Davis Square, Somerville

–          Red Bones: A surprisingly good bar-b-que restaurant in Davis Square.  Stefan and Sarah love the beef brisket sandwich and the fried catfish.  Portions are large so be careful!

–          Tu y Yo: Authentic Mexican.  No tacos or burritos here.  More old-world Mexican.  Moles and chile rellenos.  A little pricey at $20+ a plate but absolutely delicious.

–          Dave’s Fresh Pasta: The real star isn’t the fresh pasta for sale but the sandwich counter.  A great hippie sandwich spot in the hipster hangout of Davis Square.

–          Flatbread/Sarcos Bowling: Yummy pizza, local beer on tap, and cheap bowling, this place has something for everyone!  Be advised, this is candlepin bowling, the New England way.  The balls are smaller and the pins aren’t cleared between balls.

–          Toyoro Sushi: Just up Massachusetts Avenue from Davis Square in Arlington, this is our favorite new sushi place.  Super fresh with simple, traditional sushi.  The owner is the one and only sushi chef and the same waitress is there every day.  It is a small place but if you get there before 5:30, seating usually isn’t a big problem.  There is also the option to call ahead and get takeout.  Parking is free and easy in Arlington and there is even a lot behind Toyoro.

Harvard Square, Cambridge

–          Russell House Tavern: A favorite of our foodie friends, Russell House is a “nicer” restaurant with delicious food.  An excellent cocktail menu as well.  Well priced at $15-$20 for dinner.

–

Kendall Square/MIT Cambridge

–          Hungry Mother: A favorite hangout bar.  Of course, for us, that means $10 drinks and an amazing mixologist.  If you’ve never had the experience of “bartender’s choice,” be sure to check out this neat southern-french fusion restaurant.  They are booked for dinner weeks in advance but the food is also absolutely delicious.  Make sure you order a side of cornbread.  It is like nothing you’ve ever had before!  If you’re looking for an outstanding cocktail, this is the place to go.

–          Toscanini’s Ice Cream: Considered by many to be the best icecream in the country.  We went here on our first date

–

Cambridge Antique Mart: WONDERFUL antique mall on the T.  Just off Lechmere station on the green line, this place is 5 stories of antique booths.  Stefan hates it, Sarah loves it.

Harvard Museum of Natural History: Harvard is a really old school and before they had color photography or cheap color printing technology, if you wanted to teach what a Rhino looked like, you would go get a Rhine and stuff it to show your class.  This museum is essentially a collection of Harvard’s 100+year old taxidermy.  They have lots of neat animals and you can get much closer to a stuffed Rhino than to a real one.  There is also an impressive rock collection and a huge collection of glass flowers.  The glass flowers are very detailed models of a bunch of flower specimens.  Just kind of a neat niche thing to see.  The museum is cheap, $7.00 I think, and I great way to spend a couple hours.  http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/