Cusser’s Roast Beef and Seafood
Roast beef sandwich enthusiasts, don’t touch that remote.
“As far as getting a roast beef sandwich Cussers Roast beef is gonna be the be all and end all.”
Lobster roll lovers of New England, grab a seat.
“You get that like really soft hot bun and the cold lobster.”
And chowder connoisseurs from all over, get ready for Cusser’s Roast Beef and Seafood.
Located in Boston at the intersection of Stuart Street and Columbus Ave, Cussers is unique concept that gives the classic North Shore style fast food joint an upscale spin.
“Cussers is inspired by the North Shore roast beef and seafood restaurants that we all love.
Most of our lunch businesses is take out…. you can walk up to the window it’s really you know, sort of fun. there’s not really anything like that in this area. As far as getting really well crafted sandwich out a window all the stuff we offer through the takeout we are inside as well as a few other additional lunch items. And, you know, inside you can have a beer in a glass of wine too.”
That’s Chef/Owner Carolyn Johnson, who along with General Manager, Ian Calhoun added this casual lunch spot to a space that already houses their high end fish house named Mooncussers upstairs, as well as chic small plates spot called Moon Bar on the first floor. So, in this quick-service lunchtime concept, they’ve taken some of your favorites an amped them up with their fine dining pedigree.
“This is what happens when a fine dining trained chef tries to make a sandwich takes us days to get all the elements together. You end up with something more complicated than probably necessary but the end result is just amazing, amazing bites and flavors and just super high quality.”
It all starts with the beef itself.
“The beef is wagyu. So it’s really high quality beef that we’re roasting. We rub it overnight with a salt mixture that’s got bay leaves and coriander and black pepper, so it’s got a lot of flavor in the seasonings. So it’s really succulent.”
And equally as important is that griddled bun.
“They’re inspired by the classic onion roll on a super beef. So they are a sort of a hybrid of brioche and halloush so it’s a really rich dough, has caramelized onions in it has lots of seeds on top a little bit of nigella seeds to give that oniony flavor as well.”
From there, it’s all about deciding how you’ll have it.
“We offer it in the kind of classic version which is popular in the North Shore called the three way which is served with barbecue sauce, mayo and cheese. And we offer another very called the 80 Thoreau style which is based off the burger at our popular restaurant in Concord, Massachusetts. So we use the house sauce from that restaurant- Thoreau sauce, which is a spicy aioli, cheddar and pickled onions.”
And even North Shore die hards will be able to die happy after just one bite.
“When you get the North Shore style, you get the richness of the mayonnaise and the cheese. The barbecue sauce is really tangy little spicy, the beef is warm and the bun is griddled with lots of butter on it. So you get that nice sort of hot cold contrast.
I think the first thing you notice is the temperature you know, the beef itself is warm. And so is the barbecue sauce and the been so that’s really nice first you get the flavor of the beef and kind of the sauce lingers a little bit too is not spicy, but has kind of enough heat to be to be interesting.”
And even though it’s not exactly traditional, the 80 Thoreau style sandwich is an intriguing option.
“I think the the beef and cheddar probably kind of come in first, but the pickled onions, they add a little bit of kind of vinegar, freshness to it, and the sauce lingers, you know, it has some cayenne and paprika, lots of mustard a little bit of raw garlic in it.”
“It has a lot of piquancy from both the Thoreau sauce has a ton of mustard in it. And the pickled red onions really give it a really nice sharp bite to it. And that everything on that sandwich is the button is hot. But everything else is sort of cool. So it’s a little bit different sort of temperature sort of contrast.”
The other top selling sandwich at Cussers is the lobster roll, available in two deliciously different styles.
“We do a hot lobster and a cold lobster roll. Both of ours are are sort of unique takes on it. Our cold lobster roll has a really rich tarragon lobster mayonnaise that has some whole grain mustard, and … lots of tarragon and they’re really bright flavor. It’s definitely my favorite way to have it. I really love that hot griddle bun and we make our own bun of course, in the New England style. So kind of like hot dog buns but it’s a potato based dough. So it’s really again, soft and rich. And when we griddle it up, it’s it’s really melt in your mouth. So you get that like really soft hot bun and the cold lobster that’s nice and you know it’s got that nice chew to it so.”
Other selections include Baja style fish tacos served on corn tortillas with picked cabbage, onions and sliced jalapenos.
Smoked hot dogs served on a fluffy housemade potato roll.
Swordfish Souvlaki presented on housemade pita with chickpeas, parsley and tzatziki.
And then there’s the chowder, which you can order on it’s own or as part of something called The Yankee Happy Meal.
“It’s definitely an adult style happy meal. So it’s basically all our New England classics from the menu. So you get our chowder, which is well renowned. You get the lobster all hot or cold. Whatever your preferences you get a sumac lemonade for a beverage. And then the whoopie pie. So that’s the sweet finish for your happy meal.”
No doubt about it, happiness is served by the bun, at Cussers.
