kbarry1726's Profile
June 2011 Openings and Closings
I think the space the OP is talking about is, indeed, 410 Highland, formerly the restaurant known as 410 Highland. Before that, it was Yee Village for probably the better part of the 20th century. The 410 Highland folks sure spent a heck of a lot of money redoing the interior over the course of a year.
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Yee Village
400 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02144
June 2011 Openings and Closings
Forgive me if this should be on the SE New England board, but apparently Martha's Stone Soup in Plymouth closed. On her website, Martha simply says the restaurant has closed and that she's looking for employment in the food service industry working with local and organic ingredients. A shame, as I never made it down to Stone Soup but loved Martha's Galley.
The good news is that opening in the same space this Friday will be Rye Tavern, owned by the same folks as the Regal Beagle.
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Regal Beagle
308 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446
June 2011 Openings and Closings
Quan's Kitchen is planning to open a fourth location (in addition to Mansfield, Weymouth, and North Attleboro) in Hanover on Route 139 at the former Oscar's/Cubby's/Jordano's/Justin's Hearthside. Permits are filed and construction is in process.
Good to see the space being used, but I would love to see something in that area other than large Chinese restaurants. Tsang's (delicious) is almost directly across the street and Imperial Garden (hilarious) is almost directly next door.
In other southern South Shore updates, this may be a month late but Pizzings Pizza and Wings opened a second location in Marshfield at 1840 Ocean Street.
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Quan's Kitchen
30 Chauncy St Ste 3, Mansfield, MA 02048
Tsang's Cafe
45 Depot St, Duxbury, MA 02332
Imperial Garden
811 Washington St, Hanover, MA 02339
Potato Freak, Somerville?
It appears to be one type of potato - Rosti, "birds-nest" potato shells for salads, potato-bread sandwiches, plus lots of Portuguese food and chocolate fondue...
Trying it for lunch today.
I found a website and menu: http://www.wix.com/leopimentausa/potatofreak#!
http://www.wix.com/leopimentausa/potatofreak#!
Potato Freak, Somerville?
Thanks for grabbing that menu! Rosti? I might stop on my way home!
Potato Freak, Somerville?
Anyone try Potato Freak at 108 Washington Street in Somerville? I noticed it on my way to work this morning. It's near the Holiday Inn outside Union Square. It's in a shopping center, and the sign says "Not average potato." As a carb-lover, I'd be interested in seeing if it's worth the trip over there...
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Holiday Inn
1 Newbury St, Peabody, MA 01960
April 2011 Openings and Closings
Where did you hear this? I can't find a mention of this online anywhere... Do you know if PR will remain a separate entity?
March 2011 Openings and Closings
Driving to the T today I noticed that Bickfords Grille (no apostrophe?) in Braintree is once again closed. A van with the corporate logo was outside today, and a "This Location Is Closed - Thank you for your patronage" sign was pasted on the windows. Rotary traffic aside, I'll never understand how a restaurant could survive in that location with the stench of the abutting transfer station permeating the parking lot on days warmer than freezing.
Chicken Now / Chickenow?
The one at the South Shore Plaza is open -- haven't eaten there myself, but I hear the chicken sandwich is good and the sides are not as good. It seems to be a step up from the "Bourbon Street"/"Jambalaya Grill"/"Surf & Turf" independently-owned chicken-and-sometimes-Asian-food stalls that dot food courts. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in Braintree.
ISO GOOD pizza in Medford
If you're looking for Greek-style "House of Pizza" pizza, try Nick's on Boston Ave. It looks like just any other take out joint, but the pizza itself is AMAZING. Slices get soggy, so order a small. There's some sort of sweetness to the crust and tanginess to the sauce that makes it so much better than any other similar kind of pizza I've had.
Help - A drink at a pewter / zinc bar?
Brasserie Jo -- and they've got a killer martini...
