Veggie Planet / Club Passim

I've lived next to Harvard Square for over ten years. I can't believe I had not visited Club Passim/Veggie Planet until this past month.

Club Passim is a really intimate venue for small concerts. When you buy tickets for a show, your seat is actually a table. You can order dinner and drinks from Veggie Planet while you enjoy the show.

The space is tiny, and the chairs are squeezed really close together.  It's slightly uncomfortable, but in a way also adds to the charm of the venue.  The room is really small, which makes the concert that much more intimate and enjoyable.

Of course, having a perfect venue is only half the equation. The food has to be good.
I'm happy to report that I was quite pleased with the offerings from Veggie Planet.  The menu is completely vegetarian.  It's flavorful, healthy, and all around top notch quality.  The prices are also very, very reasonable.  I would definitely go back just for the food, even if there is no concert!

Chips & Dip - flatbread toasted, sliced and served with your choice of two of our
homemade dips: romesco sauce, salsa, black bean puree or hummus $5.50

We tried the romesco sauce and the salsa.  The romesco sauce was incredible rich and flavorful and all around addictive.  Although the salsa was perfectly fine (fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, and the like), the romesco sauce was by far everyone's favorite.

A brief search on the internet gave us a hint on why this sauce was so delicious.  Romesco sauce originates from Catalonia, Spain, and is typically made from ground up nuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyores (a type of red bell pepper).  No wonder this is so rich in flavor!

Portobello Redhead - roasted portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, rosemary &
sage smothered in romesco (roasted red pepper & almond) sauce and topped with feta
cheese small $6.85 large $11.15

I really liked the pizzas here!  The individual sized pizza is plenty large for a person (I only ate half of mine!).  The crust is made out of a whole wheat flatbread, and bakes up nice and crispy. What makes this pizza really unique and absolutely delicious? It has that addictive romesco sauce on it!  Wonderful pizza.

Safe & Sound - fresh marinated tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and asiago cheese (add spinach at no charge) topped with basil and fried garlic. "Unsafe" version has hot chili sauce small $7.15 large $11.35

I got the "unsafe" version, which was like a good Margherita pizza but kicked up a notch with spice.  It was good, though not particularly interesting. I kept eying my friend's Portabello Redhead pizza, which I liked better.

Peanut Curry - coconut rice, broccoli and Thai peanut curry sauce topped with fried tofu croutons and peanuts

They also have a lot of vegan offerings, including this Peanut Curry dish above, which I thought was only OK, although my friend really likes this and orders it every time she comes.

I had a great time here. The food was delicious, the venue was perfect, and of course the band, Girlyman, was super talented and entertaining.  I would highly recommend coming here, either for a concert or just for the food.  It's a great place, and I'm so glad I finally "discovered" it after all these years!

Club Passim / Veggie Planet
47 Palmer St
Cambridge, MA 02138
 

Veggie Planet / Club Passim

I've lived next to Harvard Square for over ten years. I can't believe I had not visited Club Passim/Veggie Planet until this past month.

Club Passim is a really intimate venue for small concerts. When you buy tickets for a show, your seat is actually a table. You can order dinner and drinks from Veggie Planet while you enjoy the show.

The space is tiny, and the chairs are squeezed really close together.  It's slightly uncomfortable, but in a way also adds to the charm of the venue.  The room is really small, which makes the concert that much more intimate and enjoyable.

Of course, having a perfect venue is only half the equation. The food has to be good.
I'm happy to report that I was quite pleased with the offerings from Veggie Planet.  The menu is completely vegetarian.  It's flavorful, healthy, and all around top notch quality.  The prices are also very, very reasonable.  I would definitely go back just for the food, even if there is no concert!

Chips & Dip - flatbread toasted, sliced and served with your choice of two of our
homemade dips: romesco sauce, salsa, black bean puree or hummus $5.50

We tried the romesco sauce and the salsa.  The romesco sauce was incredible rich and flavorful and all around addictive.  Although the salsa was perfectly fine (fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, and the like), the romesco sauce was by far everyone's favorite.

A brief search on the internet gave us a hint on why this sauce was so delicious.  Romesco sauce originates from Catalonia, Spain, and is typically made from ground up nuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyores (a type of red bell pepper).  No wonder this is so rich in flavor!

