Upstairs on the Square

Location: Cambridge, MA

Went to Upstairs on the Square a few Fridays ago for Restaurant Week and it was Fun, Fun, Fun. We [were] so excited. Enough Rebecca Black. What the restaurant lacked in vegetarian variety, it more than made up for with talented chefs willing to creatively gap fill on their feet.

Ambience: I felt like I was in what would be Mrs. Havisham's mansion, but livelier. That's right I'm getting literary on you. It was quirky, but energetic. The place gets busy and reservations seem to be a must.

Variety: I didn't see a ton of options on the menu for vegetarians. There was an asparagus salad, a delicious ravioli and a sorbet for dessert. Though, to be fair, most fine dining is limited to one set option for vegetarians during restaurant week.

Asparagus is coming into season, so it was fitting that it made it into the salad. Though I wasn't a fan of the gelatinous blob to the right of the plate.

The pasta was absolutely divine. Creamy, freshly-made, and cheesed to perfection.

I opted for the sorbet for dessert. My goody-bag of sorbets featured blood orange, pear, and pomegranate.

Quality: Exquisite. It's a bit pricey, but I think it's the kind of place you'd want to go with your parents when they visit. For the herbivore's money, I haven't been anywhere better in the Square.

Bottom line: The menu did not scream vegetarian, but the chefs came out and talked us through how they were going to personalize it for us. It was a great touch and won me over. The waiters also listen to what you want and are your advocates in the kitchen. If you say "no egg" they'll make a beeline for the kitchen and make sure your food has no egg.

http://www.upstairsonthesquare.com/

Harvest

Location: Cambridge, MA

The thing about fine dining is that you leave the restaurant comfortable. That cuts both ways for me. Within an hour of the meal, my girlfriend asked me, "did you eat something yet?"

Harvest has been home to New England's most celebrated chefs. Think Lydia Shire, Chris Schlesinger, Barbara Lynch, Frank McClelland, Sara Moulton, Bob Kinkead and Scott Bryan. Now the kitchen belongs to Chef Mary Dumont and she put together a great meal. The food told the story of the seasons and was New England with French inspiration: a veritable mix of the Seine and Charles. I think that's supposed to sound appetizing?

Ambience: Tucked along a cobblestone pathway, the restaurant decor delivers on what its name promises and provides understated elegance. We were seated facing an outdoor patio with a fire burning.


Source: Architecture Boston

Variety: We had a set meal for Restaurant Week ($38) that featured three courses. There were two vegetarian starter options, and one entree option. I was pretty happy with each course, though I would have liked to choose between entrees rather than giving the nod to the only one I could eat.

Organic Mixed Greens: Great Hill Blue Cheese Terrine, Walnuts & Cider Gastrique


Wild Mushroom Tart: Quinoa, Parsnips, Spring Onions & Herb Salad


Lime Gingersnap Parfait: Lemon Ginger Sauce & Raspberries


Quality: The idea of the restaurant was to celebrate New England ingredients and styles. Harvest made farm-to-fork New England cool before most other restaurants caught-on. And I found innovation in each course. The problem was that I just couldn't connect to the food. And that's usually not a problem for me. I usually connect a little too much with my food. Not sure what was missing. It was a great meal, but forgettable.

Bottom line: Give it a shot. People that know much more about food than I do love this place. I personally think there are better options at this price-point for vegetarians.

http://www.harvestcambridge.com/

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/

Olé

Location: Cambridge, MA

My boyfriend took a big group to Olé Mexican Grill in Inman Square for his recent birthday, and although I'd been before, I figured it was never too late to share my impressions here.

Ambience: The decor is festive while keeping it classy, perfect for a low-pressure date or a party venue that signals you aren't hoping to end the night with a friend puking on your shoes.

Variety: Decent, and actually improved since my prior visits (and the latest update of their online menu, as of today.) We don't get a separate section on the menu, but the small plates section is the place to be, with one great vegetarian option after another, from the huitlacoche crepes and queso fundido to my own choices, the transcendent Mexican street corn and enchilada suizas. For entrees, we can basically choose from two: the chilaquiles ("Mexican lasagna") and chiles rellenos with a vegetarian option. Fortunately, both are so excellent that I don't really find myself wishing for others.

Quality: Great, which is really saying something for Mexican up here in the frozen North. Being from Texas, my boyfriend and I tend to groan when a friend suggests Border Cafe, the deeply inauthentic "Tex Mex" place with inexplicable popularity around here. Olé is more Interior Mexican than the food we miss from back home, but it's so much closer - and its margaritas taste enough like actual tequila! - that I really consider it a can't-miss.

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/

Oleana

Location: Cambridge, MA

Went to Oleana for Valentine's Day and it was culinary poetry.

Ambience: we were seated near a window overlooking a patio covered in snow. I think the nicest thing I can say is that I forgot I was in a restaurant.

Quality: This is easily the best restaurant in Boston. The service was fantastic, and the food was refined. I felt a joy that I haven't felt in a long time between courses because I was excited for what was up next.

Variety: We ordered the vegetarian tasting menu (five meze and a dessert, $40), and Sortun did an unbelievable job selecting each course. Each bite was balanced and spiced to perfection. The falafel melted in my mouth and was unlike anything I've ever tasted. And the dessert? Nougat Glacé with Warm Pear & Pistachio Tarte Tatin. It was ecstasy in a bite.



Bottom line: I'm nostalgic for the meal and it has barely been 24 hours.

http://www.oleanarestaurant.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/