Bear Rock Cafe in Woburn Has Closed

The Bear Rock Cafe, a chain of sandwich shops located in 11 states including Massachusetts, has closed their Woburn branch. (It had been on Route 3 in the shopping center that houses the Whole Foods near the Winchester line.) It is unknown what will be going into this spot at the present time.

The Reading Branch of the Bear Rock Cafe remains open...

Hot Dog Safari Coming to Suffolk Downs Sunday, June 1

Eddie Andelman's Hot Dog Safari, which benefits Cystic Fibrosis and The Joey Fund, will be held this Sunday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. This will be the 19th year of the Hot Dog Safari, and a number of celebrities will be there, including Kevin Faulk from the New England Patriots.

Tickets will cost $12 if purchased before the event, or $15 if purchased at Suffolk Downs on the day of the event. Children ages 6 and under get in for free. for more information, including where to purchase tickets in advance, go to the link below:

http://www.hotdogsafari.com/

James Hook and Company Destroyed by Fire

James Hook and Company, a Boston landmark that has been selling lobsters to restaurants and wholesalers since the 1920s, was gutted by fire today.

According to WBZ 1030 and the Boston Fire Department, the blaze started around 3:30 this morning and quickly went to seven alarms. The structure, which is located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Northern Avenue near the Moakley Bridge on the Boston Waterfront, burned very quickly, partly because of the cardboard boxes used for shipping that were inside the building. No injuries occurred.

James Hook and Company started selling lobsters to restaurants back in 1925 and has been owned by the same family since the beginning. According to their Web site, the company has been shipping more than 50,000 pounds of lobster per day.

For more information on the fire at James Hook and Company, please go to the WBZ link below:

http://wbztv.com/local/lobster.james.hook.2.736365.html

Latest Review: St. Alphonzo's Kitchen, South Boston

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for St. Alphonzo's Kitchen, a tiny restaurant located just north of Broadway in South Boston. Formerly known as Potbellies Kitchen, the dining spot now called St. Alphonzo's Kitchen is a quirky little place with a small but interesting menu that includes grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, haddock, chicken cutlets, and reubens. The restaurant serves beer and wine and has daily specials on the blackboard that wraps around the dining area. To read more about St. Alphonzo's Kitchen in South Boston, please click on the link above.

Jury Room Opens in Quincy

The Jury Room, a restaurant and bar on Cottage Avenue in Quincy, opened for business this week.

According to the Patriot Ledger, the Jury Room, which is housed in an old church, has room for 99 people and offers both a bar menu and a regular menu.

To read more about the Jury Room, please go to the Patriot Ledger link below:

http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x1192323820/Grand-Jury-Room

Viola Restaurant and Wine Bar Opens in Braintree

A new restaurant in Braintree called Viola has opened its doors.

Viola Restaurant and Wine Bar features Italian cuisine, including seafood, chicken, veal, and pasta dishes, as well as pizza. Prices look very reasonable, with most items being under $15.00. Specific items on the menu include pork chops with vinegar peppe, seafood fra diavlo, chicken al verdicchio, veal picatta, gnocchi, and arugula pizza. They also offer a variety of soups and salads, and they have a children's menu.

The address for Viola is 1209 Washington Street, Braintree, MA 02184, and the phone number is (781) 848-8980.

Pat Whitley's Ice Cream Show: Sunday, May 25, 2008

Once again, it is time for the Pat Whitley Restaurant Show on WRKO to feature ice cream stands. This year, the show will be from 10-1:00 on Sunday, May 25.

In addition to WRKO (680 AM), The Pat Whitley Restaurant Show can also be heard on WSMN in Nashua, NH (1590 AM).

For more information on the show in general, please check out this link:

http://www.nedine.com/

Latest Review: Inn at Bay Pointe, Quincy

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for a restaurant along the Quincy shore called The Inn at Bay Pointe. Located on a dead-end side street along the water, The Inn at Bay Pointe is a true hidden gem. Diners can choose from a selection of American and New American dishes here, and they have the option of taking in the water views from the back deck (depending on the weather). To read more about The Inn at Bay Pointe in Quincy, please click on the link above.

Inman Square's Changing Restaurant Scene

Some changes are coming to the Inman Square restaurant scene, and they involve a couple of the city's most popular restaurants.

Magnolia's, a Southern-style restaurant that has been around for 15 years, is closing sometime in the middle of June. No news on what is going to replace it as of yet; the building had been up for sale over the winter, but whether this remains the case or not is unknown (if you have any information on this, please send us a comment).

The other news coming out of Inman Square is that the All Star Sandwich Bar is being sold by Chris Schlesinger. According to the Web site for the city of Cambridge, the restaurant will be sold to the Diamonds Restaurant Group, Inc., and the new owner has applied for an entertainment license to include, among other items, a jukebox.

Keep checking back for updates over the coming days on these two restaurants...

Garden of Eden in the South End Closes Its Doors

The Garden of Eden, a restaurant on Tremont Street in the South End of Boston, has closed.

