Fuji | Assembly Row

 January 25th, 2018 was the last day working in Downtown Boston at Lafayette City Center. We are at a shiny new building in Assembly Row, Somerville. It's no DTX / Chinatown / Theater District corner, but it will have to do. 

Fuji at Assembly is here! I will miss my beloved Avana but Fuji is contemporary and fun. I stopped in for a carafe of hot sake at the bar with impressive makimono and nigiri to follow. Spicy Tempura Katsu ($13.50) w. Katsu style shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo and sesame seeds and some Toro Nigiri ($8) and I'm settling right into the new neighborhood.

Fuji at Assembly

320 Canal St

Somerville, MA 02145

Earls | Assembly Row

After a lazy day in Charlestown (on a weekend we were finally home!) it dawned on us that it was time to pay our new Somerville neighbor a visit. Assembly Row is pretty cool with a good vibe and a happy bustle of shoppers plus restaurant and movie goers. We ate dinner at Earls Kitchen + Bar and saw Unbroken at the AMC Theater. Earl's was PACKED with a two hour wait for the dining room. We did a lap around the bar and were about to leave before we inquired with the hostess and learned the entire bar area is first come first serve. We scored a comfy raised picnic table bench within five minutes; definitely a lucky move + a result of hovering. I couldn't believe how insanely busy this place was. 

Earl's features a global menu with modern versions of ethnic cuisine staples. Our food and cocktails were really good, and service was friendly, if not slightly absent minded. The waitress had forgot to put in our order - but at least owned up to it. We let her know we had to make a movie and she was quick with round two of drinks and to settle the check. After this excursion, I can't wait to check out more of the restaurants at Assembly!

Kung Pao Noodle Bowl ($15) | wok vegetables, garlic ginger soy, roasted peanuts, mama wong's hot sauce (terrific flavors and it was wonderfully, amazingly, SPICY!)

Dynamite Shrimp + Mango Roll ($13) | sriracha mayo, unagi maple (this was awesome.)

Bees Knees ($10) | Aviation Gin, Cointreau, honey, fresh lemon, angostura bitters (a tasty cocktail and the presentation can not be beat!)

Earls Kitchen + Bar

698 Assembly Row Unit 102

Somerville, MA 02145

Kirkland Tap & Trotter

Brunch at Kirkland Tap and Trotter is rather unique and VERY filling. The menu is pork and sausage heavy, light on the eggs, and offers plenty to satisfy the sweet tooth as well the bloody mary craving.

So after the excellent bloodys with a zesty house made mix and assorted pickled vegetables arrive - a gooey, fluffy, sticky bun ($5) is the best way to get the meal started. From there we feasted on thick cut Brioche French Toast ($16) with a rhubarb compote, a side of juicy breakfast sausages ($6) and a beautiful and immensely flavorful Peasant's Hangover Helper ($16) which is a sausage and navy bean soup, complete with a poached egg and grilled bread. Post brunch, plan for a stroll. Harvard Yard isn't far up the road and it's a nice way to walk off a heavy meal! 

Kirkland Tap & Trotter

425 Washtington Street

Somerville, MA 02143

*this meal was complimentary, all opinions are my own*

La Brasa

The girls and I have been on a roll these last few months with making reservations to visit the Somerville up-and-comers! First there was Sarma, followed by Bronwyn and now La Brasa! With excellent chefs at the helm offering unique dishes of varied cuisines, Boston's neighboring city is lucky to have them all. La Brasa itself draws on a wide influence - Mexican, Peruvian, Spanish, Chinese - a grand mixture of flavors from all over. 

{What we ate}

mexican fried rice with charred scallions, fava beans, radishes, cilantro

tacos de carnitas - slow roasted pork shoulder with salsa verde & chile de arbol

artisanal cheese with ginger-rhubarb chutney

a table-side cart delivers prime rib with cilantro chimichuri

smoked bone in pork milanese with mushy peas

swiss chard pie with colorado chile, coddled farm fresh egg, spanish ham & piperade

fried soft shell crab with arugula & cherries

that fried rice again. it was my favorite. tacos de carnitas were second.

la brasa fried chicken with escargot-brown butter viniagrette, parsley and fresh horseradish

butterscotch pudding with Rice Krispies

La Brasa

124 Broadway St

Somerville, MA 02145

Bronwyn | Union Square

In Somerville's Union Square, Bronwyn serves a fresh take on the food and drink of Germany and Eastern Europe. The deeply wooded interior is warm and rustic, bedecked with handcrafted treasures from the region, notably a mash up of tall, regal looking wooden chairs. The biergarten is open now that we've reached the warmer months! 

