It’s hard to walk more than three feet in Cambridge without bumping into a clinician, researcher, engineer, or a combination of all three in one. Every second building* houses a lab, every third has some classrooms or a diagnostics lab. So where do all these scientists go to eat when they have a free moment? The Miracle of Science of course, the most sciencey eatery in the city.
The menu is written on a giant chalk periodic table of elements, color coded by appetizer, sandwich, skewer, dessert, etc.
Photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid
The molecular weight of the menu item elements? That’s the price. Yea, it’s kitchy, but not tacky. Strangely, it works. In addition to award winning burgers, Miracle of Science also serves a great, easy, and comfortable brunch.
The star of the brunch show (not up on the board, sadly, but printed on a separate menu) is a breakfast burrito, with chicken jalapeno sausage, eggs, black beans, salsa and cheese. Not jumbo sized, like so many breakfast burritos, fresh tasting, light yet satisfying. I loooved it. I loved it even more than I love a clean Western blot, and that’s saying something.
There was also a breakfast egg sandwich-
And the obligatory as-you-like-it omelette with homefried potatoes-
There is not much science in the food, thankfully. It relies on freshness and careful preparation. But the aura? All science, all geek, all the time.
*hyperbole at work
Stone the blasphemer!
Do the foods on the far right of the menu have no taste or smell, like inert gases?
Richard – Oh ha. Guess I did take that a little too far, eh? Whenever I think about science in food preparation, I think of a Twinkie – a product of food chemists and engineers. Thoroughly unappealing, as it’s not made out of food.
Matt – Now you’re the one taking it too far! You out-geeked a geeky restaurant. Well done :)
Hey, I’ve recognized the photo :-)
I want to eat here! I really need to go to Boston (Cambridge, whatever) some time.
Anna, for some science in food, check out The Fat Duck (well, next time your in the UK). It is one of the premiere restaurants for molecular gastronomy.
I have always wanted to try it!