In ancient Arabic, the word sofra means, little eats, like at a picnic. The bakery-cafe Sofra is the newest addition to the Boston eating scene. Reknowned chef Ana Soturn of Oleana has created an wonderful spot for small plates.
My dear friend, Flavorista Dee Dee knew this is exactly the kind of place I love. Everything was delectable. It was a dreary rainy afternoon in Boston but the food here warmed our hearts. We really wanted a glass of wine but they don’t serve alcohol. They are not open for dinner but if you are in Boston, make sure to stop by if you are feeling peckish. The menu changes often but consistently offers many mediterranean/middle eastern specialties. We ordered several mezze and had one of the stuffed flat breads. The crik-craks were unbelievable, buttery and flaky.
Sofra also offers spice blends, and prepared foods like house preserved lemons, aleppo pepper spiced peanuts (fantastic!) and interestng grains and oils. I bought grano, an ancient wheat that puffs up beautifully when cooked. Reminiscent of barley, but softer and plumpy.
At the left is the dry grain and on the right cooked. I placed 1 cup of grano in my slow cooker with 8 cups of water and a bay leaf. I cooked it for 4 hours. It might have been a little better at 3 hours but it was still fantastic. You can sauteed cooked grano with just garlic and fruity olive oil. I added some small cherry tomatoes and sweet peas.
If I didn’t already own too many cookbooks I would definitely get Sortun’s 2006 book entitled Spice.
In my opinion Sofra is the best. The place is cozy and the food here is terrific. They serve several choices of excellent breakfast. And I think you should try it.