PlanetEye

The Wagamama experience is hip, urban and fun- a lot like Boston. Last year, the hugely popular British Japanese noodle house chain invaded the US market. With their huge college student populations, Boston (at Faneuil Hall) and Cambridge were logical choices for the chain's first US outlets.

Wagamama Cambridge is right in the heart of Harvard Square. It's a bright space with the chain's trademark communal light wood, modern picnic tables and an open kitchen. The servers use a  hand-held wireless device to take your order, then write down your menu number on your placemat, and bring your order to you as soon as it is ready. (Staggered service is another Wagamama trademark)

The menu is extensive- fried noodles, noodle soups, rice dishes, and salads too.  It's all very Asian fusion -cilantro, lime, and curry are the big flavors.  The dishes are beautifully composed and most of the entrees come in at under $12. Order a side of Japanese pickles for just $1- five or so differently colored and shaped pickles artfully arranged in a little condiment dish. There is a small beer and wine list too. But you may want to try the famously freshly squeezed Wagamama juices- the apple with lime is curiously good.

Especially in the heat of the summer, light and fresh Middle Eastern food is a perfect dining choice.   Located on a side street between Newbury St. and Boylston St., Café Jaffa is a rarity in the exclusive Back Bay- a sit-down restaurant with reasonably priced, excellent food. It is a warm, welcoming spot with exposed brick walls, worn wood floors and large modern canvas works on the walls.

At Cafe Jaffa the vegetarian entrees are uniformly terrific - flavorful stuffed grape leaves, lemony hummus and a perfectly smoky baba ganoush.  But Café Jaffa really shines with its kebab sandwiches- chunks of chicken, lamb or beef served in pita bread with pickles , lettuce and a drizzle of tahini sauce.  More adventurous types may want to go for the Shishlik (spiced ground beef kebab) or the Schwarma (shaved chicken or beef/lamb) sandwich.

A daily weekday lunch special for $7.50 attracts a steady stream of students, local office workers and conference attendees from the nearby Hynes Convention Center. In the evening, the inexpensive entree prices, dimly -lit romantic atmosphere and decent wine and beer list make Café Jaffa a great little date night place.   

Real fans of Chinese food know that some of the best Chinese eats can be found at the most unassuming places.  Grand Chau Chow is just that kind of place- it's a smallish dining room with pink formica tables, live-fish tanks stacked on the floor, and  70's -era mirrored walls.

Grand Chau Chow is also one of Chinatown's most well-known and reviewed restaurants. One long wall is dedicated to the restaurant's numerous local and national "best of" awards and newspaper reviews.

Grand Chau Chow is famously popular too with the clubbing crowd. It is one of the few restaurants in Boston that is open really late- until 3 AM on weekdays and until 4 AM on weekends.

If you come for lunch, ask specifically for the lunch menu- if you are not a regular or if you look like a tourist, you may be given the (slightly) more expensive dinner menu.

Lunch combos are served Monday-Friday only but are quite the deal at just $5.25-$5.50. A typical luncheon plate combo has an egg roll, chicken and broccoli, fried rice and hot and sour soup. More authentic luncheon plates like Bean Cake with Roast Pork  and rice are practically big enough to serve three!

Grand Chau Chow's specialty though is its seafood. All their spicy salted seafood dishes are excellent.  You can splurge here too- the many kinds of jumbo shrimp dishes here cost just $10.95.  

Service is exceptionally speedy and your food is brought to you as soon as it is cooked.  Of course, staggered service is a great excuse to share from your dining companion's plate!

Located in a historic yellow clapboard blacksmith house, tucked in sideways and set back from busy Brattle Street near Harvard Square, the Hi-Rise Bread Company is a darn cute little bakery.

The baked goods are of the homespun type- molasses cookies, small soft chocolate sandwich cookies filled with vanilla crème, and a justifiably locally famous vanilla bean loaf cake.

The sandwiches are amazing.  The in- house baked breads are piled high with creative combinations of ingredients. The turkey with grilled portobello mushrooms, asparagus spears and tarragon mayonnaise is exceptional. The soups are very good too. The cool cucumber soup has a yogurt base and is the perfect antidote to a hot summer day. The carrot soup is velvety smooth with a just-right orange hue. 

Order at the counter, pay,  and walk up the narrow staircase to the second floor- where there are two dining "rooms" .  Then wait for the staff to yell out your name and find you. 

Hi-Rise is as quirky as the quiet intellectual types that frequent it. It is open only for  breakfast and lunch , it is closed on Sundays, takes cash only, seating is limited, and sometimes they run out of popular menu items. But Hi-Rise is one of the best bakeries in the Boston area - and even with its minor flaws you will want to live next door anyway.

Falafel sandwiches made of  fried ground chick pea balls stuffed in a pita are the ultimate in Israeli street food .  A much loved Boston institution, Rami's  is the epitome of the no-frills falafel  joint. 

The  regular falafel sandwich costs $7.95  and  comes in a pita packed with lightly seasoned bite-size falafel balls,  lemony-perfect hummus, and topped with authentic  Israeli pickles, tomatoes, red cabbage and  a drizzle of  tahini.  The kick to  Rami's falafel is the green hot sauce. Don't hold back-it's really good stuff.

The shop is clean,  bright and always crowded.  Order at the counter, move down to  the cash register to pay (cash only)  and wait in line for your falafel to be  cooked to order.  If you get a seat lucky you! Don't forget to pick up a handful of napkins-  falafel sandwiches can be messy to eat .   Note: Rami's is a  Kosher restaurant, so it is closes late Friday afternoon and is closed Saturday too.

Café Fleuri is the chic setting for the Langham Hotel's famous weekly Chocolate Bar event.  The Chocolate Bar "season" runs every Saturday afternoon from 12 noon to 3 P.M. beginning the first weekend in September through the last weekend in June.

There are more than 120 different chocolate items presented each week- and there really is something for everyone - elegant offerings like Sacher Torte, White Chocolate Lime Pannacotta, and Green Tea Opera Cake. There are hipped- up versions of "Smores" and "Almond Joy". And lots of little sweets too- including chocolate macaroons, mini- chocolate buñuelos, and chocolate -dipped strawberries.  You can even create a chocolate crepe with your favorite filling and have it flambéed in Grand Marnier.  Kids love the make- your- own ice cream sundae station and the chocolate fondue fountain. The cotton candy that is spun to order on a silver fork and dusted with cocoa powder is pretty cool too.

The Chocolate Bar is a high-end "all you can eat" buffet of dessert treats that is worth every calorie,  and at $35 for adults and $17.50 for kids (ages 5-12) an affordable splurge.