Uncategorized

Legume Noodle Soup for the Soul

Published on March 5, 2017 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Joseph Winters ’20

I first got to know Yotam Ottolenghi at Powell’s Books, a massive independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon. His cookbook, Plenty More, lay open on a “Staff Recommended” display. “Vibrant Vegetable Cooking,” read the book’s subtitle; all of its recipes were vegetarian, highlighting the overlooked value of vegetables in gourmet cooking. Ottolenghi is the owner of several delis and restaurants in the UK, the author of four cookbooks, and he is arguably one of today’s most influential culinary figures.

But I didn’t know that as I flipped to the “Simmered” section of Plenty More. What I did know was that his recipe for Legume Noodle Soup sounded delicious, and it came with some pretty mouth-watering food-tography. One impulse buy later, Plenty More was mine and I was already making dinner plans.

Together, my mom and I have made this soup for countless get-togethers and parties, sometimes doubling or even tripling the recipe. Leftovers of this soup are highly valued in the Winters household, so when we make a batch, we don’t mind having ready-to-pack lunches for the next week and a half.

What makes this soup so incredible is the way it combines flavor with healthiness. It’s got legumes: protein. It’s got noodles: carbs. It’s got spinach and fresh herbs: healthiness. Everything is simmered together with onions and garlic and turmeric. Oh yeah, and butter…lots of butter. It’s a flavor powerhouse and a balanced meal all in itself. This weekend, I decided to bring back some fond memories and make myself a heaping pot-full. It ended up lasting me seven meals, which came in handy especially on Tuesday and Thursday, when I have nonstop class from 10:00 to 2:30 (plus section until 4:30 on Tuesdays!). Hopefully my French 40 classmates didn’t mind the wafting aroma of turmeric-y, dill-filled legume noodle soup as we analyzed French cinematography…

*In honor of the Environmental Action Committee’s Veguary Campaign, which tries to get people to commit to a reduction in animal consumption during February, I’ve been vegan since the beginning of the month. I just had to swap the butter in this recipe for olive oil, but I don’t think it affected the flavor that much.

Also, since the original version requires some fancy schmancy cookery that’s just not reasonable for college students cooking in the Grays common room kitchen, I’ve made some alterations with convenience in mind (e.g. in my version, you don’t need to measure 125 grams of dry chickpeas and soak them overnight with baking soda).

Legume Noodle Soup — adapted from Ottolenghi’s Plenty More

Ingredients – the ones in bold can be found in Annenberg

1 1/3 cups cooked chickpeas
1 1/3 cups any other kind of beans (I used kidney beans)
5 1/2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)
2 yellow onions, chopped (about 4 cups total) *I used chopped red onions from the D-hall
10 cloves garlic, sliced (or garlic powder from the D-hall)
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup yellow split peas
8 1/2 cups vegetable broth (about two cartons)
1 cup parsley leaves, chopped
2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup dill leaves (that’s fresh dill, unfortunately not the dry stuff you can get in the D-hall)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions (green and white parts)
5 cups spinach leaves
3 1/2 oz dry linguine (or spaghetti, but I like linguine better for this soup)
optional: 2/3 cup sour cream (or yogurt), 1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar, lime juice (or lemon juice)
salt and pepper

Directions

Put the butter (or olive oil) in a big pot over medium heat. Cook for twenty minutes, until the onions are super soft and golden. Add the turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, and some black pepper.
Add the chickpeas, beans, split peas, and stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes, checking to see when the peas get tender.
Add the parsley, cilantro, dill leaves, green onions, and spinach. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add the linguine and cook for 10 minutes, until it’s soft.
Stir in the optional sour cream, white wine vinegar, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Hi B3ear Ice Cream

Published on March 5, 2017March 5, 2017 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Caroline Gentile ’17

This past summer, my Instagram feed was flooded with pictures of rolled ice cream posted by friends interning in San Francisco and New York. Fueled by my novel ice cream FOMO, I searched for a place in Boston that offered rolled ice cream for me to try, but at the time, could not find anything. Finally, at the end of the summer of 2016, Hi B3ar fulfilled my rolled ice cream dreams and opened in Allston (147 Brighton Ave.).

