The chocolate chip cookie is the great unifier: enjoyed by all generations, this American classic is a go-to to fulfill even the strongest of dessert cravings.

The Boston Chipyard, located in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, has been serving up warm, bite-sized, homemade cookies since 1976. The Chipyard was always a favorite destination for my brother and me whenever we went to Boston as kids, and over ten years later, the joy that comes from biting into a straight-out-of-the-oven cookie ceases to amaze me. While The Chipyard may be located in the heart of Boston tourist attractions, it is well worth the wait, whether you are visiting for a day or are a lifelong Bostonian.

Customers waiting in line at The Chipyard. Photo courtesy of TheChipyard.com

The Chipyard could put many bakeries to shame, and the key to their cookies is simplicity. They carry seven flavors, ranging from the original chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin chocolate chip. The chocolate-chocolate chip tastes like a warm brownie, and the mint chocolate chip cookie is a fresh twist on an old favorite. In honor of my love of peanut butter, I find the PB chocolate chip flavor to be out of this world. You can mix and match cookies as well, in amounts of a half dozen or a dozen, so feel free to mix and match or try one of each flavor. All the cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and no matter what flavor you choose, I guarantee you will find these bite size morsels will be highly addictive.

For more information, including directions and hours, check out The Chipyard’s website here

The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub is known mostly for the latter portion of its name, but beyond coming to hear music almost every night of the week, people also trek to the Middle East for its authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.

Vegetarians will enjoy an extensive menu catered to their tastes. I loved the fool m’dammas, a slightly spicy soup comprised of Middle Eastern staples like chick peas and fava beans, as well as diced tomatoes and onions. The falafel was also tasty, but I found the tahini accompanying it to have an almost musty taste.

The Middle East offers a variety of entrees including kabab dishes made with your choice of meat or tofu. Each kabab plate is served with rice pilaf, a small salad, and beans (the pilaf is to die for so order it as a side if you’re not going with the kababs!). Other Middle Eastern standards like cous cous served with chick peas and a tomato sauté, as well as lamb shanksappear on the menu.

Dinner prices are fairly reasonable, with most dishes falling in the ten to fifteen dollar range. Lunch (served from 11am to 4pm) is more of a bargain, but the menu is limited to mostly kabab dishes and a select number of vegetarian options. The Middle East also runs a weekend brunch from 11am to 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fool M'dammas

Be prepared for long waits and loud noises on nights when a crowd-drawing act plays. View The Middle East’s events calendar at http://mideastclub.com/scheduleall.html.

The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub

472 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA‎

(617) 864-3278‎

Mention fish tacos to most New Englanders and you’ll probably receive a suspicious look followed by a slightly wrinkled nose. Luckily for Boston that is all about to change thanks to a crop of restaurants bringing this west coast staple to Beantown.

For those who are not familiar with fish tacos, they normally include a variation of fried white fish (such as Atlantic Pollock), cabbage, picked vegetables, salsa, radishes, and a spicy chipotle crema. The resulting flavor is a fresh, bold, texture-pleasing take on the Old El Paso standard tacos that were a part of our childhood.

As a transplant to Boston, I was introduced to fish tacos in Denver, at a lovely little place called Wahoo’s Fish Tacos. After moving to Boston, I thought I would have to permanently say goodbye to my favorite quick meal until a recent foodie awakening of the joy of the Baja style taco.  One of my favorites is Dorados, a recent venture by Chef Douglas Organ who became famous for his tacos at the Jamaica Plain restaurant Café D. The tacos are small, but perfectly sized for picking and choosing from variations including fish, shrimp, beef, chicken, and even their own house-made chorizo. Also of note are delicious Mexican sandwiches called Cemitas, which include black beans, chipotles in adobo, avocado, Oaxacana cheese, cilantro, as well as your choice of meat or veggies.

 Another place to try, while not quite new, offers surprisingly delicious Mexican fare on a street where gourmet means ordering your street sausage “city side” (love you Sausage Guy). La Verdad is Chef Ken Oringer’s take on a taqueria for those hungry Red Sox fans who want to try something a little different. While a few menu items are a little pricier than a traditional taqueria, it’s worth the extra dollar for some fresh flavors and killer margaritas. And if you happen to be one of those people who sip your tequila instead of shooting it like the rest of us, you’ll enjoy their upscale selection.  

