Bostonist

Cheap Eats: Daily Grill

Pam — 2009-11-11T11:15:00-05:00

A restaurant called Daily Grill sounds nothing if a little generic. Luckily, their food is anything but. While the Daily Grill is a popular chain on the West Coast, it's rather new to the East, and the Daily Grill in the Prudential Center is their only New England outpost.

The best deal at the Daily Grill is their Social Hour menu, offered weekdays 4-7pm, Saturday 12-5pm, and all day Sunday. The page-long menu features small plates for only $2.95 (a hot dog, hummus plate, beef sliders, meatloaf sliders, a chicken quesadilla, fried calamari, and mac and cheese) and $3.95 (spinach artichoke dip, crab cake sliders, tuna sashimi, and chicken pot pie). Order a drink and you get your first plate free. Bostonist enjoyed the calamari, some of the most tender we've had, and the sliders, which could be paired with another dish to make a full meal. The chicken pot pie, though, was the real standout, and probably the best deal. For only $4, you get a big bowl heaped with chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and mushrooms in a cream sauce and topped with flaky puff pastry, a perfect antidote for the cold days that are sure to come.

If you're willing to spend a little more money but still want a good deal, try the Daily Grill's Supper Menu. For $28, you get a choice of any salad on the menu, one of five main courses (such as filet mignon with a bleu cheese crust, ala cart at $25), and your choice of a dessert or a glass of wine. That's basically three courses for the price of one - not a bad deal in our books.

Daily Grill is located at 111 Huntington Avenue, at street level below the Prudential mall. They are open Monday-Thursday, 11:30am-10pm, Friday and Saturday, 11am-11pm, and Sunday 11am-10pm.

For more local food writing from Pam Aghababian, check out Cave Cibum.

Bostonist Was There: StarChefs.com Gala Tasting at The State Room 11/3/2009

Tom Lewis — 2009-11-06T17:00:51-05:00

StarChefs.com Gala Tasting at The State Room from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.

Excellent food and drink were had at StarChefs.com Boston Rising Stars Review 2009 held at the State Room downtown on Tuesday night, November 3rd. Local chefs and mixology talent showed their skills in an incredibly glamorous setting 33 floors up.

The Northern Lights Cocktail by Craigie on Main made with Highland Park Single Malt Scotch

One of the best things of the evening was the following cocktail made with Highland Park Single Malt Scotch:

Northern Lights

1 ½ oz. Highland Park 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
¾ oz. St Germain
½ oz. Lemon Juice
¼ oz. Douglas Fir
¼ oz. Orange Juice
¼ oz. Demerera Syrup
2 Dashes Tiki Bitters

Mount in a mixing glass, add ice and shake. Strain into a specialty glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

The tasted the wares of:

- Host Chef Jodi Bernhard from Longwood Events at The State Room
- Chef Mike Pagliarini from Via Matta
- Pastry Chef Jiho Kim from L'Espalier
- Chef Maura Kilpatrick from Sofra
- Mixologist Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli from Craigie on Main
- Martin Daraz Brand Ambassador of Highland Park Scotch

To see the full lineup check out StarChefs.com

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This Week In Booze: If You Build It

C. Fernsebner — 2009-11-06T13:30:27-05:00

islordhoopen.com

Is Lord Hobo open yet? How about now? Now? Reload. Reload. [islordhoboopen.com]

When life gives you beer cartons, make beer carton libraries. [Book Patrol]
Liquor licensing in Massachusetts is a dark art. [Drinkboston]

Cocktail prodigy Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli is leaving Craigie On Main at the end of the year. [Grub Street]
Do you love champagne? Or booze made by secretive, silent French monks? [Chartreuse & Pol Roger—PDF]

MC Slim JB unleashes his well-informed wrath upon ten reprehensible trends in dining, including exorbitant wine prices at certain Boston restaurants. [MC Slim JB]

Judge not, lest ye be judged by your beer preferences. [Bostonist]

Stuff to Eat in the Suburbs: Watertown—Stellina Restaurant

Ann Woody — 2009-11-06T11:30:12-05:00

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Have you ever needed that perfectly in-between place to dine in Watertown? Somewhere nice, but not too expensive. Somewhere you can dress up if you want, but without high fashion expectations. Somewhere tasty, but not overwhelmingly gourmet. If so, we've found that Stellina is a slam-dunk for all of these criteria.