The owner of Hi B3ar also owns nearby Mala Restaurant, and hopes “to give everyone a hot spicy taste then a cold, sweet taste for dessert.” Hi B3ar certainly delivers on the promise of a cold, sweet treat. The shop has 10 different offerings of rolled ice cream, with flavors varying from coffee to chocolate to berry to mango, all for $6.95 plus tax.

My ice cream buddy and I opted to try the First Kiss, which had strawberries, graham crackers, and chocolate sauce, and the Cookie Monster, which had Oreos. We watched in awe as the server poured a creamy liquid onto the cold surface, sprinkled on our desired toppings, and skillfully manipulated the mixture until it resembled perfect rolls.

When we were finally handed our bowls of rolled ice cream, we dug in immediately. While the cold surface had allowed the liquid to take on the perfect rolled shape, it made the ice cream far too cold to taste anything at first. After waiting a few minutes for it to thaw, we gave it another shot. Still, the ice cream seemed to lack flavor, and had a bit of an egg-y aftertaste. It was a generous serving of ice cream, but for $6.95, we had both expected better tasting ice cream.

Though I am certainly glad Hi B3ar has brought rolled ice cream to Boston, I found their ice cream to be lackluster in taste. That being said, the experience of watching the ice cream get rolled up in front of me was worthwhile in itself, and so if you want to try something new, I encourage you to give Hi B3ar a chance!

Life Pops Up at Life Alive

Published on February 1, 2017February 1, 2017 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Joseph Winters ’20

At 5:57 PM, I sidled into my seat at a communal table next to Kendyl from California, who had been a vegan for four years, and Steve, who said he kept Kosher, but also called himself a flexitarian, a flexible vegetarian. A few minutes later, “Same” sat down to my right. I looked at his name tag and wondered how to pronounce such an unique, ethnic name.

“It’s Sam,” he said. “They got it wrong.”

Whoops, I thought.

Sam’s sister, Thuy, came next, and finally Krystal. The six of us were sitting around a circular table in the basement of Life Alive, a vegetarian/alternative restaurant in Central Square. Life Alive’s regular menu includes a variety of vegetable/grain bowls full of yummy sauces like “Ginger Nama Shoyu,” as well as a wraps, salads, smoothies, and juices. That night, January 25, they were having a four-course pop-up dinner crafted by “culinary guru” Leah Dubois, with each course paired by a special mushroom tea mocktail from Tamim Teas, a Cambridge-based tea company started by a Harvard graduate who had studied urban planning.

We all sat around the table a little awkwardly at first. Inevitably, the conversation turned to food—what else could have brought us all together at a gourmet vegetarian dinner? Most of us had experimented with some kind of reduced-meat diet before—Kendyl with her veganism, Sam’s “hardcore” vegetarianism (as described by his sister, Thuy), my pescatarianism (no meat, but fish and shellfish are okay), and the Kosher keepings of both Steve and Krystal.

Our conversation became more relaxed as we began to nibble on the first course: deviled eggs. But in true Life Alive fashion, they weren’t ordinary deviled eggs. Apart from being free-range eggs, the filling was made from cashew aioli and mustard, and they were topped with house-made pickled jalapeños and sprouts. There were plenty to go around, whetting our appetites for the rest of the meal.

As we munched on our eggs, we were introduced to the owner of Tamim Teas, Liat, who started drinking mushroom-infused teas for their health benefits (not the taste, which, as she writes on her website, is less than appetizing). But, as Liat later discovered, mushroom teas could be made really tasty by using local fungi and “balancing the flavors of mushrooms with a unique array of organic, caffeine-free herbs, [to make] them safe and accessible to a wider demographic.” For our first tea, we tried an astralagus-infused blend made from maitake shrooms, locally-sourced ginger and goji berries. Lost yet? So was I—astralagus is apparently a root with lots of medicinal properties, and maitakes are a kind of mushroom apparently renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties. Goji berries just taste good, I guess (plus they’re a berry, so they’ve probably got some great antioxidant properties or something). The tea was warm and soothing, and paired well with the deviled eggs.

Next we had the “Life Alive version of dahl,” Leah explained to our table. It was made with black lentils, sautéd fresh ginger, turmeric, garlic, onions, cumin seeds popped in coconut oil, and rainbow carrots from a local farm. It was topped with house-made pickled mango, cayenne pepper, cilantro, and radish sprouts. Everyone at the table loved the dahl. I’m pretty sure I overheard Steve whisper “they hit a home run with this one” into his bowl. Very soothing and mild, I really enjoyed the tang the pickled mango gave it.

