Crema Cafe

Location: Cambridge, MA

I love this place so much that I hesitated to write about it until now because I didn't want to share. That's what love is, right? That feeling you get around food?

Ambience: half-coffee shop, half-bakery, half-inspiring. The menu is on the wall, the real kitchen is in the basement, and if you avoid rush hour, there's ample seating. Their "about" page says it all: [a] “third place” is somewhere that many of us naturally seek out- a place between home and work where we can feel relaxed and comfortable, yet also connected to our community and the outside world. Crema Cafe is our definition of that third place.



Variety: They have a number of vegetarian offerings. I have a soft spot for the sweet potato sandwich: avocado, green apple, sprouts, hummus & caramelized shallot vinaigrette on toasted wheat ($8). The sandwich can be topped off with delicious baked sweet potato chips that add just the write amount of guilt-free crunch. They also have a number of simple sandwiches with a twist. The Thai peanut is incredible. Even the grilled cheese: monterey jack & gruyere pressed on light rye. The beauty is in the simplicity.



Quality: It's all about the ingredients. Owners Liza Baer-Kahn and Marley Brush George spared no expense: Howell Coffee Company (they serve French press!), tea from MEM (the almond earl grey is elegant), and Iggy's bread (tasty/local). It's a place where you can go for any meal of the day and come out satisfied. You leave the place with a feeling described in Hindi as santosh, or contentment.

Bottom line: become a regular. Bring cash. And try the chocolate chip cookie(s).

http://cremacambridge.com/

Clover

Location: Cambridge, MA

Made it to Clover (Harvard Square) the other day and it was good enough to make omnivores stray.

Ambiance: Imagine the inside of an Apple store. Clean, modern, straight out of unhappy hipsters. The entire joint is run on iPod touch. No, seriously, it is. You walk-in, tell someone what you want, they type it into their iPod, you pay, someone in the kitchen gets the order on their iPod and shortly after, your food is ready.



Variety: It's a vegetarian restaurant. I liked the fact that the menus were written on little white boards. This gave me the impression that the menus change frequently and are kept seasonal.

Quality: The meal cost roughly $10 and included a chickpea burger and rosemary fries. I wasn't the biggest fan of the cole slaw they used, but it added the right texture and my friends that ordered the same thing liked it a lot. To each his own, I suppose. I feel like a hypocrite for not being more jazzed about this place. I will say that the friends I went with are both ardent omnivores and wanted to come back to this place.





Bottom line: If you're in the square and want a change of scenery, the place is worth checking out. I'm definitely going back soon!

http://www.cloverfoodlab.com/

Sofra

Location: Cambridge, MA

Friday morning, a friend and I went to Sofra Bakery and it was exquisite. Let me start by saying that I have a soft spot for places where the menu is on the wall.

Ambience: The decor was largely unremarkable, contemporary-cramped? The cafe was pretty small and getting a table was a challenge at 10 AM on a Friday. I'd recommend avoiding this place on a weekend if you want to get in and out quickly. The parking in the back was a plus.



Variety: There were a couple of vegetarian breakfast options. For lunch, there were a number of stuffed flatbreads and like all Mediterranean food a fairly large Mezze Bar that was friendly to us. My first visit, I ordered the Turkish Breakfast (soft-boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta, fried goat cheese, fig & thick yogurt with pear).

Quality: The place was pricey for a bakery, but I don't mind paying a premium for taste. The flavor profiles were unique and Ana Sortun (think: Oleana) can command the $13 price point for a refined breakfast. About a week later, I went back and tried their lunch offerings and had a heavenly falafel with beet tzatziki. Scrumpcious (see below).



Bonus: The chocolate hazelnut baklava with cocoa honey was unbelievable. Trust me.



Photo Credit: Delicious Dishings

Bottom line: drop everything and go now.

http://www.sofrabakery.com/