Just your typical South End deli/bakery/cafe/juice bar/gelateria/organic convenience store
By MC SLIM JB | April 7, 2010
Photo: Marcus Guttenplan |
| Tremont Street Cafe, located at 418 Tremont Street, in Boston, is open daily, 7 am–6 pm. Call 617.695.2555. |
Many budget restaurants I review have a single-item focus: hot dogs, banh mi, zapiekanki. They say, “We do one thing, and do it really well.” Then there are the Swiss army knives, neighborhood spots like El Mondonguito, the Roxbury convenience store/Puerto Rican snack shop/dancehall/bar, or La Fogata, the Eastie bakery/Colombian snack shop/taqueria/ice cream parlor. Tremont Street Cafe falls into the latter category: a South End storefront adjacent to the owner’s long-standing Rome Pizza that combines many concepts, and executes some of them quite well.
Its particular mélange is usual. Need caffeine? It serves good espresso drinks ($2.60–$3.95). Tried bubble tea ($4.75) yet? Maybe something healthier to drink? They’ve got fresh-squeezed juices ($1.99) and fresh-fruit smoothies ($5.75). Want a sweet or savory roll to go with that? There’s a case with Danish ($2), bagels ($1.35), muffins ($2.25), cinnamon buns ($2), and croissants ($2.75). The Lebanese owner’s wife makes wonderful fresh baklava ($2) and spinach pies with feta ($2.75). Care for a gelato? That’s also house-made ($2.95–$3.95/one scoop), in 16 flavors. The pride of the open kitchen, though, is the sandwiches, which are fresh, inventive, and delicious. Mediterranean chicken ($7.50) combines grilled chicken breast, house-made hummus, red onion, and roasted red pepper on ciabatta. Roasted eggplant ($6.95) in thin slices is layered with red pepper, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and fluffy feta on brioche. More traditional deli sandwiches ($7.50) are made from Boar’s Head cold cuts, like corned beef, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing. There’s a daily selection of freshly made soups ($5.50), like a fine vegetarian lentil, and big, handsome green salads ($6.75) in the usual garden, Caesar, and Greek varieties, to which you can add albacore tuna salad ($1.20) or grilled chicken ($1.50).
Should you decide to eat in, there are counter seats and tables for 16 diners. And if you haven’t seen enough yet, there’s also a small convenience-grocery section catering to health-food and fitness fanatics, with organic bottled juices and other drinks, fancy frozen entrées, nutrition bars, energy shots, fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, and organic dry groceries. A reasonable reaction to this odd farrago might be, “It throws everything against a wall to see what sticks.” Another might be, “If this place were on my block, it might be really handy to have around.” I say, any place that does sandwiches and coffee this well can try its hand at whatever else it pleases.
Related:
Mangia Pizza, Review: Taam China Glatt Kosher Chinese Cuisine, J.J. Foley's Café, More 
- Mangia Pizza
Mangia channels a little bit of Naples with a thin crust and simple sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, but it doesn’t hew to the canon the way Gran Gusto does.
- Review: Taam China Glatt Kosher Chinese Cuisine
Theoretically, there could be terrific kosher Chinese restaurants.
- J.J. Foley's Café
An old standby starts low and aims high.
- Johnnie's on the Side
This large space has always housed attractive restaurants, despite violating two of Nadeau's laws: Eateth Not Within 1000 Cubits of a Government Institution; and Ditto for Sports Stadia.
- Olive Café
Solid tastes at Olive Café
- Bina Osteria
Bina Osteria may be the last luxury restaurant to open in Boston for a long time — or at least the last that isn't situated in a boutique hotel.
- Bom de Boca Grill
Craving steak but counting your pennies? If so, churrascarias (Brazilian grilled-meat restaurants) offer some of the best deals around.
- Aspire
An upscale restaurant in an upscale hotel is disadvantaged in ways that give the advantage to us.
- Panza Ristorante
Panza, which replaced Cibo in a small space just off the busiest blocks of Hanover Street, strikes a nice balance between red-sauce expectations, a bit of cheffery, and prices you can live with.
- Tory Row
Matthew Curtis and Christopher A. Lutes, perfect-pitch masters of minimalism at Miracle of Science, Cambridge 1, Middlesex Lounge, and Audubon Circle, have finally opened a restaurant with a few flaws.
- Review: Chez Pascal
Everything about Chez Pascal, beginning with Monday Market Menus and ending with a gallery show for a Rhody painter, emphasizes co-owners Matt and Kristin Gennuso's support for local talent, be it farmers or artists.
- Less
Topics:
On The Cheap
, Culture and Lifestyle, Beverages, Food and Cooking, More
, Culture and Lifestyle, Beverages, Food and Cooking, Cheese, Foods, Fruits and Vegetables, Asian Food and Cooking, Deli Foods, Vietnamese Food and Cooking, South End, Less
