On keeping Central Square quirky, working for Barbara Lynch, and why togarashi is like the Beastie Boys
Stoneham’s Greg reeves, 47, just opened Althea down the block from his 10-year-old restaurant, Vialé, in central Square. reeves runs both restaurants with his wife, Shauna reyburn, and they’re familiar figures in the neighborhood. Vialé focuses on italian; Althea embraces straightforward comfort food, like roast chicken and grilled oysters. it used to be the Dial.
reeves has worked all over boston and cambridge, from b&G oysters and the butcher Shop to Aquitaine, Green Street, and UpStairs on the Square. He reflects on cooking under barbara lynch, his favorite juicy pizza slice, and his least favorite spice.
tell me about the new restaurant. What made you eager to open a new place?
Vialé will be 10 years in october. Honestly, i’ve never worked anywhere for so long. it’s a long time to have a job, and it’s nice to get out of the routine and do something new.
We weren’t really looking to do another restaurant, but we had our ears open, and we tried to get a spot down the street from us at Darwin’s, which didn’t work out.
then we talked to [developer] patrick barrett. He was looking someone for someone to come in and operate a restaurant in his space [907 Main]. it’s just down the street from us. We’re all on board for central Square. We love being here.
Shauna is part of the central Square biD. We’ve just been ingrained in central Square for so long that it’s kind of nice to be a bigger part of it. We obviously rebranded from the Dial, which was a big transformation. but, when it comes to logistics and restaurant operations, all the equipment was here, all the tables were here, everything was set up. it’s literally one of the nicest kitchens i’ve ever worked in.
Central square still seems fun and eccentric. What’s your take on the vibe of the neighborhood? Has it changed over the years?
i mean, it’s definitely evolved. it’s grown, i think, in a positive way. We don’t really look at other new places around us as competition. it’s more about making it a fun area for people to go to. i feel like the South End 10 years ago was a really cool place to go to. And then it got little bigger. it’s not quite as artsy and boutique-y; it’s become a little more like South boston, in my opinion.
Everything is going up around here, and the whole biotech thing and the new buildings, but it’s also kind of always kept that same character while evolving and growing. the people who are here are still gritty. it’s a cultural district, which is amazing: dance, arts, and the graffiti. the new things coming in are cool, fun, funky little spots.
What was your first inkling that you were going to work in restaurants?
i’m from north of philadelphia. i worked in a pizza place and made cheesesteaks and pizzas. i got really used to what i call the reject lifestyle: working weekends, having Mondays and tuesdays off, not being around holidays, no Mother’s Day, no Valentine’s Day. i’ve just always done it. i don’t really know any different.
i went to college at the University of New Hampshire. When i graduated college, my brother lives here, so i moved down to boston. i had an environmental science degree, so i was looking for environmental science jobs. i worked in restaurants to pay my way through it.
Unfortunately, environmental science didn’t really work out for me, so i went back to the kitchen. After being here for a couple years and kind of being a depressed college student, finding nothing in my major, i’d already been cooking for almost 10 years. And i liked it. i’ve always liked to eat. instead of fighting it, i just went with it.
i became chef de cuisine at b&G, and then i took over the butcher Shop, too, for a couple years. it was a lot of work. My first little bit of responsibility. b&G is one of my favorite jobs i ever had. it was just small. And i love oysters, i love seafood, and lobster.
but i really didn’t have the skill set of running two restaurants. So i was kind of drowning each day, making it happen, just the bare minimum. b&G was great because i could handle it, and then i bit off more than i could chew. Not that i failed or anything, but it just wasn’t thriving. it was my first kick in the nuts, a little bit.
What would you say about working for Barbara lynch? she’s been in the news a lot lately, for good and bad.
i don’t know what the real truth is. but she gave me an amazing experience, and i learned a lot from her. there’s some things i wish i could change a little bit, of course, but if it wasn’t for her, i wouldn’t be the chef i am today.