Liat came by again, this time with a cold tea. It was called the Lion’s Share Blend, and had lion’s mane mushrooms, local turmeric, black peppercorns, and green rooibos. The roobois was interesting because it’s generally sold red—this is because, as Liat explained, it’s easier to sell rooibos in burned form, maybe because it has to be shipped all the way from Africa, where it is mostly grown. You’ve probably had rooibos if you’ve ever sipped on specialty herbal teas infused with fruity flavors like pineapple or mango.

Salad was next, featuring—believe it or not—more mushrooms! Maitakes made an appearance in whole form, having been roasted to delicious tenderness and finished with alfalfa and radish micro greens, citrus slices, and a lemony vinaigrette. This was really light and fruity, an interesting contrast to the soothingness of the dahl.

Liat’s tea pairing was called Shiitake Uplift, including rooibos, ginger, lemongrass, lemon peel, and a touch of kombucha for fizziness. The fizz went perfectly with the lightness of the salad, and the citrus matched the lemony dressing. This “tea” (it was more kombucha-y than tea-like) was probably my favorite, possibly because it was pretty sweet.

For dessert, Leah brought us these gorgeous mini jars full of coconut milk-based lavender gelato, speckled with crumbled pistachios and coconut flakes. The gelato was phenomenal—super creamy, coconut-y, and sweet. I’m not sure if I could tell that there was lavender in the gelato itself, but there were little pieces of whole lavender petals (if they’re called petals) between the pistachio and coconut flakes.

Our gelato was paired with Reishi Delight, apparently made from a mushroom that is one of the oldest fungi used for its medicinal purposes. It was combined with African honeybush, two types of cinnamon (one of which was in whole form), and orange peel. It was served warm and contrasted well with the cold gelato. It was especially good after Liat poured in some of Life Alive’s house-made almond milk.

According to Leah, these kinds of pop-up dinners are going to become monthly-occurring Life Alive events, possibly in partner with different local businesses like Tamim Teas.

As I polished off the last scoop of lavender gelato from the bottom of my mini Mason jar, Kendyl said goodbye to our little group of new friends. I followed soon after, leaving the others to continue their scintillating conversation about the challenges faced when home pickling watermelon rinds. I had a great experience—great food, tea, and cool people. I will definitely keep checking my Instagram for news of future Life Alive pop-ups!

Seasonal Chocolate Pop-Up Shop in Harvard Square

Published on December 18, 2016December 18, 2016 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Allison Kao ’20

I found heaven tucked between a Starbucks and pizza parlor.

Its name? Somerville on the Charles – a charming chocolate pop-up shop that is making its winter home on Harvard Square’s Church Street, keeping the space normally occupied by Lizzy’s Ice Cream cozy during the colder months.

The shop, which is open 11am to 11pm, seven days a week from December to February, is a collab between Gâté Comme des Filles and Somerville Chocolates, each run separately by chocolatiers Alexandra Whisnant and Eric Parkes.

While the storefront only spans the width of a door and window display, its quaint, unassuming appearance by no means embodies the bold flavors of its chocolates.

There are two main types of treats – French-style bon bons (provided by Gâté Comme des Filles) and chocolate bars (provided by Somerville Chocolates). Bon bons are creamy ganaches hand-dipped in a thin chocolate coating. With only two ingredients, cacao and sugar, the bean-to-bar chocolate brings sweetness down to its core raw goodness. The shop’s most popular items are the Hawaiian chocolate bar and honey-walnut and vanilla bean bon bons.

Everything is made in small batches, so flavors rotate daily. In addition, ingredients are chosen with great care – in fact, the honey, peppermint, and thyme are all sourced from right here in Cambridge.

Somerville on the Charles also offers to-die-for brownies and a rich, decadent mousse that’s scooped into cones like ice cream (what more could you ask for?!).

And if you’re looking for a holiday gift, check out the 4-piece giftbox or a combination of the Nicaraguan and Hawaiian chocolate bars.

At least for the next three months, I know where I’ll be going to satisfy my sugar fix.