The girls and I put a serious dent in the menu. I was really impressed with everything we ate and drank. It all felt so original, so refreshing and much needed. In order of appearance.....

Giant Haus Bretzel | spicy horseradish mustard 

Pierogi | haus-made ham & cheddar cheese dumplings, sweet pea relish, mint

Thüringia Pickled Eggs | habanero mustard

Spätzle | classic schwabian pasta, spring ramps, red onion marmalade, comte cheese

Sieben | Citadelle Gin, Cocchi Amaretto, Aperol, Grapefruit, Sparkling Riesling

Smokey Bone | Templeton Rye, Creme Yvette, Green Chartreuse, Jerry Thomas Bitters

Schmaltz | chicken & pork fat, cracklin, pickled onion, rye bread

Okocim Premium Pils Bresko Poland | light, well balanced hops, biscuity flavors

Schnitzel à la Holstein | pork schnitzel, soldier bean ragoût, soft boiled egg, white anchovies, capers

Mini Wurst Plate | Cotechino - pig skin, cinnamon, clove / Currywurst - pork, veal, curry / potatoes, sauerkraut, haus mustard 

Reibekuchen (unpictured, but amazing) | horseradish potato pancakes, rhubarb chutney, dill crème fraîche

Bronwyn

255 Washington St

Somerville, MA 02143

Sarma

Sarma means wrapped - enveloped - rolled up: a bundle of food that is bite sized and served as a meze. From the chef that brought us Oleana and Sofra, Sarma is Ana Sortun's version of a Turkish tavern known as a meyhane. Here in Somerville's Winter Hill neighborhood, a warm embrace of little dishes with intriguing spices and herbs delights.

Painted in a deep cornflower blue with turquoise and green accents, decorated with an elaborate set of painted plates, dangling exposed lights and Turkish mosaiq lamps, the restaurant is colorful and comfortable. Megan, Emily and I caught up one evening, deeming the majority of the plates a hit with a few misses in the mix as well. 

In order of appearance the Basturma & Cheese Rolls ($8) with chive and fenugreek fell somewhere in the middle. A lovely bite, but nothing that knocked our socks off. The Haloumi Fries ($7) with kimi white fig ketchup and the Brussels Sprout Bravas ($9) with hazelnut migas fell on the awesome side of the spectrum. Even right now I find myself craving these terrific bites! The Haloumi was warm and melty, while the brussels were rich and spicy. From the bar I sipped an Old Soul ($10) with Bourbon, pineapple, fenugreek and bitters. This was followed up by a glass of crisp, food friendly Txakolina. I'm a big fan of wine menus offering this Basque Country gem - a dry slightly sparking white wine.

We expected to love the Fava Bean Pate ($7) with capers, red onion and dill, but some abrasive salty-spice in the pate itself plus those capers overpowered the usually bright and fresh tasting favas. Green Garlic & Zucchini Keftedes ($10) were soft and light patties topped with refreshing almost palate cleansing ingredients - crisp cress and cucumber tzatziki. The heavier meat and seafood based dishes we ordered were hits. Persian Beef & Swiss Chard ($12) with sweet potato, cilantro yogurt and lime, and the Octopus Skewer ($15) with grilled avocado, grapefruit charmoula and Israeli couscous both proved to be boldly flavored yet balanced dishes with welcome spices. 

For dessert there's about 15 toppings to customize either the thick and tangy Greek style Frozen Yogurt ($5) or the Loukamades ($5) a ricotta doughnut dusted in powdered sugar. We wisely chose both and paired them with the heavenly Banana Pudding ($2) and the ethereal Passion Fruit Curd ($2). This was definitely a fun way to end the meal without being too heavy. Even if you happen to over do it on the small plates (an easy feat, the menu is pretty large) I would not pass on dessert.

Sarma
249 Pearl St. 

Somerville, MA 02145