed with blueberries and raspberries. The Hostess (great Boston accent) and the wait staff came over to talk with me throughout breakfast, asking me how everything was. It is apparent that they all love what they are doing. All of this great food, attention to detail and the friendliness of the staff contributed to wonderful experience. All for only $ 17.95. I noticed that
doesn’t have the capability of writing the numerical equivalent of MC (squared). I went through all the trouble of going through my keyboard options to learn how to do it, and the «elevated 2» simply disappeared from my review. Now I have to edit my review and type MC2 each time. Come on Unilocal,get with the program! Gee Whiz!

Not a bad place. Comparable in quality and price to the Black Sheep across the street, but with a more modern, less homey décor. (Though I do get the feeling that Marriott is always a né’er-do-well at being fancy.) A tad less expensive than Legal Seafood on the same block.

This place treated my visiting family to really top notch breakfast/​brunch experiences during a long term stay here. It’s your typical hotel buffet in many ways, with an omelette station, various pastries, bagels, granola and fresh fruit.
Where they went overboard was the way they treated the kids who got their meals at an enormous discount. $ 3 for the six year old and $ 5 for the 8 year old and 11 year old. The kids also got a little sheet of stickers and crayons with their place mat and those kept them busy for a full ten minutes. Our waitresses were sweet and never charged me for my morning bagel. So the whole meal was a great bargain.
The kids ate up a storm and when they did not want their fresh pineapple, raspberries or blackberries, we did not let them go to waste. The kids ate French toast, pancakes, bagels, cereal, bacon and sausage, muffins and more. All of that food kept them going throughout a full day of touring the city with only a few snacks and some juice.
The fruit was not of the watery, tin canned variety. It was really fresh and seriously good.
This restaurant is no longer open for dinner but this breakfast experience gets a big gold star in my book.

If there’s one thing that will kill me before I’m 40, it’s breakfast buffets.
This review is based solely on that weekend offering – it’s the first and only time I’ve been there.
I was in the Kendall area looking for brunch, stopped by MC². I have to say, it wasn’t what I expected. I’ve only been to 2 types of hotel breakfast buffets: soggy piles of mess in some undecorated alcove near the lobby and exorbitant, colorful feasts. I wasn’t really up for slop or a $ 40 meal, but I checked in anyway.
I think, at $ 18, it’s actually fairly well priced. it’s not über fancy, but everything was just good. There’s a guy who’ll make you an omelet, pancakes are cooked to order, it comes with juice and coffee, servers are friendly, there’s a wide array of nice pastries and things to put in your yogurt (or whatever someone would put dried apples in), and the breakfast staples stored in those steamy metal contraptions were somehow not damaged by their presentation (eggs fluffy, bacon crisp… even the french toast had crisp to it, which was surprising given the context).
You know, I think I’m going to bump my 4 up to 5. If this were a few bucks cheaper and if I had some backup arteries for when mine get all clogged, I’d probably be there every weekend.

foodie beware. this place had some great advertising, but really it’s just a substandard hotel restaurant. the saffron risotto tasted like mac&cheese out of a box. the «crispy rice cake» tasted pre-​fried, pre-​shaped, pre-​packaged, and then refried — as did the fish.
laughable: the server didn’t realize that «BLT scallop» stood for «bacon, lettuce, and tomato served with scallop» — he thought it was a typo for «BIT» (i.e., «bit» of scallop [small pieces]), as i heard him explain mistakenly to another table. this incorrect information could have been excusable early in the evening. .. but it was 8:30pm when he gave his faulty explanation — that is a whole evening of not paying attention to what you are serving your patrons. ..
don’t eat here. but if you have to, make sure your expectations are set correctly. ..

Great place for Sunday brunch buffet… the made-​to-​order omelette was awesome, everything else was great!
The only thing is… this place was packed with people and kids… very noisy. ;-)

This is a hotel restaurant, so I had low expectations and it blew them away (Ok, so I have low expectations for most hotel restaurants — expensive and blah food).
The set up is odd, in my mind — it’s on the 2^nd level and has an overhang so you can see out to the 1^st floor and also out the window. It’s like you’re on a small balcony, but it’s really a restaurant.
The food was WAY better than I thought — had the salad with a nice tangy dressing (forget which one it was, but it wasn’t the caesar — which I think is too cheesy and too anchovy). Loved the salad and other people were picking at it as well.
Other dishes that were good were the appetizers: crab cakes, the portobello mushroom and the tomato basil soup — so thick and yummy! I enjoyed my chicken dish that I had as well.
The lemon risotto thing is way too lemony for me. Lemony and creamy and peppery — my taste buds were screaming for mercy.
The service was friendly but they couldn’t get our order right to save the day. It’s also pretty pricey.
I docked the stars mainly because it’s pricey, it’s still in a hotel, and the menu isn’t that varied, nor does it change that often. I enjoyed most of what I had and was surprised in a good way. I’d go back if I had a fat wallet.

MC2 is a hidden restaurant that you really have to search for because it is located on the second floor of the Cambridge Marriott (Kendall Square) and there are not any signs! I think this is the reason why the restaurant is not crowded, which is a good thing.
My wife and I ate at MC2 on a Friday night, we had excellent service, and excellent food. My wife had the veggie ravioli, which was delicious, and I had the grilled pork chop, which was also delicious and tender. We also were served freshly baked bread to start. The portions were quite large, and we left full and satisfied.
The only downfall is that it is an expensive restaurant. Given the variety of restaurants in the Boston/​Cambridge area, it is difficult to justify spending a lot of money on a meal here. However, the meal is certainly worth the money! We went here because we had the discount from our Entertainment Book, and we do plan to go again!

