Burritoriums are Boston’s equivalent to New York Pizzerias, as there is a burrito shop within three blocks of any location in Boston (I haven’t proven this empirically, but I think this statement holds up for the most part).  One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in general (in Boston especially) is Olé Mexican Grill, which has a cheaper cousin across the street in Inman Square called Olecito.

Olecito has a selection of really interesting vegetarian options, including two different veggie tortas (one cheesy torta, and one veggie torta), but the yardstick for any burritorium is how good is their burrito.  So, I ordered their burrito which was rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and grilled vegetables for $5.50.  A very reasonably priced burrito, though it was filled with carrots and squash mostly.  I tried to get some hot sauce on it, but it was not very spicy, and there were no other condiment options available to make it spicier, which is probably the weak point of Olecito as a burritorium.

The bonus points go to the free chips and salsa that come with the burrito, though the chips were a bit stale and the salsa was pretty bland.  Nevertheless, I appreciate free stuff, so I won’t complain too much.

Probably the coolest aspect of Olecito is that they have Boylan’s sodas on tap, which is nice if you like the taste of cane sugar sodas.  But, for my liking, Boylan sodas are not as good as drinking regular Coke from other countries.  I think it’s not just the usage of real sugar, it’s the formulation that’s a little more carbonated water than usual which I prefer.

Overall, Olecito is a pretty good burritorium, and though I didn’t have the best items on the menu, their burrito holds up to its competitors (Herrera’s and Qdoba).  The service wasn’t the friendliest, and it is not a place that you can sit and eat a meal, but otherwise I liked it a lot and will give it four cheese sandwiches.

Olecito
12 Springfield Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-1330 
(617) 876-1374

Boston, unlike New York, does not have a wealth of indigenous burger chains that serve mass-produced veggie burgers (see NYC Veggie Burger META Review).  There are a few, such as B. Good and Uburger, but that is it.  This is sad for perhaps the 3% of my readers that are really keen on getting a veggie burger fast (chime up if you think there are more people that want good fast veggie burgers not served as pub-grub).  Uburger is almost universally praised as being one of the best local burger chains in Boston.  A new location just opened on the Common, near where I work, so I went with Kenny to check it out.

While Uburger claims that it was founded on the premise that “high-quality and fresh ingredients make a huge difference”, they obviously do not apply that ethos to their veggie burgers.  It is obviously a frozen patty, very much akin to a Gardenburger patty (though it tastes marginally better than your typical Gardenburger).  What’s more, you have to pay 35 cents more to get a veggie burger!  Their “About Us” section states that they only have freezers to keep their ice cream cold.  Which makes me confused on multiple reasons - Do they not freeze their veggie burgers?  Are the patties just kept at room temperature and then fried?  That can’t be sanitary.  Unless they’re lying… Which would explain why you have to pay 35 cents extra for a veggie burger, it’s freezer overhead costs.

The fries are very tasty, as they taste like freshly made McDonald’s fries.  They are very simple and delicious.  No complaints on this front.

Despite it looking like a vat of sludge, the mint oreo shake was phenomenal.  It is just starting to get a little warm, and I am already looking forward to a summer of frappes (shakes for you in normal non-New England parts of the country).  And this frappe served as a good prelude for the summer to come.

I can understand how the meat eaters can enjoy Uburger, almost everything I had was pretty good and cheap.  I got a regular cheese veggie burger, fries, and a shake all for ~$11.  A pretty good deal for anywhere that is not overtly destroying the world (McDonalds, Burger King).  However, their veggie burger is of appalling quality considering they take such pride in their meat patties.  If they can make fresh meat patties daily, just make a small percentage of veggie patties.  I actually would not even complain if it was frozen (well, maybe a little), but it would still be 100 times better than the Gardenburger patty.  I don’t even understand why every crappy restaurant uses Gardenburger patties.  Is there some sort of sinister conspiracy that Gardenburger is behind trying to make meals disgusting for vegetarians everywhere?  Also, Gardenburger patties are not vegan.  At the very least, this should be considered if you actually care about customers.  Because of this meat-eating snobbery against making a decent veggie burger, I have to give Uburger two cheese sandwiches.  As the place is actually pretty decent, but they don’t nail the one dish that most vegetarians/vegans would eat if they came here.

