Dumping House, Spring Classic 5K, and the Tatte Bakery

Burger and burrito places seem to be popping up all over the place in Cambridge.  I mean, you can't go one block in Harvard Square without hitting a Shake Shack, Tasty Burger, Flat Patties, Fillipe's, or Taco Truck.  That being said, a similar situation is happening along Mass Ave., but with dumplings.  I have to say I'm not sad about this recent development.  Who doesn't love a good dumpling?

 JO and I were in Central Square to pick up our bibs for the Spring Classic 5K.  We grabbed our bibs, shirts, and glasses at the Asgard and were headed home when the Dumpling House caught our eye.  We decided to give it a try.

The Dumpling House is a very simple restaurant, offering seating for about 20 people.  They have a couple of options for soup- miso and hot and sour.  The dumpling selection is small, maybe 8-10 options total and a "special dumpling of the day."  Additionally, they serve a few teas and smoothie drinks.  The prices can't be beat, and each serving of dumplings has 4-6 good sized dumplings on the plate.

We really enjoyed both dumplings we tried, and the sauces were a good compliment to the dumpling itself.  By no means is this the best food I have ever had but it's a great option for an inexpensive, tasty lunch or dinner.  My only complaint was the miso soup.  It's got quite a kick, thanks to a lot of black pepper, which I liked at first but after a few sips I found the soup inedible.  It's definitely a good addition to Central Square, since I find the dining options a bit limited in that area.

The next day we ran the Spring Classic 5K.  It was another great race through Central Square and Cambridgport.  I wish I had studied the route map a bit more though, because I had trouble pacing myself towards the end.  Unfortunately it was raining so we didn't stay too long at the after-party.

Instead, we chose to try to find a place for brunch.  We had thoughts of going to the Friendly Toast in Kendall Square but as we were looking for parking we noticed the Tatte Bakery.  I'd been hearing good things about this place so we decided to try it.  I really enjoyed my croque monsieur and the coffee was excellent.  We all agreed it was a great cafe!