Thai Hut

If you live in Somerville or any of the surrounding areas, it’s likely you’ve traversed the stretch of Beacon Street that runs between Porter Square and Inman Square, either by foot, bus, or car. The stretch is actually part Somerville and part Cambridge and is dotted with several food establishments.  On the Northern end, close to Porter Square, there is Petsi Pies, Cafe Rustica, RF O’Sullivan’s, Mixtura, Zoe’s Chinese (which didn’t satisfy the one time I tried it) and Pho ‘n Rice. Halfway down is what some refer to as Dali Square, at the intersection of Beacon and Washington Streets. There you’ll find Dali, Bergamot, and The Biscuit, as well as The Wine and Cheese Cask.

Thai iced tea

Just beyond that intersection is a small restaurant called Thai Hut that caught my eye every time I passed it. Something about its humble exterior and name, combined with the fact that I’m always game to try a new Thai restaurant.  We started off with our usual appetizer/beverage, a Thai iced tea. It was as good as any other we’ve had. I haven’t noticed much variation in Thai iced teas, with the exception of the over the top rich one we had at S & I Thai.

Desserts at Sibling Rivalry

As spectacular as the nectarine sorbet at Coppa was, we definitely needed a solid dessert course to round out the night. Anita and Alex are big fans of the bar at Sibling Rivalry, so we headed one block north of Coppa for drinks and dessert. The horseshoe-shaped bar is accommodating for groups of people and occupies its own distinct space apart from the main restaurant. Full-sized windows curve around mirroring the shape of the bar and provide views out onto Tremont Street.

Banana Coconut Tart chocolate ripple ice cream, espresso chocolate sauce and butter toffee. This was my favorite of the bunch. The soft tart shell held a warm, rich banana filling, topped with a creme anglais and toasted coconut. The tart and creme anglais stood well enough on its own, but the straciatella ice cream was a lovely pairing with both the warm banana and the coconut flavor. 

Coppa

Photo by Alex

In the weeks leading up to my move, I had a list of places that I wanted to visit before I left. I ended up barely making a dent in the list, but I did cross off one restaurant that was very high on the list. Three good friends and I headed to Coppa one evening and had an outstanding meal. Coppa, headed up by chefs Jamie Bissonette and Ken Oringer, is known for its nose-to-tail offerings, and more than one person raised an eyebrow when I told them that Coppa was at the top of my list. What you don’t hear as much about are Coppa’s vegetarian dishes. I hadn’t heard much about them myself, but I’d seen photos online of various dishes and had read many an enticing description on the menu.

The restaurant is on the smaller side but has a unique triangle shape that makes the space feel quite open. The restaurant is located on a quiet corner in the South End and during the day, natural light comes in through the front windows and illuminates the bar and exposed brick interior.

Bye Boston

Charles Square Farmers’ Market

I have no review for you today. Instead, this will be a farewell post. Many of you know this, but in a few short weeks, I am moving to New York. I have called Boston home for three and a half years and leaving is bittersweet, to say the least. People have asked if I will continue to blog after I move and the answer is a resounding yes.

Cupcakory

I created this blog one day a little over two years ago as a platform for doing something I love: sharing my favorite places to go and things to eat. I did not foresee it becoming an avenue by which I would become involved in the Boston food community (In fact, were it not for the blog, I might never have started managing farmers’ markets). 

West Bridge

In the month and a half since West Bridge, Kendall Square’s newest eatery, has been open, I have had the pleasure of dining there on two different occasions. West Bridge does New England cooking with a strong French influence. It offers many a carnivorous treat, and, to my delight, does some superb work with vegetarian dishes as well. took just one visit and I was smitten.

The space is modern but with some homier touches here and there. There are floor to ceiling windows on two sides, flooding the space with ample natural light. My favorite element of the space is the open shelves holding glasses and bottles that separates the bar from the main dining area. The shelves and bottles become a makeshift glass wall, creating a divide but allowing light to pass through.

When Pigs Fly Pizzeria

When I first heard that the Maine-based bread company When Pigs Fly opened When Pigs Fly Pizzeria, I was intrigued. I was even more intrigued after reading Serious Eats’s highly favorable review. The pizzeria is located next door to the company store in Kittery, Maine. So on our way back from Portland, we stopped there for dinner. The restaurant’s decor is modern/industrial, with an open kitchen and exposed air shafts. An enclosed patio offers a quieter alternative to the bustling dining room. 

When Pigs Fly bread is fun. It’s not great bread, but it’s fun bread. They churn out varieties like Mango, Pineapple, Raisin with Toasted Sesame and Ginger and Maple Walnut Banana. I was definitely curious to see how what I knew of their bread would translate to pizza.

Schulte & Herr, The Holy Donut, Red’s Dairy Freeze, Willard Scoops and Two Fat Cats Bakery

Portland, Maine is one of my favorite places in the U.S., and for the past few years I’ve been fortunate to make it up there once a year in the spring or summer. Each visit is a combination of visits to old standbys plus some new places. We headed up there for the day last week and it was a refreshing fifteen degrees cooler than Boston. We arrived a little before lunchtime and our first stop, as has become customary, was Tony’s Donuts for a little pre-lunch appetizer. Two molasses-glazed and a cinnamon-sugar donut, and some greetings from the always friendly staff and clientele, and we were off to lunch.

I came to Portland armed with a list of places to try that I’d researched. One was   Schulte & Herr, which I’d discovered thanks to this blog. German restaurants, are not typically the most vegetarian-friendly. This one however, had several options. Schulte & Herr is located a few blocks outside of downtown, on a very un-commercial street. This is why it pays to research ahead of time, because I would not have ventured down this street otherwise. The restaurant’s interior is homey, it quite literally looked like the kitchen in my grandparents’ old house, complete with landscape paintings and the same wooden chairs. Our server was sweet as could be and was very helpful in adding a few more new-to-me places to my list. She brought over a basket with three different housemade rye breads served with liptauer, a German spread of cream cheese, paprika, cornichons, capers, caraway seeds, sprinkled with chopped chives. I could not get enough of this spread-tangy, creamy, and whipped til light, I loved it most on the dark, chewy sourdough rye.