Located in Watertown Square, Stellina is fairly easy to get to from Watertown, Waltham, or Newton. One of the best things about Stellina is the fantastic patio hidden behind the restaurant (and hidden from the huge parking lot right next to it. This romantic and fun little area boasts a beautiful fountain, flowers, and even grape vines, complete with real grapes. Unfortunately, we’re past prime outside time, but maybe if you familiarize yourself with the staff this fall and winter you can get good seats come spring.

Stellina’s boasts a basically Italian menu with an overall Mediterranean flair. On our most recent visit, we started with a pumpkin soup featuring chipotle as the special ingredient. When we first read the soup description on the menu, it didn't quite reel us in. However, as our waitress was bringing us our butternut squash ravioli, she informed us that an extra soup had accidentally been plated, and offered it to us. We never turn down free food, and fortunately it turned out that the soup was really quite good. The chipotle gave the dish an unexpected yet welcome kick, and the base of the soup was rich and hearty without losing any pumpkin flavor or tasting too sweet. It's those little things, like having our waitress offer us the extra soup, that stand out at Stellina. (Not to mention we have a new favorite spice for pumpkin soup.)

The butternut squash ravioli with fried sage leaves and brown butter was absolutely fantastic. The pasta was fresh and supple and the filling was a successful balance of squash, sugar, sage, and ricotta. The salty, smooth butter was accented perfectly by the slightly crunchy burst of flavor offered by the sage leaves. Odd as it may sound, this Bostonist will definitely be dreaming about this ravioli for months to come.

Tasty starters aside, the entrées are where Stellina can sometimes go awry. This Bostonist has had everything from acceptable pasta to fantastic swordfish at this little restaurant. While their pastas are generally decent, Stellina truly shines when preparing meat or fish. On this visit, we tried the steak with sautéed mushrooms and shallots, featuring spinach and polenta fries. Tender and cooked precisely as asked for, medium to medium rare, the perfectly salty steak was nicely accompanied by almost-caramelized shallots that prompted everyone at the table to have a taste. The shallots' role in the sauce lent a fantastically rich and slightly sweet addition to every polenta fry. Crunchy on the outside with soft, slightly creamy polenta on the inside, these polenta fries were almost worth the trip on their own.

We finished the evening with a lovely Tiramisu. Though Tiramisu is sometimes better in concept than execution, nothing in this light and flavorful dessert was overpowering. The lady fingers had been soaked just long enough, the cream was fresh, and the chocolate was of the finest quality. It was a wonderful way to end a fine evening.

In addition to these delicious dishes, Stellina offers an extensive wine list and surprisingly strong cocktails. You can check out Stellina’s menu (including the wine list) on the restaurant's website, though keep in mind that the many seasonal and daily specials won’t be listed online. Of note about Stellina is that they take reservations; a wonderful convention that more Boston area restaurants should consider adopting. The next time you're looking for a fun but not too fancy night out in the Watertown area, give Stellina a try.

Drinking in Boston: What Beer Are You?

Llalan — 2009-11-05T14:00:00-05:00

Ever been afraid that you’re being judged by what kind of beer you’re drinking? Ever judge others based on what they’re drinking? Of course you have. Well now one market research company, Mindset Media, thinks they have cracked the code on beer drinkers’ personalities.

An article in Ad Age earlier this week shared some of the company’s thought provoking, or perhaps just provoking, findings. More interesting than the article itself was the long string of comments following it: message after message filled with indignation, disgust, and bile. Everyone had been wrongly categorized.

Here are some examples of why the beer drinking masses were up in arms. While Budweiser drinkers are sensible, their Bud Light-drinking compatriots are “lacking in carefulness.” Also, Budweiser drinkers are 42% more likely than the average Joe to regularly use breath freshening strips. (?) Michelob Ultra drinkers are often conceited; Heineken drinkers, posers. And since Blue Moon drinkers are “quite willing to go against convention,” they naturally “can also be sarcastic and snide in order to get a point across.” Well, some of this is starting to sound familiar…

One matter that really got the readers’ goat was that all craft beers were lumped together as one category. However, the researchers had some flattering findings…if you consider it complimentary that craft drinkers are “more likely to spend time thinking about beer rather than work.”