According to posters on Chowhound as well as an article in the Boston Globe, the Garden of Eden shut down this week after 12 years of being in business.

According to the Globe the Lionette's Market, which is owned by the same people, will relocate.

to read more about the closing of the Garden of Eden, please click on the link below:

Family shutters popular eatery in South End

Latest Review: Strip-T's, Watertown

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for Strip-T's, a cafe-style restaurant in East Watertown that specializes in soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Strip-T's is a funky, quirky restaurant with a local following, though its location on a relatively little-traveled street in a semi-industrial part of East Watertown has kept it a secret from many. To read more about Strip-T's in Watertown, please click on the link above.

Finale to Open New Shop in the North End of Boston

Finale is coming to the North End.

According to the Boston Herald, this upscale dessert chain will be moving into the old Martignetti's spot along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. There will be room for about 70 people inside the new Finale.

Finale has four other locations in the Boston area: Park Plaza in downtown Boston, Harvard Square in Cambridge, Coolidge Corner in Brookline, and the Natick Collection in Natick.

The Boston Business Journal also reports that Finale is moving its corporate headquarters from Park Plaza to Allston.

For more information, please go to the following links:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1093864

http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/05/12/daily21.html

La Groceria in Cambridge to Close

A followup to an earlier story about the Craigie Street Bistrot: La Groceria, an Italian restaurant on Main Street just outside of Central Square in Cambridge, will be closing its doors forever, with the Craigie Street Bistrot moving into their spot.

According to the Cambridge Chronicle, La Groceria's last day will be May 18.

Latest Review: Avenue Grille, Dorchester

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for a dining spot on the northern part of Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester called the Avenue Grille. The Avenue Grille is a tiny restaurant located just outside of Edward Everett Square near where Columbia Road and the Southeast Expressway meet. The cuisine at the Avenue Grille is mostly American, with some Italian dishes and comfort food items included. To read more about the Avenue Grille in Dorchester, please click on the link above.

Saladworks Coming to the Boston Area

Saladworks, a restaurant chain that features salads, soups, and sandwiches, is on its way to Boston.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Saladworks is looking to open locations in three locations initially, including possibly the Back Bay, Cambridge, and the Financial District.

Saladworks is a 22-year-old company based in Pennsylvania that has just nearly 100 locations in the United States at the present time.

Bella Luna in Jamaica Plain to Move; Status of Milky Way Lanes Unclear

According to the Jamaica Plain Gazette, the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes will be closing within the next year, and Bella Luna will be moving to The Brewery Complex, thanks to a sharp increase in rent at their current Centre Street location. The Boston Globe, however, mentions that the Milky Way may be moving with Bella Luna to the Brewery.

According to the Gazette, co-owner Kathie Mainzer stated that the rent for their present location would be increasing by 85 percent, from $13,000 a month to $24,000 a month.

For more information on this story, go to the following two links below. Also, thanks to Alberta on Chowhound for bringing this to folks' attention.

Jamaica Plain Gazette Article

Boston Globe Article

A Slew of Restaurant Openings, Closings Around Boston

Over the past few weeks, a number of changes have come to the Boston restaurant scene, with several coming over the past few days. A few of the changes include the opening of the following restaurants: Paesan's, an Italian restaurant on Salem Street in the North End of Boston; Shiraz Cuisine, a Persian restaurant on Bigelow Street in Watertown; Comfort, an American restaurant on Spring Street in Watertown Center; Snappy Sushi, a Japanese restaurant in Davis Square, Somerville; Townsend's, an American bistro on Fairmount Avenue in Hyde Park; and Kayuga II, a Japanese restaurant in Arlington Center.

There have also been several restaurant closings, including the following: Peking Cuisine, a Chinese restaurant on Bigelow Avenue in Watertown; Cafe Italia, an Italian restaurant in the Brigham Circle Section of Boston; New Trend Eatery, a Chinese restaurant on Brighton Avenue in Allston; and Panificio, a restaurant on Mass. Avenue in the Back Bay of Boston.

(A quick thanks to the Chowhound and Zagat sites for making note of some of the above restaurant openings and closings.)

Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer 2008, May 5-11

After an initial kickoff last night at Finale, Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer 2008 will be commencing this coming Monday.

Between May 5 and May 11, restaurants, cafes, and bakeries around the greater Boston area will be dedicating one dessert from their menu to serve as a Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer dessert. 100% of the proceeds from the event will benefit breast cancer research and care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

To find out more about Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer 2008, please go to the link below:

http://www.bostonbakesforbreastcancer.org/

Latest Review: In a Pig's Eye, Salem

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for In a Pig's Eye, a funky, offbeat dining spot on Derby Street just outside of downtown Salem. In a Pig's Eye is a tiny, cozy restaurant and pub located in an old building near Salem's waterfront. Their food ranges from your basic pub grub to traditional American dishes and comfort food. Prices are very reasonable, the food is freshly made and tasty, and the waitstaff is as quirky as the restaurant itself. To read more about In a Pig's Eye in Salem, please click on the link above.