Sonia Richter

Spoonfuls: Out and About in Somerville

I found myself in the company of an old friend this past Sunday. After he transferred from my high school during his first year, I’d really only seen him grow up via Instagram, and now, here we were: two fully formed handsome humans armed with the recollections of 15-year-olds. This felt like it should’ve been stranger than it actually was. Once we stopped trying to map out every year since then, all that was left was now and next.

Spoonfuls: Soup Shack

When I was a first-year, I wasn’t comfortable eating alone in dining halls. It terrified me. I didn’t want to be seen overloading my plate, or appear lonely and friend-less. Often, I just didn’t eat because of it. I kept crackers and granola bars in my room to satiate myself, or planned meals days in advance to ensure I wouldn’t be alone. Thankfully, I grew out of this — slowly. I still avoid dining halls, but only because I no longer want to be in a place where I don’t enjoy food as much. Hence, the restaurant column.

Spoonfuls: Taco Party

Monday felt like one of the coldest days thus far, so I admittedly drove over to Ball Square after TDC practice in search of comfort food in the form of beans and cheese. It’s so easy to assume that Davis is the only place to satisfy your cravings in Somerville. Walk a couple blocks in any direction off campus, and you’ll realize the dire consequences of this mistake. Ball Square in particular is home to a few gems, from Kelly’s Diner to The Pub. I won’t touch the latter’s food, but let’s not deny the value of a sturdy pitcher minus the younger crowd of a Tuesday night.  

Spoonfuls: Tasty Mo:Mo

Tasty Mo:Mo is one of those restaurants I pass continually and always say I’ll try out, but never get around to. It’s an unassuming Nepalese institution, housed on a corner of Magoun Square only a short walk away from the Powder House roundabout. The vinyl sign above the door boasts one claim: “Delicious Dumplings,”written in Papyrus font. If you haven’t seen the SNL skit about this font, pause to do so now.

Spoonfuls: Spooky drag at Aeronaut and Carolicious

Spoonfuls: Tu y Yo

Powder House Square is home to more than just a chaotic roundabout. It is the launching point for every trip to Davis or to the infamous Pub Tuesdays. It boasts the birthday tradition of Yoshi’s — a likely site for numerous sushi pregames during this fine Scorpio season. I can’t say much on this, ...

Spoonfuls: Dakzen

I had a mixed experience at Dakzen, a Thai street-food restaurant in Davis Square. Still, I’m reluctant to describe it as such. I think it’s important to explore why this is.  

Spoonfuls: Guru the Caterer

I grew up eating Rhode Island fried seafood dipped in white chowder, my mother’s hearty Russian borscht and my French-Canadian mémère’s meat pie — homey, no-frills food made from unwritten recipes with no want of potatoes. When COVID-19 began, I knew places like our favorite clam shop were just inching by. It was shocking to see more and more windows boarded up with ghosts of help wanted signs scrambling for staff overdue. In Medford and Somerville, places like Hulun Beir in Davis and The Dark Horse Public House in Magoun Square have since closed their doors, shocked by an epidemic which made eating out a newly daunting experience. Spots like these, which lack the campus reputation to keep business flowing, are undoubtedly hit the hardest by such notoriously unprecedented times.