The Automatic Bar to Replace Atasca in Cambridge

[Ed note: This article was updated on February 14 to reflect new information given, including who is behind the upcoming restaurant and the space is will be taking over.]

It looks like a brand new restaurant and bar is replacing another dining spot in Cambridge, and a legendary local bartender appears to be involved with the place.

A Twitter post from a couple of days back indicates that an Instagram page quietly appeared two weeks ago for The Automatic Bar, which says it will be a "neighborhood restaurant opening in Cambridge sometime between early summer and 2099." A hashtag for #americascousin shows on the page appears to refer to another Instagram page, this one for Dave Cagle, who is known for his bartending (and other jobs) at such places as the now-closed B-Side Lounge in Cambridge, Green Street in Central Square, Lone Star Taco Bar in Cambridge and Allston, Deep Ellum in Allston, Trina's Starlite Lounge on the Somerville/Cambridge line in Inman Square, and the ONCE Lounge within Cuisine en Locale in Somerville.

The B-Side Lounge was a place that was hugely influential to many of the region's present-day cocktail spots, with a number of well-known people within the local food and drink scene working there at one time or another before it closed in 2008 (including Dave Cagle).

[February 14 update: Eater Boston is reporting that The Automatic will be opening on Hampshire Street, moving into the space where the Portuguese restaurant Atasca has been since 2000 (Atasca first started out on Broadway in the mid-1990s), with the article also saying that Chris Schlesinger--who has run such places as East Coast Grill in Cambridge and the Back Eddy in Westport--is teaming up with Dave Cagle to open the new spot. EB says The Automatic will offer food that will "have that Chris Schlesinger mark on it" and the drinks list will feature classic cocktails, while the space will have seating for 74 inside and another 40 on an outdoor patio. It appears that Atasca might be closing in May, with The Automatic possibly opening in the middle of that month.]

[April 1 update: A new article from Eater Boston states that Atasca has closed, with owner Joe Cerqueira now focusing on Rocco's in Wilmington, which he purchased last year.]

[November 19 update: Eater Boston mentions that The Automatic opened to the public for drinks yesterday and will do the same tonight, with dinner service starting on Monday (it is closed Sunday) and lunch coming soon.]

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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"Hey Bartender" Documentary to Be Shown in Cambridge, August 13, 2013

The Boston-area premiere of a documentary film about bartending is coming next month.

On August 13, "Hey Bartender" will be shown at the Brattle Theatre on Brattle Street in Cambridge's Harvard Square, with the screening beginning at 8:00 PM. The documentary, which is directed by Douglas Tirola and is 93 minutes in length, focuses on two bartenders who are attempting to achieve their dreams, including an injured marine who looks to become a main bartender at "the best cocktail bar in the world" and a white-collar worker who changes careers, buying a corner bar in his hometown.

[July 29 update: Tickets for "Hey Bartender" go on sale today at 2:00 PM and can be ordered at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/venue/146806]

After the screening of the movie, a Q+A session will take place with the director as well as local mixologists Josh Childs, Misty Kalkofen, and Jackson Cannon, with all of them being at an after-party at The Hawthorne in Boston's Kenmore Square.

For more information on "Hey Bartender," please go to the link below:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/heybartender/

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The Thing to Be Held at Locke-Ober in Boston, October 4, 2012

An event that features some of the area's best bartenders is going to be held at a landmark restaurant in downtown Boston this week.

On Thursday, October 4, "The Thing" will take place at Locke-Ober on Winter Place, with festivities starting at 9:00 PM. The event, which benefits Meet the Worms (an initiative from the Barbara Lynch Foundation that helps educate children about the importance of health and nutrition), will showcase the talents of such local bartenders as Kirsten Amann, Jackson Cannon, Josh Childs, Ted Kilpatrick, Joy Richard, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, and many others. In addition to the offering of cocktails, The Thing will also include music and dancing.

Ticket prices for this "salty" black tie event are $75, and can be purchased at the link below:

http://thething.eventbrite.com/


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Pie in the Sky Cocktail Challenge Coming to Game On! Fenway, November 8

A charity event featuring bartenders in the Boston area is coming to a sports bar and entertainment spot in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.

According to Blast Magazine, Game On! on Lansdowne Street will be hosting the Pie in the Sky Cocktail Challenge on Monday, November 8 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The event centers around bartenders creating drinks that are inspired by pies. People attending the event will get to vote on the winning cocktail.

Tickets to the event cost $20 in advance ($25 at the door), with all proceeds going to Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain-based non-profit program that provides services to Massachusetts residents living with chronic and critical illnesses.

Two months ago, Game On! had held another charity event, with that one featuring chefs from the Boston area who participated in the King of the Wing competition.

For more information on the Pie in the Sky Cocktail Challenge, please go to the Game On! Fenway and Community Servings websites at http://gameonboston.com/ and http://www.servings.org/index.cfm

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