Flour Settles in Harvard Square on Nov 1st

Published on October 31, 2016November 1, 2016 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Bovey Rao ‘19

Flour Bakery and Café will be open starting Tuesday, November 1^st at 114 Mount Auburn Street from 7a-8p (based on website hours).

This past Sunday, Flour Bakery and Café held an open house event for their new Harvard Square location, and CrimsonCrave was invited to attend!

Entering Flour, we were promptly greeted by the founder, Joanne Chang, as she shook hands and welcomed everyone in. I instantly noticed the classic menu in the back and the counter that is normally lined with pastries like in the other locations. On the left, there was the ubiquitous wooden table alongside shelves stocked with cookbooks and prepared pastries like biscotti. To the right, there is the sandwich counter and seats alongside the windows and a small alcove with tables. Immediately, I was impressed with the modern space and relaxed environment. Natural light poured into the café as it bustled with activity. Friends, family, and staff happily engaged in conversation, while snacking on savory and sweet treats prepared by Flour.

While I was exploring the space, staff frequently came by and introduced themselves. Despite this being an open house, the staff was happy to converse with the guests and attentively monitored the many platters. The general manager was clearly excited about opening this store as she gestured for us to try the food that was prepared.

Savory items ranged from pizzas to their signature sandwiches and large bowls of their salads. As I began sampling through the selection, I noted the soba salad and the stuffed breads as some of my favorites. The roasted lamb sandwich with goat cheese and tomato chutney is one of my old favorites.

For sweets, there was a wide selection of Flour’s specialties such as muffins, brownies, cupcakes, mini tarts, and their famous sticky buns. These expertly crafted treats can satisfy any sweet tooth as there is such a large selection. My favorites include the pumpkin muffins, pain aux raisins, and obviously the freshly baked sticky buns.

My criticism of Flour was the size; however, this may be due to the activity and sheer number of people at the store. When I sat to talk to my friends, the alcove seating area was relatively cramped, so this Flour location is likely better suited for smaller groups. Most of the tables are designed for two people, which makes Flour excellent for breakfast or lunch meetings with a friend. At these tables, I conversed with some incredibly individuals, so I included their picture.

If the open house was a trial event for Flour Harvard Square, I can only say that it was a tremendous success. The staff were warm and welcoming, and the food was clearly prepared with care. I am beyond excited for the official opening of Flour and welcome it to Harvard Square.

However, these are simply my musings, so for a true assessment, you must visit it yourself!

Author’s Note (Bovey Rao)

Two years ago, I was in Boston for a high school research program. While working on my final paper, I tried to see the city that I had essentially ignored over the course of the program. After a productive morning at the Boston Public Library, I went for a lunch break and began wandering the streets of Boston. For me in high school, I was not yet the intense food lover as I would describe myself today, but I still sought a good lunch. While wandering the vibrant neighborhoods of Back Bay, I stumbled upon Flour Bakery and Café. Seeing the long line, I was enticed by the promise of a popular lunch destination. After receiving my lamb sandwich, I found a seat at the communal wood table, took a bite, and the rest is history.

Flour Bakery and Café has been one of the staples of my time at Harvard. While the nearest branch is near Kendall Square and MIT, I frequently made the trek for lunch with friends, grabbing birthday cakes, or indulging in a sweet morsel (normally sticky buns or banana bread). In my countless visits to Flour, I can happily say that I only have positive memories associated with the space. When I heard Flour was coming to Harvard Square, I could barely contain myself with excitement.

Last week, I became communicating with Joanne Chang about interviewing her about the new Flour, and she graciously agreed. Furthermore, she invited me, Richa, and Caroline to the open house on Sunday. Joanne Chang is the founder of Flour Bakery and Café and a Harvard graduate in Applied Math and Economics in ’91. She maintains a strong connection with Harvard by teaching lectures for the Science and Cooking series. This past Friday, I was blessed with the opportunity to have a conversation with her so we could discuss the path to opening the Harvard Square branch of Flour. Then on Sunday, we attended the open house to have a glimpse of what was to come. I cannot be unbiased when I talk about Flour due to my history of positive experiences, but I think it will suffice to say that I am exuberant to showcase the opening of my favorite bakery and café from Boston in Harvard Square.

