Renowned French Chef Guy Martin to Open Sensing Restaurant in Boston

Guy Martin, the chef of the world famous Le Grand Vefour in Paris, is going to be opening a new restaurant in the North End of Boston this spring.

According to the Boston Globe, Martin will be opening a dining spot called Sensing, which will be in the new Regent Boston Hotel on Battery Wharf. The chef, who lives in Paris, has won many culinary awards, including the French Legion d'Honneur.

Sensing will feature a seasonal menu, with a variety of fresh, healthy entrees offered. In addition to a decent amount of indoor seating, the restaurant will also feature a terrace that looks out over the water.

For more on the upcoming opening of Sensing, please go to the Boston Globe link below:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/02/27/a_top_chef_from_paris_finds_boston_to_his_taste/

Latest Review: Jasmine Bistro in Brighton

The latest review that is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for the Jasmine Bistro, a Hungarian and French restaurant on Market Street in Brighton Center. The Jasmine Bistro is considered by Boston's Hidden Restaurants to be one of the best dining spots on the site, and one that diners should not miss. The atmosphere, service, and food are all top-notch, and the menu not only includes a variety of Hungarian and French dishes, but also Middle Eastern and Asian entrees as well. To read more about the Jasmine Bistro in Brighton, please click on the link above.

Farewell and Best of Luck to Moe Lauzier

Just to step away from restaurants for a minute: For those who grew up listening to Boston radio, a true radio icon has done his last show (for now, anyway) after 25 years on the air in Boston. Moe Lauzier announced this morning on WRKO that he was being let go from the station.

This undoubtedly will be sad news to many radio listeners, as he was a favorite of so many WRKO listeners since the early 1980s. His sense of humor, eloquence, and keen mind made him stand out among the increasingly generic radio environment that afflicts Boston and so many other cities these days.

At this point, it is unknown who or what will replace Lauzier in the Saturday morning slot.

Best of luck to Mr. Lauzier in any future endeavors, and perhaps we will once again hear him on the air on another Boston radio station someday soon.

For those who want to read a note from Moe Lauzier concerning his last day on the air, please go to his blog page at http://moeissuesoftheday.blogspot.com. And to read corresponding comments, go to the following link:

Moe Lauzier's Issues of the Day and Musings: Major Announcement

Two New Boston Restaurant Openings, February, 2008: Persephone, 606 Congress

Two new Boston restaurants that will likely be popular spots are either currently open or in the process of opening this weekend. The two restaurants are Persephone, an upscale restaurant featuring mostly Mediterranean cuisine on Summer Street in the Fort Point Channel district, and 606 Congress, a New American restaurant within the new Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in the Seaport District.

If you are interested in going to either of these new restaurants, you may want to call just to make sure they are open (and if they are, whether they have tables available). Here are their phone numbers:

Persephone: (617) 695-2257
606 Congress: (617) 338-4111

Taste of the South End 2008 Coming on March 11

Taste of the South End 2008, a culinary event that allows diners to sample food from more than 40 of the South End's restaurants, is coming to Boston on Tuesday, March 11.

Taste of the South End is a charity event that helps raise money for the AIDS Action Committee.

If you are interested in going to this event, it will be held at the Boston Center for the Arts at 539 Tremont Street in Boston. VIP admission is $250, with early admission from 6:00 to 6:30 PM. General admission is $95, with admission starting at 6:30. The event will last until 9:00.

For more information on Taste of the South End 2008, please go to this link within the Aids Action Committee Web site:

http://www.aac.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Events_Taste

Latest Review: Sahara Cafe and Restaurant in Worcester

The latest review that is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for the Sahara Cafe and Restaurant on Route 9 (Highland Street) in Worcester. The Sahara is a Middle Eastern restaurant that specializes mainly in Lebanese cuisine. The atmosphere is elegant and classy, and the food is equal to many of the top Middle Eastern restaurants in the Boston area. To read more about the Sahara Cafe and Restaurant in Worcester, please click on the link above.

Dunkin' Donuts Officially Launches Oven-Toasted Menu

Dunkin' Donuts announced today that its Oven-Toasted menu, which has been in test stages for the past year, will now be available in about 3,500 locations across the United States over the coming months, including shops in New England and the Northeast.

Dunkin' Donuts, which is based in Canton, MA, stated in a press release that the new menu will include personal pizzas, flatbread sandwiches, and hash browns.

