Posted on December 8th, 2015

1. Adios Kitchen Inc., hola Union Kitchen 

Sadly, Kitchen Inc. closed its doors in September. Yet behold! Just outside Somerville’s Union Square, you’ll now find Union Kitchen, Somerville’s new – and only! – culinary incubator. The space, located  at 121 Washington St., will be home to the Somerville Arts Council’s Nibble classes—and starting in spring of 2016, we’ll be working with Union Kitchen to create outdoor seating for warm-weather pop-ups. Union Kitchen is also home to entrepreneurs Chicken and Rice Guys, Samira’s Homemade, and Compliments Catering. The big dream? To create a larger kitchen incubator and community food emporium in the heart of the square.

2. Dosa N Curry is not dead!

Dosa N Curry, located on 453 Somerville Ave, is currently closed due to a fire and power failure. However, they told us just the other day, repairs are almost complete and they expect to open their doors again soon. So if you want to try their all-vegetarian north Indian, south Indian and Indo-Chinese specialties soon, stay tuned. Meanwhile, A4, that most marvelous pizza join that was next door, is moving out; but apparently they’re determined to remain in Somerville. Phew.

3. A Tale of Two Squares

As if you hadn’t noticed, change is underfoot in Union Square. We often find that the food landscape reflects the shifting population. We just learned that 60-70% of customers at WellFoods Plus use food stamps. Meanwhile, just the other side of Market Basket, there’s Tasting Counter, a high-end establishment that brings you in close to the preparation and presentation of your meal and offers a whopping 9-course tasting menu. It sounds exquisite but tickets don’t come cheap: $165 weekday, $180 weekend. So start saving by buying great cheap spices at the wonderful WellFoods Plus! Bottom line: We hope that Union Square can continue to support both types of establishments.

4. Cook like the Aztecs

Mexico native Estela Calzada offers students a hands-on experience cooking Pozole, a soup that is so hearty it’s meal on its own! Dating back to the Aztecs, Pozole features corn (large hominy kernels), pork, chile ancho, chile guajillo, garlic, onion, and topped off with a fresh salad dressed and lime to suit your taste. Our Pozole will be paired with an exotic Ponche, a warm tropical fruit punch with guava and tamarind. After we’ve made our Pozole and Ponche, we’ll sit down and feast together. Tickets are $40 for the 3-hour class and full meal! Click here to watch Estela using a “metate”, a stone tool used for grinding grain, seeds and chilis (Estela calls it an “Aztec blender”). Then come to the class and hone your metate skills!

5. Nibble blog is back—to satisfy the most demanding tastes!

Oh yeah! we redesigned our Nibble web page. Through this blog, we invite you on a gastronomic adventure. Each week (we’ll aim for every Tuesday) we will share stories, news, and resources around food, including information about future events. If you love global flavors and trying international dishes, this is the right place for you to explore Union Square’s culinary diversity.

Here you will find all the information you need to shop at Union Square numerous international markets or dine at its diverse eateries. Also, get involved and enjoy our delicious food-related experiences:

Come back next week, and stay tuned for our future events!