3 Restaurants, 1- 2cents

[pstripe.livejournal.com]

1) Guru- this is Indian food. I believe it's take out and maybe a catering company. My boyfriend often comes home with take-out, which is pretty good and very cheap. $6 for two entree sections, rice, Indian bread and a sauce. Worth a 6pm stop-by, in my opinion. Only thing is there's a lot of packaging, most of which can and should be re-used or recycled. It's in Teele Sq. across the street, diagonally from Teele Square Auto and on the right, before you reach Foodmaster. Good stuff. Yay!

2 cents) With all the talk about buritos and what kind of food people want in the area, I wanted to let you all know that what this area needs is a Vietnamese restaurant!! Yes, that would complete this "Paris of the U.S." for me. A heaping bowl of Pho with tofu, curry and veggies on a freezing February morning or a sweltering July evening would be the make my world go round a little more lovely-ee.

3) China Jade- Ball Square. They've recently done some renovations and the place looks much nicer than it used to. It's next to, near to True Grounds. I talked to the owners and they said they are hoping to get a beer/wine license and continue on with more improvements so as to entice a eat-in crowd, as most of their business is take-out. Pending a landlord, lease renewal issue. It seems like their place might just turn into a "place to go" or something!

I wanted to say that their food, whether you take it home or eat it there, is quite good and inexpensive, too! It's seemingly fresh, not greasy or too heavy, and they give you tons of it! I would highly recommend this hidden gem. I'm vegetarian and I enjoy the Pad Thai with veggies. It's got more veggies that what I would expect and, like I said, it's big. Lasts me 1 to 3 meals. Hooray! Next, I convince them to add 2-3 legit vegetarian things  to their extensive menu and, I know, the  non-meat-eaters will  follow. Go there- meat or no meat! Good.

4) Okay. Here it is. La Spina. I saw the Somerville cable access spot which showcased Valentine's day restaurant spots. I only caught the La Spina and Gargoyles spots, but knew immediately that I had to check out La Spina. So I did. If there ever was a hidden gem, well, here it is. How many of you have said to yourself, there's nowhere in this "Paris of the U.S." to go for a drink on busy Friday/Saturday night!! Wanh... I know I have. Yes, there are lots of great offerings in the squares, but they tend to be overrun with other people desiring a similar activity on a weekend night. BUT... La Spina is good. Yes, I say, go there. It's big. Not only is the dining room big, but the shiny horseshoe shaped bar is big and has so many seats.

I went there last night and sat happily at a corner seat, had a decent margharitta and 2 desserts. One was free, b/c the owner/Chef and generous and kind and wanted to give something away-- so my man-friend and I benefited. Yum and yum. We didn't get any food, (other than desserts) just wanted a pleasant- chill place for a cocktail and some audible conversation. And that is certainly what we got.

The couple across from me were eating and their food looked great. I was tempted to ask for a bite, b/c they seemed to have more than they could eat- the portions are big there, too! BUT, when we sat down there was a big basket of home-made potato chips in front of us to eat. Um... that was too good to be true. You should go there, and bring as many friends as you like. They'll treat you well there and you'll be able to find seats, for sure.

Comments

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the tip on the Indian Place, that seems very cheap, almost so cheap I'd be suspect.

Regarding China Jade, do you mean Golden Jade?

I order from Golden Jade in ballsquare.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

pstripe's phrase "two entree sections" isn't as clear as it might be. Guru's special each day consists of small servings of two entrees, plus rice, bread, etc. It can work for them economically because they only have three or four entrees on any given day, and because all they are is a kitchen with a tiny little storefront. If you're okay with limited choices, it's the best Indian food in Somerville.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I think it's called Le's now -- the place formerly known as Pho Pasteur in the Garage in Harvard -- they will serve you a big tasty bowl of pho.

