Size Doesn't Matter

I equate tapas with two words: "delicious" and "expensive." So needless to say, my tapas occasions are few and far between. But a little over a year ago, a new tapas sheriff came to town in the form of Small Plates in Harvard Square, offering tasty bites for much lower prices than other go-to taparias in Boston like Bar Lola and Tapeo. Everything they've got is delicious, though I do wish they had white anchovies on the menu (besides on the Caesar), which I consider a tapas staple (and I'm sure 95% of you consider disgusting). Nearly everything is $10 or less, and the booze selection is sufficient (lots of creative cocktails). It's a very down-to-earth, relaxed experience, with an earthy interior and friendly, knowledgeable wait staff. And in the summer, there's a darling little patio in the back. It's like a little piece of heaven for the short attention spanned (and short on cash) foodie.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

This Table is Foodie Approved

Henrietta's Table is often referred to as an upscale Cracker Barrel. And after my fabulous dinner there, I can see that this is meant in a good way. It's not just LIKE home cooking; it IS home cooking. Really creative, fresh home cooking. As with most foodie joints in Boston, Henrietta's boasts all the current buzzwords: fresh, local, organic, sustainable. But it's important to recognize that this cooking principle does actually lead to some very delicious food. The combined decor of elegance and earthiness (a la Barefoot Contessa), along with the more-affordable-than-you'd-think prices make for a charming, relaxing dining experience. If you're on a budget, this is definitely a place to put on your Restaurant Week list, or you can go for Henrietta's Yard Sale from Sunday to Thursday each week, which offers 3 courses for $32 or 2 courses for $25. So you really have no excuse to pass up Henrietta's. Don't even try to resist.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Edible for Art's Sake

It's rare to find creativity and versatility in budget sushi, but underrated and below-the-radar Takemura in Harvard makes it happen somehow. It's nothing fancy--in fact, it's underground. But if you want to something different from the cheap sushi standbys (Boston roll, Philly roll, etc., etc.), this is the place to go. In fact, Takemura screams NFT. The menu is uncharacteristically wide for being so reasonably priced. Lots of rolls, big and small, with all kinds of crazy combinations. The interior is very minimalist and not exactly traditional, other than the intriguing laminated picture menus accompanied by dry erase markers. But, thankfully, a great deal of effort goes into the taste and presentation of the food, and isn't that the reason why sushi is so popular in the first place--edible art? Takemura seems to do a good business despite being so inconspicuous, but I do think they're underrated. Usually hungry college students are willing to give their eye teeth for good, cheap, unusual rolls, so I'm not sure why they're not lining the streets for Takemura. Sometimes I think those Harvard kids don't know what's good for 'em.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Harvesting a Nice Dinner

When I first moved to Cambridge, I thought Harvest was a hippy restaurant. The name just has that connotation. (If you're a former hippy, at least.) Then I read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, in which the author references Harvest, and found out that I was way, way off. The folks at Harvest are NOT screwing around. But that's good to know, since it's very much on the pricey side. Yes, Harvest is a place you should take your parents when you know they're going to foot the bill. But you should also take your parents (or any other "financially enhanced" contact) here because it's a great experience. The food, which can be described as contemporary New England, is fresh, creative, and doled out in perfect portion sizes. The ambiance is somewhat formal, but still relaxed, quiet, and conforms to the season: fireside dining in the winter, a beautiful, private garden cafe in the summer. The wine list is extensive and intelligent. And the desserts will break your heart.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

NFT Boston Party: March 20th

Alright non-Tourists, we've got some news for you: The 2009 NFT Guide to Boston is now published and available in stores, so it's time to party. Ok, sure, we'll take any excuse to have a good time, but this is a release party--so at least we have a decent reason for a change. So what does this mean for you faithful reader? First, we would like to meet YOU. To see the people that use our little black book and website to explore the city. Second, for choosing to meet us, we're going to be giving out free 2009 guides, free snacks, and complimentary drinks (while supplies last) to make us seem all the more charming. So come on down to one of our favorite watering holes in Cambridge--The Hong Kong Lounge and Restaurant--where the scorpion bowls will knock you unconscious and the teriyaki skewers will bring you back to life. Food, music, dancing--The Hong Kong has everything you need in a bar, and it's crawling distance back to the T, so our more eco-friendly public transportation crew can come and go safely. We're talking food, we're talking hooch, and you're talking to us about what you love about NFT. Come to the Hong Kong on March 20th at 6 pm and celebrate in style. And spread the word. This party is free and open to anyone and everyone!

Click here for all the details.

