As They Do in Cambridge

We have been coming to Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts for the last three years or so, visiting our cousin Nate and friend Haseeb. At first, we mostly spent our time exploring the city of Boston. More recently we have been spending more and more of our visit in Cambridge, home of MIT and Harvard. With a large diverse community of students attending school and living in the area, there is a lot of interesting culture and food to be explored.

During our most recent visit, Nate took us to Moody’s Falafel Place.  Open most nights till three AM, Moody’s is the late night spot for fast and satisfying food, and this hole-in-the-wall restaurant runs a tight ship. The woman taking our order was not interested in answering questions, so we had to be ready to order and move over.  After the few minutes it took for our order to be filled, we were quickly out the door and in route to Nate’s apartment.  After our long drive to Boston, we were happy to get some warm food.

Brian and Nate both ordered lamb shawarma; the lamb meat was wrapped in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and creamy sauce. The hot, juicy meat was sliced off the rotating stick to order. The tight roll was juicy and each bite was filled with a Middle Eastern spice. We had baklava for dessert. I found it not to be as sweet as the typical Greek version and it was not as sticky either. Layered between the thin flaky phyllo dough were crushed, lightly sweetened pistachios.  It was a nice, simple end to our late-night meal.

While Nate had to work the next day, Brian took me to an Indian restaurant Haseeb introduced him to. I learned a long time ago to just trust in Brian–if he says I should try something, I try it. In Inman Square you have your pick of Indian restaurants, but we were destined for Punjabi Dhaba (The Indian Highway-Side Café). Oh, and were Brian and Haseeb right!  We had some of the best food we have ever had outside of someone’s home kitchen.

One dish we had was Saag Paneer, which is a common vegetarian dish of homemade cheese cubes served in a spiced spinach puree. Paneer is a farmer’s cheese that is easy to make and delicious.  It is often added to vegetarian dishes to act as a protein.  Haseeb told us to get the Chana Puri. This is a dish that is not found on the menu. However, if you ask,  they are happy to make it for you. Chana Puri is chickpea bread that is fried and puffs to become hollow inside. The doughy balloon of bread is eaten with chickpeas cooked and served in a little bit of spicy broth. Both dishes came with yogurt and pickled onions. Yum! I was happy and so full. I only wish I could have eaten more! I guess we will just have to go back.

For dinner that night, Nate took us to River God’s, the bar where he works. This funky place had lots of fun decorations including a human sized mermaid-like river goddess swimming above the bar. The food is good with a lot of vegetarian options, including the vegetable sandwich that I ordered. It was a toasted Baguette bun with pan fried polenta and toppedwith flavorful batonettes (long sticks) of zucchini, sweet potato, and squash that were sauteed till tender. It was good and more then I expected. You can really eat vegetarian here and not feel like you are just getting a bunch of side dishes.

Brian and Nate went the other direction and enjoyed some of the meat options that were offered. Brian had a nice hamburger and Nate had a steak sandwich.  They had amazingly crispy fresh-cut fries with their meals that have been voted some of the best in the city. They enjoyed their meals too, you could tell from their empty plates.

“One last meal before we go” I said as I walked out the door at seven in the morning to retrieve coffee, tea, and sticky buns for breakfast.  Around the corner, the newest location of Flour bakery had just opened and was calling my name.  The bakery made a big name for itself when the owner appeared on Bobby Flay’s: Throw Down the “sticky bun” episode.

At Flour, they make many different types of pastries, breads, and even sandwiches. Everyone working there seemed very perky and excited to be working even though it was so early. They were helpful and I had a good experience with the colorful staff. Brian and Nate were happily awakened by the smell of hot coffee and sweet buns. I had a nice warm chai and a strawberry lemon muffin that hit the spot.

We were fed and sugared up, thus ready to hit the road. It was another great experience in Cambridge and a very filling one too. Just as the academics at Harvard and MIT are always discovering new things, we like to keep in the spirit of discovery by finding great food, places, and people along our journey in Cambridge.