Baraka Cafe

I love hidden gems.

I love small, family-owned, little finds that serve fantastic, authentic food in a warm and cozy environment.

I discovered Baraka Cafe, an Algerian-Tunisian and North African restaurant, years ago when I started my current job in Central Square. Just a little off the beaten path (you have to walk down Pearl Street a bit), this family-owned restaurant churns out flavorful, unusual dishes at prices that look like they haven't changed in decades.

Chef-owners Alia Radjeb Meddeb and Krimo Dahim, who grew up in Tunisia and Algeria, run this small, cozy restaurant. The kitchen is crazy small (I'm amazed at what they can churn out there), and seating is limited.

The moment you walk in, you feel like you are visiting someone's home.
The atmosphere is very relaxed, and everything is made to order in the back. The woman in front (perhaps the owner?) is super friendly and treats you like you're family. I usually find the pace of service to be a bit - how shall I say it? - "relaxed"? Don't come here on a workday if you have a strict one hour lunch break. You just never know exactly how long the service might take. Some days it's totally fine, but other days you'd be in trouble if you had a meeting back at the office within an hour.

If you go, you must get their signature drink, the Cherbat. It's an Algerian style homemade lemonade with rose petals and North African spices.  Get a glass for $2.00, or share a carafe ($5.95) or a pitcher ($7.50) with friends. It's gorgeously refreshing in the summer, and is pretty different from most lemonade you could get elsewhere.

I absolutely love their bread, which comes loaded with really interesting spices. It's not spicy hot or even salty, just very, very flavorful. We ordered the bread with h'rissa ($3), a homemade North African spicy red pepper pesto made with parsley, olives, and garlic. It's bold, deeply flavorful, and quite addictive.

Their lunch menu has several very reasonably priced open faced sandwiches, which are served on a hand-stretched, homemade flat Berber bread with salad greens tossed in a black caraway and mustard vinaigrette. These come alongside their house-made fries and h'rissa.

Pictured above is the Homemade Grilled Merguez, a lamb & beef North African sausage seasoned with ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan blend of spices used commonly in North Africa.  I love the interesting and unusual spices in the sausage.

We also ordered Mahdjouba Djazairia, a grilled Algerian crepe stuffed with a tchektchouka (like an omelet with poached eggs) of bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and farm cheese. This comes with a mixed green salad. I opted for the vegetarian version ($7.00), although you can add grilled chicken or merguez (lamb/beef sausage shown above) for an extra $1.50. The salad was fresh, the crepe was perfectly executed, and I just absolutely loved the exotic flavors.

Though I generally love everything I've tried here, there is one thing I once tried that I absolutely hated. It's definitely due to personal preference and not a reflection on their execution of it. I ordered the Turkish coffee, which was filled with a huge amount of ground cardamon. I really, really don't like the smell of cardamon - it reminded me of gasoline. I had trouble finishing it.

So, if you're not a huge fan of cardamon either, you probably don't want to order the Turkish coffee.

Overall, however, I love coming here.  The food is fantastic, the prices are really reasonable, and the overall experience is very, very authentic. Better yet, this type of cuisine is so different from what I usually eat, it makes every dish a really fun adventure.

I don't come too often because it's hard to get out during the middle of a work day to take a 1-2 hour lunch. When I do come, however, it's always a huge treat.

Useful Tips
This restaurant is not open on Mondays, and doesn't open until 12PM for lunch (Tues-Sat only).  I learned this the hard way as I tried to come here twice (once on a Monday, once at 11:30AM), only to be sadly greeted by a closed door. It's cash only, and there's no alcohol.

I have yet to try this place for dinner, but I'm confident that the food is fantastic. The dinner menu has a much larger variety of interesting items to try. One of the most famous ones? The Classical Bastilla Torte, a crazy complicated dish that requires 36-hour advanced notice. It's a filo pastry layered with squab or chicken and a plethora of other interesting ingredients (almonds, cinnamon, saffron, parsley, figs, mint, parsley, and orange blossom infusion!!).

Don't forget to order the signature rose infused lemonade - it's so good, you may not even miss the fact that there's no alcohol.