Uburger
140 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108

My uncle was in town from New Bedford, which is always a good opportunity to get a free meal at a fancy restaurant.  So, he took me, my cousin/roommate, and an friend of his out to dinner at Cuchi Cuchi, co-owned by Fernanda da Silva, a old friend of his (and potential former flame???).*

If you’ve never been to Cuchi Cuchi, it is an experience to have, as the atmosphere is straight out of a silent film (though much noisier), and all the servers are dressed like courtesans of that era.  I would suggest that you make sure you get reservations.  My genius uncle just strolls into restaurants and assumes he’ll get a table, which he was rightly rebuffed by the hostess.  Admittedly, he knew the owner for years (possibly biblically), so he told the hostess that he’s an old friend of Fernanda’s. They were fairly accomodating, despite there being a one hour wait, and they initially sat us down at “Fernanda’s table” while we waited for our table to open up.  Eventually, we were seated (around 30-45 minutes) at a table in the back, which is definitely the less pleasant part of the restaurant.  The interesting 20’s style decor is all in the front, while a more proletariat style is in the back.

As soon as we got our table, I was instructed to order every vegetarian item off the menu (practically), as this was a small plates restaurant.  Cuchi Cuchi makes it a point to state that it is not a tapas restaurant, with the tone of “tapas is pretentious”.  In actuality, they say “tapas […] are from Spain… We globe trot!”. Nope, not pretentious at all.  Neither are the courtesan styled-waitresses, dress code of “casual elegance (pearls and jeans), or potato croquettes stuffed with rice, cheese and parsley skewered with an origami crane toothpick.  Ok, the potato croquettes were pretty delicious, but served with a red sauce that was somewhere between ketchup and pasta sauce and a white cheese sauce, they were somewhat decadent.

Since we were following the “small plates” theme, and my cousin ate half of croquettes, I continued on to the fried artichoke hearts filled with gorgonzola, pistachio and basil.  These were served over the white cheese sauce, and approximately at this point my gout kicked in.

At least I was able to get some vegetables with the grilled eggplant napoleon, thinly sliced layers of eggplant, tomato, and peppers, topped with herbed goat cheese.  This dish succeeded in making me feel like I was eating healthy and unhealthy at the same time.

Considering how decadent every other “small plate” at Cuchi Cuchi was, I was slightly underwhelmed by the mushroom risotto.  That is until the waitress asked how much truffle oil I wanted on the risotto.  That’s not a thing you ask!  From my experience, truffle oil is something best used in small doses to great potency.  As soon as she uncorked the bottle, I said “Stop”, which was still too late to prevent her from dropping a few tablespoons on top.  So much for risotto without excess.

After all of that, I wasn’t really feeling fit to eat dessert, but Fernanda finally came by and gave my uncle a warm, if slightly awkward embrace (has to be a former lover).**  The hug successfully enabled us to get a free dessert – the French banana bread extravaganza.  This is essentially fried bread, fried banana, and ice cream and whipped cream.  Yes, I ate it.  Yes, I had to go play basketball for three hours the next day to work it off.  And by it, I mean just the dessert.

Initially, I would be inclined to say that Cuchi Cuchi would be a great location for a date, though the courtesan waitresses offer far too much eye candy that might distract from your date, so perhaps it is not a good location.  So, I would recommend it as a date, as long as you are secure that your relationship could handle the possibility of wandering eye.  The food at Cuchi Cuchi is very rich and delicious, and provides ample evidence to explain how vegetarians can be fat.  However, there are limited vegan options, which I guess is appropriate considering veganism is the antithesis of extravagance, which is the ethos of Cuchi Cuchi.  So, for that, I’ll have to dock it a few points.  Overall, the food was good, there were plenty of vegetarian options, and the atmosphere was pleasant enough to overlook the pretense, so I’ll give Cuchi Cuchi four cheese sandwiches.

*I apologize if I cast unfair aspersions upon the owner, but there was something very fishy going on.