Portobello Redhead - roasted portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, rosemary &
sage smothered in romesco (roasted red pepper & almond) sauce and topped with feta
cheese small $6.85 large $11.15

I really liked the pizzas here!  The individual sized pizza is plenty large for a person (I only ate half of mine!).  The crust is made out of a whole wheat flatbread, and bakes up nice and crispy. What makes this pizza really unique and absolutely delicious? It has that addictive romesco sauce on it!  Wonderful pizza.

Safe & Sound - fresh marinated tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and asiago cheese (add spinach at no charge) topped with basil and fried garlic. "Unsafe" version has hot chili sauce small $7.15 large $11.35

I got the "unsafe" version, which was like a good Margherita pizza but kicked up a notch with spice.  It was good, though not particularly interesting. I kept eying my friend's Portabello Redhead pizza, which I liked better.

Peanut Curry - coconut rice, broccoli and Thai peanut curry sauce topped with fried tofu croutons and peanuts

They also have a lot of vegan offerings, including this Peanut Curry dish above, which I thought was only OK, although my friend really likes this and orders it every time she comes.

I had a great time here. The food was delicious, the venue was perfect, and of course the band, Girlyman, was super talented and entertaining.  I would highly recommend coming here, either for a concert or just for the food.  It's a great place, and I'm so glad I finally "discovered" it after all these years!

Club Passim / Veggie Planet
47 Palmer St
Cambridge, MA 02138
 

Sunchoke Chips (Jerusalem Artichoke)

Have you ever heard of a sunchoke?  Or a Jerusalem Artichoke? (which, by the way, is neither from Jerusalem nor is an artichoke)  The sunchoke is the root of a species of sunflower plant that is native to eastern U.S. (like Massachusetts!!)

They look like tiny potatoes, or, if they are knobby, they might resemble ginger root.  If you cut one open and eat it raw, it is white, crunchy, and a little sweet - sort of like a cross between a potato and a jicama. Any flavor that it might have is quite subtle when raw.  Oh, but when these are baked into chips, they have a beautiful, slightly sweet, slightly nutty and earthy flavor that is oh-so-addictive.


Why This is Such a Good "Low Carb" Snack
One interesting note about this root.  Unlike most roots, sunchokes do not store starch as their main carbohydrate.  Instead, they store inulin, a carbohydrate that is a polymer consisting of fructose units instead of glucose units (in the case of starch).  The benefit of inulin is that it does not impact the body's blood sugar level, which is great for those on a low "carb" diet. Inulin is also associated with many other health benefits, such as increasing the absorption of calcium and promoting the growth of intestinal bacteria.

Because inulin cannot be broken down by our starch-busting enzymes, amylase and ptaylin, it actually passes through the digestive system relatively untouched until it reaches the colon, where bacteria break it down (similar to what happens to lactose intolerant people when they drink milk).  People vary in how well they can tolerate and digest inulin. If you do try this vegetable, try in small doses at first! Otherwise you might be in for a rather, ahem, uncomfortable evening.

Do try, though.  It's totally worth it if you can take it. I tried just a few chips the first night, and then a whole batch the second night and had absolutely no problems.  Same with Bryan.  It's a great snack and is so much healthier (from a starch standpoint) than potato chips, yet they taste just as good, if not better!

Sunchoke Chips
Wash and scrub sunchokes so that they are free of any dirt. Thinly slice up sunchokes into 1mm thick slices.  Try to make them uniform in width, as that will aid in even browning.  Toss with a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp for an entire mini toaster oven tray) and lay them in a single layer in the tray.  Add salt (I just did a few "shakes" of a salt shaker) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until it starts to dry out and look golden brown.  I did this in the toaster oven, and it worked great.  I also tried it in the convection oven.  It took a little longer (like 25 minutes!),but still turned out fine.

Just keep an eye on it because it's easy to burn.  Every oven is different, so you'll have to play around with your oven to get the right time.

Remove, let cool, and enjoy!

Sunchoke Chips (Jerusalem Artichoke)

Have you ever heard of a sunchoke?  Or a Jerusalem Artichoke? (which, by the way, is neither from Jerusalem nor is an artichoke)  The sunchoke is the root of a species of sunflower plant that is native to eastern U.S. (like Massachusetts!!)