Baraka Cafe
80 1/2 Pearl St
Cambridge, MA 02139

Aragosta Bar & Grill

There's nothing more relaxing than sitting outside on a nice day, looking out into the ocean (or some other pretty view), and enjoying a delicious meal with friends or family.

Whenever it's nice outside, I can't resist seeking out restaurants that offer pleasant outdoor dining experiences. My absolutely favorite thing to do is to walk to such a place, enjoy fantastic food, and then walk home. Ideally, the walk would be very pleasant and last about an hour long (yes, I love walking).

During "good" weather months (in Boston we'll stretch this to include the cool spring, nippy autumn, and summer days that are not unbearably hot or humid), Bryan and I regularly walk to the North End, enjoy some of our favorite restaurants, and then walk home via the Public Garden, Boston Common, down Newbury Street, across the Harvard Bridge (aka "Mass Ave Bridge") back to Cambridge. By the time we've reached home, we've "walked off" the big dinner, had nice long conversation, and enjoyed beautiful scenes from downtown Boston. It's truly one of my favorite things to do.

One drawback to this regularly planned dinner outing is that none of our favorite restaurants in the North End offer outdoor seating. Accordingly, when I was invited to a blogger event at Aragosta Bar & Grill (in Battery Wharf, virtually steps from the North End), I was intrigued at the idea of dining on Italian food while facing the ocean.

Truffle Rigatoni And Cheeses, Warm Goat Cheese Fondue; Hand Crafted Selection Of Salumi, Capponata, Hot Cherry Peppers, Crusty Bread

Aragosta Bar & Grill replaces Sensing inside the Fairmont Battery Wharf hotel and just opened in April. Chef David Daniels, who previously worked at places such as Stephanie's on Newbury and the Federalist, brings to the table food inspired by his first generation Italian-American parents with "a Mediterranean flair and a fine dining twist."

I arrived late at the event, and therefore missed out on a few of the appetizers. Nevertheless, I had a chance to try some of the cured meats (shown above), which were delicious.

Small dishes continued to come out, one at a time. I was stuffed when I left - I can't imagine how I would have eaten everything had I arrived on time!

Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta, Capers, Preserved Lemon
It was exciting to try pastas that were clearly homemade. The texture of this orecchiette was chewy and fun to eat. The flavors were pretty good.

Pappardelle Bolognese, Veal Cheek & Ox Tail Ragu, Porcini Powder
Similarly, I loved the beautiful presentation of the pappardelle Bolognese, although the flavors of the sauce did not blow me away.

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, gnocchi, asparagus, and rosemary citrus sauce

Seared Tuna, Roasted Fennel, Marcona Almonds, Golden Raisin Puree 

Apple pie with marscapone ice cream

It was a beautiful day, and I absolutely loved sitting outside, sipping a prosecco while enjoying some cool hangout time with other bloggers.

General Thoughts
The space at Aragosta is beautiful, and if you're looking for fresh pasta paired with lovely views of the water, this is not a bad place to go. As far as Italian food goes, it's still several steps below our favorite places in the North End, so I would dine at the North End instead if you're looking for the best Italian food. Having said that, the water views are great, and the food is still pretty enjoyable. You can always cross the street and head down Hanover Street after dinner for some lovely pastries, either from Mike's, Modern, or other wonderful bakeries in the area.

Aragosta Bar & Grill
3 Battery Wharf
Boston, MA 02109


Disclaimer - this blogger event was paid for by Aragosta Bar & Grill

Top Chef Masters Mini Series Part I: Ana Sortun and Oleana

As Top Chef Masters comes to a close, I thought I would do a tiny-mini-series highlighting the two chefs from my hometown of Cambridge who competed this season. Of course, that would be Ana Sortun from Oleana and Jody Adams from Rialto. I first reviewed Oleana back in 2007 (in the super early days of this blog when it still had a different name!) right after I had passed the bar exam. Because it's been 3 years since then, I thought it was time for another review.

