Poppy's Diner and Pizza Opens in Peabody

The city of Peabody is home to a new restaurant, this one being a diner on one of the Boston area's most well-known roads.

Poppy's Diner and Pizza has just opened in Winona Plaza on the southbound side of Route 1 (a short distance north of the Route 128 exit), bringing to the area a new place for comfort food and classic American fare. Items on the menu at Poppy's include pancakes, French toast, pizza, burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and dumplings, macaroni and cheese, shepherd's pie, meatloaf, and chicken wings. Most items on the menu appear to be under $10. A brunch will be featured at Poppy's on Saturdays and Sundays.

The address for this new restaurant on the North Shore is: Poppy's Diner and Pizza, 136 Newbury Street (Route 1), Peabody, MA, 01960. The phone number is (617) 755-6402. And their website is at: http://poppysdiner.net/


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Long Trail Brewing Co. Is Buying Otter Creek Brewing

A brewery based in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont is buying another brewer that is located in the Green Mountain State. According to the Boston Herald, the Long Trail Brewing Company will be purchasing the Middlebury-based Otter Creek Brewery possibly by the end of this month. The Herald goes on to mention that both the Bridgewater Corners brewery and the Middlebury brewery will remain in operation after the sale.

The Long Trail Brewing Company is known for both its seasonal beers (such as Harvest and Hibernator) and its year-around brews (such as Double Bag, Long Trail Ale, and Blackberry Wheat) in addition to its limited edition beers. Otter Creek Brewing also has a variety of year-around, seasonal, and special edition beers, with some popular names being Stovepipe Porter, Copper Ale, and Vermont Lager. In addition to the Otter Creek line, the brewery also features organic beers in its Wolaver's line, including an oatmeal stout, a pale ale, an Indian pale ale, and a brown ale, as well as a few seasonal beers.

For more information on the purchasing of Otter Creek Brewing by the Long Trail Brewing Co., please go to the Boston Herald link below.

Vt.'s Long Trail beer to buy Otter Creek

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Absolutely Fabulous Opens on Main Street in Melrose

A chef and caterer who had been serving meals out of a Melrose dining spot on weekends has now moved the operation to the center of town, with the new restaurant open six days a week.

According to the Melrose Free Press and Wicked Local, Chef Lori Muse recently opened Absolutely Fabulous on Main Street where the Blues Grille used to be, bringing to Melrose Center a dining spot that features eclectic cuisine and inventive Italian fare. Absolutely Fabulous Weekends had formerly operated out of Cedar Perk, a cafe and coffee shop on West Emerson Street. According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the new Absolutely Fabulous on Main Street accepts credit cards and offers alcoholic beverages (neither of which were available when the restaurant was operating out of Cedar Perk).

Absolutely Fabulous is open from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM on Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, and 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Sundays (the place is closed on Tuesdays). The address is: Absolutely Fabulous, 454 Main Street, Melrose, MA, 02176. The phone number is (781) 665-3008. And their Facebook page is at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melrose-MA/Absolutely-Fabulous/126096524483

Thanks to a poster on the Chowhound site for letting us know about the opening of this restaurant.

For more information on the opening of Absolutely Fabulous in Melrose Center, please go to the Melrose Free Press/Wicked Local link below:

Absolutely Fabulous to open on Main Street in Melrose

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Sal's Pizza Opening in Norwell

About two weeks after reporting on a new Sal's Pizza opening up in Woburn, we have just learned that yet another location of this rapidly-growing chain of pizza places and Italian restaurants is going to be opening, this one south of Boston. According to a job posting on the Craigslist site, Sal's will be opening on Grove Street in Norwell (at the Route 53 intersection), a short distance south of the Hingham line. Sal's Pizza (and its sister restaurants Mary's Pasta and Sandwiches and Salvatores Italian Restaurant) are mostly located north of Boston, with no locations on the South Shore at the present time, so when it opens, the new Sal's in Norwell will indeed be the first time many South Shore residents get to try the chain's popular 19-inch pizzas and 1-pound calzones.

[January 6 update: According to the restaurant's website, the new Sal's Pizza in Norwell is now open.]

The address for this new pizza place in Norwell is: Sal's Pizza, 9 Grove Street, Norwell, MA, 02061. The phone number is (781) 561-7355.

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Third Annual Bubbles and Bites to Be Held Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A culinary event to help prevent skin cancer is coming to Boston early this month. The third annual Bubbles and Bites will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common on Wednesday, December 9, at 6:00 PM. The event, which is co-hosted by Curt and Shonda Schilling, will benefit the SHADE Foundation of America, a non-profit organization that aims to pre­vent skin can­cer through education.

Bubbles and Bites will feature a number of well-known Boston chefs, including Chef Todd English of Olives in Charlestown, Chef Dante de Magistris of Dante in Cambridge, Chef Jeffery Fournier of 51 Lincoln in Newton Highlands, Chef Jonathan Olson of The Ritz-Carlton, and several others. There will also be champagne stations as well as a silent auction.

Ticket prices are $150 for a regular ticket and $250 for a VIP Ticket, which includes entrance into pre-event VIP reception. Tickets are avail­able online or at (602) 424‑7190 until Tuesday, December 8, and will not be available at the door.

The address for The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common is 10 Avery Street (between Tremont Street and Washington Street) in Boston. The phone number for the hotel is (617) 574-7100.

For more information on the Bubbles and Bites culinary event in Boston, please go to the link below:

Bubbles and Bites, Boston >> SHADE Foundation

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Santarpio's Pizza Opening a Second Location in Peabody

[Ed note: This article has gone through several updates, including on January 19, 2010, May 27, 2010, August 3, and September 16, 2010.]

A classic old-school pizza joint in East Boston will soon have a second location.

According to both The Hubster and Grub Street Boston, Santarpio's Pizza is looking at moving into the former Bennigan's spot on Route 1 in Peabody (the Bennigan's in Peabody closed last year after the chain filed for bankruptcy). The Hubster states that if all goes as planned, the new Santarpio's might open in the spring of 2010. [January 19 update: According to a Boston Herald article, Santarpio's gained court approval last week to buy the old Bennigan's spot. The article goes on to say that the restaurant will have a capacity of 300.]

[May 27 update: According to the Salem News, it looks like Santarpio's will open its new Peabody location in July.]

[August 3 update: According to an article on the Boston.com site, the opening of Santarpio's in Peabody has been delayed for at least a month. The article mentions that nearly everything is complete, but a delay in the arrival of the rotary ovens means that the new Santarpio's probably won't open until September at the earliest.]

[September 16 update: According to boston.com, the new Santarpio's in Peabody is now open for business.]

Santarpio's first opened as a bakery in East Boston more than a hundred years ago, with the pizzeria opening in the 1930s. The Chelsea Street restaurant and bar has become a local institution over the years, and is considered by many to have the best pizza in the Greater Boston area. In addition to pizza, Santarpio's also offers sausage and lamb skewers, as well as beer and wine.

For more information on the opening of a second Santarpio's in Peabody, please go to The Boston Herald link below, as well as the earlier Hubster and Grub Street Boston links.

Santarpio's, the next generation [Boston Herald]

Santarpio's North? [Hubster]

Santarpio's Eyes Peabody [Grub Street Boston]

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