Not a Cup of Tea But a Cup of Coffee

It was a rather relaxing Sunday and after a week of working-out (I didn’t exercise every day of course), I decided to treat myself to some good coffee. Not exactly the best way to aid my efforts in living a healthier lifestyle, but…with great company, why not?

For those of you who know me, I’m more of a tea person than coffee. However, I love going to the Starbucks café on JFK Street (sometimes just to “window shop” the interior décor and take a personal tour around the coffee bean packs), though it gets rather busy especially on the weekends and even on weekdays after office hours. It’s located beside the Harvard MBTA station and of course, it’s right in the heart of Harvard Square. This has got to be one of the best Starbucks cafes in Harvard Square (there are a total of 3 here) simply because the service is efficient and friendly, there’s an excellent ambience especially on the 2^nd floor…and the coffee is made to perfection (says my expert coffee-drinker friends and me, the non-expert at this field but totally agreeable to this because it tastes so good)!

So this is kind of an extended version of what I briefly talked about in Date Night at Cheeks, Regal, Star & Pink.

Here are the pictures taken over 2 occasions. I’m obsessed with furniture, I know!

Our ventes!

The waiting area which doubled up as a seating area for us.

Here's where they make their coffee. Also a view from where we were seated (at the booth seats).

Bird's-eye-view of the ground floor kitchen.

Spacious upper floor. Feels almost like home. The far right is a coffee counter which you can order more coffee from without having to make your way down to the ground floor again!

There you go, a clearer view of it.

The other end of the upper floor.

Absolutely love this reading area - looks almost like a study!

We got ourselves window seats with comfy chairs (on another occasion). Almost felt like I could have snoozed for a bit - and yes, even the caffeine wouldn't have had any effect on me!

View from our window seats. The huge pillar-like structure is actually a lift that leads you down to the MBTA station.

Was quite amused by this. It's a charging station! We got all excited and started placing our cell phones on it only to find out it wouldn't work unless we had a special charging cover. Geez.

Something we spotted while walking around Harvard Square. A book sale with no one tending to it.

We realized why.

I hope you had your coffee fix today just by looking at these pictures. 

Hungry Mother

Every time I am reminded of this quaint restaurant’s name, I picture my mother. My hungry mother. My mother loves food but she’s a tad bit selective. She loves her food clean and green and I think I might follow in her footsteps just to give my heart a break (not literally but you get what I mean). Or maybe not. I can’t imagine a life without good great tasting food!

@Mom We shall make a reservation for when you visit!

Hungry Mother was (and still is) a highly raved about restaurant on our restaurant checklist. And since J and I were craving Southern food, we decided to head down to Kendall Square on a Thursday night. The restaurant could’ve been easily mistaken for an apartment building as its exterior looks exactly like one and that’s because it is in fact on the ground floor of a three-leveled apartment building. Upon entering the restaurant, I noted how cozy and crowded it was despite it being a weekday. The interior mirrored that of the inside of a house thus the very warm atmosphere. I must say that the service rendered was excellent – not the kind of superficial pompous greetings you sometimes get at Michelin Star Restaurants…but a more wholesome humble aura was what it was.

Namecards and souvenir pins (comes in two designs) for keepsakes.

Note the lighting at the bar. I'll show you a close-up of its style in a bit!

The food was simply amazing. Everything was prepared to perfection – not too much on the heavy side and not too salty either. J and I were initially slightly disturbed by the fact that the restaurant didn’t serve any bread before the appetizers, but we were glad they didn’t, as three courses was just the right amount for our dinner tummies.

Smoked 'Woodbury' Clams, Basil, Tabasco Mayo, Pickled Berkshire Ramps.

Salt grains were used to secure the shells onto the board.

Crispy Pork Belly 'Deviled Eggs', Bread and Butter Pickles.

Shrimp and Grits, Tasso Ham, Cornbread Croutons, Scallions.

This was a recommendation that was not on the menu. We had absolutely no regrets getting the two of the same main courses!

