Our Favorite Foods from the 2015 Boston Local Food Festival
Author: The Crimson Crave
Al’s is closing.
By Adam Wong ’17
We repeat, Al’s, that beautiful little gem of a sandwich shop who has served us faithfully with fresh baked Italian loaves stuffed with high-quality meats cheeses and sometimes vegetables, is closing.
As a part of Harvard’s plan to convert the The Holyoke Center into a shiny new building to match the shiny new name, the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center, all the restaurants are being evicted into the storm that is The Square business climate.
Before you make a mad dash to Al’s to stockpile sandwiches, put away your cleats and hold up. According to Carlos, the part owner and manager of Al’s Cambridge location, the shop will still be in business until the end of the school year. Until then, Al’s will be looking hard for a new place to reopen up shop in the square. Easier said than done, finding a new lot will prove a difficult challenge to the Harvard institution.
Al’s Cafe, bless its soul, keeps cost down by depending on selling a high volume to make a profit. However, this strategy is risky; by dealing with low margins, the shop is extremely sensitive to any rise in cost, including rent. Whereas the Holyoke Center had some of the lowest rent in the square, the new Smith Center will do away with restaurant lots, and consequently, the low rent that Al’s has previously survived on. The high rent in other lots in and around the square act as a barrier to smaller restaurants that serve cheap eats for a college budget. Instead, the rent encourages the type of restaurant we see everywhere in the square: expensive American restaurant bars. In this climate, there is a good chance that Al’s will not be able to find a location in The Square that can fit its needs.
We still have hope that Al’s Cafe will have a future home in Harvard Square. The community, in love with Al’s huge, flavorful, and cheap sandwiches, are pulling hard to keep the institution around and its sandwiches in close proximity. Recognizing its popularity among its employees and students alike, Harvard had offered initial help in relocating Al’s to a different Harvard-owned lot. Yet, since the eviction notice was passed down in the beginning of this summer, no news of progress has passed down. “We haven’t heard from them in a while. Honestly, we’re worried,” said Carlos. Harvard owns much of the land along Mass Ave, and they could potentially give any one of those spots to Al’s for a manageable rent. The lots currently inhabited by Gnomon Copy and potentially even Yenching have been discussed, and for Carlos, are the best locations for the new Al’s shop.
The renovation of the old Holyoke center has sent shockwaves through the very bricks of Harvard square. The new campus center will have a permanent effect on the face of the square and the collection of restaurants that populate it. It is our sincere hope that, among that collection, Al’s will be right there chugging along, slingin’ those bad boy subs just the way we like.
Photo courtesy of the Harvard Crimson.
The Crimson Crave’s Guide to Food Festivals
By Caroline Gentile ’17
As summer draws to a close at the end of September, so too does the season of food festivals. The month of September boasts at least one food festival in Boston every weekend in an effort to make the most of the nice weather while it lasts. In fact, there are two this coming weekend: the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival will be held this Saturday, September 19th, and the 6th annual Boston Local Food Festival (our personal favorite) will be Sunday, September 20th.
While food festivals can be a great way to spend the afternoon and sample lots of great food from a variety of different vendors, there are definitely some tricks to the trade that will make your food festival experience that much more enjoyable! Here are our tips for making the most of this month’s local food events:
- Purchase your tickets ahead of the event. Not only is purchasing tickets ahead of time sometimes cheaper, but it also guarantees that you will be able to get into the festival whenever you decide to arrive without having to worry about tickets selling out.
- Show up on time, at the latest. The events can run out of food if you get there too late! Also, the crowds can get pretty big,. If you get there early, you won’t have to wait in the long line for entrance AND you’ll get first dibs on all the food you want to try.
- Bring a bag for pamphlets and free swag. Many of the vendors will have freebies, and you want to keep your hands free so that you can take as many samples of food as you can.
- Bring water. Eating all those samples can make you thirsty, and nothing is more thirst-quenching than water! Also, while some festivals will have vendors that offer beverages, don’t count it.
- Walk through the whole food festival first to see what’s out there, then get food. It’s good to have an idea of what the festival has to offer so that you can prioritize going to the vendors that have the yummiest-looking food.
- Don’t show up starving; eat something small before you go. Then, you won’t ravenously descend upon the first vendor you see, and fill up on food that may not have been your first priority. Which brings us to our last point..
- Pace yourself!! There is seemingly unlimited food at these events, but trust us, your stomach does in fact have a limit as to how much food it can hold. To ensure that you get to eat everything you want without getting too full, limit yourself to one sample from each vendor. If you’re still hungry after making your rounds, though, then definitely go back for seconds!
