Boston Restaurant Talk

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Five Horses Tavern Is Opening in the Former Columbus Cafe Space in Boston's South End

It looks like the folks behind a restaurant and bar in Somerville may be opening a second spot in Boston, and if it does, it will be moving into the space where another eatery had been for several years until recently closing.

Eater Boston has confirmed what we had heard from one of our viewers last month, namely that Five Horses Tavern in Somerville's Davis Square will be joined by a second spot in the South End of Boston, with the new place taking over the former Columbus Cafe spot on Columbus Avenue. While Eater doesn't yet have a name for the restaurant, we had heard that it could be called Five Horses South or perhaps Five Horses Tavern South End.

[July 5, 2013 update: Eater Boston mentions (via Craigslist) that Five Horses Tavern is now hiring staff for the upcoming South End location, so it could be opening soon.]

[August 12, 2013 update: UrbanDaddy states that Five Horses Tavern is planning to open in the South End sometime in the next week. According to UD, one of the items on the menu will be something called a "Foghorn Leghorn" pizza (the toppings are fried chicken, manchego cheese, and chili peppers.]

[August 17, 2013 update: Eater Boston reports that Five Horses Tavern is now open in the South End.]

Five Horses Tavern first opened on Highland Avenue in Davis Square in September of 2011, bringing to the neighborhood a place that features modern American comfort food as well as variety of craft beers.

The address for this new restaurant in the South End is 535 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA, 02118.

[Earlier Article]
Columbus Cafe in Boston's South End Is Closing

Five Guys Burgers and Fries Closes Its Gloucester Location

A chain of burger places that has been rapidly expanding through Eastern Massachusetts has closed one of its locations in the region.

The Gloucester Times is reporting that Five Guys Burgers and Fries has closed its shop in Gloucester, with a possible reason for its closing being high rents, shaky economic conditions, or a mixture of both. (The developer of Gloucester Crossing said that "we made rent concessions, but the economic slowdown was more protracted than anyone expected," while someone from Cape Ann Liquors--which is also in the plaza--said he had heard that the rent was too high.)

Even with the Gloucester outlet of Five Guys shuttering, the chain continues to expand through the area, with two locations coming to Boston and one more coming to Braintree. Five Guys currently has about 30 locations in Massachusetts.

The address for this now-closed burger place in Gloucester was: Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 721 Gloucester Crossing Road, Gloucester, MA, 01930. The website for the chain can be found at http://www.fiveguys.com/

Thanks to the Boston Business Journal for bringing this to our attention.

Monday, October 01, 2012

Upper Crust Pizzeria in Waltham Has Closed

A local chain of pizzerias continues to shrink, with its latest closure being in the heart of a well-known "restaurant row" west of Boston.

The Brand New Watch blog of Wicked Local reports that the Upper Crust Pizzeria on Moody Street in Waltham has shuttered, with their closing possibly occurring over the past weekend. The article mentions that the Upper Crust sign is down, the shop has been emptied out, and a note on the chain's Facebook page says the "Moody St/Waltham operations moved to Lexington and Watertown." The blog also states that Patel Brothers Indian grocery, which is next door, will apparently expand into the former Upper Crust space.

Three Upper Crust Pizzerias have shut down over the past several months, including locations in Boston (by BU), Beverly, and Salem. Existing Boston-area locations remain open in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Hingham, Lexington, Watertown, Wellesley, and West Roxbury. Their website can be found at: http://www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com/

Del Frisco's Grille Is Opening at The Street Chestnut Hill

[Ed note: This article was updated on June 26, 2013 to reflect the fact that the new spot will be a Del Frisco's Grille rather than a Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse.]

A small national chain of steakhouses that opened its first Boston location in the spring of 2011 is going to be opening another spot in the local area, with this one being just west of the city.

Grub Street Boston is reporting that Del Frisco's plans to open at The Street Chestnut Hill on the Newton/Brookline border, a new development that is the former home of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center. The article mentions that the steakhouse should be open in the early part of 2013.

[June 26, 2013 update: A job post on the Craigslist site mentions that the new location of Del Frisco's will actually be a Del Frisco's Grille, which is a modern American bar and grill that is more casual than the original Double Eagle Steakhouse restaurants. There appears to be no specific opening date, but the post says "Opening Soon."]

[November 6, 2013 update: An email sent to us today indicates that the new Del Frisco's Grille in Chestnut Hill is opening on November 30.]

Del Frisco's opened a location in the Seaport District of Boston in April of 2011, becoming the first New England location for the Dallas-based chain, which features a variety of steaks as well as lamb, veal, and seafood dishes. The chain's website can be found at http://delfriscos.com/

Highlights for the Week Ending September 28, 2012

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including a fourth Flour coming to the Boston area, a highly-regarded Italian restaurant on the South Shore closing its doors, and a food truck being opened by a local university. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included a new review of an Italian restaurant within a social club in Providence, a blog review of an Asian fusion dining spot in Coolidge Corner, and a photo of an apple cider donut from a country store west of Boston.

Below are links to these and other items from the past week:

Boston Restaurant Talk

Flour4 to Open in Former Hard Rock Space in Boston's Back Bay

Saporito's Florence Club Cafe in Hull Is Closing

News Elsewhere: "Gronk Flakes" Arrive at Stop and Shop

Kareem's Restaurant to Reopen in Watertown

Boston University May Be Opening a Food Truck of Its Own

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

New Review: L'Antica Trattoria at St. Bart's Club in Providence, RI

Blog Review: First Trip to Zenna Noodle Bar in Brookline

Photo: Apple Cider Donut from Westward Orchards in Harvard, MA

Question: What Are Some of Your Favorite Chocolate-Based Dishes?

Photo: Noodle Soup with Beef from Zenna Noodle Bar in Brookline, MA

Warwick Place in Marblehead to Include a Restaurant, Cafe, and Movie Theater

The Marblehead site where a movie theater sat for more than 80 years will soon have a new theater, along with a couple of dining spots.

The Marblehead Patch reports that a "high-end" restaurant and a cafe will both open at Warwick Place on Pleasant Street, joining a new movie theater as well as a smaller theater for business conferences. The article states that the high-end eatery has been approved for a 32-seat outdoor dining area, while the cafe will focus on breakfast and desserts. It looks like the new development could be open by early next year.

[November 29 update: The Marblehead Reporter mentions that John Ingalls Palmer of Palmer's restaurant in Andover is planning to be the operator of the restaurant, the theater, and the proposed cafe. If all goes well, the complex could be open early in the summer of 2013.]

John Ingalls Palmer, proprietor of Palmers of Andover, the upscale North Shore eatery, will be operating the restaurant and theater complex in the heart of the new Warwick Place development on Pleasant Street in Marblehead.
Palmer confirmed that he is very excited at the prospect of moving

Read more: Warwick restaurateur revealed: Palmers set to return to area - Marblehead, MA - Marblehead Reporter http://www.wickedlocal.com/marblehead/news/x1107415603/Warwick-restaurateur-revealed-Palmers-set-to-return-to-area#ixzz2DeGYDSNn

[July 12, 2013 update: A poster on Chowhound mentions that the new Warwick Place is now open, and that the restaurant (which is called Palmer's) is open as well. A Marblehead Patch article confirms this, and also says that the cafe mentioned earlier has opened, too.]

An earlier Boston Globe article mentions that the 38,000-square-foot development is opening at the site of the old Warwick Theater, which first opened in 1917. The theater, which had 500 seats and two separate screening rooms, shut down in 1999.