Hot Pepper Labne with Olive Oil & Dried Mint $4

Oleana is a Mediterranean restaurant tucked slightly off the beaten-track in between Central Square and Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA. Interestingly, Chef-owner Ana Sortun is actually Norwegian-American by background, but she learned and fell in love with Turkish cuisine on a trip to Turkey in the late 1990's. Before long in 2001, she incorporated these ideas into her new restaurant Oleana, which focused on inventive dishes made with local, organic* produce using the unique spices of the Mediterranean region. By 2005, Chef Sortun had already won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northeast.

Oleana sources its vegetables from Siena Farms, a local farm that practices sustainable organic methods of farming. Conveniently, Ana's husband Chris Kurth is a farmer and together they own this farm. I recently received my first shipment of vegetables from them.

Some of my favorite items on the Oleana menu include Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers($5), the Deviled Eggs with Tuna & Black Olives ($6), and the Vegetable Tasting Menu (5-course + dessert $40). Here's a sampling of photos from our last visit. I ordered the Vegetable Tasting Menu and Bryan ordered a traditional appetizer and meat entree.

Tasting Menu
The first course of the vegetable tasting menu was the Hot Pepper Labne with Olive Oil & Dried Mint $4 (pictured above). Labne is a super thick Greek yogurt. It's so thick, it's almost like eating cream cheese (except that it tastes sour like yogurt). Though I thought the yogurt tasted interesting and pretty good (in small doses), I found it to be extremely heavy and rich. I actually had a hard time finishing it. Frankly, I would have preferred a smaller portion!

Asparagus, Cucumber, Radish with Chopped Nuts
I love getting the vegetable tasting menu because you never know what you expect. Furthermore, it often features very fresh, seasonal vegetables straight for their farm. Here, we have sugar snap peas, asparagus, cucumber, radishes, and a tiny bit of lettuce. Sorry, I can't remember what the yellow cubes are - maybe some sort of turnip?

Fresh crushed English peas, Quinoa, and Pea Tendrils
I love fresh peas, and these were no exception. This dish was light and flavorful and I just felt good eating it because the components were so healthy yet delicious because the ingredients themselves are just inherently already so good.

Spinach Falafel with Tahini, Yogurt, Beets & Cress 11
I've said this before, but the spinach falafel is not my favorite. The beet sauce is unique and the flavors are enjoyable, but I'm always disappointed because the falafel itself tastes a bit bland to me. I think much prefer a traditional falafel.

Wild mushrooms, ramps, and goat cheese
This was one of my favorite dishes. The dish is simple, but the flavors of the ingredients really shine: the sweetness of the ramps, the earthiness of the mushroom, and the creaminess of the goat cheese.

Bryan's Dishes

Kingfish Nayeh with Turkish Spices, Pickled Spring Onion & Tarragon
Bryan got this as his appetizer. Raw Kingfish is served under a bed of pickled spring onions and spices. Fried pita chips are included on the side. The waitress had recommended this as one of her favorite dishes (I told you Bryan loves asking waitstaff their favorites dishes). Personally, I don't think either of us loved the very sour preparation of this dish. The flavor of the pickled onions was quite strong. It was hard to actually taste the flavors of the Kingfish. We were both relatively lukewarm about this appetizer.

Bryan ordered this roasted duck (a special of the day), also based on the recommendation of the waitress. Bryan thought the duck was very well prepared, with excellent texture and flavor. (I did not try it - the 5 course tasting was already plenty of food!).

Dessert

Here is a duo of desserts, with a strong apricot juice on the left and a phyllo dough cake on the right. I loved the crisp, fresh flavor of the apricot juice. The flavors were so real - it tasted like someone pureed an apricot right into the cup. The phyllo dough cake was also very good.

Salted Butter Ice Cream & Petite Caramel Soufflé with Pineapple & Cashew Crisp 13
I loved this dessert. I think it was either because of the salted butter ice cream or the cashew crisp. Whatever the case, I could not stop eating it. The crunch from the candied cashews matched perfectly with the butter ice cream and the tart pineapple. Delicious - highly recommended.

Ana Sortun is a really hard worker, and she still is in the kitchen seemingly most nights. Bryan snapped a few photos of her inspect final dishes before they went out.