Behind The Scenes at Dragonfly Granola
By Basia Rosenbaum ’18
Summers always hold the possibility of the unexpected. Bucket lists, vacations to new destinations, spontaneity. My summer was filled with such unexpected activities and outings to places I’ve never been, but of a different variety.
My mom, a recent empty nester since I came to college, had an idea. She was going to turn the granola she and her mother had been making since she was a kid into a company. She was going to account for all those now trendy dietary restrictions that mark the products lining Whole Foods’ shelves—gluten-free, vegan, low glycemic. She was going to live that ‘Shark Tank’ dream and make a hit product.
And she did. Well…she’s on her way.
Last winter, Dragonfly Granola was just an idea. By the spring, she was baking in a commercial kitchen and starting to sell at a Farmers’ Market on Sundays. This summer, one shift at the commercial kitchen turned into two and that one Farmers’ Market turned into four.
In a few weeks, I will be going home for the weekend to help fulfill an order for 250 bags of Fig Hazelnut granola for one of the biggest artisanal grocery stores in New York.
The first time my mom and I went to that commercial kitchen, she dropped a tray of granola and I sliced my finger on a knife. Over the weeks, we’ve learned how to use the industrial dishwasher and operate the walk-in oven. We’ve graduated from making batches 5 times the original recipe size to making 20 times. We’ve developed new flavors (our Chocolate Espresso with Almonds is a personal favorite) and had barcodes made for the products.
This summer put my basic economics to a test as I struggled to determine wholesale vs. retail pricing, and how to account for all costs to determine profit. It taught me the New York State code for food sanitation and just what coconut sugar is.
At Farmers’ Markets I got to know Dragonfly Granola customers—the regulars and the first-time buyers. As they tried our samples and responded with smiles (or on occasion a remark of ‘that is the best granola I’ve ever had!’), I couldn’t help but be proud. And then there were remarks on the calorie count or “this is too sweet » or, quite often, “$12 for a bag of granola?! »
It is true. This is expensive granola. And if I were one of those samplers, I might have considered buying a bag of Dragonfly Granola and then decided I would get dinner out one night instead.
But when you have contributed to every bag, watching ingredients become a product, $12 seems like not much to pay. I’ve learned that buying pistachios in bulk is shockingly expensive, and getting every bag to weigh exactly 14 ounces is hard.
Owning a small business is a dream, but it’s incredibly difficult in the age of Walmart and comparable bags of granola that cost $5. The difference is that Dragonfly Granola is made by hand (literally.) Those oats from Maine were measured by me, and mixed by my mom. The labels were affixed to the bags as an excuse to watch some bad reality TV. This granola has become my mom’s second child and she treats it with as much care, love, and affection as she would a baby.
The parting gift from my mom as I left for school this fall was a bag of granola. As I use it to top my d-hall oatmeal, I can’t help but think ahead to a day when HUDS provides Dragonfly Granola. Or maybe that’s just much too wishful thinking. Instead, I imagine a day when Dragonfly Granola doesn’t come in a care package from home, but from a Cambridge Whole Foods. To a day when a factory seals the bags and the oven accommodates hundreds of trays. And being able to remember what it was like at the very beginning.
Be sure to check out dragonflygranola.com to shop online for delicious granola!
BonChon Chicken: A Decent Introduction to Korean Food
by Angela Yi ’19
As a Korean from Orange County, California, I have frequent cravings for my Korean-style chicken wings. When I heard good things about BonChon Chicken, “excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I made plans to eat dinner there with my fellow Korean friends who were also originally from Orange County, and we were all anticipating a night to finally satisfy our longing for some food from back home.
The place was pretty full when we arrived, which I took as a positive sign. The wait wasn’t unreasonable for a party of three, although the waitress couldn’t give us the approximate wait time. After about 15 minutes, we were seated, and I took in the surroundings as we were given our menus.
I could see that BonChon obviously wanted to create an “oriental” atmosphere with its red seats and overhead lamps. There was also a grill in the table for Korean barbecue – something that I’m looking forward to using soon.
About five minutes later, the waitress returned to take our orders. We had Edamame as our appetizer, and a medium-sized Half-and-Half Soy Garlic and Spicy Chicken Platter (10 pcs) as our main dish, which the waitress had recommended for our party of three. The prices were reasonable, although they weren’t on the cheap side ($5.95 for Edamame, $20.95 for the platter).