Chocolate Layer Cake

Toasted Pistachio and Benne Seed Tart

There you go, these lamp shades are of a similar style to the bar lighting. Made of inverted glass cups. How clever! 

Not leaving without a visit to the restroom! This one's unisex and surprisingly femininely masculine. 

Here's the feminine decor. The wallpaper is made of pages from a book entitled Batterie de Cuisine.

This is a book decor piece which was randomly stuck near the entrance of the washroom.

Masculine, bold colors with angular edges.

Mosaic tiles. How retro!

Complimentary brownies after our dessert. 

The white card you see on the right is a shop menu. The items on the list include their very own cookbook! I'm guessing the recipes must be great? (Anyone tried them?) 

233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave

Kendall Sq.

Cambridge, MA 02141.

The Wearing of the Green

Imagine this. Shamrocks and beads, glitter and gems, fur-balls and crowns, the colors of green, white and orange…falling from the sky in a myriad of madness and celebration, while the sound of bagpipes fill the air like thunder to one’s ears, almost piercing through the sky like splashes of starlight leaving a trail of glimmer behind.

This is a moving picture of what I painted in my mind’s eye of St. Patrick’s Day 2013…only that I had this envisioned on 16^th March 2013, the day before the celebration that was to take place at the South End of Boston. It was a dream, a vision, a pure image of incredulity the night I lay on the fluffiness of my bed. Boom. Bang. What? I had it all wrong! 17^th March 2013 proved to me that my vision, that moving picture that crept into my mind in the darkness of the night…was nothing but an exaggeration and in fact, only a dream that was partially accurate.

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on the 17^th of March. It commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This day is celebrated not only in Ireland, but also in countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia.

Believe or not, blue was the original color associated with St. Patrick’s Day. The shamrock (three-leaved clover) was used as an association to the Holy Trinity in which Saint Patrick spoke about to the pagan Irish, and it became a significant symbol of this day. The Irish soldiers wore green uniforms in the 1798 rebellion to make a political statement. Thus, the wearing of the green means to wear a shamrock on one’s clothing and so this explains the shift in its symbolic color from blue to green.

As I was mentioning, this year, J and I decided to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade that was held at the South End of Boston. The train stations were packed and I hardly had any breathing space. My nose was constantly almost brushing against the piece of loose thread sticking out from the side of that lady’s pea coat! I felt as though I was in an open-air club in broad daylight; people screaming with excitement, music blasting…all that white noise. But it stirred up inside us an excitement like none other, as we neared Andrew Station and observed all that green, white and orange around us.

 Fun nails for the day!

Andrew Station.

Spot-on passers-by.

This guy in shamrock glasses was so intrigued by me taking a picture that he had to pose. Haha.

People across the street from where we were.

Hungry kids digging into their pizzas and fries.

Decked in green!

After about 3 hours of patient waiting, the parade officially started. Here are some captures from the event…enjoy!

Is that a market trolley?

The man himself showed up!

Amazing horses charging toward us.

These horses were pretty tame. Some even had shamrocks painted on them.

How could Coca Cola not miss this advertising opportunity? Love the retro display.

One of the many bagpipe groups.

People trying to climb over the barriers to run across to the other side. The police had to intervene.

Do you recognize this?

Miss Boston made an appearance.

I thought this was really cute. Eye-catching advertising by Gillette!

Going all out to be green.

This adorable princess was getting a little restless but still managed a smile for us!

The Elvis of Boston.

Hmm...renting fire engines? That's a first.

Notice how tiny these trucks are? How tiny are their drivers?

Not very tiny at all!

The Girl Scouts! Their hand-made cookies are to-die for.

He's not really who you think he is. Haha. Captain Jack Sparrow!

The Boston Bruins.

Yep, the garbage truck companies did not want to get left out from the parade either. Don't worry, no pungent smells were detected.

Amazing cyclists.

Have a good one!