What’s biggest lesson you learned in that kitchen?
i wish i became a better cook-chef with her. but what i learned from her is how to become a leader to a staff of people. You have to be confident in who you are and be able to lead people. And i think that’s one thing she always tried to make sure i took care of.
The owners of Vialé, Shauna Reyburn and Greg Reeves, inside their restaurant in Central Square.
What is the vibe in your kitchens now? What’s your philosophy?
You catch more flies with honey. What we do is very hard. it’s a lot of hours, and you demand a lot of people — doubles, this and that. So there’s no room for complaining. but we’re all here together. let’s have as much fun and learn together and be team-oriented. because the one reason why Vialé is so successful is that we’ve had a team who’s been there for a long time, and we all really love each other, and we all get along very well. So i think we try to be as laid-back as possible while still having a stiff backbone.
What’s your favorite stuff on the new menu? it’s very different from Vialé.
We have a chicken dish with black garlic jus and gnocchi. it’s just really a homestyle dish. We go for simple and delicious. it’s a riff on chicken and dumplings. We have a halibut dish with Hollandaise, a little bit of asparagus and potatoes. You know, the old less-is-more thing.
What do you think our area does well? Where could we improve?
that’s a good question. When i first became a chef, there used to be the big, big restaurants: the radiuses and the No. 9 parks. but there weren’t a lot of the miniature places, the casual finedining places like Vialé or Highland Kitchen or b&G oysters. there weren’t a lot of mid-level places that weren’t as fine dining and stuffy as some of the big restaurants. Now, we have a lot more of these places that are smaller and quirky, but still deliver the same quality, but are more laid back.
Where do you like to eat when you’re not working?
We used to always go to Vincent’s until recently. that just closed, unfortunately. that place was just so cool. it was charming, sexy, the food was great. it marched to beat of its own drummer.
What about takeout, if you’re just ordering pizza or something?
We live in Stoneham. We go to Gaetano’s right around the corner from us. it’s kind of townie, but it’s still kind of fun. there’s another place called bacci’s; it’s close. they have pretty decent pizza. We’ll get delivery from Ernesto’s sometimes.
Biggest kitchen screw-up? Have you ever just had a terrible night?
At UpStairs on the Square, i undercooked every single gnocchi. it all became mush. Every single gnocchi that went out was just undercooked. i literally wanted to quit that night.
What did you do? Hope nobody no
ticed?
We had no other option. it took all day to make it. i pulled a buckner.
Who’s your favorite customer ever?
Well, we have this guy, peter Watchorn, who comes to Vialé. He has a tradition where he used to come in with his partner, and they’d sit at one table. His partner passed away on the 23rd of the month. And now, every 23rd, he makes a reservation, where he comes in by himself and sits at his table, where he used to sit with his partner, not as a sad thing but as a positive thing.
Now, we’ll see him in the neighborhood. He’s going to Australia next week, and he let us know that he’s not coming in on the 23rd, so if he doesn’t show up, he’s not dead or anything. it’s been going on for three-and-a-half, four years now. Now, he’ll split time between here and Althea.
What bothers you when you walk into a restaurant — on a menu or in the design?
oh, that’s easy. togarashi. it’s just popped up everywhere, all of a sudden. i mean, we have it on a menu here, in one of our drinks. i think it’s delicious. but it’s just one of the things that has popped up everywhere. i don’t think i can go anywhere without seeing it.
When i was younger, i didn’t like the beastie boys. Everyone in my high school listened to them. i’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the music, but it just became so popular. it was everywhere. i couldn’t get into a car without listening to the beastie boys, and it drove me crazy. i feel the same thing with togarashi.
Favorite snack?
pizza. there’s nothing better than a slice of large cheese pizza. it’s fresh, and it’s juicy.
Who makes the best pizza in Boston, besides you?
i don’t make the best pizza in boston. i wish i did. Maybe one day, in retirement.
for fancy pizza, Si cara and brewer’s fork make really good wood-fired pizza. And then, for a slice, i like pinocchio’s in Harvard Square.
Althea, 2 Columbia St., Cambridge, 617-349-2967, www.altheacentral sq.com