I remember one time when I was an undergrad at BU, a scent of rosemary and potatoes hit me as I was walking across the COM lawn. The fragrance was so insanely delicious that it stopped me in my tracks despite the fact that I was late to my Organic Chemistry lab. After looking around wildly, I saw a gigantic crowd of students and professors squeezed around a white, minimalistic-looking food truck, something that I was not used to seeing yet. That was the exact moment when my obsession with Clover started.
Fast forward to now, a decade after they opened – Clover has 12 locations serving the greater Boston area! Environmentally conscious, innovative, convenient, and supportive of local resources, Clover is always one step ahead when it comes to ingredients (ex: Just Mayo and Impossible Meat) and sustainability. Their menu items are also vegetarian…but shhh – it’s not something they like to blatantly advertise. I treated a friend from San Fransisco to several meals at Clover and he was genuine when he asked “are you sure this place isn’t a Bay Area startup?” I think it was a compliment!
Here are some of my favorite items off of their ever-expanding, always-changing (with many classics as well) menu.
Breakfast:
Pesto Breakfast Sandwich
Served with their famous pita stuffed with fresh, locally sourced greens, tomatoes, a perfectly runny egg, and a generous spread of pesto, this is a summer favorite of many. It is indeed filling, and they have managed to balance hearty and light.
Impossible Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich
This sounds and looks deceivingly simple, but trust me, it is anything but. I’m pretty sure Clover mastered the runny egg. The cheddar was sharp and delicious. And yes, the Impossible meat makes this sandwich.
A scientist myself, I have been following the efforts to reduce the carbon footsteps of meat while looking for solutions to still satisfy the humans that can’t live without it. I have heard about the Impossible meat, a meat imposter that is actually plant based. Curious, I looked around Boston to see if there are any restaurants that served this, and of course, I saw that Clover was the only place that did at the time.
When I took my first bite of this sandwich, I was totally confused. Really? This thing isn’t real sausage? The texture was spot on, and Clover’s brilliant seasoning fooled my tastebuds into believing it was real meat.
Popover With Rhubarb Vanilla Jam
Popovers, hallow, egg-y rolls that give the British Yorkshire Pudding a good run for its money, are rare to find these days. I have heard people call them a “vintage” food (the first recipes were invented in the mid-1800s!). Fluffy, light, and fun to pull apart with fingers, Clover has perfected this underrated breakfast roll. They serve it with a unique, tart rhubarb jam, but I can also imagine how delicious this would be with butter!
Banana Pecan Muffin
I admit that when I first saw these little things, I was too quick to judge. I thought they were absolutely miniscule. But, this muffin is so dense, and packed with nutritious ingredients, that I was sort of glad that they made these small (meaning I have room for another menu item, of course!). It is not sugary at all, which means that you never feel heavy after eating one.
Lunch/Dinner:
Many of their items either come in sandwich form (with the ingredients in between a piece of pita) or platter form (main ingredients, and sides). I typically prefer their sandwiches because they are easy to transport (hey, I’m a busy girl), and I love their freshly made pitas.
Chickpea Fritter
This in sandwich form was Clover’s very first. It has a cult-like following, especially from the customers who supported Clover since the beginning. The falafels are crispy and well-seasoned, fantastically paired with their hummus. The cucumber and tomato salad and pickled vegetables are a nice, light balance to the fried main ingredient.
Impossible Meatball
I am always amazed with how much this tastes like real meatball… like the ones my boyfriend’s Italian grandmother makes. Of course, this is also because of the flavorful tomato sauce Clover drenched these with. This sandwich is the epitome of comfort food; familiar flavors, but with an element of the creator’s personality. But who am I to convince anyone? My colleague took her very sporty 18-year-old brother who refuses to eat anything vegetarian to try this. He was simultaneously blown away and scared. A true win.
Egg and Eggplant
A classic combination that has been around for awhile. The hard-boiled egg does not have a chalky yolk, and the eggplant has no hint of bitterness. To top it all off, they stuff it with hummus, and a cucumber and tomato salad. Since I am a huge fan of eggplant, this one is my personal favorite.
French Fries With Rosemary
Perhaps a part of it is nostalgia… Back in the day, my friend Shaita and I would treat ourselves to those rosemary fries when we wanted a break from dining-hall. These fries always remind me why I fell in love with Clover’s food in the first place. After all of these years, these they still remain as delicious as I remember – crispy, salty, and herby.
Seasonal Dishes:
Perhaps the saddest, yet most exciting items are the ones that come and go. Because Clover uses local sources, they have rotating seasonal ingredients that stay for only a short while. Some things to look out for are their Blue Oyster Mushroom Sandwich/Platter that comes around in summer (and tastes like fried chicken honestly) and the Maine Tomato Sandwich (so juicy and sweet) that launches every spring.
Why They Are Awesome:
Their restaurants are designed to depict a minimalistic, bright, laboratory-like environment. To order, you have to walk up to an employee with an i-phone who takes it down. They are always very friendly and conversational. However, this system sometimes confuses new customers when they walk in and other times during very busy lunch periods, this can cause a very long line. With that being said, their emphasis on face-to-face interactions speaks volumes on Clover’s detail to making customers feel special.
A nice touch is their water station: you can choose between carbonated water, room temperature water, or cold water from a tap. I almost expected beer to come out the first time I used one. They also have a coffee/drinks station that is set up like a chemistry lab with flasks and funnels. It is fun to observe and watch them being made.
Most importantly, they care about their customers. They generously host a Thank You Breakfast once a month at many of their locations to people who give feedback on their food or services – good OR bad. Many times, their CEO, Ayr Muir and their genius designer, Lucia are generous enough to take the time to stop by and chat with their customers. They are willing to try recipes customers have for new menu ideas, and often give away free food for testing (that’s how I got free coffee for a week, and a free breakfast sandwich to try).
With their solid classic items, and never-ending quirky new ideas, Clover has me on the tips of my toes and I always cannot wait to come back for a quick, reasonably priced, delicious meal.
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