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Nightlife • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Harvard Hipster Heaven

Maybe it's on account of my having grown up in the suburbs or maybe it's that extra semester I spent in college. But for the past few years, I've avoided pub food in the name of the era in which I mindlessly shoveled it down my gullet without a thought to how good (or bad) it actually was. (Really I was just putting it in there to soak up the gallons of alcohol that went along with it.) But then I went to Charlie's Kitchen and remembered all the wonderful things about pubs and pub food that I had been missing. Charlie's is something of a hipster pub, wielding a retro ambiance mixed with punk music. Their burgers are addictive, they have waffle fries (God's gift to the potato), a respectable number of thoughtful vegetarian dishes, and a wide array of beer to keep even the snobbiest of beer snobs (like yours truly) content. In fact, in the warmer months, Charlie's boasts an awesome new beer garden in their cozy little stone walled "back yard." But don't let that stop you from checking Charlie's out in the winter, too. A beer n' burger can warm the soul like nothing else.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Higher Learning

Hear ye! After a highly-strategic shrouding in darkness, the Harvard Museum of Natural History is back! And with it, many exhibits of multifarious stripes, including "Language of Color," which features "dramatic specimens with computer interactives, hands-on activities, and a stunning display of live poison dart frogs." Another exhibit, "Sea Creatures in Glass," contains dozens of glass marine animals made by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, the father and son artists behind the Glass Flowers. "Looking at Leaves: Photographs by Amanda Means" was recently reviewed by the Globe's Pulitzer-prize winning photography reviewer Mark Feeney. And there's more! On Thursday, October 16th, Harvard professors Drs. Edward O. Wilson and Eric Chivian (one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007) speak nobly upon Chivian's new book, "Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity." This event is free and open to the public; 7 pm. Secret NFT perquisite: Bank of America cardholders are admitted free the first weekend of every month. Have you not been convinced? This, Harvard's most popular museum, has been regaling the cream of the educative crop since 1995. Its edifice and entrails (exhibit-wise) are a joy to behold.

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Landmarks , Museums • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Boston's New Tea Party

Maybe deep down I'm still just a wide-eyed suburban girl, but I am incessantly delighted by the presence of a shop and cafe strictly devoted to tea (not to mention the fact that there are two locations in the Boston area!). Coffee drinkers don't have the monopoly on cafes anymore, and Tealuxe is a breath of fresh air for those of us who still prefer those crushed up leaves that once wielded enough power in Boston to be sacrificial lambs in protest to the British. Though Tealuxe doesn't necessarily push much in the way of fair trade or organic, they certainly carry an abundance of styles (black, white, green, herbal, chai, medicinal, oolong, iced, decaf) and flavors (I'm partial to blueberry white, myself). And contrary to logic (and King George III), they aren't expensive. I've tested the tea waters at shops like Cambridge Naturals and Christina's, but they fall short when it comes to prices, variety, and/or quantity. One caveat: despite its devotion to the powerful diuretic, Tealuxe does NOT offer a restroom. But since seating is limited anyway, you might just opt for a couple grams to go.

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Coffee , Shopping • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Glass Flowers

An American treasure! No matter how many times you go to see the glass flowers, you’ll be floored. No visit to Boston/Cambridge should omit a trip to ogle them. They are botanically correct specimens created between 1886 and 1936 by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka at the behest of Professor George Lincoln Goodale, founder of Harvard’s Botanical Museum. He wanted life-like “specimens” in bloom year-round. The glass masters worked in Hosterwitz, Germany. The “flowers” were shaped after the glass was hot. Some models were blown. Most flowers have colored pigments. There are nearly 4,400 models. One of the most breathtaking is the little flowering cactus. Each needle is intact. Some of the glass is paper thin, which brings up questions: How do they clean them? How do they move them? You’ll have to go and find out. Fantastic!

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Landmarks , Museums • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

History? Boston? Is the Pope Catholic?

This venerable old building has seen despair and anger over the years. During the American Revolution the community forced the Rector and Anglican congregation out. Services ceased for 16 years. In 1778 a British prisoner was accidentally shot by a sentry. The church was opened for his funeral. During all this, the fuming Revolutionaries of Cambridge pillaged the church and fired guns. It's from this time that the infamous bullet holes in the vestibule may date. No one can know for sure, but the legend lives on. George and Martha Washington prayed here on New Year's Eve, 1775. Peter Harrison, of Newport, Rhode Island, the first American architect, designed the building.

