Posts Tagged “Union Square”

Running errands I found myself back at Sherman Cafe in Union square. I’ve liked the place since they opened, but there have been some ups and downs in quality over the years. We’re definitely in an up right now, and have been for a while according to local bakery maven J.

They’ve eliminated the raised platform in the window and created more seating, tidied up the back area and deployed some really excellent sandwiches. Maybe the opening of nearby Bloc 11 lit a fire under them. Less appealing to some is the one hour free internet limit, but I think that’s reasonable, and I’m pretty sure if you ask nicely and keep buying stuff, the staff might slip you an extra hour once in a while.

Today I’m enjoying a fresh orange juice and a sweet potato, goat cheese and rosemary scone. There’s a combo you don’t see too often. It’s tasty, but the goat cheese and rosemary are barely evident, even though the sweet potato is in plentiful chunks. It’s good to know it’s here, but I think I’ll stick with Sherman’s strength, their sandwiches.

Adding the obligatory geek note, this is the first post created entirely on the new mini notebook. I put the SD card from my digital camera into the computer’s media slot, tidied up the photo with GIMP and did the rest in the browser. Mission accomplished. This setup is going to be excellent when I’m on the road.

I visited Sherman Cafe (257 Washington Street) in Somerville’s second square, Union Square, this weekend and had an excellent BLT.  I’ve been an occasional Sherman customer since they opened, and I’ve seen them at their best and not so best, but over the past few months, the place has really pulled it together, especially in the sandwich department.  I was a little worried when Bloc 11 hit the scene that Sherman might suffer, but they’re still a serious contender in the neighborhood.  And an hour of free wifi doesn’t hurt.

The BLT features thick bacon, heirloomy summer tomatoes, and some creamy avocado.  I sampled it with and without the mayo.  Bread was some kind of multigrain.  A light toasting of the bread might be the only thing holding this sandwich back from perfection.

To quote the back of the menu, “Sherman Cafe uses all fresh ingredients, makes most of our menu from scratch, buys local when possible, and tries to keep chemicals off of your plate. We use all natural meats from McKenzie’s of Vermont, milk with no BGH, and our bread is delivered fresh from Clear Flour Bakery every day.”

Other interesting sandwiches on Sherman’s menu include bacon cheedar and green apple (grilled on sourdough) and vermont cheddar with greens, housemade pickles and tomatoes.  And their baked goods are far more kick-ass than those fancy cupcakes you can get not far away.  During the Union Square Fluff Festival, Sherman served up some fluff-enhanced sandwiches, too.  The 2008 Fluff-Off is coming up on September 27th.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Usually, I don’t write about stuff until after it happens. That’s the main way that I know what to write, but I still haven’t written up last Thursday or Friday’s art outings. So, when this item crossed my inbox, I figured I would post it in preview, since it seems to need a little extra PR.

The New Factographers is a evolving network of Boston-based sonic bricoleurs, moving image interventionists, experimental documentarians, urban dramaturges and critical theorists working across various media to re-interpret the particularity of place. The name is inspired by a strain of the 1920s Russian avant-garde.

The group’s first project is “NF01 :: Union Square :: The Chirping Sidewalk,” a sound and video installation on April 23rd at Toast Lounge in Union Square, Somerville on occasion of the MIT-Harvard-LSE conference Writing Cities. The event is presented in partnership with Union Square Main Streets.

Wow. How come nobody told me about this until now? Theory, design, constructivisim, urbanism, neologism, it makes me want to go back to art school. If I can get a day off from work, I can still crash the conference. More likely, I’ll check out this ‘happening’ at Toast Lounge Wednesday night. I hear the drawings of Ilana Cohen will be on view.