In Somerville, Renee’s Cafe used to be brunch central. Located at Teele Square, it had an organic, bohemian vibe and some of the best omelets in town. On the weekend, you had to wait in line for your plump, eggy fold with home fries – not quite Bagelsaurus crazy, but close. It served the community for nearly 30 years and made it through Covid, but shuttered two years ago due with a noted decline in the quality of the food and controversy about the politics and management style of the new owners. There is good news, however, in that the cozy, split-level breakfast spot is back under new ownership, rebranded as the Basma Cafe.
There’s not a lot you need to know. Basma is all about the egg, with farmers, Irish- and Mexican-styled plates (eggs your way with meaty sides and potatoes), Benedict any way you want it, egg sandwiches and the centerpiece omelet, also any way you want it. There are pancakes, gyros, fried chicken, even a smashburger, sandwiches and daily specials, but when I enter a brunch place, I want a homestyle Bene or fluffy omelet – warm, familiar comfort. Basma did well on both.
I had the basic eggs Benedict, which came with turkey ham as the meat. The extra-large eggs were poached perfectly (not over, not under, and rightly runny), the Hollandaise was rich and smooth and the turkey ham made for a nice, salty offset. I skipped the home fries and got a side of sautéed spinach instead, getting silky green goodness with garlicky accents. Test one, pass. For my omelet, I went straight up the middle again with the Western (peppers, onions, turkey ham and American cheese). What came was a fluffy golden-brown pillow of eggs stuffed with large, al dente wedges of pepper and onion. There was no surprise to it, just the pleasing, melted cheese comfort, and that’s the way it should be – basics matter; no one will ever rave about a great grilled cheese, but they will rail about a bad one.
About all that turkey ham, which I am not sure I had ever had before – turkey sausage and chicken hot dogs, sure, but not gobble-gobble ham. The reason for it is that Basma is run by folks of the Muslim faith, and all the food they serve is halal (no pork, and the animals are raised and killed humanely). Which also goes to the cafe’s name: In Arabic it means “smile.” The cafe was launched as Crave Cafe, and is still branded as such when you go to the website, but another local business with the same name pressed the issue. The new name is far more fitting.
Basma Cafe, 198 Holland Ave., Teele Square, Somerville
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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