Dunster residents Eleanor Z. Kincaid '95 and Nicole P. Armenta '95 have frequented Darbar since its opening.

"In the last six months we've been here five times," Armenta says. "It's really close to the river houses."

Kinkaid says they usually order the restaurant's vegetarian dishes. "All the vegetable dishes are very good. They're more dependable," she says.

Rebecca Batash, a Cambridge resident, says she eats at Siam Garden, a Thai restaurant across the street from Quincy House, because its exotic fare lends a bit of mystery to her life.

"It's interesting...It's romantic and delicious," says Batash.

Batash says her persona; favorite is the beef sattee. "The peanut sauce is key," she says.

The Place is also a favorite amongst Quincy residents who often stare longingly at the restaurant from their perch in the dining hall.

"Siam Garden is the best Thai food in the square. The best rice--it's fluffy--and the names are really cute, and it's right across from Quincy," says Quincy House resident tutor Jessica Korn.

Quick, Easy and Tasty

Other ethnic food regulars say the takeouts are accessible and offer a quick, easy and tasty way to satisfy hungry family members.

Amal Rizkallah, 41, says she's a friend of the owner at Sabra Grill and sometimes picks up dinner for her family there.

"I don't have time to cook," says Rizkallah, a medical technician and supervisor who says she works a double shift. "Sometimes I take some for my children, to make them not feel that something is missing.

Her personal middle eastern dish of choice is the "chicken shawarma--the grilled chicken breast sauteed and grilled with Tahini sauce," says Rizkallah.

And like Rizkallah, many regular customers at various ethnic eateries say prices are very reasonable for a filling meal.

"I have a Cambridge adult education class," says Penny Shaw at Cafe Fiorella. "I come here partly because I don't I want to go into a real, real expensive place. I want something better that the Algiers, though."