[wellstar.livejournal.com]

There's also a Vietnamese place in Medford Square, accessible from Davis on either the 94 or 96 bus. (Pho Yan (http://www.phoyan.com/) on Salem Street)

And while I'm talking about Medford Square dining, Tom Yum Koong (http://tomyumkoong.net/) (Thai food on Forest Street) has recently expanded from take-out only to a real sit-down restaurant. Worth a visit or few, definitely--the owner is really nice and the food is both tasty and reasonably priced. I was sad to see 13 Forest Gallery (http://www.pigmentiagallery.com/) go when TYK expanded, but it's reopening in East Arlington at the end of the month.

All right, back to your regularly scheduled burritos now.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

You are quite correct. And although geographically speaking Harvard Square is a ways off from Davis, in reality it's about five minutes on the Red Line, so it's not exactly a lengthy excursion. I should know since I do it every day. (btw, if you try to go to Le's for lunch on a weekday, call ahead or expect a long wait.)

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

I'll take falafel over Vietnamese.

Nothing against Vietnamese, I'll take that too. But I want Falafel on Demand.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

Oh, falafel! That would be a great addition to the Square. But so would Vietnamese. I settle for the fresh roles at Cafe Zing in Porter Square Books. And by settle, I don't mean settle for mediocrity because they are GREAT, just settle for a lack of variety.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Please please please go and convince Sepal to move out of MIT and into Davis Square! I would love you long time!

They used to be in Watertown, and when I worked nearby I would get the best falafel sandwich EVER.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

Sepal is hands-down the best middle-eastern food in the Boston area. The problem with their old Watertown location was that the only reason to be in that neighborhood, if you didn't happen to be there, was to go to Sepal. I spoke with the owner about it once; when he signed the lease, there was supposed to be an office park going in across the street. Which never happened. I suspect that by the time he moved out, he'd lost a significant amount of money, and he may not yet be in a position to move out of the MIT student center. But I too would sure love to see him move here.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

I always thought the Watertown location was so odd. Interesting to hear the story. I hope he is doing well at MIT...I can't imagine him doing poorly anywhere!

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Hands-down? I'd have to give Rami's the #1 spot, but Sepal was my favorite for their style, which I loved. I was very sad when their location on Broadway in Arlington closed so quickly, since it was a pain to get over to Watertown. (Not that Coolidge Corner is so convenient, either, of course.)

But I'd love for Sepal to come around nearby, and there are certainly some available spots in the Davis area, anyway.

(Also, yay for Guru love! Pushp rocks. :)

Sepal

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

Sepal started out back in about 1993 in Teele Square. I ate through many a hangover there while in college. It was awesome!

[syntheticnature.livejournal.com]

Cafe Barada, corner of Mass. Ave. and Dover St., a short walk from Davis Sq.

[nalz.livejournal.com]

Have you tried the falafel from the soundbites bbq & pizza place? I have no idea if it's any good, I just run into lots of folks who don't even know about it.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

The falafel at Sound Bites (not the BBQ, but it's probably the same as at the BBQ) is great. The falafel roll-up is a bargain at only $3.99. It's almost the same as the falafel plate, which is $6.99.

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

It's been uneven in my experience. The first time I had it, it was outstanding. The second time, it was kinda dry.

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

you really oughta make a yelp.com account and add these reviews to the site.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Cut, please.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Golden Jade is yummy, especially for those of us who grew up on old school Chinese-American takeout. We got it delivered for our Valentines Day dinner. :-)

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

hmm, have you ever been to Paris? Not really close.

This is probably a pain to people living in Davis, but a new middle eastern place is opening on Mass Ave between porter & harvard. It looks like it'll be a nice place with some seating and reasonably cheap (though that's a guess at this point).

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

hmm, have you ever been to Paris? Not really close.

Tell that to the media. They've been dubbing Davis as "Parisian" for over a decade. Thanks, Utne Reader.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Because Davis is loaded with outdoor cafes, restaurants with patio seating, authentic creperies, street performers, historic buildings and monuments, etc. etc. etc.

Um, and paris is loaded with drab buildings?

Exactly the same!

(Don't get me wrong, I love davis and would prefer to live there over most parisian hoods, but seriously...)