Also, I would like to pour a little tequila on the ground for a fallen fish taco gem, El Pelon, who perished in a fire that took a string of favorite restaurants on Peterborough Street in Fenway. The good news is they have opened a new spot in Brighton and plan on reopening their Fenway location once the building is restored.

www.doradotacos.com

http://www.laverdadtaqueria.com

http://www.elpelon.com/updates.html

The Cousin Oliver Burger

Forget all the local pubs and famous steakhouses around Boston…one of the best burgers in town can be found at b.good, a local chain started by two best friends on a mission to serve healthy fast food. Just as the name suggests, everything on the menu is good for you, from the baked French fries to the low fat frozen yogurt smoothies. But, do not be fooled: taste is not compromised by healthiness.

My favorite item on the menu is the classic Cousin Oliver burger- an in-house ground patty on a whole-wheat bun with special sauce (a combination that tastes like mayo, relish, and ketchup), red onions, lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. All the sandwiches have quirky names, such as the West-Side (avocado and homemade chipotle salsa) and the Adopted Luke (caramelized onions, Swiss and homemade BBQ sauce), that are taken from customers or family members. In addition, each sandwich can be made with as a beef burger, turkey burger, vegetable burger, or grilled chicken breast.

b.good's menu outside their Newbury Street location

For those that want to opt for something other than a sandwich, b.good offers an array of salads and sides. They also have a seasonal rotating vegetable (this month’s is grilled asparagus) that comes from local farms. The restaurant chain is extremely accommodating, and service is always friendly and outgoing. You can substitute a hamburger bun for vegetables, and can add vegetables or a side salad to any meal for less than $3.50

With locations on Newbury Street, Harvard Square and Dartmouth Street, across from Copley, b.good is a healthy place to refuel after a long day of shopping, and I guarantee it will keep you coming back for more.

For hours and locations, check out their website here

I’ve long held the theory that the measure of a great Mexican restaurant lies in the quality of its chips and salsa. If this is true (and I certainly hope it is), then Harvard Square’s Border Cafe has a leg up on most Boston-area Mexican eateries with straight from the fryer tortilla chips and fresh salsa with just the right amount of kick.

Photo courtesy Eric Wilbur

What sets Border Cafe further apart from said establishments is the variety of their menu. Besides offering traditional Tex-Mex dishes, diners can enjoy a number of Cajun inspired selections, including Crawfish Ettouffee and Blackened Swordfish.

Border Cafe shines with its Tex-Mex standards, including enchiladas and tacos made with insanely fresh corn tortillas. Both can be filled with your choice of marinated pulled chicken, beef, or cheese. The chicken burros are a delightful study in the best the southwest can offer and is served, as are all the Mexican Specialties, with your choice of rice and black beans or jambalaya. I found the rice strangely vinegary, and would recommend going with the jambalaya, which can be prepared as a vegetarian side or with traditional andouille sausage and chicken rice. Border Cafe also features an extensive vegetarian menu, including the Black Bean Tostada Grande salad and the Eggplant St. Charles, a wonderfully spicy dish.

Border Cafe does not take reservations and is frequently busy during lunch and dinner, but with two floors of dining space, tables free up pretty quickly. Worst case scenario: you end up spending time at the bar, downing a margarita or three. Service is normally extremely fast, which can either be a blessing for those who like to eat and run, or a curse for people looking to sit and chat for a while (though conversation can be hard to come by – this place is LOUD).

Border Cafe

32 Church Street

Cambridge, MA 02138

617-864-6100

Now that warm weather is (hopefully) approaching, I have been channeling my inner elementary school child and have officially declared it ice cream season. I recently went to Coolidge Corner for an afternoon of shopping, and treated myself to a frozen yogurt at Berry Freeze. I highly recommend going for a frozen yogurt experience that cannot be found anywhere else in Boston.

Every aspect of Berry Freeze is self-serve, giving the customer complete control over his or her yummy creation. You start by choosing a small or large size…I opted for the small and it was more than enough. The store has several tart flavors, including original, pina colada, chocolate and pineapple. If you are unsure which flavor to have, employees are more than happy to give you a sample. Or, when in doubt, mix multiple flavors. I mixed original and pina colada, and both were extremely flavorful and creamy.

After filling your cup to your heart’s desire, you move to a buffet area filled with toppings. Berry Freeze has tons of different toppings, ranging from kiwi and strawberry to Twix and Oreos. I chose strawberries, blackberries, pineapple and sprinkles. The fruit was extremely fresh, and I was pleased at the amount of healthy topping choices.