This place located within the Marriott hotel in Kendall square serves up food all day long from breakfast to dinner. They have a decent menu which isn’t priced too high and although they don’t have beer on type, they do have beer available per bottle instead. Not as good but better than nothing.
I tend to pretty much always get the onion soup there… It’s not as good as other places but it’s decent enough for me. I’ve been there for all sorts of meals and it’s a very quiet, nice environment to be in, especially if you are with other people as even at its busiest, the service is efficient and quick, and it’s quiet enough that you can either slowly wake up or talk to other people depending on the kind of day your having.
It’s reliable and you won’t get sick! Oh and get their steaks, they are very well seasoned and cooked. very tasty!

A few things about MC²… There’s no beer on tap. As in none. Bottles? Well, there’s Sam and Sam Light… and then a bunch of your usual American Light water/​beer. Seriously though, nothing on tap.
I was hoping the food would make up for it.
It didn’t.
My «red, white and blue» onion soup was just meh. Also, it came out almost immediately after ordering, so I know it wasn’t fresh baked. The menu boasted of caramelizing both white and red onions in Sam Adams beer. First, as they have no beer on tap, did they crack bottles for cooking? Also, my thin slice of baguette had a layer of blue cheese coating it. Fine. However, the slice of bread was significantly smaller than the bowl of soup. As such, the bread and cheese were submerged in an attempted to eat it. This resulted in both disintegrating in the broth. Generally, the soup tasted okay, but was much less exciting than the menu led me to believe.
For my entre I got the «catch of the day». I put it in quotes as this catch was Tilapia. To my knowledge, Tilapia is native to Africa and parts of Asia… not New England… thus making me question it’s «catch of the day» status. The dish was supposed to be served wrapped in bacon, topped with some kind of tomato salsa/​sauce/​chutney/​thing with a side of cilantro rice and asparagus. That sauce stuff was disgusting and uninspired. There are more spices in the world than salt and chili paste. I don’t eat bacon, so got my fish without. I can only imagine how salty the dish would have been if I hadn’t requested it without bacon. The rice was just meh. Again, way too much salt. The asparagus was of the way too slender variety and many of the ends were tough. The only thing I finished on my plate was the asparagus… and that’s because I really love asparagus.
The waitress was nice, but really just okay. When she recited the specials it seemed rehearsed and like she was straining to remember what they were. We were never asked if we wanted a dessert menu, simply just given them… one menu even being placed in my brother’s hand.
Many hotels have stepped up their restaurants so as to compete with the plethora of options available in the city. Apparently not so much at MC². Actually, my stomach kind of hurts. I think I’m going to go lie down.

I don’t have anything really bad to say about MC2, but nothing really stood out to me either. I went here for lunch with my parents on a weekday. The service was nice, but I felt like they kept forgetting about us. The food was good, especially the rolls that they gave us initially and that were on my burger. Its true that there is a serious lacking of dining options in the Kendall Square area, and MC2 is a decent option.

The best meal we had in Boston. This place was a relief. I am not sure where Bostonians eat or buy groceries because there is a great lack of places to eat in the Boston/​Cambridge area. We had a very pleasant experience here. The food was well priced and very good.
They even had a kids menu with crayons. We did not expect that.

I have to second everything that Joyce K. eloquently said below. This place is totally undiscovered. The food was EXCELLENT and the service was fine. Parking is free and easy as Kendall Square can be quiet dead on the weekend. There was maybe one other couple in the restaurant besides us. I recommend either the filet mignon or the rib eye steak. The quality and flavors surpassed my expectations for such good value.
I will return to this restaurant for sure — most likely on some random night when the parking and crowds in Inman or Central get to me. (-:

Exceeded the most optimistic of my expectations, especially considering that MC-​squared is a hotel restaurant and the Marriott is no Four Seasons. We were the only diners in the entire restaurant on a Saturday night, but the lovely high ceilings and windows combined with the welcoming service quickly alayed our fears. I called ahead since we were running late and when we arrived, they had already laid out our menus and filled up our waters. Yay! So cute.
Major points on the open set-​up with towering windows that reflect your lovely visage while you sip and dine. I kept looking up and admiring myself, «Man, I look gooddddd. I mean REAL good.»
Friendly service but unpolished and quite slow. Very simple menu with solid, simple American classics. I had the fresh catch of the day — Swordfish with rice and green beans ($ 24). My friend had the filet mignon with broccoli and potatoes ($ 28). We started with garden salads of mixed greens, fennel, tomatoes, and a tomato basil viniagrette (crazy bargain at $ 5). The greens were so fresh and delicious, perked up by the slightly licorice flavoring of the fennel, tied together with the tomato basil viniagrette. Loveddddd it!
I also had a great glass of Riesling for only $ 7. Very fruity.
My swordfish was beautifully seared and complimented by a steamed mound of rice and simple green beans garnished with a bit of red bell pepper. Perfect swordfish. The accompanying sauce (some sort of tomato reduction) was an awesome compliment. Great great dish, HUGE portion.
My friend loved his filet mignon. It was prepared VERY simply making each item uncomplicated and savory. Beef. Tators. Broccoli.
The prices are very reasonable and everything was appetizing. It’s pretty eerie being the ONLY customers in the entire restaurant but I reveled in the chef’s appreciation for simplicity and tradition. Parking is so easy to find, thank god.