**While these interactions and the high rating may seem to suggest a conflict of interest, I guarantee that the rating has been completely unaffected by any personal interactions with the owner.  In fact, after leaving, I was completely snubbed by both Fernanda and my uncle.

Cuchi Cuchi
795 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139 
(617) 864-2929

If I had to describe what kind of culinary tradition Boston has, it would be a sandwich city.  While Philadelphia may be more noted for its sandwich, Bostonians pride themselves on the sandwich, as evidenced by the sheer number of sandwich eateries in the area, and the many different types of sandwiches created.  Darwin’s Ltd. is one of the most famous sandwich makers in Harvard Square (I may be tipping my hand by this unglowing praise).

I ended up ordering a Lakeview (tabbouleh, hummus, green peppers, tomatoes, alfalfa, cucumber, red onion, carrots, and herb vinaigrette).  The theme of Darwin’s Ltd. is naming sandwiches after local streets/attractions/people.  The Lakeview is one of two vegetarian/vegan sandwiches, the other being the Hubbard Park (Hummus, Avocado, Apple, Carrots, Tomato, Sprouts & Honey Mustard - cheese can be added for 50 cents).  The Lakeview seemed the most appetizing at the time, and it was quite tasty, though very bland and boring.  A great sandwich really makes you appreciate the beauty of simplicity.  This sandwich just left me wondering why I paid so much for a sandwich.

I can’t believe that a Cambridge-based sandwich shop is able to get away with 2 vegetarian (3 if you eat egg salad) sandwiches out of 18 possible options.  Admittedly, both vegetarian sandwiches are also suitable for our vegan friends (we are friends, right?).  But considering how Harvard Square is one of Boston’s vegetarian ghettos, you’d think at least 30% of the sandwiches should be vegetarian.  Also, all the sandwiches are made cold, which makes me wonder what exactly is the point of paying almost $7 for a sandwich that requires little to no effort to make?  I don’t understand why there is a buzz around Darwin’s Ltd., as it is always crowded when I walk by.  But their sandwiches are average, and their selection is terrible. For that, I can only give them two cheese sandwiches.

Darwin’s Ltd.
148 Mount Auburn St
Cambridge, MA 02138-5733 
(617) 354-5233

You may remember our previous excursion to have a happy hour (read - excuse to leave work early) at McCormick and Schmick’s.  I was told that Rustic Kitchen also had a happy hour which was worth trying, so Kenny, Charles, Vernon and I decided to go check it out.

I expected a slightly higher class of happy hour at Rustic Kitchen compared to McCormick and Schmick’s, as Rustic Kitchen is a better restaurant.  I was very pleased to discover free freshly fried chips on the bar counter as soon as we arrived.  The chips were somewhat soggy (they had likely been there less than an hour based upon my inherent chip sogginess instinct), but still very delicious and, most importantly, free.

Charles recently converted to being a pescatarian, so he and I decided to share a few of the happy hour plates.  Unfortunately, there were only two vegetarian plates (the rest were neither vegetarian/pescatarian friendly), so we each ordered one.  Unlike the McCormick and Schmick’s $2-$3 appetizers, Rustic Kitchen’s happy hour dishes were $6 each, so you already start expecting a lot.  Charles ordered the arancini, rice balls filled with mozzarella cheese.  I never understood the fascination with arancini, and for me the rice balls were just too greasy, and the tomato sauce was not robust or tart enough to temper the fattiness of the arancini.

The cheese pizza was decent for the price, though if it were a few dollars cheaper, you’d really feel that the hour was happy.  There was nothing particularly special about the pizza, which makes me wonder just how good the $18 pizza actually is for dinner.

The Rustic Kitchen happy hour is pretty disappointing, not just on the minimal selection of vegetarian options (who’d have thought that a seafood place would be more vegetarian friendly?), but also because their happy hour appetizers are quite expensive.  At best, I’d say the food at Rustic Kitchen is pretty good, though they have limited vegetarian selection for happy hour (there is plenty of pasta and pizza options for dinner).  However, I would say the price is prohibitive for the quality of food that they serve.  So, for that, I can only give them three cheese sandwiches.

Rustic Kitchen
210 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116-5426 
(617) 423-5700