Heidi Boone

The food stalls at Porter Exchange offer a taste of Japan that is pretty darn cool and also light on the wallet, or you can opt for sushi at Blue Fin and sit at the sushi bar. However, it's usually just a pleasing to eat at one of the stalls and it's what I prefer. The trip is never complete without a visit to the Japanese foodstore inside the building. You can stock up on everything from soba and buckwheat noodles to dried fish products (if you're so inclined), sushi grade fish and condiments, along with Japanese candy. There's also a great little gift shop with pottery pieces, notepaper and other smaller its. The variety of incense is wonderful and hard to find in other places, a tad pricey but worth it.

Well, I've slipped off the vegetarian bandwagon for quite sometime. However, I still enjoy ordering meatless meals. Cambridge/Somerville are packed with interesting little restaurants and most of them have a vegetarian option. A few of my favorites are in Inman Square : East Coast Grill (their grilled veggie platter is to die for), Ole' (their cheese filled pepper entree and guacamole made at the table are a must) In Davis Square, the Blue Shirt (creative veggie sandwich options and great juice ,try the apple,celery and lime combo), Anna's Taqueria (try their grilled veggie quesadilla) and Al Fresco will more than likely please your palate. Greek Corner on Massachusetts Avenue has plenty of vegetarian items ( their tsatskiki is fantastic and a meal in itself and their Greek salad has an incredible dressing) and The Elephant Walk on Mass Ave ( they offer a dish called Tofu Citronelle and their vegetarian spring rolls are delicious).

There is noting better than walking through the door of Christinas Spices and Specialty Foods. I'm a passionate weekend cook who happens to live with a classically trained chef. Together, we can spend hours in this little store! On top of the exotic spices and dried chiles, there are wonderful teas and great items in stock like French couscous. This place ought to draw people who love to cook in droves!

I usually head to Al Fresco a few times a week. If you love Sunday brunches, I've heard they serve a great one (I'm usually holding open houses but will have to pop in one of these days). Try the warmed spinach salad with pancetta and goat cheese, a personal favorite. The prices are incredibly low for the quality, $6-9 for the average lunch. They are open for lunch & dinner every day. Try to put this Davis Square on your list of restaurants to try! They are located at 382 Highland Ave.

Have you visited the wonderful pet store Dogma (and Catma too) in Union Square? This store has personality and then some. If you have a dog or a cat that is part of the family then check out their list of natural food products for pets. Dilys Burke, the owner, helped me to find a low carb formula for my overweight abysinnian. Dilys is extremely savvy about dogs, cats and products that relate to them. The store offers unusual snacks, toys and bedding. I should add that some of her products are actually less expensive than the actual chains..my viszla is in competition with the cat when it comes to lying on her comfy bed ($20) . Check out the self-serve dog wash while you're there. For $14-$20 you can wash Rover in an easy access tub with all ingredients included. Burke also offers dog obedience classes with Zen dog training. Visit the store at 321-325 Somerville Ave, (617) 616-5533. www.dogmacatmatoo.com.