Morgan C.
Yelp
Caleb & Broad recently (like this past weekend recently) underwent some renovations and added a new head chef to their team. The menu retained some of the old favorites (my beloved Tuna Says-A-Me is still there!), but added some interesting and tasty new dishes as well! I actually really like the elevated comfort / bar food thing they've got going on here, and the quality has improved significantly since my less that stellar visit last year.
The restaurant is still a funky flagship for all things artsy on Broadway. The low lighting makes it an intimate spot for dinner, but don't worry - the atmosphere is boisterous and lively, and you'll never know which local character you'll run into at their newly refurbished bar, complete with a cool and Instagram friendly wine rack wall for displaying the vino! Music and chatter is on the louder side, so I wouldn't pick C&B for a romantic date night. However, if you're looking for an affordable meal and a fun night out with friends, you're definitely gonna want to add this place to your list!
My boyfriend and I came here last night because Caleb & Broad offers an awesome special where all entrees are $10 on Monday nights. Find me a better deal in Newport.. I'll wait! Where else can you get seared tuna for $10? I mean... awesome! We started off with some small plates from the bar menu, and Caleb & Broad does sharing portions right! For $2 (I am not joking), you get a good sized portion of homemade potato chips with an addictive cilantro sour cream (though the texture was more like a crema and less like a true sour cream), and for $7, you get 5 buttery homemade pretzel sticks with the best darn beer cheese dip I've ever had. I'd honestly come back for the bar menu alone! We were tempted to order seconds, but we had plans later that night for Diego's Trivia, where free nachos abound. All the better reason to come back next time.
As for entrees, I had to go with my fave tuna dish, which was not as great as I remembered from last time. On my last visit, it was a heaping portion of flavorful fish coated in sesame seeds and served with a generous portion of wasabi rice and tempura veggies. Tonight's presentation was about a third of the size, and the tuna was room temperature and flavorless. I get that it's supposed to be sushi-like, but a soy-ginger marinade would have packed so much more of a punch! I know that the new chef is probably just getting his bearings at C&B, and this is a holdover from the old menu, so I'll give it a try the next time I come, and see if he's gotten the hang of it by then. I trust he will. My boyfriend loved the Chicken Lollipops, which were brushed with a spicy buffalo sauce and served with homemade bleu cheese dip and fresh sliced cucumbers, which I totally loved more than celery. Who even eats celery? But I digress.
Again, you seriously can't beat the $10 entrees on Monday nights! Give Caleb & Broad a try if you want a really excellent and true Broadway dining experience that's full of local flair and flavor!