My friend, and fellow blogger, Niri told me about this place Nzuko a while back and I had been meaning to get there for some time. You would probably drive right past it if you didn’t know about it, it’s in a strip mall, sandwiched between a pizza place and a bagel shop. Nzuko brings influences from the Mediterranean and Carribean and uses super fresh ingredients.

They offer a bunch of vegan options (that my friend Nancy’s daughter would be a fan of) as well as a nice selection of kebab options, fresh salads and wraps. Many choices are organic or gluten free. I was debating about the chicken options (see below), but ultimately went with the vegetable stir fry option (topped with an egg of course). How super healthy of me – who dis?

Nzuko

341 Cochituate Road, Framingham, MA

www.nzukorestaurant.com

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I keep hearing good things about Worcester. So we hopped in the car one day and headed out to the Farmer’s Market and Crompton Collective. BirchTree Bread Company is in the same building as Crompton Collective, such a cute place to eat (with plenty of seating). BirchTree Bread Company offers artisan breads, tasty pastries and specialty coffee. They’re open Tuesday – Friday 7am – 5pm (Wednesday and Friday are pizza nights from 6pm – 9pm), Saturday 8am – 6pm and Sunday 10am – 3pm.

Here’s a list of their delicious breads:

DAILY BREAD:

• Country
• Local Wheat (except Tuesday)
• Olive & Herb
• Coriander Raisin
• Seeded Levain

SPECIAL BREADS:

• Tuesday and Wednesday-Whole Wheat Flax & Toasted Oat
• Thursday- Rosemary Ciabatta
• Friday-Danish Rye
• Saturday-Caraway Rye
• Sunday-French Baguette

Let me give you an idea of the things on their lunch menu:

Corned beef and kraut sandwich, local wheat toast with house cultured butter, local honey and sea salt, local organic greens salad with picked julienne vegetables and cider vinaigrette, quiche and savory bread pudding to name just a few.

I was just on their website and their specials sound delicious this week:

Brittany’s toast made with taco bean spread, melted sharp cheddar, and pico de gallo, served on ciabatta. Breakfast special is sautéed swiss chard, tomato, feta, toasted seeds and a farm fresh duck egg, dried with evoo and served open faced on seeded levain. Looking for something lighter? Try the soup de jour, this week its a sugar snap pea and potato – umm…even though it’s 90 degrees outside right now,  that sounds pretty darn delicious.

Need something quick to go? I can vouch that the cookies were delicious, but they also have croissants, scones and muffins.

And just as I was walking out the door, I spotted our good friends, Fox Point Pickling Company! Make sure to pick up a jar while you’re getting lunch.

What is your favorite spot in Worcester? I’m looking for some new places to try out!

BirchTree Bread Company

138 Green Street, Suite 5, Worcester, MA

www.birchtreebreadcompany.com

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It’s ice cream season, are you ready? I recently headed over to Honeycomb Creamery to taste it for myself. I had really been dying to try the rosé gummy bears, but they are seasonal, so I had lime instead.

Flavors available that day included: burnt vanilla bean, cinnamon dulce de leche, honey lavender, brown butter oatmeal cookie, cold brew coffee chip, matcha pistachio and chocolate toasted coconut. They offer vegan ice cream in the following flavors: horchata, spirumint chip and chocolate caramel swirl.

I went with a scoop of vanilla bean and a scoop of brown butter oatmeal cookie. YUM! Really nice texture and flavor.

For toppings, I chose lime gummy bears and house made peanut butter cup pieces. They probably don’t go together, but they sure were tasty.

Leah said that the waffle cone was not to be missed (add $1), and they now have matcha waffle cones too. We both want to go back for the flight of ice cream – pick 4 flavors for $8 and they serve them with waffle cone chips. They also offer hand packed pints, 1/2 pints for $6 and pints for $10. Make sure to bring your coolers and ice packs, because you are going to want to bring some home for later, trust me!