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Brasserie Jo
120 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116
Cafe at the Taj
Always enjoyed it, though it is expensive for what it is aside from their prix fixe menus. Since the Taj took over, there have been solid Indian selections on the menu, too. While the food is definitely better than hotel food, I enjoy it for the whole experience -- the service is impeccable yet warm (much of the staff remain from the days of the Ritz Carlton) in an old-fashioned way. In an era of crispness and no-frills, it just feels good to enjoy some traditional fussiness every so often.
Indian Pudding
A little bit further south, but the Milepost in Duxbury always has it on the menu.
August Openings and Closings
The old Mazzini Plumbing Specialties/The Fireplace Store, literally ON the rotary.
July Openings and Closings
Vapiano opened on the 24th. Went in on the 25th. Definitely some growing pains -- the food was surprisingly quite good (i had a pasta dish with sausage) and it was fun to watch it cooked right there, but the concept left me wandering aimlessly at first. Didn't know if I had to bus my own table, one item was brought to me but the other I had to wait for, and I was served a different pasta than what I asked for. Still, it was fascinating to watch the chefs go at it like clockwork, which is where it seems the majority of training was focused. I'll come back for the food, and hopefully it runs smoother when I return. I'd say it would make a good quick lunch spot and a good "first date" kind of place -- built in entertainment in case the date is a dud!
Doughnuts (not chain store) between Newton and Wrentham
It's on Rt. 3, so definitely out of the way but only a 20 minute detour: Coffee Shack in Pembroke is AMAZING and right off exit 12. German Chocolate donut is incredible. All made on-site. 15 Schoosett Street, Pembroke, MA
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Coffee Shack
15 Schoosett St, Pembroke, MA 02359
April openings and closings
A friend who is a regular told me -- apparently he asked the waitstaff. It's third hand, take it for what it's worth...
Labatt 50?
Plymouth Liquors at 91 Carver Road (Ocean State Job Lot/Papa Gino's plaza) in Plymouth usually has it -- apparently the owner orders it specially for a Canadian expat customer. They've also got Black Label, Schaefer and other odd brews. For what it's worth, the worst hangovers I've ever had have involved trips to Ottawa and Labatt 50...
April openings and closings
I heard that Luigi's in Wayland is closing after Mother's Day, to be replaced by a restaurant from the same people who own Grassfields in Waltham. I'll miss my zucchini sticks and other fried concoctions covered in marinara.
Winsor House inn or other Duxbury restaurants
Haven't been in years -- will have to also check it out, but it was excellent the last time I went (1999 or so).
Also in Duxbury, rumor has it that the Sun Tavern is reopening under the same ownership from a few years back. I had very mixed experiences there under the most recent management, so let's hope its consistent this time.
A trip to Duxbury wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Milepost. It's gotten a bit pricier in the past 5-6 years, which is sad because I used to go there almost monthly, but the food is solid for "classic" American-style fare. All the soups are amazing, and they still have Welsh Rarebit on the brunch menu. It's DELICIOUS.
The Irish Pub, Billings Rd, Quincy
Last beer I had at Murphy's, I ordered a Miller Lite. Bartender handed me an opened Coors. I told him I ordered a Miller, he told me, "Tough." To be fair, I've only found flies in my beer twice, and I've been there more than four times. As far as the aforementioned "not too tolerant" crowd -- I find that at nearly every bar in Quincy. Only witnessed one mid-day fight in front of the Irish Pub, though, and I get lunch takeout from Renaissance (awesome) about once a month. I'd love to find a low-key watering hole that isn't full of tough-guy loudmouths that's closer than Christopher's in Porter...
Not your average joe's norwell
Can't speak to this specific location but have been to the Randolph, Arlington and Station Landing ones -- a few dishes are standouts (teriyaki cranberry glazed butternut squash pasta or pizza, or the mustard-crusted chicken), but the service is almost always WEIRD. I've had a waitress ask me if I was single while I was on a date at the restaurant, and another who brought a massive platter of Mountain Dews when the table had ordered two diet Pepsis and one iced tea and apologize far too profusely for it. I wonder about their training program -- everyone there seems a bit out of it and forcibly friendly.