More controversy after the jump

Photo courtesy dubstyle on Flickr using Creative Commons License

Some of these fantastical stats were debated humorously by the readers. “My stats prof always told me, ‘There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.’” We suppose if you are an abstainer and disagree with the fact that you “don’t like to loosen up very much,” you could be a little miffed. Another reader mocked the entire study: “This is the best self-help I've ever found. I can change to whom I want to be like, just by drinking a different beer!”

What do we think about this? When taken with a grain of salt, the study is just pretty amusing. On the other hand, if the broad strokes of the study’s generalizations don’t fit your own self-image, you’re bound to feel wronged. It was, after all, just a marketing research venture though, meant to find the average in a wide-reaching study. John Durant, Mindset Media’s Director-Research, reminds the readers that “the study we ran does not say all individuals in a group are the same.” What do our individual readers out there feel about such a study?

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Lord Hobo's Menu Unleashed

Rick Sawyer — 2009-11-02T14:56:10-05:00

It's gotten boring waiting for Lord Hobo to open. The restaurant, which will eventually occupy the deathbed of the B-Side Lounge, has been threatening to open since last January, which has given its owners plenty of time to think of a less retarded name. ("Peasant Bourgeoisie"?) At any rate, its menu is finally live, complete with nearly two dozen irritating ellipses. The good news? 30 freaking beers. (Via Grub Street Boston)

The Angostura Bitters Apocalypse: Nigh, But Temporary

C. Fernsebner — 2009-10-30T13:30:00-05:00

Photograph by Flickr user Annie Mole.

Angostura bitters—that small but seemingly bottomless bottle that's been in your fridge door forever, wrapped in an oversized muumuu of a label—have been unexpectedly scarce at bars in recent months. Craigie On Main has reassured its customers via tweet that they've got a stockpile to outlast the Angostura apocalypse.

Bostonist has heard all sorts of things blamed for the shortage of this cocktail staple: bottling mishaps, distribution issues, politics, and, shaking a fist in the direction of Brooklyn, the recent fad of formulating beverages that contain whole ounces of bitters per serving. Turns out that the bitters have been out of production for nearly a year due to the ubiquitous financial crisis, which has devastated Trinidad & Tobago's CL Financial, Angostura's parent company. They're restructuring, and Patrick Sepe, CEO of Angostura USA, has told Bostonist, via email, that there were also glass and ingredient shortages, but "As of October 9th Angostura [has] moved back into production and will be at full capacity by the end of November."

"There are scheduled shipments that will hit the entire north east beginning next week and continued through November," said Sepe, when asked about Massachusetts' supply. "So hopefully it will make its way to our very important mixologist friends and household consumers within the next 12-15 days."

Until the famine ends, Bostonist hopes that more bar patrons are discovering the joys of Fee's and Bittermen's, available to home mixologists at Liquor World, The Boston Shaker, and other fine retailers.

This Week In Booze: Starlit

C. Fernsebner — 2009-10-30T11:30:00-05:00

Booze of various heights at Trina's Starlite Lounge in Somerville. (Baby-sized High Life ponies come by the bucket.)

The Archdiocese of Boston urges Catholics to hold off on the consecrated wine, lest they catch transubstantiated swine flu. [Globe]

Is there any point in making cocktails with single malt Scotch? No? (Did anybody ask at Drink? Their dishwasher seems to have an Ardbeg-rinse cycle.) [Stuff]

Encounters With Whisky At The End Of The World. [Globalpost]

Grand is the place to be on Saturday afternoon. Jill DeGroff will be signing her book of bartender portraits, and her husband—some guy named Dale—has a book, too. LUPEC will be there, too, with Halloween Punch. Costumes are encouraged. [Grand]

Cambridge Brewing Company is the place to be on Saturday night. The Great Pumpkin Festival goes until midnight, and there will be no fewer than twenty pumpkin beers. [CBC]

The Lord Hobo: are we there yet? [BeerAdvocate]

Trina's Starlite Lounge: we are there, a lot. Try the Gentleman cocktail, and the cornbread. [TV Diner]

See you at the Fernet party. [Drinkboston]

Drinking in Boston: Beer Epiphanies

Llalan — 2009-10-29T14:00:00-05:00

When was your first time? And where? We all have a story. When was the first time you sipped a beer, held the glass up to the light reverentially, and said, “I kind of like this stuff”? Drinking in Boston’s survey of beer lovers last week also included this question: What changed your beer-drinking life? And then, what beer are you drinking now?