Honeycomb Creamery

1702 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA

http://www.honeycombcreamery.com

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Are you breathing a sigh of relief that Passover is over? Have you been counting the days until you could throw out that cardboard matzo that was sitting on your counter? Well move over old fashioned matzo, there’s a new game in town. I paired up with the Matzo Project and put together some fun recipes to make you rethink matzo – and maybe even have it year round (gasp!!). What first caught my eye was the packaging: super cute with a grandmother on the front, asking, “Would it kill you to try something new?”. What kept my interest was the taste. Not like the cardboard matzo I know, more like a cracker, with FLAVOR!!  The Matzo Project makes salted and everything flavored matzo and then matzo chips (!!) in salted, everything and cinnamon sugar (whaaatttt?!). They’re vegan, nut free, dairy free and all natural. Oh, and they’re kosher, just not kosher for passover.

When I do anything recipe related, I pair up with Leah, my go-to gal in the kitchen. We decided to make a few fun things – first up, stuffed mushrooms. Totally familiar dish made better with The Matzo Project’s everything matzo chips.

This recipe is so simple, in fact there is no exact recipe (or maybe there is but you’ll have to ask Leah). De-stem mushrooms and place in baking dish. Sautee onions. Grate Parmesan cheese and chop up some fresh herbs (whatever kind you like). Grind up a bag of everything matzo chips and mix together with cheese, onions and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. BAM!

I could tell you that we went all fancy with this next recipe, but we didn’t. Everyone loves a good dip – onion dip especially, but you don’t want to admit that you could eat it all in one sitting.

1 package of Lipton onion soup mix. 16oz of sour cream. Sauteed onions to make people think that it wasn’t made from a soup mix. Pair with The Matzo Project’s salted matzo crackers – because they can stand up to this sturdy dip.

Our take on French Onion Soup. Make it into a dip. You can use the above recipe and then add gruyere on top – broil it off in the oven until the cheese is nice and bubbly. With French Onion Soup you normally get that nice big slice of bread, but we opted for a lighter version, and paired it with some of the salted matzo.

I’ve been going to a lot of brunches lately, and one of the things that is pretty popular on the menu is a French Toast with corn flakes or frosted flakes. I love the crunch that the cereal adds, so we decided to do our own take on French Toast. I did an easy baked French Toast recipe with blueberries and then we finished it off with some cinnamon sugar matzo crackers on top. Here’s the recipe:

1 loaf of challah (I use OMG challah – it’s a nice consistency for the French Toast)

8 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon on cinnamon

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 pint blueberries (or any berry of your choosing)

Directions:

Cube challah and add to baking dish. Set aside. Mix together milk, cream, eggs and spices. Pour mix over challah, add berries and cover. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. In a separate skillet, heat up butter and crunched up cinnamon sugar chips. Sautee until browned and add over cooked French Toast.

So we have finished our meal, make sure that you save room for dessert!

I don’t know about you, but ice cream, over the top ice cream, has been all over my Instagram feed. We decided to use the cinnamon sugar chips on our ice cream cones and see how it would turn out. Leah says, “let’s make ice cream cones with chocolate magic shell”. I’m like, “ok I’ll pick some up from the store”. Leah, “….ummmm, no…we’ll make it”. Here’s the recipe we used, super simple and we used Lindt chocolate – so you know it came out super tasty! We paired batch dark chocolate mexican chile and roasted almonds ice cream with our magic chocolate shell, candied nuts and crushed up cinnamon sugar matzo chips. The cinnamon from the chips paired well with the chocolate and spice!

And we ended the afternoon fun with hazelnut gelato, magic chocolate shell, chopped hazelnuts and cinnamon sugar matzo chips. I think we can consider this day a success!

Want to try out some of The Matzo Project products? Check out their website here. Are you in Boston? If you dare brave the crowds at Eataly, you can pick some up there!

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Just when I move out of the neighborhood, new restaurants start popping up. Union Square Donuts moved into the old Wulf’s fish market on Harvard Street. Great to have another option in the ‘hood that is open early, perfect for families with young children. There is a small seating area that was full when I pulled up at 8am! (They are open 7 days a week from 7am – 6pm).

