Tatte Bakery and Cafe, Kendall Square

I have to admit that I'm a little angry with Kendall Square. I worked there for five years and lived close by for a bit longer than that, and to be honest, there wasn't much going on there besides The Blue Room, Emma's, and Atasca. Now that I've switched jobs and moved away, the area is filled with great restaurants, after-work hangouts, and little cafes. Where was all this stuff when I needed it?

I guess the good news is that now I'm constantly drawn back to an area I thought I'd barely return to. I still love my former haunts, but now I also frequent West Bridge; I've stopped at Area Four for breakfast sandwiches; dined at Catalyst for brunch and dinner; swung by Abigail's for dinner or just oysters at the bar; and met friends at EVOO, Za, and Kika Tapas for lunch and dinner. And now I have a new favorite spot: Tatte Bakery and Cafe.

I first went a couple weeks ago to meet one of my friends for lunch and to say hi to one of my former Flour co-workers who now works at Tatte. After ooh-ing and aah-ing at everything in the cute, elegantly decorated bakery (including the nut cups it's known for and various cookies and cakes), I ordered an iced tea and the Balkani, one of the many sandwich offerings. The sandwich, made on soft ciabatta bread, consisted of melt-in-your-mouth roasted eggplant, ripe tomatoes, feta, fresh basil, and pesto. I loved it. The texture of the eggplant is just incredible.

My friend, who had been to Tatte before with her co-workers and really liked it, got a gorgeous-looking salad with wheat berries.

Then last weekend, my mom came up to go to my second dress fitting with me and flew my sister in to visit at the last minute. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta and got up bright and early Saturday morning for a run along the river. On the way back I guided us in the direction of Tatte, where we stopped for breakfast -- because pastries are the best post-run nourishment, right?

We got a few things to try. My sister had a blueberry-hazelnut muffin that was full of toasty hazelnuts. My mom had a peach-hazelnut muffin, and we shared a spinach-ricotta brioche.

We also got two cups of muesli, which was pretty awesome. The base is light, almost frothy, tangy Greek yogurt. It's topped with sweet granola (that's full of pumpkin and sunflower seeds) and lots of ripe fruit. I wish I could eat one of these every day.

And I couldn't leave the bakery without trying something with chocolate, so I had a chocolate croissant. The flaky pastry and melty Belgian chocolate hit the spot and made our nearly 4-mile run worth it.

I've enjoyed everything I've tried at Tatte so far, and I can't wait to get back there to sample some more sandwiches and pastries and to try some of the amazing-looking desserts.

Have you been to Tatte yet?