Porto is a new Mediterranean restaurant that serves a modern take on seafood. The team behind this new hot spot are Jody Adams, Eric Papachristos and Sean Griffing (they are also the team behind Trade).

I love everything about this place from the moment I walk in, from the artwork on the walls to the summer beach cottage feel, right down to the blue tiles in the entryway.

Leah and I are doing some research for our Toasts and Bowls posts that went up earlier this week. We are lucky enough to run into Jody, who is just popping by, and we chat with her a bit before our meal comes.

The lunch menu is filled with delicious sounding plates: lobster roll, a fried oyster roll, grilled arctic char salad or a roasted half chicken to name a few. We went with the grilled avocado toast, topped with ricotta, red pepper and these addictive honey pistachios. This is a really nice twist on avocado toast, the grilled avocado makes this dish special. Very light and clean, filling – but in a good way.

Next up, we tried the Anson Mills faro verde grain bowl served with eggplant, broccoli, pomegranate and a perfectly cooked soft egg. The eggplant was delicious and while this bowl on paper sounds too healthy for my liking, it was quite tasty.

Service was excellent. They have a great bar – perfect for a glass of wine at the end of the day and some people watching. They also recently opened their patio, so make sure to stop by and check that out when the weather is finally warm for more than 20 minutes! Aren’t you ready for the rain and cold to go away? Is it summer yet?!?

Porto

Ring Road, Boston, MA

www.porto-boston.com

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I recently had the opportunity to try out VERTS Mediterranean Grill with my girls from Go Local Boston. They have two locations in Boston, the Financial District down on Summer Street and the location we visited in the Back Bay on Boylston at Clarendon. They are also planning on opening a location at Washington and School soon.

VERTS is a fast casual concept restaurant where you can make your own meal- most of them are under 600 calories.

Did you know that if you download the VERTS app you can get a FREE entree?? In addition, you can get $10 for every $100 you spend and a $2 reward for every friend that you refer.

First, pick you base: pita, salad, baby kale blend, rice bowl or quinoa bowl. Then pick your protein: beef and lamb, chicken, falafel, turkey and mushroom meatballs or slow cooked pork.

VERTS has a large selection of toppings to choose from: things like red cabbage slaw, cucumber and tomato mix, sumac onions, spiced chickpeas, carrot slaw, picked onions, picked jalapeños, marinated green olives, feta cheese, grilled beets and more.

They have 8 sauces to choose from: herb vinaigrette, roasted red pepper, spicy green whipped feta, eggplant dip, tzatziki, hummus, spicy cilantro and hot harisa. Sides include things like delicious sweet potato fries or a pita and hummus plate. VERTS has found just the right balance between quick and friendly service. While the lunch time rush does have a line, it moves quickly. Even better, order ahead on your app and you don’t have to wait!

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of VERTS to sample their menu. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

VERTS Mediterranean Grill

545 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

http://eatverts.com/

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The ladies and I had been dying to try out Juniper in Wellesley. I love Sweet Basil in Needham and Juniper is Dave Becker’s second venture, a Mediterranean restaurant that opened in 2014. In addition to being a restaurant owner, Becker is also a potter. He makes unique dinnerware that is used in both Sweet Basil and at Juniper.

We start with the roasted cauliflower salad ($13) curry vinaigrette, arugula, spiced chickpeas, olives, toasted pine nuts and red onion (pictured top right). I love roasted cauliflower, it had a rich, warm flavor. A perfect start to our meal.

(Pictured left) They have a nice selection of dips and spreads (served with yummy flatbread), you can order them for $6 each or 3 for $15: muhummara (red pepper and walnut), matbucha (tomato, red bell peppers,  garlic and chili pepper), tzatsiki (yogurt, cucumber and garlic), hummus (chick peas, tahini, olive oil), skordalia (potato and garlic), and baba ghanouj (eggplant and tahina).

(Pictured bottom right) I HAD to try the lamb bolognese ($16) saffron pasta, roasted tomato sauce, chili oil and yogurt. A totally different flavor profile than traditional bolognese, but every bit as tasty. This dish has comfort food written all over it, perfect for cold New England days.

The restaurants generally only open for dinner service on Sundays. This Sunday, January 8th, for one day only, they will be opening their doors for brunch with a special guest chef, Avi Shemtov, of The Chubby Chickpea. He will be preparing a Middle Eastern-inspired brunch, including his signature Shakshuka from 11:30am – 2:30pm. Call the restaurant for reservations. If you can’t make it in for this special pop up, make sure to try it out for lunch or dinner at another time, the food was delicious.

Service was excellent, we were there for a weekday lunch. Parking is on street at meters.

Juniper 

13 Central Street, Wellesley, MA

http://www.juniperwellesley.com

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I’ve been unconsciously on a Mediterranean kick lately. Met a friend at Dates and Olives in Brighton for lunch one day. We were the only other people there except for the photo shoot that was going on that day. The space is cute inside, with a few tables (but no high chairs for those of you who may have young kids) and a great window in front to let all the natural light in. Pictured above is the muhamara ($5.50), which is a roasted red pepper dip with walnuts, pomegranates, herbs and lemon (it comes with a side of pita). It was so rich in flavor, we gobbled it up!