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Landmarks • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Wagamama

I first heard about the Wagamama noodle bar during one of Rick Steves’ episodes from London. And when I found out that they had opened their first US location right in Harvard Square, I had to go. But there are already countless noodle bars in Chinatown, I know. So what makes Wagamama so special? Speed. Because of their unique ordering procedure, you can enjoy a complete and satisfying meal there in less than 30 minutes, if you have to. When you place your order with Wagamama’s waitstaff, they key it in with a remote that instantly sends your order to the kitchen staff, who then begin to cook it immediately. As a result, my waitress explained in her disclaimer, not everything will arrive at the same time. But that’s fine, because you’ll still have all your food within 15 minutes of ordering. Even still, it is worth the wait. The menu features a variety of dumplings and other yummy, nibbly things as starters or sides. And the noodles, oh the noodles! Feast on soupy noodles, spicy noodles, or fried noodles, with many varieties to choose from. Never fear food allergy folks: Wagamama makes every attempt to inform you of all of the ingredients in each dish, and can remove any items that cause you grief, from lactose to wheat gluten to nuts. It’s like a scene out of Tampopo, minus the outlaw trucker.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Cambridge Center for Adult Education

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make soap, build a bird house, bind a book? Or maybe you want to learn more about popular religious practice in modern Hong Kong or how to get a divorce in Massachusetts, with or without a lawyer. Since 1938, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education has been offering hundreds of quirky and not so quirky courses to the public at pretty reasonable prices. You can really find it all here. If you want to learn it, they teach it, everything from Computer Programming Using Java to Create a Dynamic Relationship: Love, Sex and Intimacy. They also offer a wide range of language courses—imagine learning Turkish and American Sign Language all under the same roof. In addition to their courses they also offer various seminars, guest lecturers, a Friday Night Cooking Series, and even an open mic night. With the new fall season approaching, maybe it’s time to go back to school.

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Schools • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Harvard University Museum of Natural History

Harvard’s Museum of Natural History is not as grand or as popular as New York’s Museum of Natural History, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. It’s a fun place to visit, especially on Sunday mornings from 9 am to noon and Wednesdays during the school year between 3 and 5 pm when Massholes get in for free! Perusing their interesting exhibits is a great way to pass a couple of hours. Some of those exhibits include the Hall of Mammals, Romer Hall of Vertebrate Paleontology, and Climate Change: Our Global Experiment. They also have some amazing displays of minerals, gemstones, ores, and meteorites, especially Impact!, a video presentation that explores meteorite origins and addresses concerns like, “Will a big meteorite blast the shit out of us any time soon?” The zoological galleries feature prehistoric animals and current species, highlights include the world's only mounted Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile. The museum also offers lectures, a film series, and even travel programs. It’s definitely worth a visit, on Wednesdays, when it free!

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Landmarks , Museums • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Colonial Drug

Right in the heart of gentrified (and getting worse) Harvard Square is the very old school Colonial Drug, still standing proudly and still selling drugs, powder puffs, and fragrances from all over the world since 1947! They don’t even accept credit cards. (I think they total the bill on an abacus.) They sell all kinds of grooming products for both women and men, that make you say “They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” Hair combs and brushes made of wood, who sells those these days? In a world increasingly made of plastic (and that includes people), Colonial Drug harkens back to a time of the family run specialty shop, serving quality and integrity. Where else can you buy French hand-milled soap and a men’s solid wood shaving brush, at 8 am on a Monday morning? I have heard several stories of customers going to pay with credit card, not realizing that Colonial Drug is cash only. So what happened…the nice woman behind the counter gave them an IOU! Now that’s punk rock. It’s almost anarchy. So, please go, buy a hair brush or something, and support this wonderful institution.

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Shopping • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Globe Corner Bookstore

I went into my favorite bookstore and began to take some photos. It wasn’t long before the staff started looking at me funny—funny like “What the hell are doing with that camera?” funny. I told them that I was covering the store for the NFT website. That was all I had to say and their faces lit up as if I had said, “I have some one hundred dollar bills I would like to give you.” I joyfully basked in their glorious reviews and shouts of praise—“We love NFT!” “NFT is our best seller!” “Tell everyone at NFT we love them!” Then they went back to work, and my thirty seconds of fame came to a swift close. If you are a traveler, map reader, nature freak, language junky, or just love a great bookstore, you must pay a visit to The Globe Corner. Their new location is terrific. The building is brand new and the space is larger, making room for more of their extraordinary inventory. I know this may have all seemed like a mutual admiration club love letter, but I really can’t say enough about this bookstore. It’s fantastic and, yes, they love NFT!

