Cambridge: Thelonious Monkfish

It's on One for the Table

Let's Eat by Kitty Kaufman

As I walk to where I'm meeting someone in Cambridge at Thelonius Monkfish, I pass three places with sidewalk seating. I must sit outside today. I have café envy. Sadly, no one is sitting outside at the Monkfish tables. No one takes our order until I insist. This is so not what I expected. (They changed their name to Monkfish. Monk's family sued them big time?!)

It's a big menu. I understand wanting to have something for everyone. That said, we order one sushi deluxe and one sushi regular. What is regular and what is deluxe? One shrimp. The fish is fine.

Here's what we don't have: mad monk noodles ("bring one to the edge of madness and creative genius"), soup, curry, stir-fry, duck, beef, pork, seafood, chicken, fried rice, vegetarian rolls, demi salads, donburi, party boats, fairy tale sushi ("what if your prince is actually a frog and not the other way around") or zensai, thankfully comment-free.

We don't have jazz rolls either. There's "Off-Key Marie, she sang a song and killed a mockingbird" roll. Pure fiction plus bad poetry. Harlem Nocturne roll: "His sweltering flat/woman sobbing through the wall /in his head he blows his horn." Earle Hagen didn't write it, Mel Torme didn't sing it plus bad poetry. Here's their dreadful, and I'm being kind, description on the Gaga roll: "The Madonna roll is made the same way except we use old fish." Monkfish boys: Scat!

Update December 2020: They can't help themselves. See fairy tale sushi.

Thelonious Monkfish
524 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
617. 441. 2116
© June 24, 2013 for One for the Table

Write to us:
Kitty@corp-edge.com

Share it on X Twitter:

See Boston restaurant stories via One for the Table on Zomato

Locanda Del Lago in Santa Monica
Italian Western
Santa Monica Seafood Cafe
Fine kettle of fish
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Food, and art
Ming's Blue Ginger Wellesley
Red hot and blue
Deli after Dark Dedham
Yes, we have no meatballs
Sophia's Grotto
Meatballs and calamari in Roslindale
Pon Thai Bistro
Pon cooks with fire
Island Creek Oyster Bar
Happy, happy new year
Amelia's Trattoria in Cambridge
New York state of mind
Cafe Sushi in Cambridge
Industry standard
Black Trumpet in Portsmouth
Ta dah
Flour Bakery
Eat dessert first