They look like tiny potatoes, or, if they are knobby, they might resemble ginger root.  If you cut one open and eat it raw, it is white, crunchy, and a little sweet - sort of like a cross between a potato and a jicama. Any flavor that it might have is quite subtle when raw.  Oh, but when these are baked into chips, they have a beautiful, slightly sweet, slightly nutty and earthy flavor that is oh-so-addictive.


Why This is Such a Good "Low Carb" Snack
One interesting note about this root.  Unlike most roots, sunchokes do not store starch as their main carbohydrate.  Instead, they store inulin, a carbohydrate that is a polymer consisting of fructose units instead of glucose units (in the case of starch).  The benefit of inulin is that it does not impact the body's blood sugar level, which is great for those on a low "carb" diet. Inulin is also associated with many other health benefits, such as increasing the absorption of calcium and promoting the growth of intestinal bacteria.

Because inulin cannot be broken down by our starch-busting enzymes, amylase and ptaylin, it actually passes through the digestive system relatively untouched until it reaches the colon, where bacteria break it down (similar to what happens to lactose intolerant people when they drink milk).  People vary in how well they can tolerate and digest inulin. If you do try this vegetable, try in small doses at first! Otherwise you might be in for a rather, ahem, uncomfortable evening.

Do try, though.  It's totally worth it if you can take it. I tried just a few chips the first night, and then a whole batch the second night and had absolutely no problems.  Same with Bryan.  It's a great snack and is so much healthier (from a starch standpoint) than potato chips, yet they taste just as good, if not better!

Sunchoke Chips
Wash and scrub sunchokes so that they are free of any dirt. Thinly slice up sunchokes into 1mm thick slices.  Try to make them uniform in width, as that will aid in even browning.  Toss with a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp for an entire mini toaster oven tray) and lay them in a single layer in the tray.  Add salt (I just did a few "shakes" of a salt shaker) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until it starts to dry out and look golden brown.  I did this in the toaster oven, and it worked great.  I also tried it in the convection oven.  It took a little longer (like 25 minutes!),but still turned out fine.

Just keep an eye on it because it's easy to burn.  Every oven is different, so you'll have to play around with your oven to get the right time.

Remove, let cool, and enjoy!

KO Prime Winners!

Using Random.org, I generated two numbers between 1 and 21.  The winning numbers?



Congrats to Lisa and Dianna!  Please e-mail me at jen[at]tinyurbankitchen[dot]com and let me know where you want me to send the KO Cash cards!

Enjoy, and please tell me how your meal was!!!

KO Prime Winners!

Using Random.org, I generated two numbers between 1 and 21.  The winning numbers?



Congrats to Lisa and Dianna!  Please e-mail me at jen[at]tinyurbankitchen[dot]com and let me know where you want me to send the KO Cash cards!

Enjoy, and please tell me how your meal was!!!

Henrietta's Table

Harvard Square is such a magical place at night.  I especially love the area around the Charles Hotel right now, where crystal blue trees light up the courtyard.

Enter the Charles Hotel, and you'll encounter a quaint restaurant called Henrietta's Table.  The moment you step, in, you'll feel like you're walking into someone's home, someone's kitchen.  It's almost as if Henrietta personally invited you over to her farmhouse for a home-cooked meal using the vegetables from her garden.

The plush pigs at the front add to the warm and welcoming feel of the place.

In many ways, eating at Henrietta's Table is like going to a farmer's house for dinner. The restaurant focuses on locally grown, organic, and sustainable food.  In fact, it has been doing so ever since it opened thirteen years ago, arguably long before it was the "in" thing to do. It's most known for its amazing Sunday brunch buffet, which is a sight to see and a price to behold ($48pp).

Alas, I will not be describing the brunch to you today (sorry! It is amazing, and one of these days I will!)  Instead, a group of girls and I decided to check out Henrietta's Table for Restaurant Week a few nights ago.  The great thing about Henrietta's Table is that the Restaurant Week menu is no different from their regular menu.  In fact, the entire menu is part of Restaurant Week.  You just pick an appetizer, entree, side, and dessert.  It's that simple.

