Friday, August 31, 2007

Fund for Families of Firefighters

A quick update concerning yesterday's tragic fire at the Tai Ho restaurant in West Roxbury; a fund has been set up by the Boston Firefighter's Credit Union to help the families of the two firefighters who lost their lives battling the blaze. If you would like to donate, here is the address:

West Roxbury Firefighter's Fund
Boston Firefighter's Credit Union
60 Hallet Street
Dorchester, MA 02124

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Deadly Fire Destroys West Roxbury Restaurant

A fire that started in a restaurant on Centre Street in West Roxbury resulted in the deaths of two firefighters last night. According to the Boston Globe, the fire started at the Tai Ho restaurant and quickly spread to adjoining businesses, including another restaurant, the Himalayan Bistro. In addition to the deaths of the two firefighters, twelve others were injured, including two critically.

The fire happened only a couple of weeks before the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial Official Unveiling and Dedication at the State House, which will be held on September 11. If anyone would like to help out in any way, please go to the Web site at
http://www.mafirememorial.org/

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Rio Brazilian in Arlington Just About Ready to Open

Rio Brazilian, a Brazilian barbecue restaurant that is going into the spot vacated by Punjab (they moved a few doors down), appears to be on the verge of opening.

Located across the street from Tango, an Argentinian restaurant, Rio will add even more diversity to the Arlington restaurant scene once it opens. In addition to Argentinian and Brazilian cuisine, diners coming to Arlington have the option of Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Italian food. Not bad for what was once considered a restaurant wasteland a couple of decades ago...

Monday, August 27, 2007

Participate in Our Questions and Answers Section!

There is another new feature within the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. It is a questions and answers section for Boston restaurants where anyone can answer existing questions about Boston and New England restaurants, or post new questions for other people to answer.

Boston's Hidden Restaurants does have a forum that allows people to do something similar, but the forum only allows registered users to post or reply. With this new section, anyone can participate, with no registration needed.

Many of the questions have been posted by the founder of Boston's Hidden Restaurants, and a number of others have been transferred from the aforementioned restaurant forum. Feel free to join in, as this should end up being an interesting and fun new feature on Boston's Hidden Restaurants!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

One More New Review: Bella Luna in Jamaica Plain

photo of Bella Luna, Jamaica Plain, MAAnother newly reviewed restaurant is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site this week. Bella Luna is a funky Italian restaurant located in the heart of Jamaica Plain. Although the food at Bella Luna is good, what make this restaurant especially memorable is the fact that it is attached to a bowling alley (downstairs). The restaurant has an attractive dining room, as well as an outdoor patio, and features a number of Italian and Italian-American entrees.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Please Tell Us About Your Experiences at Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week finished up this past Friday, and with it, lots of talk about which restaurants were good, and which were not so good.

If anyone went to any restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, feel free to post a comment here. Were there any surprises, either positive or negative? How was the service? The atmosphere? The overall experience? Definitely let us know. Thanks!

Reminder: We Need Your Restaurant Reviews!

Just a reminder that Boston's Hidden Restaurants is looking for readers to post reviews of restaurants and/or post favorite restaurants in the Boston and New England area.

Our site includes a number of restaurants that we have not yet been to, but seem to be places that may be good dining spots to feature in the future (once we try them out). Check some of these restaurants out at the link below, and use the forms on the individual restaurant pages to post your own reviews if you wish:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/otherrestaurants/

Also, if you would like to tell us about your favorite restaurant, please post it here:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/FavoriteRestaurantsHome.html

Thanks for any posts you add to Boston's Hidden Restaurants!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Latest Review: Martin's Coffee Shop, Brookline

photo of Martin's Coffee Shop, Brookline, MAAnother new review can be found on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site. The restaurant is in Brookline Village, and it is called Martin's Coffee Shop. Martin's has been around for a long time, but it is hardly known outside of Brookline. In addition to the terrific coffee at Martin's, they also have excellent breakfasts that are sometimes too big to finish in one sitting. They also have some unusual dishes, including an Albanian omelette.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Restaurants Participating in Restaurant Week, Boston

With Restaurant Week in full swing around the Boston area, a list of participating restaurants might be of help to diners. Below are the participating restaurants listed by location:

Downtown Boston and the Waterfront:
Anthony's Pier 4, Atrium Lounge, Aura, Avenue One, Avila, Blu, Bonfire, Boston College Club, Cafe Fleuri, Caliterra Bar and Grille, Daily Catch, Finale, Harborside Grill and Patio, Ivy, KO Prime, Legal Sea Foods, Les Zygomates, Mantra, McCormick and Schmick, Meritage, Parker's, Pigalle, Radius, Rustic Kitchen, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Sauciety, Sel de la Terre, Sorriso Trattoria, Tantric, Teatro, Union Oyster House, Via Matta, Vintage Lounge,

North End:
Antico Forno, Bacco, Cantina Italiana, Davide Restaurant, Eclano, Lucia Ristorante, Marco, Maurizio's, Nebo, Red Sky, Ristorante Fiore, Taranta, Terramia Ristorante, Tresca, Vinoteca di Monica, Artu,

Beacon Hill:
75 Chestnut, Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro, Grotto, Hampshire House, Hungry I, Lala Rokh, Pierrot Bistrot Francais, Scollay Square,

