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Global Dining Close to Home
Looking for a change of pace? Greater Cambridge hosts an array of small ethnic restaurants. Some recent samplings follow.
Baraka Café, 80 1/2 Pearl Street, Cambridge, 617-868-3951. This cozy Central Square spot offers foods from Algeria and Tunisia. Try the djadje (spicy grilled chicken sandwich with spinach and tomatoes in a garlicky dressing), or the bedenjal mechoui (smoky eggplant dip). Soothe the palate with a savory chickpea custard or dip into a plate of couscous and fava beans. The homemade lemonade (cherbat) with rose petals and orange blossom water is very nice, or sip the Turkish coffee laced with cardamom.
Highland Creole Cuisine, 2 Highland Avenue, Somerville, 617-625-8333. Stop by for authentic Haitian fare, ranging from fried or boiled conch, goat, or fish spiced with garlic, parsley, and onions, to beef with vegetables and tomato gravy—all served with aromatic white rice and red beans. Order chewy plantains on the side. A glass of ice-cold papaya juice or orange soda goes well with everything on the menu.
House of Tibet Kitchen, 235 Holland Street, Somerville, 617-629-7567. Tibetan food mingles Indian and Chinese traditions in a style all its own. Vegetarian dishes abound: hot garlic spinach and sho-kho kha-tsa (curried potatoes with ginger and coriander). Fried chicken comes with jasmine rice. The banana yogurt shake is delicious, as is the more subtle dessert dreysil (saffron rice with nuts and raisins).
Sepal, 17 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, 617-924-5753. The service is leisurely, but it's worth the wait. Linger over the Arabic mint tea and savor "food from the heart of Jerusalem [that] nourishes body and soul"—like mujadara (brown lentils, brown rice, caramelized onions), falafels, kabobs, fatoush salad with sumac house dressing, stuffed grape leaves, and two amazing desserts: a delicate rolled baklava and kunaffa (toasted pastry with farmer's cheese) fresh from the oven.
