We’ve briefly talked about this excellent place on another thread but it deserves its own.
The grocery part is small, but it has a a wide range of products, carefully selected and uniformly first-rate. You’ll see things there that are hard to find elsewhere: brussel sprout tops two weeks ago (leaves that crisp beautify, just as the sprouts do), a rich, cottage-cheesy “curds and cream” right now and the very elusive (and very expensive) Animal Farm butter, maple flavored, ultra crisp potato chips, etc. In fact, maple is something of a theme there. Their most striking product is their soft-serve – they always have maple, and a second flavor, usually vanilla or chocolate. I repeat that it’s up there with the best soft-serve I’ve ever had and M G+W is worth running to just for that.
The wines are also selected with care. You can get unusual bottles at many price points. The owner, Danielle Pattavina, is very knowledgeable and very helpful.
Using Michelin-speak, this place is well worth a detour.
I’m the guy who in the pre-earbud-cellphone days was seen talking to himself and you’d know to avoid me. Now, 75% people you see on the street seem to be talking to themselves. But …
Here’s an interesting discussion with Danielle, with recommendation of eating spots, some new to me:
I keep forgetting to check this place out. Now that you’ve mentioned soft-serve, I really have no excuse. It can be on my way on my bike commute from Arlington to Somerville, which must burn at least a cone’s worth of calories. Thanks.
Stopped in for my cup of soft serve today. Wind chill 25 degrees; ice cream- check! I huddled for warmth and consumed my delicious little compostable cup of maple soft serve with a bamboo spoon. I also left with an interesting rose pet nat which we’ll open for Thanksgiving.
On a recent trip to NYC and an impromptu dinner in a Georgian (Slavic, not Southern U.S.) restaurant, I got turned onto Georgian wines. Many of them are made with white type grapes, but macerated for months in amphorae into what are called orange or amber wines, and offer a fascinating twist on the West European classics. Momma’s has a nice selection of Georgian ambers and reds which are worth trying.
I have been entranced by Georgian recipes and Georgian cooking for years now. Every winter we make the Georgian beef soup with huge amounts of the dried spice blend in addition to lots of fresh herbs for garnish, and I’ve made many other Georgian dishes from time to time. I went to a wine tasting featuring Georgian at Ball Square in Somerville pre pandemic but haven’t had the chance to try them again since then.
