New England and North African fare can be found within a walk or short subway ride from MIT.
Anna Kushnir
Miracle of Science Bar & Grill: learn to love mornings
The Miracle of Science (MoS), which presents its menu in the form of a periodic table, is a well-known institution around MIT. Recently it started something new: breakfast. And it’s already a pro at it. The food is fresh and affordable and the morning vibe is casual and relaxed. It could be even more relaxed if the music was turned down a notch, but fortunately that is the only snag in an otherwise smooth breakfast experience.
MoS’s home fries, which it calls “breakfast potatoes,” are far from the greasy-spoon variety: red-skinned potatoes are fried until they have a thick, crispy crust, then mixed with sweet red onions and liberally sprinkled with black pepper. The potatoes are served alongside most of the breakfast offerings, which include an omelet folded neatly over your choice of fillings and a breakfast sandwich with eggs and sausage or Canadian bacon.
The breakfast wrap at Miracle of Science can turn anyone into a morning person.
The breakfast wrap is close to perfection: softly scrambled eggs, black beans, jalapeno chicken sausage, and cheese are snugly encased in a flour tortilla. The flavors are satisfying, with a spicy kick to help you wake up and take on the day.
321 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-2866
Breakfast: $5.25-$6.75
Starting at 7 a.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday-Sunday
Baraka Café: Couscous—and other North African specialties—done right
Some dishes will never be as good prepared at home as at a restaurant. One such dish is couscous, the North African staple, which comes with many of the dishes at the Baraka Café, a small Tunisian restaurant. Its couscous is softer and fluffier than the homemade kind; the tiny beads of wheat are moist and almost creamy in texture.
The couscous can be topped with marinated grilled chicken or lamb kebabs, and vegetable stews packed with a heady mix of spices. The kebabs are so tender they hardly require chewing. Couscous can also come with melkha—halved eggplant stuffed with cured olives, fresh creamy feta, and spinach—and a spicy red bell pepper stew. If you’re not a couscous fan, there are also fried potatoes and fresh mixed greens topped with grilled chicken and lamb kebabs, drizzled with yogurt.
Fried potatoes offer an alternative to couscous as an accompaniment to grilled chicken and lamb kababs at Baraka Café.
The freshly brewed, thick Turkish coffee, infused with cinnamon and cardamom, is a good way to end the meal. You may never be satisfied with home-brewed coffee again.
80 1/2 Pearl St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-3951
Appetizers: $3.50-$6.50
Entrees: $8.95-$18
Desserts: $5.50
Emma’s: not your typical pizza joint
Far away from the North End, Kendall Square is an unlikely place to find exceptional pizza. Yet, you’ll find it at Emma’s, where you can design your own pie by choosing a combination of toppings, sauce, and cheese from a long list of gourmet choices, which include dried cranberries and roasted sweet potatoes. You can also trust the unconventional combinations devised by Emma’s staff.
A sauceless pizza with garlic-infused green olives, large chunks of cracked black pepper, feta, and goat cheese achieves a balance of robust flavors. On a pizza with a traditional red sauce, soft and fluffy hot sausage melts together with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, and goat cheese.
The pizza sauce—which has a concentrated flavor and a thick, almost paste-like consistency—is applied sparingly enough to prevent the toppings from hydroplaning. The ultra thin and crispy crust has just enough pliability to fold in your hand but not too much crunch to snap in two. If you are torn between two sets of toppings, you can get a half-and-half pizza and enjoy both.
40 Hampshire St.
Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 864-8534
Appetizers: $6.25-$8.95
Pizza: $10.50-$20
Green Street: New England cuisine fit for the season
The bleak brick exterior and decrepit Budweiser sign on the roof make the building that houses Green Street look like a seedy biker bar, but the restaurant inside couldn’t be more different. Serving seasonal New England-inspired fare, Green Street is the kind of place that everyone wants to have in the neighborhood.
Meaty skate wing is served on top of fresh pea shoots, alongside a potato gratin and two preparations of squid: deep fried and grilled. The skate, while fresh and perfectly cooked, comes attached to a sheet of bones, which is an unpleasant challenge to eat around. The dish is redeemed by the tenderness of the squid rings and the thyme-infused decadence of the potatoes. Spring flavors are featured prominently; creamy gnocchi is lightened and complemented by fresh ricotta with fava beans and fava leaves.
Spring flavors are prominent in the gnocchi with fava beans at Green Street.
Regardless of the season, the brownie sundae is a must; a brownie with crunchy edges and a fudgy center is topped with a scoop of flavorful banana ice cream, whipped cream, and, of course, a cherry. Try finding that at a biker bar.
280 Green St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 876-1655
Appetizers: $7-$10
Entrees: $17-$25
Desserts: $6-$7
Read previously published reviews of restaurants in the Longwood area and in downtown Boston elsewhere on Nature Network.