At Sofra Bakery & Café in Cambridge, the phone starts ringing for take-out orders at 2 p.m. By 2:45, when we’re contemplating dinner and craving the rye-flour galette with a mélange of zucchini, goat cheese, and black garlic ($14)—it’s already sold out. The dark-toffee flavor of that aged garlic (common in Asian cuisines) is irresistible. We take one of the last sausage pitas ($11) instead. Back home, eating on the patio, that spicy ground pork—mixed with pickled peppers, feta cheese, and a hint of orange flavor in a crunchy pastry wrap—becomes a new favorite. Other must-haves: the meze platter ($12): dollops of creamy beet tzatziki, hummus, whipped feta dip, and a romanesco salad; and the cauliflower fatteh ($14), a slow-cooked dish with caramelized onions, pine nuts, and yogurt, sprinkled with sumac. The corner café’s been feeding sheltering crowds via brown-bagged goodies handed across a plexiglass-protected doorway, and this summer could resume limited service at its outdoor tables. Wherever you enjoy this nuanced, Turkish cuisine-inspired fare, don’t forget dessert ($4-$8): soft, double-chocolate “Earthquakes,” oatmeal cream pies, and sesame-caramel cashew bites. And on weekends definitely call way ahead for the hot and tender raspberry-rose-flavored turnovers and tahini-tinged, brown-butter donuts.
Turkish-inspired Delights
You might also like
The Enterprise Research Campus, Part Two
Tishman Speyer signals readiness to pursue approval for second phase of commercial development.
Sean Kelly Named Dean of Arts and Humanities
Will begin new role July 1
Slow and Steady
A Harvard Law School graduate completes marathons in all 50 states.
Most popular
More to explore
Exploring Political Tribalism and American Politics
Mina Cikara explores how political tribalism feeds the American bipartisan divide.
Private Equity in Medicine and the Quality of Care
Hundreds of U.S. hospitals are owned by private equity firms—does monetizing medicine affect the quality of care?
Construction on Commercial Enterprise Research Campus in Allston
Construction on Harvard’s commercial enterprise research campus and new theater in Allston