November 3, 2010

Local things I've been loving

Since last Wednesday was devoted to decadence, today I thought I'd finally get around to sharing with you some of my favorite local treasures. They're just as decadent (if not more), but perhaps a bit more globally-conscious.

1. Taza chocolate: This chocolate is unlike any other chocolate I have ever tasted. It also happens to be locally produced (at their factory/store in Somerville, MA). If that weren't enough, it's also organic, direct trade, kosher, pareve (dairy-free), soy-free, gluten-free, earthy, intense, delicious, and incredible. Basically, it is everything you ever wished for, packaged neatly in a cute little round disk. My favorite flavor is Guajillo Chili. My roommate recently brought me some from the farmer's market in Harvard Square. It is the key to my heart. Along with chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin ice cream, and matzo ball soup. Actually, there are a lot of keys to my heart, and they are almost all food.

2. La Tuza is a Mexican roots band, based here in the Boston area. I heard them first at the Harvard Peabody Museum's Dia de los Muertos celebration last year. (By the way, it took place again last night, La Tuza performed, and I heard there was a waitlist for tickets). I liked their sound so much that I tracked them down again when they played at Toad in Porter Square. Listening to the album tracks on their site will give you a better sense of their "infectious spirit" than any description I could provide. My favorites are "El Colás" and "La Petenera." They also have a song about chocolate, which you could potentially listen to while consuming Taza. I won't say I haven't tried it.

3. Formaggio Kitchen: This is the kind of place that would normally intimidate the heck out of me. I would stare at it longingly from across the street and think, well, gee, I'm not that gourmet. I probably can't even read any of the labels. They're probably all in French and Italian, and I only read Spanish and Hebrew. Oh well. But thanks to my roommate's splendid parents, I tiptoed inside one time, and boy, am I glad I did. Turns out, there is nothing to be afraid of. They do carry all kinds of very incredible, very delicious things, from all over the world, but there are always friendly people around to translate or help you find just the right thing. On one trip this summer, I discovered champagne grapes. On another, grapefruit sorbet. On another, the best crackers I've ever eaten in my entire life. Their specialties are wine and cheese, of course, but they also carry a dazzling array of baked goods, produce, tea, spices, and other wonders you'll just have to go in and experience for yourself. Yes, there are samples. They also carry, guess what, Taza chocolate.

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