Linda Taylor knows a good opportunity when she sees it. She would watch her daughter and her boyfriend go to different restaurants to pick up dinner because her daughter would want a salad, but her boyfriend was more of a “sandwich and pizza guy.” The Basking Ridge resident and restaurant veteran began thinking: Why not create a place where you can go and get a great juicy cheesesteak and also a salad?
This vision was realized last year when Taylor opened BOMA 520 on Main Street in Somerville. As she worked on the restaurant, she propped open the door, which invited the curious to stop in and find out more about what they would be serving. “Through those conversations, I found that there are a lot of vegetarians and vegans, so I made sure I included a lot of options for them in my menu,” says Taylor.
Its tagline is “gourmet salads and subs,” and it fulfills its the promise of its acronym: “Best on Main.” “Our chef makes everything from scratch: The soup, marinara sauce and meatballs are all homemade. She fries the chicken, so everything you order is fresh,” says Taylor, who notes that they also offer catering—everything from sandwiches, salads and soups to Chicken Française.
Want to customize your order? No problem. “If you see an ingredient that you want to mix it into another dish, we can do that,” Taylor says.
A popular menu item is BOMA’s Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich. “It’s everything you want from Thanksgiving Dinner,” Taylor says. “It's made with whole cranberry sauce and mayonnaise, with thick-cut roasted turkey and stuffing on top.”
Build Your Own Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich
The beautiful aspect about this recipe is that pretty much any leftover from your Thanksgiving table can be included. The following is just a guide.
Bread: sliced roll, hoagie bun, French bread, ciabatta roll, corn muffin—be creative!
1 tsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 slices of turkey or turkey pieces
2-3 tbsp mashed potatoes
1-2 tbsp gravy
2-3 tbsp stuffing
2-3 tbsp cranberry sauce
Slice your bread of choice in half. Spread butter and sprinkle garlic powder on both sides. Place face-down in a skillet over medium-low heat.
When toasted, layer turkey first, followed by mashed potatoes and gravy. Top with cornbread stuffing and cranberry sauce. Put the other half of the bread on top.
