The Temple Bar in Cambridge!

This week, Graham and I went in search of some good vegetarian fare. Graham is home after a year out in Colorado, so he is all about recycling and reducing our carbon footprint – okay, I hear that, I can get green too!  I google searched “vegetarian” and “Cambridge” (I thought that would be a likely combo) and up came Temple Bar. The Temple Bar has a special vegetarian tasting menu- a four course meal for $30.00, so off we went.

The Temple Bar is a fun, contemporary, and reasonably priced American Bistro located in between Harvard Square and Porter Square on Mass. Ave. They have a little parking lot in the back and we were able to pull right in. If the lot is full, you will be driving around looking for a meter. It was a beautiful night and the Temple Bar has those giant windows up front that open onto the street (similar to Sonsie in the Back Bay). Wow, that reminds me, remember Sonsie? – that was one of our first restaurants and a really fun one! Anyway, We sat right inside the windows in the nice comfy green chairs, so it was the best of both worlds.

We had a cute waitress, and she immediately informed us that they would not be offering the vegetarian tasting menu- hmmm. Okay, well that’s okay because there are a number of other vegetarian options on the menu. They have pastas, a risotto, salads and thin crust pizza. We ordered the cheese fondue for two as an appetizer. This is served with grilled asparagus, mushrooms, cauliflower and curiously, biscotti. The vegetables are fantastic with the fondue and the biscotti we brought home for later. I ordered the Seared George’s Bank Scallops which were undercooked, but our waitress cheerfully took them back and returned them a little more well done with a free glass of wine. The scallops are served with brussel sprouts, and those thin curly fried potato strings. It is a very pretty presentation, but the scallops were a little too salty. Graham got the White Truffle Pizza which is a thin crust pizza with avocado, tear drop tomatoes, baby arugula, white truffle oil and aged balsamic vinaigrette on top! This is really great pizza and if I were to go back to the Temple Bar,  this is what I would order. Fun atmosphere, $13.00 pizza, no cows involved,  sitting outside in Cambridge on a beautiful night in May – fantastic! Check out their menu at www.templebarcambridge.com.

Bon Appetit,

Robin

Oleana in Cambridge!

This week we went to Oleana in Cambridge.  Ana Sortun is the widely renown Chef/owner of Oleana. Her unique and creative style combines farm-fresh ingredients with her passion for Mediterranean flavors and cooking. During the summer months, all of the fresh organic produce comes from Sienna Farms, which is a 50 acre family farm in Sudbury owned and farmed by Chef Ana Sortun’s husband, Chris Kurth. The food is so good- you have to try it! Also, they have won awards in the past for their al fresco dining, so while I loved their winter menu, summertime might be the absolute best time to visit Oleana- especially once the fresh produce arrives.

We went with some friends and so were able to try a few things.

Pret A Manger:

We tried the Warm Buttered Hummus with Basturma and Tomato. This came with a basket of bread and was delicious.

Appetizers:

I had the Grilled Octopus with Meyer Lemon Avgolemno- I am a new and big fan of octopus and I loved this.

Others tried..

Carrot Soup & Black Kale Lamejun with Mozzarella and Hot Pepper Labne. The soup was really great.  Lamejun is sometimes refered to as Armenian Pizza- a type of pita bread with Mozzerella and Labne melted on top and  served on a separate plate.

A  special appetizer of Goat Cheese Croquette with Sun-dried Tomato Puree- delicious.

For dinner we had..

Lamb Steak with Turkish Spices and Fava Bean Moussaka- fantastic!

Flatiron Steak and Sweet Potato Borek with Pickled Cabbage and Spiced Currents-one of the best steak dishes I have ever tasted.

Day-boat Cod with Chanterelle Migas, Chorizo Chick Peas and Romesco Sauce- great!

Scallops and Quince Brown Butter & Brussel Sprouts Tian with Shitake & Leek- hmm… not so much.

The first three got rave reviews- such terrific combinations of interesting and delicious flavors- really great. The scallops, however were not appreciated. I did not taste them, but my understanding was that they were lacking in flavor and that the combination of vegetables was not satisfying and “kind of mushy”.

Also, I liked the atmosphere- definitely a Mediterranean style to the restaurant and at the same time welcoming and aesthetically pleasing. The bartender and waiter we had were both personable and very good at their jobs. Here is  picture of the interior- this is apparently another of those hard to photograph spots- probably because it is quite small. If you take the photo without people, it losses the hustle-bustle which is defiantly part of this restaurant’s character….My last comment is that this place is definitely on the pricey side. Since we really have not been visiting the more expensive Boston Restaurants, Oleana is probably the most expensive restaurant I have been to- I think it was worth it, but I would save it for a special occasion. Check out their website at www.oleanarestaurant.com

Other thoughts….

Ten days until I meet Lauren in Florence!!! We will be staying in Florence for two days, then going to Sienna for two days and then to a villa called Tenuta Santo Pietro (also in central Tuscany near Pienza) for three days. If anyone has any recommendations for restaurants in those places, we would LOVE to hear them. Can’t wait!!