Cambridge 1, Part 2
A popular Harvard Square hangout brings its upscale grilled pizzas to the Fenway. Can arugula flatbread take on the fabled frank?
With the opening of its new location at the Trilogy apartment tower in the Fenway, Cambridge 1 has outgrown its own name and left many scratching their heads. Why not Fenway 2? Regardless, this offshoot boasts all the charms—and the flaws—of the original (which, incidentally, is named after the former firehouse it calls home).
Here you’ll find the same attractively minimalist wood and slate interior, but with more tables to accommodate the game-night crowds (this also makes it ideal for a quick midweek lunch). The menu is consistent: Thin-crust pizzas are still grilled over charcoal, and the fresh salads and mostly Italian wine list give the restaurant a leg up over the typical pizza joint.
But this remains good, not great, pizza. The crust, while cracklingly crisp, lacks flavor, and some combinations (like the Maine lobster with corn, scallions, and cilantro oil) are blander than their ingredients would suggest. Still, several options—the sausage-ricotta pie, for example—are quite tasty, and a nicely restrained hand with the toppings serves to take a bit of the guilt out of pizza night.
1381 Boylston St., Boston, 617-437-1111. $