Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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The Scientifc Method Take The ciTy's Top culinary innovaTions. add a harvard genius. serve. by scott kearnan photography by andy ryan Most bartenders use a shaker. Todd Maul uses a centrifuge. Surprised? Don't be. There is nothing formulaic about Café ArtScience, an upscale eatery recently opened near Kendall Square, the heart of Cambridge's tech and innovation sector. From behind small spectacles, Maul peers at bottles of spirits, syrups, and house-made potions, like cigar essence, infused with tobacco wrappers from a Connecticut farm (it creates a smoky, sophisticated Manhattan). Tucked inconspicuously in one corner—just another bar tool—is the centrifuge. The laboratory machine stirs contents much faster than two hands can, allowing Maul to separate an ingredient into its distinct, unadulterated components based on their molecular weight. "It's not gimmickry," says Maul, a cofounder of Café ArtScience, about all the wizardry afoot. He sets down a gin-based Singapore sling, its glass brimming with -40 degree ice cubes pulled from a blast freezer. They are designed to time-release the tart cherry juice that he injected into their centers. "It's all very pragmatic. It's about precision. It's about improving the method." At Café ArtScience, mille-feuille pastry is layered with house-smoked salmon and crème fraîche and dotted with caviar. continued on page 70 bostoncommon-magazine.com 69 taste this Issue: Hunting Cool eats