For several of the surveyed, the change from decent beer to amazing beer was something of an epiphany. This Bostonist, for example, had a bottle of Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde in Canada and never looked back. Another beer lover announced Cambridge Brewing Company’s Charles River Porter as his life-changing beer, and continues to stick with it: “I’ve never enjoyed a better American porter than the CBC’s, ever.” Favorite beer now? Baby Tree from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. “If my fridge was full of that beer and nothing else until March that would be fine by me.”

There were a number of people who had epiphanies when they simply stepped out of their beer comfort (or discomfort) zone. After a college career of choking down Natty Ice at parties, one beer drinker experienced a Blue Moon. “After dubiously inserting large slices [of orange] into my bottle, I drank it, and for the first time in my life, I thought, ‘this beer tastes good!’” Now his palate can handle “Anything being served in a beer hall in Munich.”

More epiphanies after the jump!

Photo courtesy charlietphoto on Flickr using Creative Commons License.

For others the change from not thinking about beer to loving the good stuff was more of an experience than a sudden realization. Again, college life ruins some people on beer, but not for life! One surveyed eased into the beer-drinking life with Bud Light, and “it wasn’t really until I moved to Boston and started going to places like The Publick House and Sunset Grill and Tap, where I was forced to think about what kind of beers I liked.” Nowadays she enjoys Lagunitas IPA and Rogue Chocolate Stout.

Lastly, the backwards transformation. At one point in their young lives, a group of men tried Alpha King, a pale ale from Three Floyds Brewing Company. They spat it out in disgust. Five years later, trying the beer for posterity and no doubt in a test of masculinity of some sort, they downed the Alpha King again. And this time it was good: “hoppy, citrusy, delicious. The King had conquered.” Over the years their palates had changed. “The beer didn’t change our lives. Our lives changed the beer.” Stone Levitation Ale is the preferred beer of choice for this beer lover who can no longer access The King.

The road to your own favorite beer may not be paved in Dortmunder Gold, and it may have a dubious start in Natty Ice kegs, but everyone finds their way.

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Cheap Eats: Kupel's Bakery

Pam — 2009-10-28T11:02:39-05:00

There are plenty of places around to grab a bagel sandwich, but you're often limited in choices or end up paying more than you'd like. At Kupel's (pronounced "couples") just outside Coolidge Corner, though, you have a whole slew of options and get a tasty sandwich for just a couple of bucks.

Kupel's bagels are baked fresh daily in a wide range of flavors. They're chewy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This Bostonist favors the jalapeno bagel, with just enough spice to make it interesting, but there are so many choices, you could take home a dozen with all different flavors. For the full sandwich experience, choose from a variety of spreads (like honey walnut cream cheese or hummus), fish (like white fish salad or lox) or eggs, and a variety of veggies. You can choose from a number of sandwiches, named mostly for local sports heroes, or pick your own toppings to get exactly what you want.

If you're still hungry after your bagel, pick up a pastry for dessert. The cases are filled with choices, and each type of pastry typically comes in 3 or 4 different flavors. Kupel's hamentashen are so popular, they're made year-round, with fillings like poppy seed and apricot, and they come in two different sizes. This Bostonist loves the flat tires, huge disks of puff pastry with layers of filling (like lemon or chocolate) and sprinkled with coarse sugar, because it's almost impossible to eat one in just one sitting.

Kupel's is located at 421 Harvard Street in Brookline. They are open Sunday-Thursday, 6am-8pm, Friday 6am-7pm, and are closed Saturday. They are also Kosher/Pareve.

For more local food writing from Pam Aghababian, check out Cave Cibum.

Stuff to Eat in the Suburbs: Melrose—Breads n Bits of Ireland

Ann Woody — 2009-10-23T11:30:00-05:00

A Cranberry Scone from Breads N Bits of Ireland in Melrose

Breads n Bits of Ireland (530 Main Street, Melrose) is the kind of place that can make you an addict if you’re not careful. One day, a few years ago, we were perusing the farmers’ market in Melrose when we literally stumbled into Breads n Bits (of Ireland, don't forget). It’s housed in a completely unremarkable office building where you'd never expect to find a tasty traditional cafe. But once you’ve tried the food here, you won’t be able to get it out of your mind. Breads n Bits serves everything from corned beef sandwiches to a great pot of tea, but the most remarkable thing about this little gem is the scones.