You order at the counter, picking appetizers and salads from their menu, or building your own custom meal: a rice bowl, a salad bowl or a pita. I chose a rice bowl with chicken ($8.25) that was grilled with Moroccan spices. It came with a choice of 4 toppings and sauces, of which I chose the carrot raisin salad, the eggplant dip, the lettuce and the feta cheese. Really delicious and there was plenty of food to take home with me for my lunch the next day! The chicken was so tender and flavorful and carrot raisin salad is my weakness.

Here’s a list of other toppings they offer:

Hummus•Eggplant Dip•Lettuce•Olives•Feta Cheese•Carrot Rasin Salad•Red Cabbage Slaw•Millet Tabbouleh•Pickled Turnips•Yogurt Mint Sauce•Hot Zhoug Sauce•Tahini Sauce

Dates and Olives

160 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton, MA

Closed on Mondays

www.datesandolives.com

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Americo greets me as warmly as he did when I was there for lunch. He’s super sweet and even let’s me snap a few close up photos of the toppings (check out how amazing the colors are!)

Moroccan carrots, red cabbage slaw and white bean tabouleh.

Tomato relish and hummus.

Yum, check out the falafel!

A shot of that amazing juicy chicken. I tried to convince them to give me their secret, but I was unsuccessful.

They make all their gozi, their signature bread, in house. They make it the night before, allow the dough to rise and it is ready the next day.

The finished product: they use a tortilla press to make gozi.

I ordered a chicken mezze plate with olives, hummus and carrots.

A chicken gozi flat bread sandwich with carrots and feta cheese.

And another chicken gozi flat bread with cheddar cheese, white bean tabouleh, and carrots. I think I liked the gozi flat bread sandwich better than the straight mezze plate, the gozi makes all the difference. Stop on over to Piperi for a really great lunch or dinner experience.

Piperi

One Beacon Street, Boston, MA

http://piperi.com/

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Here’s what they have to say on their website: “Piperi Mediterranean Grill offers flavorful, nutritious, Mediterranean-inspired food available quickly, in an energizing atmosphere. We buy the freshest possible ingredients, cook in small batches, make our recipes from scratch and bake our unique gözi bread right on the premises—all to create food that’s bursting with flavor and nutrition. We know that great service makes a good meal even better. That’s why we’re committed to making every aspect of the experience at Piperi easy and enjoyable—so you leave feeling better than when you came in. Our team shares that commitment. We also take our role in the local and global community seriously, and are committed to making socially responsible purchasing decisions. Whenever possible, our produce is sourced from local suppliers and growers who employ sustainable practices.”

Like most places, Piperi (pronounced Pip-AIR-ee, which is Greek for peppercorn, one of the many spices they use) has a busy lunch hour. Even though the line is wrapped around the restaurant, it moves quickly.

There’s a different feeling in the air here. When I get up to order, the man behind the counter asks me how I am. He’s genuine – you can’t fake that. Then when I ask him how he is, he says with a warm smile, “great, glad that I get to serve you today”. He says it in a sincere way (not in the creepy way that you get at some places – you know what I’m talking about, when the creepy dude in an greasy tank top says it while flashing his gold tooth and winking at you).  Right off the bat, Piperi, gold star on service! There is a sense of calm behind the counter (even during the rush), everyone knows what their job is on the line, and things run smoothly – it’s not stressful or rushed.

Wanting to try a bit of everything on the menu, I order the chicken gozi wrap. Gozi is their signature bread, used for all their sandwiches. It’s a modern interpretation of Gözleme, a traditional hand-rolled pastry from Turkey. This wrap has Moroccan carrots, tomato relish, feta, and a spicy tomato sauce. For $7, there are a ton of bold flavors in this wrap, and it tastes/feels like a much healthier option for lunch.

You can also create your own meal: Choose a wrap, a mezze plate or a salad. Pick your main ingredient: falafel ($6.50), chicken ($7), steak ($8) or vegetable ($7.50).  Add up to 4 of their signature toppings or sauces: hummus, white bean tabouleh, Moroccan carrots, Feta cheese, cheddar, marinated olives, red cabbage slaw, tomato relish, yogurt cucumber sauce, tahini sauce or spicy tomato sauce. You can get extra falafel ($1.50), chicken ($2), vegetable ($2.50) or steak ($3).

I choose the mezze plate with chicken. I have to admit when I get burritos or chicken dishes at lunch, I usually expect the chicken to be dry and over cooked. Not here. The chicken was so juicy, tender and flavorful, I surprised myself by finishing it all. The carrots are also top notch, I love the flavor.

As we proceed to check out, I introduce myself to Tim, who I recognize from his photo on the website. I really respect a co-owner who is at the restaurant every day, working behind the counter along side everyone else. He hurt his ankle earlier in the morning, but is still here, crutches and all! We move off to the side, and he greets me with a warm smile and a handshake and thanks me for stopping in. We would both like to chat more, but I don’t want to take up his time during the rush. He tells me to stop in any time – he’d love to chat. I plan on taking him up on that!

Stop in the Piperi for lunch or dinner. They have generous portions and excellent service – you won’t be disappointed. Already been to Piperi? What’s your favorite menu item?

See my Favecast videos here: http://favecast.com/79DefLpty8 and http://favecast.com/3cDKqrtW8b

*Disclaimer, my meal was paid for by the BC Enactus club, but all opinions are my own.

Piperi

1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

http://piperi.com/

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