Postcard from Cambridge, Mass.: A tiny tour

Fun sights: Meerschaums at 127-year-old tobacco shop, Leavitt & Peirce. Below (clockwise from top left), sign for the most expensive sandwich in Harvard Square - $100 caviar "Catherine the Great" (sold here), mini ice rink, thoughtful public bike repair stand, free street corner 'library', and a lovely independent used bookseller (dying breed).

Fancy some chili?

Warm food and colorful un-suit on a cold day. This is the local outpost of Whole Foods - overpriced, but with good food samples:)  Thanks to this gentleman for posing!

Mistral

Peeking into the kitchens of multi-cultural Mistral, a recent arrival on Princeton's restaurant scene. (The New York Times gave it a very good rating.) The grilled octopus with papas bravas was delicious.

Weekend explorations: East Village, Manhattan

Facade - word origin: French façade, after Italian facciata for face. Literal face on the plastic facade of Otafuku eatery, reflecting building facades across the street. Once again, I returned to Princeton too late for photos, so hope you don't this prior weekend's glimpse of our metropolitan area!

More City Daily Photo "Facade" Theme Day entries here!

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Little notes: Otafuku specializes in two types of Japanese "street food": takoyaki (spherical octopus fritters dotted with ginger and green onions, made in a cast-iron mold - see below) and okonomiyaki (eggy pancakes with cabbage and seafood or meat).

Farmers Market goodies

The radishes are back! I love their bright appearance every year. Hope you have a terrific weekend!

T is for a Taste of Tea

How about a tempting cuppa or two? Infini-T Cafe. (Their pancakes are also tasty! A glimpse posted here.)

Thanks to Denise, Roger and team at ABC Wednesday.

For hazelnut-cocoa addicts

At our little Italian grocers, I spied (gasped at) the largest jar of Nutella ever (7 pounds/3kg at $75/£50/€58). A sliver of the "normal" size jar is barely visible on the right.

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P.S. In headlines: a $20,000 Nutella heist in Germany and a "Nutella-gate" scandal at Columbia University.

Caffeine break

A cortado with heart-y flourish. (That's better, more awake now:)

G for Golden Goodies

In Princeton today for ABC Wednesday, get them while they're hot! The Terra Momo Bread Company.

Cheesy love

Happy Valentine's at the cheesemongers! Legend has it that French milkmaids during the Hundred Years War made heart-shaped Coeur de Bray ("farmstead cheese with a bloomy rind and mushroom aroma") to express their love to English soldiers stationed in Normandy. Apologies for the dark indoor photo!

Oyster feast

Bon appétit! Instead of Sunday's big Super Bowl football game, I watched the Oyster Bowl, Princeton's annual oyster eating contest to benefit breast cancer. There was much cheering and much, much more slurping.

Thank goodness it's Friday!

Lager from a favorite beer source (the only place in town with beer that won't disappoint resident Brit, Mr. L). Online reviews also call the shop's "beer guru," Gordon, a "brooding Johnny Depp type." Enjoy your weekend!

The cozy teahouse

It's not been here long, but Infini-T Cafe has a loyal following. Besides tea, they offer goodies like fluffy, made-from-scratch pancakes (the blueberry ones are delicious!).

Bounties of winter

Apples, pomegranates, satsumas, pears and sun! We are fortunate to have so much produce from local farms (like this one).

Baby ginger

At one of our last outdoor farmers' markets (the ginger did not need peeling & was delicious brewed in chai tea). This week, the market moves indoors for the coldest season.

Raw goods

A tangle of colorful (and tasty!) carrots at the farmers market. Have a colorful weekend!

Fishmonger

Nassau Street Seafood is very serious about its fish. (Thanks to this gentleman for briefly posing!)

Around town

From 2 weeks ago, an autumn day with touches of red (thanks to this dapper gentleman for posing!)... 

...And gold. Thank you for your kind comments yesterday. Nature is devastating but also beautiful. My heart goes out to those affected by the hurricane. Please stay safe wherever you are.

Friday indulgence

{See Godzilla? Hint: It's atop a light} 

Small World cafe (in fun "Lomo effect") roasts its own coffee, hosts art shows and serves addictive chocolate chip cookies.
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Cafe-ish news: 60 years ago this week, tea rationing ended in Britain - enjoy a cuppa!

Fresh harvest

{Watermelons and cantaloupe, in season through September}

It's hard to resist these roadside farm stands. Everything smells of fresh sunshine and earth. I'm signing off for the week because of work travel, but will be back soon - enjoy your week!