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

I know, it's kind of hilarious. I think it was originally supposed to be referring to Davis' burgeoning arts community, but it has gotten waaaay out of hand. If you google "Davis Square Paris" you'll get dozens of quotes comparing the two.

I moved to Davis just before the Utne Reader dubbed it the "Paris of the 90's" and I thought, "What the hell?!?" followed quickly by, "Crap. How much longer will I be able afford living here?"

[ron_newman]

I'm not sure anymore who gave us that name, but it wasn't the Utne Reader. Here's the relevant page from the Utne article, published back in 1997. It ranked Davis Square 14th on a "list of the 15 hippest neighborhoods in the U.S. and Canada". The exact text:

14. Davis Square
(Boston)

Out in Somerville, a blue-collar suburb of Boston awash in artistic energy spillover from Cambridge, something is happening. Two of the 20 promising young fiction writers lauded in a special issue of Granta last year hail from humble Somerville, and a lively cultural milieu has popped up around the subway stop at Davis Square. With its solid bookstores, Irish pubs, the best blues joint in town, and adventuresome programming at the Somerville Theater, it's an alternative to franchise-filled Harvard Square.

[syntheticnature.livejournal.com]

I remember reading that when it came out and thinking "what bookstores, Buck-a-Book?"

[ron_newman]

Yeah, me too. McIntyre & Moore didn't arrive until the following year. The square's earlier bookstores, Zembla Books and Boston Book & Record Warehouse, had left years earlier.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

Huh. I'll be darned. All this time I thought it was the Utne! Maybe because I was a rabid Utne reader (ha!) at the time?

So...now I'm dying to know who started it! :)

[righteousness-1.livejournal.com]

Coldwell Banker.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha!!

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking Dean Wallace of Editorial Humor was the first to draw the Davis/Paris comparison.

Foods

[pstripe.livejournal.com]

I heard this thing on NPR the other day about how Davis is like the Paris of the US or something. It was and awesome conversation. Our beloved Mayor C was on there... Yes, I've been to Paris. I was worried I was going to run into my ex-boyfriend the whole time. But managed to have an alright time. Though there were rubber sheets on the bed at the hotel...

Burrrito.

I like Le's. It's okay, but prefer- Pho Pasteur in China Town if I'm gonna venture out of the comforts of Davis. The place on route 16 is just okay- in Everett. It's kind of dingy, which usually doesn't phase me. But the sort of so so food and grime turn me off. Though they have some neat veggie option.

Yes, and I apologize for the mis-name. It's Golden Jade. Why am I always calling it the other name...? Pardon.

How come no one mentioned LA SPINA??

Re: Foods

[fefie.livejournal.com]

"I heard this thing on NPR the other day about how Davis is like the Paris of the US or something."

Again? Still? It's been 10 yrs since the Utne Reader published its accolades about Davis Sq. That was many burritos ago.

La Spina - I'd be curious to hear about its food. What with Antonia's eventually packing up (sob) I'll need a new place nearby to satisfy a fix for Italian food.

Re: Foods

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

The food at Antonia's is much much better. La Spina is also overly meat-centric, or it seemed so the one time I went. It's a bit pricy and has this sort of douchebag quality to it, but overall it is OK. I probably wouldn't choose to go there, but wouldn't object too much if friends asked to meet there

(my meat-eating friends loved it though)

Re: Foods

[davelew.livejournal.com]

If you're looking for a post-Antonias Italian fix, Sagra has spectacular Italian food.

As for La Spina, the one meal I had there was bad enough that I've never been back. Does anyone know if La Spina has fixed the spelling of "Neapolitan" on their sign yet?

Re: Foods

[mrboboto.livejournal.com]

Word is that Sagra is having trouble and their chef recently quit, so the food probably isnt' as good as it was.

Re: Foods

[davelew.livejournal.com]

That's funny, I thought the owner (Rob deSimone) was also the chef.

Re: Foods

[mrboboto.livejournal.com]

more info (all from the rumor mill)

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/488413

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I love La Spina.