Back Bay:
29 Newbury Restaurant, 33 Restaurant and Lounge, Azure, Boston Public Meat, Bouchee, Brasserie Jo, Cafe at the Taj, Ciao Bella, Croma Restaurant, Davio's, Domani, Excelsior, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Kashmir, Laurel, Legal Sea Foods, L'Espalier, Oak Room, Osushi, Palm Restaurant, Sasso, Smith and Wollensky, Sorellina, Stanhope Grille, Tapeo, Top of the Hub, Turner Fisheries, Vinny T's, Vox Populi, Wine Cellar,

South End:
209 Boston, Aquitaine, B and G Oysters, Bob's Southern Bistro, Butcher Shop, Icarus, Masa, Mela, Metropolis Cafe, Mistral, Petit Robert, Pho Republique, Pops Restaurant, Sage, Sibling Rivalry, Tremont 647, Union Bar and Grille

Fenway and Kenmore Square:
Burton's Grill, Eastern Standard, Elephant Walk, Great Bay, Petit Robert

Other Boston Neighborhoods:
Birch Street Bistro (Roslindale), dbar (Dorchester), Masona Grill (West Roxbury), Olives (Charlestown), Tangierino (Charlestown), Vintage Restaurant (West Roxbury)

Cambridge:
Atrium, Bambara, Blue Room, Casablanca, Chez Henri, Dante, Elephant Walk, Grafton Street Pub, Harvest, Henrietta's Table, MC2, OM, Redline Food and Drink, Rialto, Sandrine's Bistro, Sidney's Grille, Temple Bar, UpStairs on the Square, Z Square, Zephyr on The Charles,

Brookline:
Dalia's Bistro, Fireplace, La Morra, Lineage

Restaurants West of Boston:
Aquitaine Bis (Chestnut Hill), Ariadne (Newton), Chiara (Westwood), Colonial Inn (Concord), Dalya's Restaurant (Bedford), Elephant Walk (Waltham), Fava (Needham), Flora Restaurant (Arlington), Lumiere (Newton), Metropolitan Club (Chestnut Hill), Quince (Needham), Ristorante Olivio (Arlington), Tango (Arlington), Truffles Grille and Wine Bar (Milford), Tryst (Arlington)

Restaurants North of Boston:
Bistro 5 (Medford), Catch (Winchester), EVOO (Somerville), Grand Cafe (Rockport), Left Bank (Tyngsboro)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Update on Boston Restaurant Closings, Openings Section

Boston's Hidden Restaurants now has a section that lists Boston-area restaurants that have closed, as well as those that have recently opened.

The link to this section is:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/closings-openings.html

For those of you who use RSS feeds, we have included a feed that comes in handy, especially if you have a desktop RSS reader. This feed will alert you to restaurant closings or openings automatically.

http://www.hiddenboston.com/restaurantnews.xml

If you know of any restaurants in the Boston area that have opened or closed anytime from May 2007 on, post a comment here, or contact us at Boston's Hidden Restaurants.

Anthony Spinazzola Foundation to Shut Down

The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation, which has helped countless people in need and has also helped train people in the culinary arts, is closing. According to the Boston Globe, Chris Spinazzola, the chairperson, is closing the foundation down for several reasons, including the health of his wife, former talk-show host Marjorie Clapprood, who is getting treatment for leukemia.

The Globe also mentions that because of the foundation's closing, the Anthony Spinazzola Gala Festival of Food and Wine will no longer be held.

ED NOTE: While the Anthony Spinazzola Foundation is shutting down, another organization that Marjorie Clapprood has been a part of continues to help people in need. One Family, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to end family homelessness in Massachusetts, is looking for people to get involved in a variety of ways. If you are interested in more information on One Family, please visit their Web site at http://www.onefamilyinc.org.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Latest Review: Blackjack Pasta Bar, Boston

photo of Blackjack Pasta Bar, Boston, MAThe latest review that is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site is the Blackjack Pasta Bar, which is in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, just a few blocks south of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The Blackjack Pasta Bar is a tiny Italian restaurant that primarily does takeout, though there are a few tables both inside and outside. They have more than 20 different sauces from which to choose, as well as a variety of pastas.

Szechuan Bay in Somerville Damaged By Fire

According to Channel 7 News and several posters on the Chowhound site, a fire caused extensive damage to Szechuan Bay, a Chinese restaurant located on Broadway in the Teele Square section of Somerville near the Arlington border.

The fire caused about $200,000 in damage, according to Channel 7 news, and it looks as though Szechuan Bay will probably will be closed for the forseeable future. Hopefully they will be able to rebuild.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Restaurant Week, Boston

Restaurant Week in Boston has begun. This year, it will last for two weeks, with the first week being from Sunday, August 5 to Friday, August 10, and the second week being from Sunday, August 12 to Friday, August 17.

Prices for meals will be around $20 for lunch and $33 for dinner (both are three-course meals).

About 150 restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week this year. A few of the restaurants that will be taking part in Restaurant Week include Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square, Chez Henri in Cambridge, Sibling Rivalry in the South End, Tangierino in Charlestown, and Marco in the North End. (Please note that some restaurants are serving dinner only.) For more information on Restaurant Week, go to http://www.restaurantweekboston.com or http://www.opentable.com.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Contact Us About Restaurant Openings, Closings

Boston's Hidden Restaurants (the site that this blog is affiliated with) is in the process of creating a new section that lists Boston-area restaurants that have opened recently, as well as those that have closed. This section will also include an RSS feed so that viewers will have the option of accessing this section directly from their desktop, as well as getting automatic notifications whenever the list is updated.

This new section should be up and running over the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, if you know of any restaurants in the Boston area that have opened (or closed) over the past three months, please post a comment here, or contact us at Boston's Hidden Restaurants.