Overall thoughts

I really think this is a very unique restaurant in Cambridge and definitely worth visiting. Ana is very creative and comes up with all sorts of interesting dishes. If you love vegetables (like I do), you should definitely try the vegetable tasting menu. I do like some of the other non-vegetarian entrees, though, so it's still worth going with someone else who can order the rest of the non-vegetarian things so you can try them too!

I guess the only reason why you might not like this place is if you don't like Turkish spices. Even though Ana is an excellent chef, Bryan just doesn't get that excited about the food at Oleana because, at the end of the day, he just doesn't love Mediterranean cuisine.

I personally love it, though, and it's still one of my favorite restaurants in Cambridge.  They have an awesome roofdeck dining area that I still have not had a chance to experience. I hope to go back soon - if nothing else, to get better photos of some of her fabulous dishes outside where lighting is better!

Oleana
134 Hampshire St
Cambridge, MA 02139


*Siena Farms' vegetables are not USDA certified organic but they use sustainable organic farming methods. See more here.

Olives

The other day Bryan and I were chatting and wondering who was the most famous chef in Boston.  Boston has no shortage of local celebrity chefs, but we really wondered how many of them would be nationally recognized. We threw around a few names. Ming Tsai.  Ken Oringer.  Joanne Chang.  Todd English.  Or maybe Jody Adam and Ana Sortum, contestants in most recent Top Chef Masters.

After only a few minutes, we decided it was a toss up between Ming Tsai and Todd English.

Todd English has had questionable press lately. Between the tabloids pouncing on his failed engagement to foodies accusing him of being a sellout, things have not been the most pleasant for this once extremely popular and well-respected chef.

We wondered how true the rumors were about his once acclaimed restaurant - the one that brought him to fame.  Is it really past its heyday?  Is the food still as amazing as it once was?

Todd English opened Olives back in 1989 with his then wife, Olivia (yes, the restaurant was named after her). It quickly became locally recognized as the best new restaurant, and soon, lines were forming outside of this place.  It was impossible to get into this restaurant.  One critic said it took him a year to score a spot.  Some will even venture to say that Todd English brought a new level of dining to Boston, and that before English, food in Boston was pretty boring New England fare.  Same old scrod, lobster, chowder, and the like.

Twenty years later: Many more interesting restaurants have hopped onto the Boston dining scene, yet Olives still survives.  So it must be doing something right . . . right?

Olives, tapenade, and olive oil

As we entered Olives, I was really not sure what to expect.  I had perused some review sites online, only to find very, very mixed reviews.  Some loved the food, while others were sorely disappointed. We had tried the Olives in Vegas for lunch, and we had enjoyed it a lot, but had never dined at the original Boston location.

Carpetbagger Oysters
Crispy Wellfleet oysters, beef carpaccio, truffle aioli...$15.00
The waitress recommended this dish, and I can totally see why - it was REALLY good!  Imagine an empty oyster shell filled with a base of truffle mashed potatoes, then a deep fried oyster, topped with beef carpaccio drizzled with truffle aioli and some sea salt.  It was absolutely delicious, and the presentation was pretty dramatic too.  They are sitting on salt!

Yellowfin Tuna Tartare
Spun cucumber salad, crispy rock shrimp, whitefish caviar, warm sesame dressing ...$16.75
The appetizer had a nice mix of flavors and textures.  It was nowhere near as good as the tuna tartare from Market by Jean-Georges (which actually only costs $14 at lunch), but it's not bad. The soft tartare, crunchy fried shrimp, and the cool cucumber work nicely together.  I personally thought there was a bit too much sesame oil, which made the dish a bit greasy.  I was also disappointed in the quality of the tuna, which by itself had little flavor. Nevertheless, it was a decent dish and reasonably enjoyable overall.

Agnolotti
Asparagus, peas, pea shoots, guanciale, and parmesan cream sauce ~ $22
The agnolottis were filled with a mashed potato of sorts, which was mildly interesting.  The guanciale (cured pork cheeks, sort of like bacon) added a nice smokiness to the dish.  The parmesan sauce was fine, although nothing particularly exciting.  I would say most dishes in North End would beat this any day.

