Raising Cane's to Open at Boston University Campus This Month

A fast-food chain that features chicken fingers will be opening a new location at the Boston University Campus this month. According to a note sent by the chain, Raising Cane's will be opening on October 15 on Commonwealth Avenue between the B.U. Bridge and Allston.

Raising Cane's features only chicken fingers, with several combo plate options from which to choose. The combos include fries, sauce, Texas toast, and a drink, with a couple of the combos also including coleslaw. A chicken finger sandwich is offered within one of the combos.

The first location of Raising Cane's opened in 1996, and the chain now has more than 80 locations across the country. The Boston location will be the first Raising Cane's in New England.

The founder and CEO of the restaurant chain is known in part for being on "Secret Millionaire," a reality TV show that began on Fox and recently switched over to ABC.

The address for this soon-to-open fast-food restaurant at the B.U. Campus will be: Raising Cane's, 949 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215. The Web site for the chain is at: http://www.raisingcanes.com/

Thanks to a poster on the Chowhound site for initially letting us know about Raising Cane's coming to Boston.

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Cedar Crest in Lawrence May Be Replaced with a Burger King

A landmark restaurant in Lawrence that is closing its doors this fall may become home to a new Burger King. According to an article in The Eagle-Tribune, the Cedar Crest Restaurant on Broadway might be torn down and replaced with a new location of the fast-food chain. The article states that the new Burger King would be much smaller than the Cedar Crest.

The Eagle-Tribune had mentioned that the closing date of the Cedar Crest might be somewhere around October 1, but as of today, the restaurant still appears to be open (call ahead if you are thinking of going--see phone number below).

The Cedar Crest Restaurant has been serving Italian and Mediterranean food to diners since the 1930s. A number of famous people have eaten at the restaurant over the years, and it has been a longtime local favorite among residents of this old mill city in the Merrimack Valley.

The address for this soon-to-close restaurant in Lawrence is: Cedar Crest Restaurant, 187 Broadway, Lawrence, MA, 01840. The phone number is (978) 685-5722.

To read more about the proposal to bring Burger King to the Cedar Crest site in Lawrence, please go to the Eagle-Tribune link below.

Burger King planned for Cedar Crest site

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Fava in Needham Is Closing This Fall; Center Cafe to Open in Its Place

A casual upscale restaurant that has been in Needham for a number of years will soon be closing. According to Wicked Local and the Needham Times, Fava Restaurant, a dining spot on Great Plain Avenue that features mostly New American cuisine, looks to be closing its doors perhaps around Thanksgiving. The article goes on to mention that a new restaurant called The Center Cafe may be opening in its spot sometime later this year or in early 2010.

[November 25 update: It appears that Fava has closed their doors. A poster on Yelp indicated that they closed about a week ago, and calls put in to the restaurant over the past few days have been met by a busy signal.]

[January 25 update: According to a job listing on Craigslist, the Center Cafe is planning on opening in early February.]

Fava first opened in 1994, moving into a small, intimate granite-walled space where the Needham railroad station used to be. The menu at Fava changes seasonally, but features such items as crab cakes, PEI mussels, potato-crusted salmon filet, herb-marinated flat iron steak, grilled duck breast, and braised lamb shank. Prices for entrees tend to range mostly between $20 and $30.

When The Center Cafe opens, its address will be: The Center Cafe, 1027 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492.

For more information on the closing of Fava, please go to the Wicked Local/Needham Times link below:

Fava, Sweet Rue's in Needham to close, new restaurant to open

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Harrow's Chicken Pies Opens a New Location in Medford

A restaurant and store in Reading that is famous for its chicken pies has opened a second location in the Boston area. Harrow's Chicken Pies is now open for business on Mystic Avenue in Medford, near the Route 93/16 intersection and a short distance north of the Somerville line. According to Wicked Local and the Medford Transcript, the owners began looking into opening a new location a couple of years ago and researched a number of cities and towns in the Boston area before deciding upon the city of Medford, which is less than 10 miles south of Reading.

The original Harrow's, which is located just north of the Route 128 intersection near the Reading/Stoneham line, has been making chicken pies from scratch since the 1930s. Their pies contain all white meat chicken which is slow-cooked overnight, according to the Harrow's Web site. They can be purchased with or without carrots and potatoes.

The address for the new location of Harrow's is: Harrow's Chicken Pies, 275 Mystic Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155.

To read more about the opening of the new Harrow's in Medford, please go to the Wicked Local/Medford Transcript link below:

Harrows Chicken Pies set to open at Mystic Avenue location

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The Jury Room in Quincy Is Closing

It appears that The Jury Room, a restaurant and bar located on the edge of Quincy Center, will be closing their doors later this month after being in business for about a year and a half. According to at least one poster on the Chowhound site, an email from the Cottage Street restaurant indicated that they will close on October 17.

The Jury Room first opened its doors in the spring of 2008, featuring both a bar menu and a more upscale menu as well as a variety of beer, wine, and liquor. The restaurant, which is housed where a church used to be, got its name from the nearby courthouse building that is home to Quincy District Court.

The address for this restaurant and bar is: The Jury Room, 39 Cottage Avenue, Quincy, MA, 02169.

[October 19, 22 Updates: It looks as if the Jury Room has indeed served its last meal, as its phone number is now disconnected. Also, according to the Patriot Ledger, the owner of Fuji 1546 Restaurant on nearby Hancock Street will be opening an Asian fusion restaurant in the old Jury Room space sometime before Thanksgiving.]

[January 13, 2010 update: It looks like two places will be going into the old Jury Room spot--The Kama Lounge and Bisto Chi. Look for a separate article on this soon.]

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Latest Review: Avellino's, Medford

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for an Italian restaurant and caterer in Medford called Avellino's. Located just off Route 93 on Mystic Avenue (a bit north of the Somerville border), Avellino's isn't all that well-known outside of the area, mainly because it resides in a section of the city that contains mostly warehouses and office buildings. The restaurant is counter service only, and does a brisk takeout business (though there is a good amount of seating as well). The menu at Avellino's features a wide variety of sandwiches, subs, pastas, and dinner entrees, as well as pizza and calzones. To read more about Avellino's in Medford, please click on the link above.