What I found interesting was that our main dish actually arrived earlier than our appetizer, but the wait times for both were normal. We were also given radishes and a salad as sides for the main dish.
I first had the salad, which – as you can probably see from the picture – had too much mayo. It also had too many spices, which made a very strange combination that did not impress me. The edamame was better, but it was a bit overcooked. But, I really liked the radishes. They were crisp and refreshing, just as radishes should be.
I then tried the Soy Garlic chicken. The outside was crunchy, and the inside had a nice texture. The garlic was thankfully not overpowering at all, but instead complimented the chicken well. The Spicy chicken was very, very spicy. People who really love spicy food will definitely enjoy this dish – as for me, a person who can’t handle super spicy food, I couldn’t finish the chicken wing after one bite.
Overall, I felt underwhelmed. This might be because Orange County offers so many mouthwatering Korean-style chicken wings (if you ever come down to Orange County, you MUST try out Flying Chicken Pa-Dak), but BonChon was just “meh.” It wasn’t bad, but not particularly amazing, either. I’ll come here again to check out the Korean BBQ, and maybe once in a while to satisfy future Korean-style chicken cravings. For those of you who have never had Korean-style chickens, I’d recommend you to try this place out, only on one condition: Think of BonChon as an introduction to the amazing world of Korean food, but remember that it can get so much better.
Toasted Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
by Emily Brother ’19
Everyone knows that dining hall meal: the one where the only dessert available is a chocolate chip cookie. Well, hope is not lost! In fact, you’ve just been presented with an opportunity to create a warm chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. This sandwich balances the cool, creamy sweetness of vanilla soft-serve with the warm, chewy, gooey goodness of a chocolate chip cookie. And, if you’re feeling extra adventurous, add a pinch of salt to the cookie to make it just a bit more savory!
Ingredients:
- 2 chocolate chip cookies
- Vanilla soft-serve (or ice cream, if it’s Sunday!)
- Salt (optional)
Steps:
- Put two chocolate chip cookies in one of the dining hall conveyor toasters. Remove when chocolate chips are somewhat melted.
- Take a generous dollop of the vanilla soft-serve and, using a knife, smear it on one of the warm chocolate chip cookies.
- Complete the sandwich by placing the other chocolate chip cookie on top of the cookie that is already covered with ice cream. If you’d like, sprinkle some salt on top of the whole sandwich. Enjoy!
Gluten- Free Puppy Chow
By Danielle Leavitt’ 17
This summer I welcomed a new brother into my home. Adorable, furry, curious, and smart, my new puppy won my affection instantly. Always on the go, he made me think of a quick and easy gluten-free snack that I could make at school. “Puppy Chow” is usually a staple, eaten at holiday parties and snacked on anytime and anywhere. This easy treat can be made entirely in a microwave with very simple ingredients. The ingredients can all be found at Broadway Market and at Whole Foods. Sweet, crunchy, gooey, chocolaty, and delicious, “Puppy Chow” is an easy-to-make, satisfying snack that even my new puppy would love to try.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter
10oz marshmallows
5 tbsp. Peanut Butter
Chocolate chips to taste (Enjoy Life brand are gluten, soy, and dairy free)
4 cups Chex cereal (all flavors are Gluten free, but this was made with Rice Chex, which you could totally poach from the d-hall…)
Powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
Microwave butter, marshmallows, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. Stir every 2-3 minutes. Add Chex cereal. Mix together.
Additions: you can put some powdered sugar on top, and mix thoroughly
Enjoy!
Which Brazilian Food Would You Want to Try Most?
Adam Wong ’17 is currently eating his way through Brazil. Below are his favorite delicacies (some of which are various organ meats!) from Rio and Porto Alegre. Which would you want to try most? Vote in the poll!
Challah for Hunger: Baking to Give Back
By Dana Ferrante ’17
At 9am on a Thursday, I was a little surprised to see five Harvard students grinning as they stretched and turned (and stretched and turned again), a batch of sticky bread dough. This gooey mass, after it has risen and been braided, will become the sweet bread Challah, a traditional bread served at Shabbat dinner, or the Friday evening meal of the Jewish day of rest.
But the bread is not for them –save for a few furtive bites.
Headed by sophomore Amanda Jowell, Harvard’s Challah for Hunger mixes, bakes, and sells freshly baked Challah every Thursday evening at Hillel starting at around 6pm. The proceeds all go to MAZON, an advocacy group that works to bring nutritious food to the hungry in both the United States and Israel. And so far, so good: within the first four weeks of selling, Challah for Hunger has already raised more than $500.