To see the Dunkin' Donuts press release on this story, please go to the link below:

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/press/PressRelease.aspx?viewtype=current&id=100115

Results of Favorite Romantic Restaurant Poll

The readers' favorite romantic restaurants poll that was on our blog for early February is now closed, with some of the results posted below:

-- La Scala, Randolph
-- Taso's Euro Cafe, Norwood
-- Elephant Walk, Waltham
-- Blue Frog Bakery, Jamaica Plain
-- Dolce Vita, Boston
-- Clio, Boston
-- Sagra, Somerville
-- L'Espalier, Boston
-- Troquet, Boston

Thanks to everyone for participating. There should be a new poll coming soon, probably around March 1, so stay tuned!

Latest Review: Apgujung in Newton

The latest review that is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for Apgujung , a Korean and Japanese restaurant on Beacon Street in Newton, a few blocks west of Newton Centre. Apgujung is a large restaurant with a sushi bar and an area where diners can cook their own food at barbecue tables. The menu at Apgujung is varied, with all kinds of Japanese and Korean entrees offered, including both meat and veggie dishes. To read more about Apgujung in Newton, please click on the link above.

Ed note: For more information on Apgujung, please go to this link from Tish's Dish:

Tish's Dish: Restaurants in Newton, MA and Surrounding Towns: ApGuJung, 1114 Beacon St., Newton Centre, MA

A Reminder About RSS Feeds on Boston's Hidden Restaurants

Just a quick reminder that the Boston's Hidden Restaurants has several RSS feeds that may be of use to our readers.

Boston Restaurant Blog RSS feed

Viewers' Favorite Restaurants RSS feed

Restaurant Questions and Answers RSS feed

Unreviewed Boston and New England Restaurants RSS feed

Restaurant Closings and Openings RSS feed


For those of you who do not know much about RSS feeds, check out our What is RSS? page to find more information about what an RSS feed is, as well as how they can be accessed (standalone application, browser, online feed pages, etc.). And please contact us if you have any questions on RSS feeds that aren't addressed here.

Poll: Vote For Your Favorite Romantic Restaurant

Valentine's Day is almost here, and there are undoubtedly a number of people who are still trying to figure out which restaurant to go to in the Boston area for a romantic night out. Because of this, we have decided to start a "favorite romantic restaurants" poll that will last for the next week and a half or so.

If you have a special restaurant in the Boston area that you like to go to for a romantic dinner and are willing to share it with the general public, please let us know what it is by giving the name of the restaurant below, as well as its location. (Some of your answers will be listed on this site on February 15, 2008.)

[ED NOTE: This poll is now closed. To see the results, go to http://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2008/02/results-of-favorite-romantic-restaurant.html. To find more current polls (or view other polls that are now closed), click the "polls" link in the labels section below).

Latest Review: Fasika in Somerville

The latest review that is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for an Ethiopian dining spot on Broadway in East Somerville called Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant. Fasika is an offbeat place that includes a sedate, serene dining room on the left side (complete with traditional Ethiopian basket tables) and a raucous working-class bar full of Somerville townies on the right. The food at Fasika is cheap, fresh, and delicious, and compares favorably to Addis Red Sea, a critically acclaimed Ethiopian restaurant in the South End of Boston and Porter Square in Cambridge. To read more about Fasika in Somerville, please click on the link above.

Results of January Favorite Restaurant Dish Poll

The readers' favorite specific restaurant dish for 2007 that was on our blog for January is now closed, with the results posted below. Some very interesting items were mentioned by our viewers; thanks to all who participated!

Here are some of the specific dishes mentioned by our viewers:

-- Pork Chop Capri (La Scala, Randolph)
-- Tuna Tartare (Sibling Rivalry, Boston)
-- Rosemary Chicken with Asparagus and Ziti in a Garlic Cream Sauce (Sweet Basil, Needham)
-- Bacon-Wrapped Dates (Upstairs on the Square, Cambridge)
-- Grilled Lamb Sandwich (Olives, various locations)
-- Maggiano's Salad (Maggiano's, Boston)
-- BBQ Spareribs and Spinach (Taiwan Cafe, Chinatown)
-- Roasted Vegetable Ravioli (Croma, Back Bay)
-- Octopus Salad (Minado, Natick)
-- Maccheroncelli (Sorellina, Back Bay)

Thanks again to everyone for voting. Stay tuned for more polls coming soon to Boston Restaurant Talk...