CAMBRIDGE, MA– Will Gilson and his Puritan & Company team will expand their presence to Cambridge Crossing (CX), the new and connected neighborhood at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston.
The three concepts that are being launched by Gilson and his team will be comprised of Café Beatrice, an all-day café; Geppetto, a full-service Italian restaurant slated to open in 2021; and The Lexington, a cocktail bar and restaurant with a rooftop terrace overlooking the Common at CX in a new retail building referred to as The Shed.
Gilson’s new concepts will be located at 100 North First Street in the new CX neighborhood. This multi-faceted concept was designed in conjunction with RODE Architects, to meet the needs of the restaurant industry’s growing challenges.
“This has been our passion project for about two years now. We are thrilled to introduce three distinct concepts at Cambridge Crossing; Café Beatrice which is an all-day café with Pastry Genius Brian Mercury at the helm, The Lexington which is our second floor restaurant and bar featuring a rooftop terrace and Geppetto, our Italian concept that is opening in 2021,” said Chef/Owner Will Gilson. “We are opening each venue in phases, starting with Café Beatrice and followed by The Lexington with Geppetto to follow at a later date. Our intention was to give our guests something for every daypart to fit into their lives.”
The all-day café called Café Beatrice, with Pastry Chef Brian Mercury at the helm, will be the first to open on October 17th to the public. Café Beatrice will offer baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, and a variety of healthy options, supplemented by a grab-and-go component. There will also be catering options prepared by Brian Mercury and Will Gilson and their team, as well. Café Beatrice will be open from 8a until 4p from Tuesday until Sunday. Café Beatrice was designed by RODE Architects and will feature a grab and go area, a counter for takeout and ordering, and some café seating for those who want to enjoy their coffee and pastries while in the space. There will also be a patio for those who would like to take their orders and enjoy them al fresco. The design of Café Beatrice is beautiful stone and brass elements with hues of teal and pops of pink and white.
Award-Winning Pastry Chef Brian Mercury will be creating the menu which will include everything from homemade pastries, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and donuts. For lunch, the menu will transition into sandwiches like an Italian Grinder on a sub roll; a miso roasted broccoli melt; a BLT with Miso Mayo on homemade sourdough; a Niçoise Salad on Ciabatta with Spanish tuna, olive artichoke tapenade, egg, beans, peppers and greens; and roast turkey with an apple onion chutney and cheddar. There will also be a selection of salads and bowls for people to enjoy. For a sweet treat, Brian will have cookies, fruit bars and his popular “everything but the kitchen sink” Rice Krispy Treats. For beverages, there will be coffee, cold brew, iced tea, lemonade, bottled drinks, and a selection hot tea.
Beginning the first week in November, the second dining concept by Will Gilson is slated to open and will be called The Lexington. Open from 4:30p until 10p every Tuesday through Saturday, The Lexington will be a second-floor restaurant at the Lexington with a rooftop bar where guests can enjoy a quick bite with friends, a date night, or an approachable dinner on the large rooftop patio terrace that overlooks the Common at CX.
Guests will be able to imbibe in crafted drinks and a locally-sourced food menu at The Lexington, with a menu created by Gilson and his team. There will be a “snacks” section of the menu which has items such as baked stuffed clams, onion dip and homemade potato chips. The “appetizer” section of the menu will include crab cakes, Swedish Meatballs and scallop crudo. There will be a salad component and entrees will include glazed short ribs, fish and chips, grilled salmon and wild mushroom lasagna. There will also be a fried scallop roll, a lobster roll served hot and buttered or with mayo, and a Prime Burger with Dukes mayo, pickles, Maine tomato, Gruyere and American Cheese.
The Lexington has a private dining room that seats 40 guests with AV capabilities and two Smart TV’s, a main dining room and bar that seats 75 guests and a rooftop terrace that accommodates 55 guests. The colors are natural marble stone tile, pink, green and black. There are lots of teal and dark green with hints of pink throughout the space and it is reminiscent of an art deco feel to the space. The curved bar is marble and wraps around the dining room. The roof deck terrace has large, retractable doors that open up the space for an open-air flow. There is a 25-seat stone and painted shiplap bar that curves through the space to the second-floor open kitchen. The private dining room features floor-to- ceiling glass walls, gilded wallpaper, and warm bursts of cranberry.
The third concept, Geppetto, will be Will Gilson’s Italian restaurant on the first floor of Cambridge Crossing and it is slated to open in 2021. The space will offer a statement host stand and feature rich tile finishes and a warm glow from the fireplace. The teal paneled walls in the entry continue through to the 74-seat dining room, evoking the scholarly sophistication of early Cambridge. A centralized built-in banquette features walnut cladded seating, upholstered in a blush fabric.
Will Gilson’s concepts, Café Beatrice, The Lexington and Geppetto will be opening inside The Shed at 100 North First Street within the new Cambridge Crossing neighborhood starting October 2020. Noted Chef Will Gilson is a two-time James Beard semi-finalist and Puritan & Company was listed on Bon Appetit’s “50 Best Restaurants” shortly after it opened in late 2012.