Winter 2009-2010 Openings and Closings
While I work in Quincy every day, I must have had some sort of Chowhound blinders on. A few changes I noticed today:
-- This Takes the Cake is gone
-- Where Roseann's flowers used to be, a sign announces the arrival of Alba's Deli Express
-- Gunther Tooties, the bagel place from Pembroke, Hanover and Duxbury, is taking over where Eatin' Healthy used to be
Nickel's Grille Woburn -- Is it the Canadian one?
Hi --
Noticed in the Openings and Closings that Nickel's Grille is opening where Friday's used to be in Woburn. Does anyone know if this is, in fact, the same chain that's in Canada or just another "resto bar" with a similar name?
If it is the same as in Canada with the same menu, I'll be in heaven. Pizzaghetti and poutine!
Fall 2009 Openings and Closings
Patriot Ledger said Jimmy Liang of various Fuji iterations fame would be opening a restaurant there -- Asian fusion.
Any update on Basta Pasta coming to Quincy?
I work just around the corner and have been anxiously awaiting their opening. After peering in, it looks like there's at least 15 tables plus what appears to be a full bar with flatscreen TVs (which were on Friday night -- sadly the restaurant wasn't open). Clean, modern look with dark wood and not a lot of decorations.
Naked Fish, Lucille's & ?
On a related note, is Joey Crugnale up to anything else? I must confess I loved the food at Red Sauce and would go anywhere that had their chicken parm (loved how thin it was and whatever breading they used) or pumpkin ravioli.
Oregon Club Re-opens
Sorry to resurrect an old post -- but went to the Oregon Club on Friday. Unbelievable.
For our first visit, my girlfriend and I decided to split a bunch of appetizers just to get a variety of different dishes. We started with cocktails and the spicy mushroom soup (amazing -- just enough heat to enhance the flavor without overpowering it) and the lobster bisque soup of the day (also good -- not too creamy). Salads were fresh and a good value. Plus, the server brought out a basket of homemade bread.
Then, onto the appetizers:
The baked brie came with homemade pineapple chutney and bread which was, like everything else, made fresh in-house.
Duck confit was very flavorful, with the exception of one kind of greasy piece of meat.
Fried eggplant appetizer could have been a delicious entree -- not deep fried, not undercooked. Again, everything tasted fresh.
Scallops were huge, fresh, and the sweet potato was an excellent complement.
Mushroom polenta was very creamy and the heaviest thing we ordered. If we hadn't been such gluttons, it would've been even more enjoyable.
Finally, we couldn't resist the homemade white chocolate strawberry bread pudding. I was pretty worn out by that time, but still managed to finish. Order it. It's amazing.
As if the meal wasn't incredible enough, the service was top notch. The hostess was the chef's mother and treated us like old friends, while our waitress gave us great advice as to what to order.
With all that food, plus two cocktails and a bottle of wine, the meal came to under a hundred bucks before tip. I can't wait to go back and try the steak (and I'll call ahead for the baked potato).
Sabor Market on Long Pond Road in Plymouth - Anyone tried it yet?
Tried right after they opened -- it's quite good. The owner was there that night helping to set up. I only had the tapas -- "egg roll" and bruschetta -- and found them both extremely salty in a way that actually brought out their flavor (can't explain it any other way). The back is supposed to be a "gourmet market" -- the waitress said they'd be stocking things like Serrano ham. While I was there a few people came in, looked at the menu, asked what the heck "tapas" were, and complained that the plates looked to small. At the same time, the hostess made a disparaging comment about a local chain restaurant to one such couple, which -- though I agreed with her summation -- I still found somewhat tasteless. Still, I wish them good luck!
Is all the Pepsi Throwback gone?
There's some in the checkout stand coolers at the North Quincy Stop and Shop on Newport Ave. I just got a bottle, there was definitely some left.