Slow Braised Smoked Beef Short Rib
Blue cheese mashed, broccoli rabe & oven dried tomatoes ...$32.50
This was really really good.  I really think Bryan scored much better than I did at this dinner.  These short ribs were truly fall-off-the-bone-melt-in-your-mouth soft.  Apparently they have been stewed for over 24 hours.  We both agreed this was much better than the short ribs we had at Tom Coliccio's Craft Steak in Las Vegas.  Beautiful flavors, rich sauce, amazingly soft meat - truly an excellent dish.

We really really enjoyed this!  We got an assortment of cookies & ice cream for $16.  Red velvet whoopie pie, two types of chocolate chip cookies, a snickerdoodle, and a ginger molasses cookie.  There's also a chocolate cupcake and three types of ice cream (vanilla, caramel, and chocolate).  The cookies were really good!  Of course we could not finish, so we took home about half.

Concluding Thoughts
So is this a foodie paradise? Probably not, but the food is solidly prepared, with some real standouts. The prices are on the high side, (and there are probably better places in this price range), but you can definitely have a very enjoyable evening here. In fact, it will be much more enjoyable if you're not paying for the meal.  I would definitely recommend asking your server which dishes are the best - Bryan did that, and he scored.  I just picked stuff off the menu myself, and I was slightly disappointed with both of my dishes.

Todd English acknowledges that foodies are not his target audience.  He's "aiming for the (upscale) masses, . . for the people who'd otherwise be eating at the Cheesecake Factory or McCormick & Schmick's."  In that regard, this place goes above and beyond those types of restaurants.  I'm mixed on whether I would consider it a destination restaurant - maybe not - though it might be worth visiting for the shortribs and the oysters (yum!).

Plus, Charlestown is really really quaint and cute, so it's totally worth visiting if you've never been there before.  In fact, the Freedom Trail passes through it and basically leads right up to Olives.  So, if you are walking the Freedom Trail, you could always stop by here for a meal.

Olives
10 City Sq
Boston, MA 02129

Phoenicia

I had to go to the ER at Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary about a week ago. As you know, if you don't have a super emergency at the ER, you'll likely wait for 3-4 hours there. Since my situation was not really urgent, I ended up having to wait for a loooooong time.

After consulting with various people in the ER, Bryan and I decided it would probably be OK to step out for a few hours to grab some dinner. We wandered aimlessly around the hospital area in Boston (not wanting to venture too far from the hospital) and stumbled upon this little Lebanese restaurant.

Phoenicia has a pretty big menu with a lot of your typical Mediterranean fare (felafel, hoomis, baba ghonooj, tabooly, and grape leaves). You can also find more interesting Mediterranean fare, such as kafta, kibby, and various lamb dishes.

The prices are very reasonable (sandwiches cost between $5.25 and $5.75, lunch specials between $7.95 and $8.95, and dinner entrees between$10.95 and $15.95). They also have lots of cool appetizers, salads, and combination plates.

I tried the cabbage rolls, kafta, and kibby ($12.95). Bryan tried the lamb & beef shish kebabs with kafta ($15.95).

The kibby was one of my favorites. Kibby is a meat pie or meat ball of sorts that typically comprises of bulgur, minced lamb, and spices. I'm not super familiar with Lebanese food (I've only had it one other time), but I thought this kibby was flavorful, moist, and had a great mix of spices. I also like the Kafta, which is a sausage of sorts that consists of ground meat, onions, and spices. I thought the cabbage roll was the least interesting of all three - kind of bland.

Bryan thought the shisk kabobs were pretty good, though not particularly interesting.

The "Tabooly" (tabouli) salad had great flavor, although since it was late in the day, the salad seemed just a bit on the tired side. The "Hoomis bi Tahini" (hummus with tahini) was fine, though nothing too unique or special about it.

The decor is a bit tired, and the service was a bit slow. Maybe it's because we were there late and only one guy was serving everyone. Other than that, the food is pretty good and if you've never had Lebanese, this is a perfectly fine place to try it out.