Much love to Marcella Park and Cynthia Gu, who visited Flour with me this Sunday.

B.good returns to Harvard Square

Published on October 17, 2016October 24, 2016 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

By Joseph Winters ‘20

On March 29, 2016, Harvard Square suffered a great loss. Students, faculty, and all manner of health-minded individuals mourned the closing of one of the most convenient farm-to-table fast food places around. Not that there were many to begin with… Either way, B.good’s closing was a blow to the food scene of Harvard Square. This Friday, however, B.good reopened with a bang on Eliot Street, in what eaters are describing as a much-needed addition to Harvard’s healthy food scene. “There just wasn’t hardly any place healthy to eat in the Square!” lamented one B.good customer as she devoured a scoop of lime-soaked quinoa.

Monika Bach Schroeder, Marketing Manager for Harvard Square B.good

The Crimson Crave visited B.good on its opening day, Friday, to survey the situation. We were greeted by Monika Bach Schroeder, Marketing Manager for the Harvard Square location. Schroeder was supervising a Wheel-of-Fortune style promotion—spin the wheel and walk away with some B.good sunglasses, a high-five, or, with some luck, a free burger. We were lucky enough to get the burger.

“We make real food,” the B.good website advertises boldly on its home page. A simple slogan, but it speaks volumes when seen in conjunction with the tangible measures B.good has taken to produce high quality fast food options. Customers can order classic items like burgers or sandwiches, but B.good also offers kale and grain bowls, seasonal salads, creative sides, and smoothies.

New additions to the B.good menu are “Plates”: Chipotle Avocado, Mediterranean Mezze, and Asian Bento. “We’re really proud of our new plates,” says Schroeder. “They speak a lot to our mission of staying innovative and fresh; we use seasonal ingredients to offer healthy food options.”

Apart from good food, Schroeder adds that the B.good team is “really excited about this community.” Harvard, she says, is a very engaged community, one into which B.good tries to integrate itself. On the day preceding the former B.good’s closing, they held a “pay what you can” day. All the day’s profits were donated to Y2Y, a homeless youth shelter in Cambridge. Upon their reopening, they held a similar project, raising $1700 for Y2Y, enough to provide over a full month of programming to the homeless shelter.

Local farmers are also beneficiaries. B.good sources many of its ingredients from farms in the Northeast. When we visited, a colorful map showed apples, cauliflower, squash, fresh mint, pumpkin, tomatoes, and yogurt all coming from Massachusetts, and many other ingredients like beef, bread, eggs, and bacon being sourced from the other northeastern states.

At the door this Friday, customers were greeted by Casey Ballin from Hannah Farm, a one acre plot of land on an island in Boston Harbor. Now managed by B.good, the farm benefits the local community, producing food for Camp Harbor View summer camp for at-risk youth. At the camp, teens learn to prepare healthy meals from local ingredients. Up to 20,000 pounds of produce are expected to be produced by Hannah Farm, with a majority being donated to the summer camp, and much being featured in B.good restaurants. “We did a feature a couple weeks ago, where we sold kale smoothies made with our own kale,” Ballin explained as he handed out samples of carrots and grape tomatoes from Hannah Farm.

This Friday was the first of many meals I’m sure I’ll be having at B.good. The chain brings its fresh dishes to the Square along with a fresh ideology, one that incorporates sustainability, local commerce, and—of course—delicious food. On the short walk to my seat, I ogled picnic pear and brie salads, Thai almond bowls, sweet potato fries, and even pumpkin milkshakes. I tried the Spicy Lime Avocado Bowl with their seasonal side: local cauliflower coated in cheddar and breadcrumbs. I might have over-ordered, but it was oh, so good. Plus, the side was free; first-time users of the B.good app will automatically get a side on the house! I would easily recommend B.good to anyone looking for a tasty, healthy morsel without the wait at a sit-down restaurant.

First Time at the Berg

Published on April 18, 2016 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Richa Chaturvedi ’18

This weekend, students from all over the world are coming to campus for Visitas, Harvard’s admitted student weekend. You can see them grouped in front of the John Harvard statue, loitering outside of Canaday, or sitting in on a class at the Science Center. It’s a weekend of firsts for these students: first friends, first time getting lost on the way to Quad, and, most importantly, first time eating at Annenberg.

