After the Witching Hour

It's midnight and you're hungry; you have four options. None will excite the excite taste buds much but cheese streaks and potato chips have a way of getting better as the night extends into morning. And, besides, it's probably four more options than you would have if you were in Ithaca and you faced that same evening hunger and that same empty refrigerator.

Tommy's Lunch:Tommy Stefanian has been on Mt. Auburn St. between Plympton and DeWolfe Sts. for 25 years. During those years Tommy's has become the top hangout spot of the four after-midnight emporia. People go into Tommy's for different reasons, such as smoking and bullshitting, playing video, and even sampling the treats from the grill. Among the best bets for the palate include the cheese steak ($2.95) and a Western Frappe ($1.80), which to those not from New England is an extra thick milkshake. Tommy's is open 6 a.m.-2 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m.-3 a.m. on weekends.

The Tasty: Open all night, The Tasty is squeezed at the end of Kennedy St. next to Out of Town News. But don't miss it if you want to observe the late-night clubhouse of a colorful potpourri of Cambridge Police on break, itinerant wanderers who stare blindly at the ceiling, and skinheads finished with an evening of singing and dancing on top of the T subway station. The centerpiece of this midnight to down circus is the one and only Cosmo who is delightful ringmaster. Go in and visit Cosmo, say hi and order the Veri-tastee frankfurter for an even buck.

Store 24: Undoubtedly summer students will spend a mint in this joint as students do during the winter. When you got to have Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies, you got to have them and Store 24 can satiate basic "munchies" with a decent selection of packaged junk food. The 24 does the trick but only barely. A tip: don't eat the meatless meat sandwiches in the window.

White Hen Pantry: Located down Mass. Ave. past the Cambridge Common, you'll find the mile walk towards Porter Square worth it if you are a deli maven. It has twice as big a selection of packaged food as the 24 and open the whole day and night. The added bonus is the delicatessen offering, where someone will make you a relatively good deli sandwich and fresh salad. This is the sleeper of the group, and the walk is beautiful these days and should keep you awake if the food doesn't.