Phoenicia
240 Cambridge St
Boston, MA 02114

Phoenicia

I had to go to the ER at Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary about a week ago. As you know, if you don't have a super emergency at the ER, you'll likely wait for 3-4 hours there. Since my situation was not really urgent, I ended up having to wait for a loooooong time.

After consulting with various people in the ER, Bryan and I decided it would probably be OK to step out for a few hours to grab some dinner. We wandered aimlessly around the hospital area in Boston (not wanting to venture too far from the hospital) and stumbled upon this little Lebanese restaurant.

Phoenicia has a pretty big menu with a lot of your typical Mediterranean fare (felafel, hoomis, baba ghonooj, tabooly, and grape leaves). You can also find more interesting Mediterranean fare, such as kafta, kibby, and various lamb dishes.

The prices are very reasonable (sandwiches cost between $5.25 and $5.75, lunch specials between $7.95 and $8.95, and dinner entrees between$10.95 and $15.95). They also have lots of cool appetizers, salads, and combination plates.

I tried the cabbage rolls, kafta, and kibby ($12.95). Bryan tried the lamb & beef shish kebabs with kafta ($15.95).

The kibby was one of my favorites. Kibby is a meat pie or meat ball of sorts that typically comprises of bulgur, minced lamb, and spices. I'm not super familiar with Lebanese food (I've only had it one other time), but I thought this kibby was flavorful, moist, and had a great mix of spices. I also like the Kafta, which is a sausage of sorts that consists of ground meat, onions, and spices. I thought the cabbage roll was the least interesting of all three - kind of bland.

Bryan thought the shisk kabobs were pretty good, though not particularly interesting.

The "Tabooly" (tabouli) salad had great flavor, although since it was late in the day, the salad seemed just a bit on the tired side. The "Hoomis bi Tahini" (hummus with tahini) was fine, though nothing too unique or special about it.

The decor is a bit tired, and the service was a bit slow. Maybe it's because we were there late and only one guy was serving everyone. Other than that, the food is pretty good and if you've never had Lebanese, this is a perfectly fine place to try it out.

Phoenicia
240 Cambridge St
Boston, MA 02114

Oleana

We went to Oleana semi-spontaneously last Wednesday night after I received the letter saying that I had passed the Bar exam. Zagat's Survey recently rated Oleana as one of the top ten restaurants in Boston for food.

As there were no reservations available until after 9 PM, we decided to go sit at the bar. Unlike at Chez Henri (to be reviewed later), the "bar" at Oleana consists only of the stools surrounding the bar. (At Chez Henri the "bar" is a separate adjoining room that has a bar, but also includes several tables at which one can sit). Not knowing this, I sat down at a table in the room with the bar for several minutes before a waiter, upon finding out that I had no reservation, politely showed me the bar stools.

The food was, as always, absolutely excellent. Oleana's dinner menu is divided into several categories: Pret a Manger (small, snack-like appetizers, $4-$5), Appetizers ($10-$12), Grains or Greens ($8/$15), and Main Entrees ($23-$26). Additionally, they have a Vegetarian Tasting Menu, which consists of 5 mini-dishes and a dessert. They are famous for their Baked Alaska dessert.

Being one who loves variety, I decided to ordered the vegetarian tasting platter. The chef chooses the five vegetarian plates at her whim. These five items from the menu, and could be chosen from the pret a mangers, appetizers, or side dishes on the menu. Bryan ordered the special of the day, which was a parmesan encrusted pork loin with a fava and beet salad on the side. He also ordered an appetizer, the Walnut & Sesame Fatayer (a flat bread) with Homemade Mozzarella & Rhubarb Jam.

My 5 "mezzes" were absolutely excellent. I had two favorites. The first was the Asparagus, Green Almond Pesto, and Fava Puree appetizer. The asparagus was lightly grilled, and together with the pesto and the fava puree, created a perfect blend of flavors with each bite.

We also really liked my first course, which I think was the Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers. This spread was creamy and spicy and utterly addictive. It came with crackers, and we could not stop eating it. Very tasty albeit a bit salty. I would definitely eat it with bread.

I also got the Warm Organic Kalamata Olives with Rigani & Sesame Seeds, which was good.

