Coffee shops
Awesome egg sandwiches, tripe-laden bowls of pho, and Lingbo in a beesuit.
This was a oozy, flaky breakfast sandwich ($3.50) from Crema Cafe, who turns out a mean breakfast sandwich (as well as zuchinni hazelnut loaf and brownie). The english muffin is homemade. I kind of regret eating it, because a Thomas english muffin will just never be the same. Maybe it is just because it’s toasted. Toasted is absolutely key.
Big bowl’o'noodles from Le’s in the Garage in Harvard Square. This was my friend’s meal, I only tasted a bit. In a very out of character move for me, I prefer my experience at Le’s to be limited to #15 on their menu: the special beef bowl of pho, complete with loveliness like tripe and tendon. Then I absolutey ANNIHILATE it with chili sauce and hoisin sauce.
The only snag in my plan was that I made my friend Ahmed taste it. He almost died. Then I thought this was hilarious, so I started laughing, which turned into a cough, which turned into FIERY SPICES UP MY NOSE.
I cried a little bit, then quietly finished the rest of my bowl, nostrils still singed. Moral of story: if you’re going to choke on something, make it mild.
See below:
glorious innards bits
And also, I made two trips down to Jamaica Plain recently for a GoodEater.org article on beekeeping. Here is a preview of me wearing a crazy beesuit:
fashion statement
I figured after all of this writing and reporting on local honey, I might as well buy some. Then I figured I would buy some bread and granola too (a girl’s gotta eat). I got some nice loot from the Allandale Farms shop, including a small jar of Mike Graney‘s honey ($4.49).
granola, EatLocalHoney.com honey, and a locally made ciabatta
Sadly, I did something incredibly typically stupid of me and tried to open the honey on the T ride back. Of course, I lost control of the jar and suddenly, I was covered in sticky stuff with nowhere to put it. After some feeble attempts to rip off the plastic seal, I wrapped it in a sheet torn from Stuff magazine and resigned myself to sticky fate. Until I hit Starbucks and washed up, anyway.
It’s good that I find my own klutziness hilarious.
A Brownie that Makes my Stony Heart Melt
Crema Cafe, 1.25 for half a brownie
another loving, chocolatey angle
There’s nothing quite like a good brownie to make the final paper blues go away. This decadent steal of a half-brownie ($1.25) subscribes to a more “cake” brownie rather than a fudgey one.
That means that each luscious little crumb is like the most densely velvety constellation of cake heaven in your mouth. It crumbles, it melts. It’s magical. I keep tearing off tiny little bits and eating the crumbs off my fingers. They must put crack cocaine in this stuff.
Some food porn from Harvard Square
$1 Oyster Mondays at Rialto in Harvard Square, best with a squeeze of lemon
I adore oysters, the aftertaste of sea, the freshness and briny goodness cut through a zingy squirt of lemon. Add some good company, and it’s a party.
A turkey/avocado sandwich from Cafe Pamplona - so so
Also posted to the lovely 3 Buck Bites awhile ago.
I thought this was funny.
Found this on the walk between Central Square and Mulan, a great Chinese restaurant I ate at recently. Apparently they make candy.
Butter in Iceland, for real.
But of course!
Cafe Pamplona
Cafe Pamplona, a charming, yellow-painted cafe in Harvard Square, is the kind of place where you read your literature coursepack with a tiny cup of coffee (try the shot of espresso, shot of condensed milk combo). Due to its small space and close tables, this is a poor place to have a serious conversation or first date if it isn’t crowded enough and every awkward revelation is made very, very clear.
The food was pretty average to mediocre cafe fare, with a few pleasant surprises like a guava and muenster grilled cheese. Stay far away from the desserts, which were not worth the calories. The fruit tart was a hard, tasteless shell filled with a pedestrian vanilla pudding and topped with so-so fruit. 3.95. I’d rather have a Frapp.
The rum cake did a little better, but was nothing to blog about. Except for the fact I already have photos, so here they are.