The original organization founded about a decade ago, Challah for Hunger now exists on over 70 different campuses across the US, Canada, Australia and England. Jowell got the idea to bring CfH to Harvard after her twin sister started an outpost of the group on Stanford’s campus. Supported by Hillel, Jowell was able get the supplies and manpower together, and is now even able to offer different flavors of bread in addition to completely kosher Challah.
As someone who had never heard of the bread before, I had to ask: why Challah? The answer is quite simple. At Shabbat dinner, Challah is something expected, as the dinner usually begins with a blessing over two Challah loaves. In this way, the goal of CfH is to come together as a community to aid those who ultimately cannot take Challah on their dinner table for granted.
Making bread from scratch is a pretty serious time commitment (especially for a Harvard student), so it is only through community that the Challah makes it into the oven each week.
The Challah making process consists of four main parts: 1) mixing/kneading, 2) rising, 3) braiding, and finally, 4) baking. Following the procedure Jowell had already perfected by the second week of production, the process begins at 9am when about five to six Harvard students get their hands dirty combining the ingredients and kneading the dough.
Step two, rising, occurs throughout the day, letting the yeast metabolize as many sugars as possible, while the students attempt to digest their professor’s lectures. It is essential to let the dough rise for a significant amount of time, as it maximizes the amount of carbon dioxide and alcohol released into the dough (i.e. the dough magically triples in size). At 4:30pm, a new round of students comes to braid the dough 
and then slather the loaves in egg wash,
essential for achieving the coveted caramel brown on top of the loaves.
Finally, the Challah goes into the oven, and is still warm when it is sold to the line of people already lined up and waiting for the bread to arrive.
At just $5 a loaf, the braided beauties are sold out within minutes. Just one bite into these pillows of soft, sweet dough, and you’ll know why.
Boston Bites: A Harvard Freshman’s Foodie Instagram
by Caroline Gentile ’17
What do foodies love more than actually eating food? Looking at pictures of food, of course. Accordingly, food-centric Instagram accounts have become all the rage. One in particular stands out, with its mouth-watering images and clever captions: Boston Bites (@Boston_Bites).
“Biting our way through Beantown,” boasts Boston Bites’ Instagram profile. Founded by Harvard freshman, Alana Steinberg and a friend from home who went to Boston University, the Boston Bites instagram account was originally a way to keep in touch with each other and ensure the two friends actually went out to explore Boston. “We started collecting photos when we got to college, and started posting in October,” Alana explains. Over time, however, it evolved into Alana taking charge of the account, although, she notes, “I still keep in touch with my friend, and sometimes she will send me pictures to post.”
Alana herself has a background in photography, although she usually focuses on portraiture instead of food. She also does multimedia for the Harvard Crimson. In terms of her food background, “I love to bake”, she says with a smile. “At home, I’m known for my popovers and snickerdoodles.” Like many other students (read: the entire staff of the Crimson Crave), she wishes she had more time at school to bake. Luckily, managing Boston Bites serves as her outlet for satisfying her love of food.
Armed with a book of Zagat-rated restaurants in Boston and inspiration from other Boston foodie Instagram accounts, Alana sets out into Boston on average once a week to try a new place and take pictures for Boston Bites. Finding the time to get into Boston can be challenging; “sometimes I go three times in one week and then not at all,” she admits. However, for weeks when she is too busy to make the trip and post new pictures, Alana is able to rely on and repost the five to ten daily submissions she receives from some of her 1659 followers.
Having tried at least one place every week since she first started at Harvard, Alana has eaten a lot of food at a lot of different restaurants. Of all these meals, her favorite has been the avocado toast with burrata and pecorino cheese at Met Back Bay. “I highly recommend Met Back Bay for brunch in Boston,” she says, “but in the square, I really like Bagelsaurus and Russell House.”
As for dinner, she recommends Theolonius Monkfish, a sushi/Asian fusion restaurant in Central Square, a mere 10 minute walk from campus. In Boston, Joe’s American Bar has “really good American food, like spinach dip.” Sounds good to us!
In the near future, Alana hopes to make it to the Union Square Donuts store, and also to a sushi place called Oishii. Be sure to follow Boston Bites on Instagram to see not only these pictures of donuts and sushi, but also the many other mouth-watering pictures of foods that can be found in the Boston area.
crimsoncrave.com 