The Best of Brattle Street

An afternoon in Harvard Square includes three must-do's. First wander till your eyes glaze over through the Harvard Coop, the best bookstore I've found anywhere for quality selection, variety, and navigability. Once exhausted, veer off the square to two authentic Cambridge hot spots. They're not secrets, nor should they be. At the Hi-Rise "At the Blacksmith House," an offshoot of the original café just a few miles away on Concord Ave, aromas of bread baking are infused with the scents of teas, coffees, grilled chicken and, in the morning, frying eggs. Crowded with locals, Hi-Rise is a great place to eavesdrop, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a freshly baked peanut butter cookie. Later on, to sate your sweet tooth, head to Burdick's Chocolate Shop. Larry Burdick began his chocolatier career in New York in the mid-80s. Bouley Restaurant used to serve his signature mice with ribbon tails as amusing after-dinner sweets. Now Burdick's base is Walpole, NH, where he has one café and a French restaurant; the only other Burdick café is on Brattle Street. The handmade bon bons feed for the eyes and allure the palate with flavors like Earl Gray and crystallized rose; the layered Swiss pastries are the next counter over and the hot frothy drinks hang in the air like a chocolate cloud. A little plumper and a lot happier, now it's time to find your cahr pahked nearby in the hahvahd yahd.

Harvard Coop Bookstore
Hi-Rise Bread Company[Gayot]
L.A. Burdick Chocolate

[Text+Photo: Jennifer Acker]

Previously: My Wash Po Will Destroy Your Fung Wah, Oak Bar: You Are Being judged, Story Corps Trailer Traverses the USA, Walk This Way: Steve Tyler's Tour of Beantown, Boston's Garment District Takes Up One Whole Store, Diggin' Bostons Emerald Necklace