Monday, September 10, 2012

Gemma in Arlington Has Closed; Cooper's Tavern May Open in Its Space

An Italian dining spot in Arlington Center that had moved into a larger space a couple of years back has closed its doors, though the folks behind it may be opening a new spot in the space at some point.

Several checks on the restaurant over the past couple of weeks indicates that Gemma in the Broadway Plaza area is shuttered, with no activity within the space at all. Words around town is that the owners of the eatery might open another restaurant where Gemma had been, though we are still trying to confirm this.

[September 21 update: The Arlington Patch is reporting that a new spot called Cooper's Tavern may be moving into the space, and it appears that the folks behind Gemma may also be involved with the new place. The Board of Selectmen will be discussing the proposed change on Monday night. [Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.)]

[September 26 update: Grub Street Boston reports (via the Arlington Patch) that the people behind Gemma are indeed planning to run Cooper's Tavern, with the name change being approved by the Arlington Board of Selectmen earlier this week. It looks like the new spot could be a casual American restaurant]

[December 23 update: Plans to open Cooper's Tavern may have actually fallen through, as there is now a "For Lease" sign in the window of the former Gemma space.]

Gemma was originally located in a smaller space at Broadway Plaza, but moved into a larger spot next door in the fall of 2010 (it took over the Krazy Karry's space). The restaurant featured such dishes as veal meatballs, fried calamari, lobster macaroni and cheese, butternut squash ravioli, roasted pork loin, roasted half chicken, crispy flounder, and braised lamb.

The address for this now-closed restaurant in Arlington Center was: Gemma, 319 Broadway, Arlington, MA, 02474.

Thanks to No Excuses Cooking for some of the information given here.