Bread n Bits scones are like nothing this Bostonist has ever had before: flaky and moist, just sweet enough, and brimming with flavor. The restaurant has a huge variety of flavors to choose from. One of the stand-outs is the chocolate orange scone, which balances both flavors successfully for a complete taste experience. The chocolate chips are small and the orange zest is plentiful, but not dominant enough to change the crumbly texture of the scone. And while this is a sweet scone, it’s not overly so.

The raspberry white chocolate scone is another favorite, with the hints of white chocolate taking the baked good from breakfast pastry to dessert status. The raspberry flavor is fresh, not artificial, and the white chocolate's smooth texture complements the crumbly scone nicely. The raspberry jam scone features a hidden, if not secret surprise: a large scoop of raspberry jam in the middle, lending the scone the perfect level of sweet, sticky goodness.

These scones are not only varied and tasty, but also also huge. One scone makes a hearty breakfast, particularly when paired with a cup of tea or coffee. You can eat the scones in the shop, of course, but our favorite thing to do is take them home and enjoy them at your leisure. They are still fantastic the next day, and even after they start to go a little stale, you can toast them for a whole new experience.

Scones aren’t the only thing on the menu at Breads n Bits of Ireland. The restaurant offers a large array of comfort foods, sandwiches, and breakfast foods at reasonable prices. The crowds at Breads n Bits tend to be older and the service can be a little slow, but the scones (and Irish Soda Bread) are definitely worth it.

Everything is baked in-house in the highly visible kitchen. Scones get baked early and are super popular, so get there early to claim your favorite flavor. Breads n Bits of Ireland is located at 530 Main St in Melrose and its number is (781) 662-5800. Its hours are 7-3 Monday through Friday, and 7-2 on Saturday. It’s closed on Sunday, so visit Saturday to stock up on scones for reading the Sunday paper.

This Bostonist is so fond of Breads n Bits of Ireland that even now, after moving over half an hour away, she will still make the drive out to Melrose just to get her hands on some of its delectable scones. Give them a try; you won’t be disappointed.

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This Week In Booze: Suffixated

C. Fernsebner — 2009-10-22T15:09:39-05:00

A tray of Scoff Laws served by LUPEC member Pinky Gonzales at last year's USO Show fundraiser.

The Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails has announced its third annual fall fundraiser. Bostonist had a swell time at the second, and this year's party is tiki themed. We'll need a lei and a mai tai in the middle of November. [LUPEC]

Delicious Four Roses bourbon is finally available outside Kentucky and Japan. Taste it with master distiller Jim Rutledge from 5 to 6 pm today at Federal Wine & Spirits, 29 State St. [Federal Wine & Sprits mailing list]

The price of beer at ballparks corresponds (sort of) to the quality of the team. [Wall Street Journal]

We were already wary of the suffix -tini, and now it's been combined with Twitter. "Not currently on the menu, the drink is only available if you ask for it by name"—which is also true of many classic drinks that are not blue. [Westin Copley Place]

The phrase "fruit wine and cider donuts" makes us want to drive out to Ipswich. [Serious Eats]

Surely someone wants to buy us a necklace that says SCOTCH on it. [Etsy]

Original-formula Schlitz returns to Dorchester today. [Grub Street]

Scotland's envelope-pushing BrewDog has released a 1.1% ABV beer called "Nanny State." [BevLog]

Oxidation is usually not encouraged in winemaking. Here's why it can be awesome. [Imbibe]

Boston's getting another bar with an ice block. It will have a "gentleman-only" club, where women will be welcome on Fridays only. [Globe, Grub Street]

Fancy people are coming to Boston to make up some fancy drink menus. [Drinkboston]

The Lord Hobo still isn't open. [Chow]

Drinking in Boston: High Life or the Good Life

Llalan — 2009-10-22T14:30:00-05:00

What is good? And who says so? How bad is bad? Drinking in Boston performed a quick survey of several beer lovers last week to see what the good beer drinker’s position was on several key beer questions. This week we’ll look at “good” beer versus “bad” beer.

Many of the surveyed beer lovers associated bad beer with mass produced, faceless major US breweries. One thought was that “if the motive is craft more than profit the result seems more likely to be decent.” This also reflects a trend in preference toward local breweries, be it Pretty Things in Boston or even Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland. The smaller, local breweries are gaining notoriety as manufacturers of quality beers. Go to Ohio and try Great Lakes’ Dortmunder Gold, and you’ll see our point.

