Clover HUB

There's something slightly Jobs-ian (is that a word yet?) about the Clover way of dining. The brand that helped herald Boston's food-truck renaissance recently opened a second brick-and-mortar spot, Clover HUB (1075 Cambridge Street, Cambridge), which joins its first immobile joint in Harvard Square and has a similarly spare and futuristic feel. Clover fans will recognize the approach: it's efficient and minimalist (no registers, no artwork, no paper receipts), conscientious (you can read about how each decision - from the brand of fryer oil to the lighting-fixture model - came about on the blog), and fast, without all of those drawbacks we have come to expect from speedy dining (namely heart disease).

So while Clover's food is fast, and cheap, it is thoughtful. The menu changes regularly (turnip sandwiches one day, beer-battered apple rings the next), but we opted for the road most traveled: the chickpea fritter ($5) with rosemary fries ($3). The fritter was a paper-wrapped parcel of street-food perfection: a whole-wheat pita layered with house-made organic hummus, a cucumber-and-tomato salad, fresh-cut pickles, and fried falafel topped with white-wine-vinegar-brined carrots, cabbage, and red onion. A bit of lemon juice gave it a citrusy tang, the pickled vegetables lent it depth, and the fresh-herb-topped fries made for a delish, if slightly greasy, accompaniment. We washed it down with the hibiscus iced tea ($3), part of a rotating menu of brewed infusions.

This location, which will serve as the nerve center for the company's roaming food trucks, is sprawling and airy, with giant windows lining the front and a nearly 70-foot-long wooden bar stretching to the back of the room. We're used to having Clover's mobile restos come to us, but this sleek flagship is worth a trip - especially when it gets too cold to eat al fresco.