Original donuts are $3 and premium donuts run from $3.50-$4 per donut. Original flavors include: Belgian dark chocolate, vanilla bean, sea salted bourbon caramel, cinnamon sugar, Vietnamese coffee (seasonal), toasted coconut (seasonal), birthday cake (seasonal), and old fashioned cake (seasonal). Premium donuts include: Boston cream, raspberry jam (seasonal), maple bacon, brown butter hazelnut crunch, blackberry basil lime (seasonal), and miso butterscotch (seasonal). They offer 3 types of vegan donuts at $3.50, cinnamon sugar, Belgian dark chocolate and blackberry basil lime. Don’t feel like a donut? They have donut holes ($2 for 6 and $4 for 12) in sugar glazed and cinnamon sugar.

So how are the donuts? My faves are the brown butter hazelnut crunch and the vanilla bean. They are doughy and a little dense, and they have just the right amount of sweetness.

Need a drink to go with those donuts? They brew hot Counter Culture coffee and have nitro cold brew on tap. MEM loose leaf tea is served hot as well as a variety of espresso drinks. Coffee and tea not your thing? Not mine either. Don’t worry, they carry Spindrift sodas and seltzers as well.

Parking outside is on street at meters or on side streets (parking for 2 hours unless otherwise posted).

Union Square Donuts

409 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA

http://unionsquaredonuts.com

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I went from brunching to never brunching…and now it seems as though I’m back on to brunching. I couldn’t be happier about it. Last weekend I headed over to Harvard Square to Club Passim to listen to some live music while brunching on some tasty treats. Brunch is served on Saturday AND Sunday. The venue offers an up close experience with the artist on the stage – the listening room is very intimate. They don’t take reservations, so come early if you want to grab a table.

Brunch included items such as the Brioche French Toast ($9) (pictured top middle) with vanilla egg battered brioche, topped with whipped butter, berry compote and VT maple syrup (they have a stuffed version too); a Passim breakfast sandwich ($10) (pictured middle left) with an over easy egg, has browns, cheddar and VT bacon with chipotle aioli on riddled brioche served with berries and banana; the avocado toast ($6)  (pictured middle) topped with tomatoes and herbs; or the avocado eggs benedict ($14) served with poached eggs, avocado, cherry tomato, herbs and olive oil on a black pepper biscuit and served with hash browns (bottom left).

I think that the sides were the dark horses of brunch. The BKK street bread ($5) (pictured bottom middle) looks like toast – but it’s so much more. A nice light sweetness to it, it is not to be missed. I also loved the chiang mai sausage, which is house made and has a serious kick to it (but not right away). Make sure to try it with the herb sour cream!

Service was good, our server was attentive. Parking is on street or in nearby garages.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Club Passim as a guest of New England Food Bloggers. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Club Passim

47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, MA

http://www.clubpassim.org/

https://newenglandfoodbloggers.com/category/passim/

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The space has a similar look and feel to the Cambridge location with its kitschy decor, but the space is much smaller. This family friendly restaurant offers almost as many items on the menu as the Cheesecake Factory and the best part is that they serve breakfast all day!

This is a great place to go if you have a group: Sarah wants a pancake as big as a dinner plate, Bob wants an egg sandwich, John feels like a cottage pie, Amy is a vegetarian and gets the avocado burger and you’re vegan so you get the vegan nachos (or do you get the vegan pancakes?).

We were there for a late breakfast/early lunch and it wasn’t super crowded (we got in and out before the lunch rush). Our waiter was super friendly and even put this fun face on our pancake!

Don’t feel like trekking out in the cold for a meal? Don’t worry, you can order from the Cambridge and Back Bay location and have it delivered right to your door with Dashed!

Friendly Toast

35 Stanhope Street, Boston, MA

https://www.thefriendlytoast.com

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Meatball Kitchen is one of the newer restaurants in the Natick Collection. Located in the old Sel de la Terre the space, the restaurant is divided into two areas, the front bar area pictured above and the main dining room in back. The bar is bright and airy with high ceilings and a glass wall that faces the mall (great for people watching) as a opposed to the dining room that is a little more intimate and has a warm glow to it.

We arrive just before the lunch rush and sit at a great table towards the back – perfect for a larger sized group. The restaurant has a second location in Wilbraham, MA.

The casual eatery serves Italian comfort food with something on the menu for everyone – even vegetarians and vegans!