Actual Instagram from my first time at Annenberg because I was the coolest pre-frosh in town

I remember my first time walking into Annenberg. It was overwhelming and exciting, much like the rest of my Visitas experience. I walked in to the Berg (which I was too scared to call it at the time in case I sounded like a try-hard) and felt like I had truly made it. I had a very basic meal – spaghetti and tomato sauce – because I have this theory that you need to start at the basics to really get the sense of a place. I stayed there for hours, meeting new people and basking in the light of the stained glass windows.

But when I came to school that fall, I slowly began losing that wonder. Instead of looking up at awe, I would groan when they ran out of carnival cookies and run to Expos. I would be there, but never be there, taking it all in.

My pre-frosh’s first bites of HUDS cuisine

Yesterday, I spoke with a pre-frosh who had just had her first meal in the Berg. She spoke of it as a thing of beauty, as if it was magical. Her food was amazing, she met so many people, and she even proudly recounted ordering from the grill (something I finally got the nerve to do freshmen fall). It reminded me of the wonder I felt the first time I was there, living those experiences, taking my first bites of HUDS food, and freaking out when I realized I could even have Coke with my breakfast. It’s funny to think about how much has changed in all of our lives since the first time we ate at Annenberg. That’s why I think Visitas is timed perfectly timed. Sitting in between midterms and finals, when we’re really feeling grumpy and tired, it reminds us of that wonder. At least it certainly did for me.

Mei Mei Pops Up at Shepard: Shepard and Mei Mei Team Up for Dim Sum Brunch

Published on April 11, 2016 by br126Leave a comment

By Bovey Rao ‘19

What exactly is a pop-up restaurant? Most people do not know this terminology, as they are a relatively new development. Pop-up restaurants are when kitchens are lent out to other restaurants or chefs for temporary residence. While this seems like an extravagant venture, many great restaurants (Mission Chinese, NYC) have emerged from pop-ups, and many great restaurants (Aliena, Chicago) have hosted pop-up sessions. Usually, the menu is specially prepared for each individual session. Thus, when I heard that Mei Mei was hosting a pop-up at the nearby Shepard, I quickly booked a reservation.

Entering Shepard, we were greeted by the two teams and were seated after a brief wait. Glancing at the menu, I was immediately drawn to the unique fusion dishes. However, glancing at other tables, I noticed that the portions were a little small and ordered accordingly. After we ordered a long list of various dim sum dishes, I waited excitedly for our mix of buns, dumplings, and vegetables.

The dry aged lamb buns were a delicacy with complex savory notes of Chinese five-spice. While incredibly soft and moist, the order only came with three relatively small buns, which was unfortunate for my party of four individuals. Later, we would discover this applied to most dishes we ordered. The corned beef and xo dumplings similarly had rich, savory flavors, but texturally the shredded beef was not the most appealing. As the dishes continuously arrived, I enjoyed the mildly spicy beef tendon. The gelatinous texture melded perfectly with the crisp skin that garnished the dish.

Still insatiated, I salivated as stuffed chicken wings and Carolina gold rice were placed at the table. Chicken wings filled with a smooth chicken mousse with a sweet glaze proved to be one of the highlights of the brunch. While rice may seem to be a peculiar dish to order, Carolina gold rice is a specific breed that garners significant national attention for its flavor. Anson Mills, a seed restoration group, found and revived this heritage breed and distributes it to many of the United States best restaurants (notably, Husk). Thus, I was excited to see them on the menu with a soy butter. While it may not taste empirically different, I had a profound appreciation of the crop, which may have altered my perception of the dish.

After these courses, we added rounds of cabbage, leek, brined duck egg dumplings, lily shoots, and lo bok go, parsnip cakes. Dark green dumplings quickly reached the table, and we dived in. Freshly steamed, the dough was stickier than I was normally accustomed to but were appropriate to hold the looser filling. While the lo bok go were respectable, the accompanying fermented black beans were truly delicious. A light acidity complemented the natural creaminess, and I snacked on them thorough the meal. My favorite dish of the day was actually the lily shoots with fried shallots. Dark soy sauce provided the perfect salinity for the chewy but smooth shoots. I honestly was tempted to order more sets of lily shoots with rice but instead settled with the select dessert courses.

