Tu Y Yo, Somervile, MA

My part-time wife, full-time student Melissa has made Somerville her home for the next year. She goes to school in neighboring Cambridge. The choice between a long dreary weekend by myself in New York and one with me by her side in this ever festive and vibrant student town is always an easy one to make. One that has brought me here thrice over the last six weeks. The romance of her company and this town was however lacking some good food to make it a perfect getaway every time.

Most culinary engagements in idyllic Cambridge proved less than satisfying. Food it seems is the last thing on a student's mind which is why the establishments here get away by serving fairly average food.

I decided to head North within Somerville in search of something more interesting this morning. A 10 minute walk and a small bus ride brought us outside a large, colorful storefront near the Tufts University campus. Tu y Yo initially seemed unusually expensive. Jose, a young man from El Salvador was welcoming as our host and server. We found out that they only serve brunch till 2:00 which was a little disappointing.

We decided to stay and ordered tamales, sopes, quesadilla and a side of rice and beans for lunch.
Tamales sampler($10.95) with chicken, corn, coconut, fish and pork fillings was quite a discovery. The tiny Tamales (or as Melissa put it this morning-Tamalitos) were steamed fresh and wrapped in corn husk and banana leaves with a black bean dip. The sampler was every bit gourmet.

The sopes were warm and fluffy with beans, fresh cheese, onions, lettuce and really fine Mexican sausage. The quesadilla here defied stereotypes. It used a small corn flour turnover(more like arepas) filled with cheese and meat ; far from the conventional quesadillas that use flour tortillas. The cinnamon infused Mexican coffee could have been a little warmer.

Jose mentioned that the place serves food rooted in family tradition and the recipes go back hundreds of years. If appetizers are anything to go by, we will be back soon for more. At $44 for two for lunch this place may be more suitable for professors in the area.