Pictured top right and moving clockwise: spiedini alla Romana ($9.95) fried mozzarella sandwich with anchovy butter; cheesecake balls ($6.95) served with chocolate, caramel and strawberry sauce; the mbk sampler ($17.95) 6 balls (beef, classic, chicken, pork, veggie and vegan) and 6 sauces (tomato, far diablo, pesto, alfredo, nano’s san marzano tomato sauce, and truffle parmesan); fried Brussels sprouts ($8.95) served with bacon butter and fried shallots; and the buffalo chicken balls.

The meatballs were pretty tasty, although I’m not sure I can trust a vegan “meatball” ;). I did like the option of the sampler, I always want to try one of everything! The cheesecake balls were good, but nothing to write home about. The Brussels were probably the table favorite with the buffalo chicken meatballs as a close second. The chicken meatballs had  a really nice texture to them. Service was decent for the lunch rush. Great place to go with kids and a nice addition to the current choices at the mall.

Meatball Kitchen

Natick Collection – 1245 Worcester Street, Natick, MA

See their website here.

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The Dougie (middle left): mozzarella, roasted potato, smoked bacon, ranch drizzle and scallion

Mexican Meatball (middle right): cilantro garlic sauce, mozzarella, meatball, rose pickled red onion, jalapeno relish, parmesan

Muffled Mushroom (bottom middle – top half): truffle sauce, mozzarella, roasted ‘shrooms, ricotta, parmesan

They even make dessert pizzas, a “triple chocolate cookie” pizza (bottom left) with chocolate chip cookie dough, ricotta and powdered sugar and the “Sweet Melissa” (top left) with New York style cheesecake, ricotta, strawberry drizzle and powdered sugar.

The crust is thin and light, almost flaky like a croissant and crispy.

The restaurant has Stubborn soda on tap, along with my favorite, Izze soda. Stubborn soda comes in unique flavors like agave vanilla cream soda, classic root beer, lemon berry acai, black cherry with tarragon and orange hibiscus. Oath Craft Pizza just started serving breakfast, which I will definitely go back to try. They have egg and cheese flatbreads that you can customize as well as things like a french toast pizza (YUM!!!)

What would you put on your customized pizza?

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to sample pizzas at Oath Craft Pizza. I was provided complimentary slices. All opinions are my own.

Oath Craft Pizza

210 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA

www.oathpizza.com

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Pure Cold Press is not just a restaurant, it’s a community. A major part of this is because of Haim Cohen, the owner. You may know him as the son of Rami Cohen, owner of Rami’s next door (after all, that is where he learned about the restaurant business). He has an infectious personality – it feels like he is inviting you into his home the minute you step in the door. He greets regulars and knows their orders – and first timers feel like old friends. Business is going well, but Haim has a lot of new ideas and has has been making changes since I was last there in August. For example, stop in on Sundays from 1-4pm for some live jazz.

The space is so different than anything in Brookline – there is so much natural light in here (a blogger’s dream!). It has a laid back California vibe to it – and I knew I wanted to hang out here all day when I heard Dispatch playing on the sound system. The restaurant feels like a cross between Jugos and sweetgreen – Cohen said that he took a lot of his inspiration from his travels to California. I get a quick tour of the space and the kitchen – you would never know that this space used to be a beauty supply store – they did a complete renovation and the kitchen is spotless.

I got to meet their sandwich guy (yup, for consistency, the same guy is making your sandwich all the time) and the gentleman who makes sure that everything in kosher. Pictured above is the avocado smash – avocado with lettuce and tomato on challah bread. All items are kosher and vegetarian – and Pure Cold Press is almost completely vegan as well.

Haim tells me that he has a great staff that knows their juice and he learns from his customers every day. Pure Cold Press opens at 8:30 am and offers some delicious breakfast options. For lunch you can grab a salad, a sandwich or a cup of soup. Cold pressed juices are ready made in the case but you can customize a freshly pressed juice (there are more health benefits to getting a cold pressed juice), order a smoothie or get one of their delicious acai bowls.

The bottles are one of the things that have changed since my last visit – they’re much sleeker. Stay tuned for new bottles that will be available in 4 sizes!

The day that I stop in I grab some salads to go and they are delicious. Above is the beet salad. Did you know that Pure Cold Press also offers catering?

The caprese salad was a delicious light bite.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Pure Cold Press as a guest. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Pure Cold Press

326 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA

http://purecoldpress.com/

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