Other answers veered more toward personal taste. For instance, having taste at all. And most importantly, just knowing it when you taste it, like if you find yourself in this situation: “If I drink it and say, ‘I’d get that again, even if it wasn’t cheap.’” That’s a damn fine beer. And then there’s always having the beer un-pasteurized and bottle conditioned…but not all surveyed were so particular. We like to think this last sentiment is mostly universal, though: so-called “’good’ beer does not advertise during the Super Bowl.”

More of the Good and the Bad after the jump!

Photo courtesy mapper-montag on Flickr using Creative Commons License

We also asked our eager drinkers to admit how often they drank beer that is often referred to as “lawnmower beer.” (You know the beers.) The overwhelming response was: more than you’d think. But why?! A few pointed to the obvious, unfortunate fact of cost. “The key word here is ‘cheap.’” Mass produced beers are often just cheaper than their craft brethren. Especially for the more in-debt of us out there, you sometimes “just gotta sacrifice taste for the wallet.” For there are those situations in which simply not drinking would draw attention, be possibly rude, and be very sad for you.

Most people pointed to these social situations. One put it eloquently when he said, “There is something to be said for beer’s egalitarian spirit and its ability to be enjoyed communally,” And it’s true. Who turns down a beer, any beer, when at a party, baseball game, or dive bar? No one. Because if anything, loving beer is not a practice in snobbery. Because really, “it just doesn’t seem right to be drinking fancy beer while standing some place that smells faintly like urine.” But more than that, we are not rude, nor elite. We love beer. And you know, “sometimes an ice cold High Life is just the thing.”

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This Week In Booze: Smackdown

C. Fernsebner — 2009-10-15T15:00:00-05:00

A frighteningly red St. Germain cocktail at Upstairs's cocktail trivia night.

Have you ever mistaken a sommelier for a pro wrestler? [LA Times]

Ron Cooper brought mezcal to Misty Kalkofen, and Misty Kalkofen brought us to mezcal. [Globe]

Free champagne this afternoon, in real glasses. [Brix]

The always-seasonal Cambridge Brewing Company has no fewer than three pumpkin beers on tap. [CBC]

A single beer can make you do 70 mph through the streets of Somerville, says a guy who is drunk. [Somerville Journal]

Sasha "Milk & Honey" Petraske is working on a hotel bar in the theater district. [Grub Street]

Bostonist has located nearby sources for Mexican, corn-free Coke to put in your Cubas Libres. [Bostonist]

The meticulous Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut(s) have been posting recipes for their favorite cocktails at GrandMa's party. Bostonist is happy to see Cali Gold's delicious Sous Le Soleil amongst them: Cynar, Luxardo, Del Maguey Minero, Grand Marnier, Pierre Ferrand, and a dash of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters. It's like a poem about everything we like. [Cocktail ~~Virgin~~ Slut]

See you at Tipple Trivia? [Globe]

P.S. Here's a syllabus. [Drinkboston]

Cheap Eats: Cafe Mami

Pam — 2009-10-14T11:00:00-05:00

Porter Exchange, located in Porter Square, is filled with Japanese food stalls and restaurants. Take your pick from noodles and rice bowls to pastries. Cafe Mami is just one of the small stalls where you can get great food for cheap.

With nothing on the menu over $9, Cafe Mami offers hearty meals that will warm you up as our days get colder. The Tokyo Hamburg and the Curry are some of the most popular dishes, and they both come with a side salad and miso soup. For real value, though, go to Cafe Mami during lunch (Monday-Friday, 11:45am-2:00pm) and take advantage of the lunch specials for only $5. The Yaki Don (above), slices of beef and onion in a spicy sauce and served over rice, is just one of the five choices (the others are curry, a milder beef, chicken and egg, and veggie and egg). The ingredients are fresh and delicious, and the meals are satisfying and will keep you full for a while. The lunches come with miso soup to warm you up.

Cafe Mami is tiny, with only 12 seats, so you'll probably be sitting with someone you don't know. If there's no room, you can always order take-out. Cafe Mami is located at 1815 Massachusetts Ave in Porter Square, and their hours are 11:45am-8:45pm. Cash only.

For more local food writing from Pam Aghababian, check out Cave Cibum.