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Bookstores • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

My Thai

Tired of just tofu when it comes to eating meat-less? This place knows how to get it done when it comes to getting you the most food variety for your veggie-ingredients, all at reasonable prices. To talk specific dishes, the Pad Thai comes with veggie-chicken and veggie-shrimp and is long on peanutty flavor. Their Pad See Ew, a wide-noodle dish, is tasty and has a nice sauce to it. And the Shrimp Basil Fried Rice gets compliments from those I’ve dined with. They even have—to backtrack menu-wise—veggie dumplings and spring rolls with a kickin’ peanut sauce. Otherwise, service is decently fast and attentive and the setting is spare-ish when it comes to decoration. So, if you want to expand your tastes or simply explore more non-meat options, hit up this place for all-you-can-eat-without-meat.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Tennis and Squash Shop

Although I haven’t played in a couple of years, I went to Harvard Square’s Tennis and Squash Shop today to buy some tennis balls. Why? Because Roger Federer won Wimbledon for the, um, FIFTH time in a row. I caught the last few games plus the final moment where he fell to the ground and cried. And in that short time I was lulled into the ridiculous fantasy that if I decided to pick up a racquet and challenge someone to a game, I would kick some serious ass. I can just see myself firing the ball over the net while grunting for effect. The Tennis and Squash shop has everything you’d need to satisfy your Wimbledon itch—plenty of racquets and shoes, and some tennis whites to make you look the part. There’s nothing like a visit to a proper tennis shop to put you in the mood for some cucumber sandwiches and tea. Right after kicking your opponents butt of course.

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Shopping • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Cambridge 1

Squished in somewhere between Starbucks and Beadworks on Harvard Square’s Church St. hunkers Cambridge 1. This place expertly and understatedly serves impeccable pizza and quality brews and wine to anyone who happens to notice that it’s, well, (a) there, and (b) a restaurant. The sparse, modern décor consisting of wood and slate even incorporates the sparse flora in back of the building, framing the tree leaves in the windows and making you feel like you’re in a northern Californian wine bar rather than smack in the middle of frenetic Hahvahd Squeah. While it is a nice place to go for just a drink, it would be most regrettable not to try at least half a pizza—the things are phenomenal. Thin, chargrilled crust with toppings like lobster and arugula and corn and grape tomatoes and chevre and bibb lettuce (not all on one pizza, but still—you can imagine the possibilities). One person can easily down a half and leave feeling satisfied but not, like, in gastroenterological distress (a.k.a. “BLEH”). Sorry Cambridge 1, I may have just killed your hip vibe there. Just don’t tell them I said that. And really, do go sample their goods.

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Restaurants • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Boston Tea Stop

Ever see someone walking down the street, drinking what appears to be an ice coffee or something and, upon closer inspection, you notice a pile of what look like rabbit pellets at the bottom of the cup? Yeah. This would be boba tea, a.k.a. bubble tea: a newish phenomenon popular in specialty tea shops, Thai restaurants, what have you. Now, if I have this straight, “boba” is what the pellets (tapioca balls, actually) are called, and “bubble” refers to what they resemble. Don’t ask me what about them makes a beverage so much more enjoyable, but there is an odd satisfaction one gets from hoovering those rubbery little orbs of weirdness into one’s maw through a special, widened straw designed for just that purpose. Anyway, if you’re intrigued (and, I mean, why wouldn’t you be after that description?), a good place to foray into the world of boba is Boston Tea Stop, a small, non-threatening, cash-only-accepting Harvard square hangout that serves up some fairly addictive concoctions, like their raspberry infused milk tea (with boba, of course). I will admit that my first visit there has led to many, many subsequent visits. There’s just something about them little balls…

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Coffee • Harvard Square / Allston (North)

Noir

If you are in a witness protection program, have I got the bar for you. To say the lighting is minimal in this place is an understatement. This lovely, little lounge stays true to its name: the décor is 1940s film-noir and this place is black. The cocktails and beers are a bit pricey, but you’ll never know because you won’t see the menu. Between the darkness and the black leather banquettes, if you’re wearing black, this is a great place to hide; no one would ever find you. The candle light atmosphere makes this a perfect place for a romantic drink, a tumultuous affair, or a murder. Also, this is one of the few bars in Cambridge open until 2 am, 7 nights a week, so the place is hopping with people from all walks of life gathering for the last gulp of the night. You can also drink and smoke (a cigarette) on their patio. Like all other Boston and Cambridge bars, Noir is non-smoking; however, you are allowed to take your libation outside with you, while you puff, just before you vaporize into the blackness of the night.

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Nightlife • Harvard Square / Allston (North)