Cambridge/Boston date night - for fussy eaters?

January 7, 2016 12:55 PM

I'm visiting my boyfriend in the Cambridge/Boston area, and am trying to plan a fun date night. I'm vegetarian, and he's gluten free, dairy free, and has some other allergies. I'm very happy with cheese and nice cocktails, he's usually happy with fish or chicken and cooked green things. Any ideas of a good Friday night place?

Cambridge Arlington, and Somerville are ideal, but I'd be willing to venture to Boston proper.

posted by beccasaurus to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

How about Ethiopian? The one everybody says is the best is Habesha in Malden. ( I've been there myself and it's very good) There;s a place called Fasika in Somerville that sounds good, and, of course, Addis Red Sea on Tremont St. in Boston.
posted by briank at 1:09 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Fire+Ice in Harvard Square. Make your own stir-fry, and watch it being cooked. You can request to have your food cooked separately from everyone else's. All the sauces have labels on them (vegan, etc.).
posted by Melismata at 1:09 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'd go to Sarma. You probably have to get a few separate dishes from each other (i.e. might not be able to share all of the meze dishes) but the food is fantastic and has tons of veggie and gluten-free options. Great ambiance, great cocktails, delicious food. Make a reservation.
posted by barnone at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: How much are you hoping to spend? You and you boyfriend have an almost identical dietary profile to me and mine, and at some point we were going out fancy, and I discovered that nearly every fixed price/set courses menu in Cambridge and Sommerville will very happily make you a fixed price meal that meets all your dietary needs if you give them a few days notice.

Other potentially relevant information:
Boston is home to a dairy free ice cream shop called Fomu.
posted by femmegrrr at 1:19 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Maybe eat at the bar at Viale in Central Square? I guess double check that he could eat something other than oysters, but I've definitely done well with cocktails and GF there before. Sarma is delicious, but kind of crazy on a Friday night (depending on how soon you're talking, it can be hard to get a reservation).
posted by ldthomps at 1:20 PM on January 7, 2016

Life Alive on Mass Ave is pretty casual for a date night, but is also fun, delicious, and cheap. It's also helpfully located in Central Square, so you can meander around Cambridge before and after or hop on the red line.
posted by thefang at 1:21 PM on January 7, 2016

True Bistro in Teele Square, perhaps.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:26 PM on January 7, 2016

Best answer: Moonshine 152 in southie has food for both (I'm recently vegan and the hubs is Paleo, so...)

There is also Vegan Cafe in Chinatown - they make all dishes with soy product that resembles typical Chinese food meats! Then hit Cafe Nero for dessert or take a walk on the Common.
posted by floweredfish at 1:28 PM on January 7, 2016

Would Chinese or Japanese cuisine work? Or vegetarian sushi might be good for both of you -- along with age tofu, tempura, and possibly soup. Then there's always stir fry.

Anyway, I'd look for a fancy Asian restaurant to start.
posted by amtho at 1:41 PM on January 7, 2016

I would go to any Legal Seafoods. It's not considered hip or exciting, but in my 30+ years as a Bostonian, you can always guarantee your food will be delicious and free of gluten contamination.

They also have a lot of GF options. I'm a vegetarian with Celiac and it's my go to fancy place. They take both cross-contamination and seafood freshness very seriously.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 1:50 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: More diner than fancy, Veggie Galaxy in Central Square also meets your requirements. Great cocktails, delicious vegetarian food and they do a LOT of gf things.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 2:10 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You might want to try The Painted Burro in Davis Square. My GF boyfriend and I like it a lot. They don't have a ton of vegetarian options, but everything I've ever had there is good. It's Mexican, but not everything has cheese on it and they're generally very knowledgeable about what is in what, and they have grilled pork chops and fish and steaks and stuff like that. The cocktails are great (mostly tequila-oriented, unsurprisingly). The chips are house-made in a cross-contaminated fryer so 1) they are delicious and 2) as the gluten eater you get them all to yourself!

(Oh also, Fomu ice cream shop has wonderful gluten-free baked goods as well. I eat dairy and gluten and I love Fomu. You will not feel deprived of dairy if you go to Fomu.)

(And also also - the gluten free rolls at Legals might be the worst bread I've ever eaten in my life. SKIP THEM. They look like bread, but there is something deeply wrong and non-foodlike about them once you get them in your mouth.)

I'll be following this thread with interest!
posted by mskyle at 2:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Friday night as in tomorrow?

I'd +1 Sarma, though Oleana, which is also owned and managed by the same chef, Ana Sortun is also great. A friend of mine is vegan and has a range of other plant allergies and they went with this same group for catering their wedding. In general, Ana Sortun's places -- Sarma, Oleana, Sofra -- are great spots for delivering amazing and creative food that can satisfy a table with vegetarians and meat eaters and gluten free and dairy free without making you feel like compromises are being made. Both are pretty popular so getting a reservation for tomorrow may be a bit tough.

On the Asian cuisine tip, Night Market in Harvard Square is a little more casual but it's a small plates place that's pretty fun. I've eaten there with vegetarians and gluten free folks in the past and we haven't had trouble.

If you're willing to head into Boston -- Banyan is great, as is Myers + Chang
posted by bl1nk at 2:20 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

The last time I went to Addis the injera was made with wheat flour.
posted by brujita at 2:56 PM on January 7, 2016

Was scrolling down wondering why no one had mentioned Oleana! Favorite Cambridge date-night place.
posted by anotherthink at 3:46 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I asked my buddy from the Boston resto trade. He said that you're not going to get reservations for tomorrow, if that's the Friday you're talking about, so be prepared to eat in the bar.

Also, "they can eat anywhere, those aren't weird allergies at all."

Looking through the comments, he said "Sarma, Oleana, and Viale are all good suggestions there; others are either not really good for dates or just plain bad in general." And he's not a fan of Fire+Ice for this, or maybe for anything.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:16 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: This was all really helpful, thanks! Next date night (when we plan in advance) is definitely leaning towards Oleana. Thanks for all the tips on planning and calling ahead - I had no idea Boston booked up so quickly.
posted by beccasaurus at 8:20 AM on January 12, 2016