Once you are done loading on delicious toppings, simply go to the counter where your cup is weighed. And at only 35 cents an ounce, Berry Freeze provides a tasty snack that your stomach and your wallet can appreciate.

Mon-Thu, Sun 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

273 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02446
(617) 738-3300

Photo courtesy of yelp.com

When the craving hits, there’s no avoiding it, and any good mac n’ cheese lover knows where to get their fix.  Lately I’ve been getting mine at MMMac & Cheese, located in Faneuil Hall’s Quincy Market.

There’s no shortage of new takes on mac n’ cheese, so MMMac stays true to the classic dish’s humble nature, offering a few simple additions to jazz things up.  Every order of mac n’ cheese – with or without toppings – is cooked to order and ready to eat in about ten minutes.  This may irk some mac purists who balk at anything outside of grandma’s roux-based, slow baked, crunchy-topped casserole.  But before anyone starts getting that awful PROCESSED CHEESE dread, let me just say this: MMMac’s cheese blend is fresh, tasty, and contains no hint of plastic.

Basic items – like ground beef or grilled chicken – are added to MMMac’s solid foundation of cavatappi and an American-cheddar cheese blend for a surprisingly delicious experience.  Things get slightly more complicated but no less tasty with dishes like the Italian, a mix of standard mac and parmesan cheese, topped off with grape tomatoes and pesto (it’s green!).  Other inventive renditions include the BBQ Chicken and Boston Seafood.   Diners can choose to load up on custom toppings, including an array of fresh veggies.

MMMac & Cheese offers both small and large sizes.  I overwhelmingly recommend getting the small – as is the case with all things sinfully cheesy, a little goes a long way.  Prices were reasonable, with a small order of plain mac going for around five bucks (prices increase with additional toppings, maxing out at eleven dollars).  Diners who opt out of the bread bowl may be put off by the wimpy, plastic takeaway containers, but when realizing that there is absolutely no place to sit and eat in the oft bustling Quincy Market, it’s convenient to fasten the lid and head for a bench or cozy apartment.

MMMac & Cheese also offers a variety of salads, all of which contain certified USDA Organic ingredients but really, with melty, cheesy, ooey-gooey goodness sitting three feet away, who wants a salad?

Italian cuisine in Boston is synonymous with the North End, but last week I sampled some of the best Italian dishes I have ever had at Stella, a chic restaurant located on Washington Street in Boston’s up and coming South End neighborhood.

I went to Stella with my family, and between the three other diners, I sampled about eight items from the menu. The meal started with freshly baked focaccia and a white bean spread, and being the carb addict I am, it took every ounce of will power to not get full on the bread alone. For appetizers, I highly recommend Parmesan arancini, which were perfectly fried and filled with mozzarella. They sat in a pool of light tomato sauce that had a slight kick but was by no means overbearing. The crudo misto was extremely fresh, but I would recommend it to people who really love lemon, as the tuna had a strong citrus flavor.

For entrees, the pasta dishes are out of this world. My bolognese was made with fresh tagliatelle and came out piping hot. I also sampled the orecheitte, which had crumbled sausage and chile flakes and was equally delicious. The portions of pasta are huge, but any of Stella’s pastas can be ordered in an appetizer portion and served as a starter. The crispy halibut was cooked to perfection, as was the beef sirloin. One of the standouts of the meal was the French fries, and while French fries do not typically capture my attention, these was hot, light and had a wonderful flavor.

Nothing upsets me more than ending a fabulous meal with a weak dessert, and Stella, yet again, failed to disappoint. The chocolate mouse was light and fluffy but with a deep chocolate flavor, and was topped with crouton-sized pieces of homemade biscotti. It reminded me of something my mom would make…only better. But, if I could recommend one dessert, it was the apple crostada and caramel sauce. This was one of the best desserts I have ever had, period. A warm apple filling with surrounded by a chewy, shortbread-like crust, and finished off with a scoop of vanilla gelato. The desserts were big enough to share, but I could have finished this one off all on my own.

From the bread to the last bite of dessert, Stella delivered on every course, and mixed comforting Italian dishes with an upbeat atmosphere that makes it a must in the Boston dining scene.

Stella Restaurant and Bar

1525 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
617-247-7747

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.