Algiers is the kind of place that I often throw out as a good first date location: it has charm, a bit of old world romance, and that je ne sais quoi flavor of bohemian Cambridge before the Gap moved in. However, I always throw in a word of caution that the prices are uh, pretty inflated. You pay for ambience in the form of 5 dollar coffees and $3.50 plain bagels (!). (They might even charge extra for cream cheese.) Their food menu are dependable Middle Eastern dishes at higher than the average cafe price points – expect to drop at least $13-14 for a decent entree. For drinks, I recommend their mocha arabica – muddy, chocolatey, and comes in its own pot.
Fried eggplant salad
I have a secret love affair with eggplants, so I went for a fried eggplant salad, which seemed like it would be delicious (it was) and the word “salad” in it made me feel better about eating fried food when I should really be on a strict beauty queen diet. It came with a basket of Syrian bread, making for absolutely luscious, sensual, interactive eating: cutting up the salty, flavor-soaked eggplant, wrapping it up with feta cheese and dressed greens, and eating it one mini-wrap at a time. The waitress came right after I had mopped my platter spit-shine clean with some bread.
“You came just in time,” I told her. I might have actually licked the plate.
Find it!
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Algiers
40 Brattle St
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 492-1557
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