My other two courses, Spinach Falafel, Tahini, Yogurt with Beets & Mâche and a rice noodle dish were my least favorite. The falafel was fine, although I did not think it tasted any better than a falafel from a food truck. In fact, it was a bit mushy and cold, so arguably not as good.

The rice noodle dish was weird. It was a fusion of normal rice noodles, but with an interesting flavor that I actually can't remember. All I could remember thinking was - I miss the fried rice noodles from the Taiwanese restaurants.

Bryan's pork was very well made - the inside was juicy and tender and the parmesan crust was delicious. The fava and beet salad also tasted fresh, healthy, and flavorful.

Over all, this is an excellent restaurant and a good place to try some innovative Mediterranean food. This is probably my third time at the restaurant, but I would gladly go back again and I definitely recommend going.

Note - the Deviled Eggs with Tuna & Black Olives is one of their most famous "Prets" (Pret a Manger) and is surprisingly really good. If it's your first time, you should order that. Oh, and if you like spicy, you should get the Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers! Make sure to finish with the baked Alaska!

Oleana

We went to Oleana semi-spontaneously last Wednesday night after I received the letter saying that I had passed the Bar exam. Zagat's Survey recently rated Oleana as one of the top ten restaurants in Boston for food.

As there were no reservations available until after 9 PM, we decided to go sit at the bar. Unlike at Chez Henri (to be reviewed later), the "bar" at Oleana consists only of the stools surrounding the bar. (At Chez Henri the "bar" is a separate adjoining room that has a bar, but also includes several tables at which one can sit). Not knowing this, I sat down at a table in the room with the bar for several minutes before a waiter, upon finding out that I had no reservation, politely showed me the bar stools.

The food was, as always, absolutely excellent. Oleana's dinner menu is divided into several categories: Pret a Manger (small, snack-like appetizers, $4-$5), Appetizers ($10-$12), Grains or Greens ($8/$15), and Main Entrees ($23-$26). Additionally, they have a Vegetarian Tasting Menu, which consists of 5 mini-dishes and a dessert. They are famous for their Baked Alaska dessert.

Being one who loves variety, I decided to ordered the vegetarian tasting platter. The chef chooses the five vegetarian plates at her whim. These five items from the menu, and could be chosen from the pret a mangers, appetizers, or side dishes on the menu. Bryan ordered the special of the day, which was a parmesan encrusted pork loin with a fava and beet salad on the side. He also ordered an appetizer, the Walnut & Sesame Fatayer (a flat bread) with Homemade Mozzarella & Rhubarb Jam.

My 5 "mezzes" were absolutely excellent. I had two favorites. The first was the Asparagus, Green Almond Pesto, and Fava Puree appetizer. The asparagus was lightly grilled, and together with the pesto and the fava puree, created a perfect blend of flavors with each bite.

We also really liked my first course, which I think was the Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers. This spread was creamy and spicy and utterly addictive. It came with crackers, and we could not stop eating it. Very tasty albeit a bit salty. I would definitely eat it with bread.

I also got the Warm Organic Kalamata Olives with Rigani & Sesame Seeds, which was good.

My other two courses, Spinach Falafel, Tahini, Yogurt with Beets & Mâche and a rice noodle dish were my least favorite. The falafel was fine, although I did not think it tasted any better than a falafel from a food truck. In fact, it was a bit mushy and cold, so arguably not as good.

The rice noodle dish was weird. It was a fusion of normal rice noodles, but with an interesting flavor that I actually can't remember. All I could remember thinking was - I miss the fried rice noodles from the Taiwanese restaurants.

Bryan's pork was very well made - the inside was juicy and tender and the parmesan crust was delicious. The fava and beet salad also tasted fresh, healthy, and flavorful.

Over all, this is an excellent restaurant and a good place to try some innovative Mediterranean food. This is probably my third time at the restaurant, but I would gladly go back again and I definitely recommend going.

Note - the Deviled Eggs with Tuna & Black Olives is one of their most famous "Prets" (Pret a Manger) and is surprisingly really good. If it's your first time, you should order that. Oh, and if you like spicy, you should get the Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers! Make sure to finish with the baked Alaska!