En Route to my favorite Brighton coffee spot, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a giant “A” protruding from the store fronts. It was Athens, a breakfast experience I had heard about in passing but never given second thought to. With lots of work to do, a desperate need for caffeine, I could not resist the call of the empty window side table that sat in the glow of the February sun.

The menu did not disappoint the breakfast lover within me, nor did it stretch my poor freelance writer’s wallet. For less than eight dollars, I could have anything from eggs benedict, to the Monte Cristo, a brioche sandwich with house roasted turkey, cheddar cheese, cranberry mayonnaise, dipped in egg batter and grilled with home fries. Or for just $3.95, I could have the house-made vanilla pancakes with real maple syrup and sour cherry butter.

I settled on Irish steel cut oatmeal, slow cooked rolled oats cooked with dried fruits and nuts, enhanced only by fresh coffee and cream. It was a little taste of home that filled me up for hours of studying…joy.

I stopped in to grab coffee and catch up on my Hungry?City blogs, but now that I’ve got my hands on a menu; I think its time to do some research. This espresso bar and Creperie has a fantastic assortment of crepes, paninis, and fresh salads. On the French side of the menu, the crepes touch on both sweet and savory. There is caramel apple crisp, chocolate strawberry, mushroom and caramelized onion, pesto chicken, and crab and avocado to name a few. Then there are paninis including the Blue Mushroom complete with sautéed portabella mushroom caps, baby spinach, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese and balsamic glaze or the Panino Panini, with Caprese and thin slices of imported brusciutto.

I opt for the Zesty tuna melt with its signature tuna recipe, cheddar, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce. Nothing hits the spot more than this warm crispy melt on freshly toasted multigrain bread. The house made tuna has a nice kick to it complimented by the sharp cheddar and tomato, it is simple and perfect served with a side of greens and sweet balsamic dressing.

A friend was in town for the night and as we tooled around the Quincy market area, the red aura of Red Sky beckoned us in for a bite. Without much hesitation we decided it was the ideal place for appetizers and cocktails.

Wine and gourmet Mac and Cheese became our company for the night as we were the only people in the dark restaurant. But a couple of smooth glasses of merlot quickly put us in a quaint little Red Sky bubble where the empty surroundings seemed trivial. Not to mention the fact that the Mac and Cheese was no Velvita box creation. The dish was made with freshly baked bread crumbs and truffle oil covering the thickest and creamiest cheese noodle masterpiece I’ve ever experienced.

Glance over the rest of the dinner menu and you will find everything from the loaded Red Sky burger and filet mignon to vegetable hummus and pan seared crab cakes. Amanda’s recommendation for the upcoming holiday season… stroll through Quincy Market where the epic Christmas tree lights up the night, and let the amber glow of Red Sky soothe your soul with its gourmet spins on classic American cuisine.

The average person walking around the Back Bay area would be taken aback by the grandeur of the Christian Science Headquarters, a massive white dome church that sits pretty on Mass Ave. But few would know that right next door is the Mary Baker Eddy Library home to both the Quotes Café, and the only existing Mapparium in the world.

If you’re in the mood for a delightfully random duet of an afternoon, this is the perfect combination of activities. Start with lunch in the Quotes café. The walls are filled with quotes from the greats like Shakespeare and Ghandi, perfect for some light thought provoking conversation over sandwiches like The Symphony, provolone cheese, broccoli rabe, on tomato basil bread with chipotle aioli. There is also fantastic flat bread pizza options like Athenas, fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomato, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and basil, and classic sandwich options like a Tuna Melt and The American BLT.

As for the Mapparium, this 200 word blog will not do it the justice it deserves, but it is geography frozen in time and recreated in a massive 160 piece stained glass globe, with panels that light up to draw attention to different counties and acoustics which allow you to throw your voice or hear it in surround sound. Who can say no to a great sandwich and self-surround sound?

Let’s start with this fun fact, their menu is 16 pages long, correction their beverage menu is 16 pages long. Think of your favorite beer and they’ve got it, plus 20 others that are similar and sure to tickle your taste buds with hoppy goodness. As the last leaves of autumn meet their doom, I chose to stand by my fall favorite, the Weyerbacher Pumpkin ale. With 8.0 percent alcohol and a glass rimmed with cinnamon and sugar, it is a desert beer that will leave you flying high to say the least.

And just incase the booze become too much, there is a 12 page food menu to balance your buzz. Are you in the mood for Mexican? They’ve got it, Italian? Yup. Classic American? For sure.  Short of Sushi, Sunset has the broadest expanse of food and beverage of any restaurant I’ve come across and all of it is in the highest of quality.

Thirsty or hungry, sunset will more than satisfy your needs.

Italy never tasted sweeter with a freshly baked canola and a hot cappuccino topped with cocoa powder. This sub-forty Boston day, giving baystaters their first taste of winter, is beginning to look up.

I’m new to the Little Italy scene, but the vibe of this cafe sings Italia from front to back. Italy vs. Argentina glide across soccer field on the café’s two flat screen TV’s while the life sized espresso machines hum in the background. A huddle of thick leather clad men nosh on canoli’s in the back while the rest of the café is populated by a mix of young and old Italian Americans enjoying gourmet coffee and freshly baked goods after work.

The menu is not one for sustenance but if it gets any colder I’d certainly dive into they’re “specialty coffee drinks”. The “Caffe Vittoria” crowns the menu as it is comprised of coffee with kahlua, brandy, and tiramisu liquor. It’s if canoli’s and tiramisu aren’t enough there’s also yellow cream savoi, vanilla caked with Bavarian cream and almonds, or twenty different flavors of gelato.