The fried sesame balls and egg custard tarts proved to be elevated versions, but nothing that truly affected me. Delicious and simple, we enjoyed them as a solid finish to the meal. Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the size of the dim sum and the unequal portions for the table. I expected that they could accommodate a table of 4, since that is a standard party number. Regardless, the dishes proved to be soundly delicious with a few notable standouts. Mei Mei is arguably one of the most important restaurants in Boston, and I am glad they decided to come nearby. Hopefully, they will return soon with yet another nuanced menu. Shepard is one of the newest restaurants in Cambridge, and I hope people will join them for dinner one day.

Shepard

Location: 1 Shepard St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Reservation: OpenTable or Call (617)-714-5295

Mei Mei

Location: 506 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02215

Reservation: Reserve or Call (857)-250-4959

Stand-Out Dishes: Lily Shoots, Carolina Gold Rice, Stuffed Chicken Wings

Overall Rating: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 3.5/5

Atmosphere (Shepard): 5/5

Feel free to contact the writer at boveyrao@college.harvard.edu with food musings, dining requests, or any restaurant advice!

Pizza Bagels

Published on April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Caroline Gentile ’17

On a night when there was no pizza to be found in the dining hall (a very sad night indeed), I struggled to put food on my plate that seemed appetizing. And then – genius struck. I could make my own pizza! I poached some marinara sauce from the spaghetti station while I waited for my bagels to toast, and asked the grille for two slices of cheese. Just a few minutes later, I was enjoying my pizza bagel while my blockmates drooled in jealousy. Soon, they too made their own pizza bagels, and together we marveled at how delicious they are, yet so easy to make. So the next time you are at a loss for what to eat for lunch or dinner, consider the pizza bagel. It won’t let you down!

You’ll need:

A bagel, cut into halves (use either plain or whole grain)
Marinara sauce
Cheese (either from the sandwich bar or from the grille)
Bacon or other toppings that you think would make your pizza bagel even better (optional)

Toast the bagel until it is well-toasted (a little more than golden brown). You want to ensure that it will not get soggy when you put the marinara sauce on it. Then, add the marinara sauce, about a spoonful for each half, or more depending on your preference. If you are adding toppings, place them on top of the marinara sauce. Place one slice of cheese on each half. Put the prepared pizza bagel into the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until the cheese is sufficiently melted. Wait for the pizza bagel to cool for as long as your self-control will allow you (no more than a few minutes though, thank god) and enjoy!

Cabot Culinaries: A Tasteful Treat

Published on April 10, 2016April 11, 2016 by richachatLeave a comment

by Richa Chaturvedi ’18

The number one thing I crave at school (besides sleep) is home-cooked food. Don’t get me wrong, HUDS has some clutch items on their menu. But nothing compares to a meal made from scratch with love.

You can find this simple delight at Cabot Culinaries, a student group in Cabot made up of people who really just want to cook and eat some good food. I usually fall in the category of people who show up just for dinner, after all of the cooking is already done. But I decided to take initiative and become an active player in my meals, rather than a passive eater. Cabot Culinaries met this past Saturday to cook an incredible meal: beet, arugula, and goat cheese salad, roasted spiced cauliflower and asparagus, home made gnocchi made two ways (I couldn’t make this up), rhubarb bars, and coconut mousse. Naturally, I was in charge of the easiest dish – the cauliflower and asparagus recipe that my mom texted me, then called to ensure that I understood, then texted again demanding updates because she has a reputation to uphold. I quickly realized that I was in the kitchen with some seriously experienced cooks. One whisked together an amazing balsamic vinaigrette while another actually made gnocchi starting from scratch. Meanwhile, I was struggling to break cauliflower into florets. It’s more physically exhausting than you would think.

Overall, we had about 12 people help cook the meal and over 20 eating. I was so stressed out at the thought of 20 people eating food that I made, but all of that stress fell away with my first bite of salad. Everything was so fresh and delicious and, not to brag, but I didn’t even burn the roasted vegetables. So I would call it a success.

Coming from California, it is sometimes hard to go for long stretches of time without any home-cooked food. Cabot Culinaries helped me get my home-cooked fix and get over my fear for cooking for a lot of people. That being said, it didn’t help me conquer my laziness. I think I’ll rest for now – at least until the next Culinaries comes around.