Maybe it was the fact that it was a Friday night and at 8PM they treated the restaurant like a club, but my first impression of Foundry on Elm in Davis Square was less than stellar.
David and I arrived right on time for our 8:15 reservation and before entering, two “bouncers” asked us for our ID. I was a little turned off at that point because I thought we were going to eat dinner, not drink the night away at a bar. Anywho, we showed our IDs and went inside to find out that our table was ready for us. Our table which was right next to the bar and a high top. Not the best scenario for David but since he knew I had wanted to try this place out, he put on a brave face for the evening.
Our server was great throughout the entire evening. Even though it was a crazy busy night, she was still there when we needed her, and we were even in and out of dinner in less than an hour (our doing; we weren’t rushed). To start the evening, I had the Butternuts Pork Slap beer. It’s a smooth, delicious beer and I love the name of it. David had a Samuel Smith Cider.
When our beers were brought out, mine was in a can, David’s was in a bottle and we had one glass. I ended up drinking mine out of the can. I probably could have asked for another glass but I just went with it. (David grabbed the glass before I could. 
)
For an appetizer, we ordered the fried calamari with aioli, pepper relish and basil.
The dish was certainly delicious; I LOVED the pepper relish! But I felt like for $11 the size was kind of lacking.
For an entrée, I was torn between quite a few dishes. I finally settled on the croque monsieur with black forest ham and gruyere with a side salad.
Unfortunately I was kind of disappointed in this dish. As a ham and slightly-melted cheese sandwich on toasted bread, it was yummy. But maybe my idea of a croque monsieur is skewed? I thought it would be way meltier and the cheese would actually be sticking to the bread, almost like you would need a knife and fork to eat it. Maybe I’m wrong and being way too critical? Either way, it was yummy but I guess not exactly what I was imagining. I will say that the side salad wasn’t very good; there were a lot of butt-ends of the romaine lettuce stock that I ended up picking out.
While we were eating, there were patrons gathering around the bar area and a few times, they actually bumped into David. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant atmosphere to be in. Like I said earlier, we were in and out in under an hour.
For dinner, on a weekend evening, I would probably stay away from Foundry, unless you like the bar scene more than the dining scene. I have heard great things about their brunch; that would probably be way more up my alley.
Foundry is located at 255 Elm Street in Davis Square, Somerville, MA.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I love calamari! It’s such a great app to start when dining out. Glad you had a good time!
Booo I am sorry this was a less than pleasant experience! It’s too bad too, that sandwich sounds so promising (and looks tasty too)! I hate when the environment is really rushed or crowded too, definitely takes away from the experience of going out to eat
I’ve only been there for brunch and had a decent experience. Bummer that your experience wasn’t so great!
I’m sorry your experience wasn’t great. We’ve kind of stopped going out on weekend nights to avoid the crowds and sometimes rushed food/service.
I’ve been there a couple of times, but not on a Friday night. Lunch and brunch is definitely peaceful! You are right about a Croque Monsieur – it should def be meltier. Some versions even have bechamel so you definitely need a knife and fork to eat it
I love Foundry! I’m sorry you had a bad time. I love it because of the bar/club atmosphere. You finish eating and get to partying! If you don’t expect that going in though, I can see why you wouldn’t like it. Try their brunch. it’s delicious and definitely not as rowdy as it is at night.
I’ve tried Foundry lots of times (because it’s right down the street from my apartment) and am usually disappointed with their food. It’s a great place to hang out during the day for drinks though when it’s less crowded. They have such a great beer list!
I don’t drink beer, but I pick it up at the store for my boyfriend a lot and if he doesn’t tell me what to get I choose based entirely on packaging. I totally bought this beer for him the first time I saw it, because I loved the cans! The same people also make a stout called Thunder Moo that I also bought him based on the packaging (and a little bit on the name – he is known to some as Thunder Pete). He LOVED the Thunder Moo, so if you’re a stout fan definitely check it out – I found it at the liquor store in Davis Square (I don’t remember the name).