While Boston is a small city, one of the qualities that sets it apart is the essence of each of its neighborhoods. Every area has its own flavor, and the North End’s Italian sector is a refreshing change from the pubs of Blackstone. Grazi Caffe Vittoria, I shall certainly be back.

Today’s mission, the best pumpkin spice latte known to man. As usual, I was side tracked by a rave review from Hungry?City Guides as I moseyed down River Street and saw Andala Café. I knew the name sounded familiar so I whipped out my trusty guide book and sure enough, page 142, Andala Café, “a must have Middle eastern coffee house”. All thoughts of pumpkin spice hype were put on hold (fear not I will certainly return to that mission within the month) as I tried my hand at Turkish coffee.

All I can say is small cup…big kick. The Turkish figured out how to jam all their caffeine into a cup on eighth the size of our Starbucks Venti Frapacrap’s to go. According to Andala’s owner, a Turkey native, “Americans squeeze the juice out of the coffee bean and that is all, even espresso, just juice squeezed, but in Turkey, we roast the whole thing, get all caffeine, all flavor, less juice.”

While I’m not sure what that means exactly, I believe every word because my first sip felt like a straight shot of adrenaline. No gimmicks, no pumpkin spice or mocha whip, pure coffee with a kick.

For those of us who thought that sacred brotherhoods existed only in Hollywood concoctions like the  Divinci Code, we needed but to look a few blocks further to the quaint main streets of Dorchester, MA.

Here lies the lunch spot that Hungry? City described as “stepping into a Grimm’s fairytale”. I entered to the broad smile of a burley man named Johanna who said, “I am the owner and I am not the owner, I am one of the 12 Tribe Brotherhood.” Within minutes I was introduced to Tifarah, both a waitress and a member of the brotherhood. Seeming more like a hippie than a cultish brethren, Tifarah said the culture began in the 70’s with a group of friends who were exhausted by ancient religions and sought to find purpose together. She sad, “Like the beach wood that makes this café, separate we are ugly, together we are beautiful.”

Cultish, yes. Creepy, sure. But none would argue that the ambiance of the restaurant is truly a unique type of peaceful. Soft Israeli instrumental folk music made me feel like I was about to get a massage, while dim orange lighting was more than enough to see your wholesome organic dish. Wraps include the Prince Special, a “tofu delight” with red bell peppers, lettuce, red onions, avocado on a whole wheat tortilla with homemade salad dressing. They also have a variety of sandwiches, salads, and homemade pizza on an organic spelt crust.

You may not leave as converted Brethren but you will certainly leave happy, and maybe a little bit more hippie.

October 10, 2009

A hungry mission for a Bohemian Jamaica Plain hide out has lead me to June Bug Café on Centre Street. Paper flower bouquets in small glass vases adorn the tables while orange plastic lady bugs crawl on fake grass in each window sill. Yet white stripes are screaming to me from high ceiling speakers and an unimposing service style has baristas screaming orders to guests over the counter. The stylistic contradictions clash quite nicely though and welcome an eclectic crowd to cozy up café style. Greasy haired skaters with black skateboards chow down by the TV and Marxist ranting academics pour their thoughts out over espressos by the window.

And I, with pen and paper sit taking pictures of the plastic lady bugs for your viewing pleasure while waiting for my omelet to arrive. I should probably be sipping bubble tea as June Bug Café boasts over twenty flavors from watermelon and mango to avocado and red bean but to be honest, balls of tapioca in my tea is a concept I have yet to come to terms with. What I can vouch for, however, is the omelet that is currently gracing my pallet. Their style is build your own any way you like it. I opt for the ham, cheddar, mushroom and tomatoe but what really impresses me is the warmly crisped whole grain raisin toast that accompanies it. Definitely fresh, definitely awesome and definitely a unique touch to a traditional breakfast…in case the paper art flowers weren’t unique enough.

Then there’s the menu separated into memorable categories like Meat heads, Bagel heads, Cheesy heads, Veggie heads, Soup heads, Panini heads, and Egg Heads. I’m easily convinced that next time around I want to be a Panini head. Not only do the options sound titillating but June herself, THE June of June Bug Café tells me they have devoted themselves to taking vegan sandwiches to the next level. She recommends “The Susana’; fried tofu, cucumber, sprouts, vegan cheese, and a touch of house peanut sauce served on sweet artisan break. And for Panini Meat Heads, June raves about “Pocha”, complete with lightly breaded chicken breast, roasted red peppers, melted motz, and basil spread with homemade red sauce.

The Offspring are playing now, and they seem to be yelling at me for my decision to play it safe with my egg head omelet when I could have been a Panini meat head. I agree. From here on out…. no more omelets… maybe.

September 29^th, 2009

Every day I ride my bike down Columbus Avenue and everyday I pass the unimposing, European styled Uptown Espresso Café. I love Espresso, I love Europe, why did it take me this long to get there?

I was welcomed into the small café by a charming Iranian woman who recommended the Persian salad; a light mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and a lemon-oil dressing that was perfect for an unseasonably warm September day. Since the café was clearly coffee oriented, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the Persian Salad exceeded my expectations. There was definitely an attention to detail with basil and lemon garnishes and full service out on the patio that is hidden behind the street side café.

I never did understand the obsession with sitting outside when “outside” means a crowded street side table inhaling car fumes with your lunch. As much as I love a salad lightly tossed in carbon pollution, I was thrilled that the uptown espresso bar had a hidden patio encompassed by lush ivy vines and outdoor lantern lights. The sweet perfume of privacy, solitude, and perfection lulled me into relaxation and sipping a well made post lunch espresso in the early fall sun is just what I needed.