House Smoked Pastrami Salmon
Field Greens, Chive Oil, Crispy Potato Wafer, Lemon Vermont Creme Fraiche
My friend really enjoyed this dish, especially how the crispy wafers went together with the smoky salmon.

Arugula Salad
Dried Cranberries, almonds, Feta
I loved my arugula salad.  It's nothing inventive, but the quality of all the ingredients was excellent, as if it really did just come from the garden out back.  The feta cheese was delicious, much better than the salty stuff you typically get in the supermarket.  I really wonder where they get this cheese!

Spinach Salad
Seasonal Fruit, Westfield Farm Chevre, and Spicy Maple Pecan Vinaigrette
There is dressing in this dish!  It just came on the side and had not been poured yet.  The strawberries in this dish were really juicy and fresh, although the pecans had a funny spice that we could not place.  Maybe cardamon?  Several people at our table got this salad, and more than one person thought the spices on the nuts were a bit strong.  Other than that, however, the vegetables were fresh and high quality.

Maine Rock Crab Cake
Tartar Sauce, Native Vegetable Slaw with Sorrel Vinaigrette
I got the crabcake and thought it was pretty good.  It's not as good as the Maryland style crabcakes at The Oceanaire, but it does use high quality Maine crabs and had excellent flavor. The tartar sauce actually tasted homemade here, and I liked it a lot.  It was less salty and sour compared to the type that comes in a commercial jar.

Barbeque Ale Braised Elysian Field Farm's Pulled Lamb Shank
Local Wilted Greens, Native Beans, Crispy Nitrate Free Smoked Bacon

House Maple Smoked and Grilled Free Range Duck Breast
Confit Leg, Native Cranberry Chutney, Port Wine Reduction
I tried a bite of this duck and thought it was solid.  Nice and juicy and not too overdone.  Again, nothing particularly interesting - just good, solid American cooking.  Though my friend thought it was good, she said, "it still doesn't beat a really good Peking duck."

Ozark Mountain Grilled Smoked Pork Chop
Native Apple Sauce, Apple Brandy Reduction Sauce

Roasted Root Vegetables, Beets, and Cauliflower
These sides were solid, but nothing I couldn't make at home.  In fact, I like my own version of roasted cauliflower a lot better, mostly because I drizzle it with a nice glug of truffle oil! Nevertheless, I loved how they had so many healthy options!  Such a variety of vegetables all roasted in olive oil.

Henrietta's World Famous Chocolate Bread Pudding
Rum Caramelized Bananas, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
I actually thought this tasted fantastic, although my friend was not satisfied because the "bread" seemed more cake-like in texture and not as bread-like.

Henrietta's Pie of the Day (Mixed Berries),
Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream
My other friend really liked her pie.  Expecting just a single slice, she was pleasantly surprised when they brought this complete mini-pie to her.  She really enjoyed it, citing the sweet, fresh berries inside and the nice, crumbly crust.

Farmer's Custard
Lace Cookie and Fresh Berries
I really liked this custard.  It reminded me of panna cotta (in fact, it might be the exact same thing).  I love how it has that farm fresh cream flavor that's not too sweet.  The fresh berries, of course, were a perfect complement to the creamy custard.

Overall Thoughts
If you like the idea of a simple, New England restaurant that's focused on farm fresh vegetables, organic foods, sustainability, and good, honest cooking, you'll love Henrietta's Table.  Though none of the dishes are particularly inventive or cutting edge, most of the dishes are solid and use quality ingredients.

Plus, it's actually very reasonably priced for Harvard Square.  Most of the entrees are between $15 and $22, which is not bad at all for a nice restaurant in the middle of Harvard Square. The five of us enjoyed a bottle of wine for $30, which is quite reasonable.  Most of their wines are in this price range.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable meal there with friends.  The restaurant did not rush us at all, allowing us to sit there for hours just chilling. One member of our party was actually quite late, but the waitstaff was very kind in seating us early and not rushing us at all while we waited for our friend. I was quite pleased with the service.

And of course, how can you not love a place that has these guys at the door saying good by as you leave.

Henrietta's Table
1 Bennett St
Cambridge, MA 02138

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