Highlights for the Week Ending March 15, 2013

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including a Fort Point restaurant/art gallery closing, a high-end French eatery turning into a new spot, and a pop-up event from a now-closed Mexican dining spot on the way. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included a new review of an Irish pub in Newton, a photo of a dessert item from a restaurant in Southern Maine, and a question about coffee in the Boston area.

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

Boston Restaurant Talk

Chacarero to Open within Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay

Channel Cafe in Boston's Fort Point District Closes; Will Become Verrine in Newton

Pigalle in Boston to Become a New Restaurant

Island Creek Oyster Team to Open Row 34 in Boston

Villa Mexico to Have a Pop-Up Event at Daddy Jones in Somerville, March 27, 2013

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

Updated Review: O'Hara's in Newton, MA

New Photo: Cookie Trio from When Pigs Fly Pizzeria in Kittery, ME

Updated Review: Toast in Hull, MA

Question: Who Has the Best Coffee In or Near Boston?

Updated List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area

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Update: Aces High in South Boston Has Closed

[Ed note: This article was updated on March 19 to reflect confirmation that the bar has indeed closed.]

It looks like a dive bar in the Andrew Square section of South Boston is shutting down, with its liquor license possibly going to an upcoming pizza restaurant coming to the Fort Point neighborhood.

Universal Hub reports that Aces High on Dorchester Avenue may be selling its license to Pastoral, which plans to open on Congress Street sometime this summer. UH says that a Boston Licensing Board hearing will take place on March 27 to look into the potential transfer.

Aces High is one of a number of dive bars that can be found in Southie, with others including Croke Park, Touchie's Shamrock Pub, the Shannon Tavern, Tom English's, and the Quencher Tavern.

The address for Aces High is 551 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston, MA, 02127.

[March 19 update: Eater Boston has confirmed that Aces High is now closed, and that their liquor license has been purchased by Pastoral. On a side note, the "Aces High Pub" sign that had been in the bar was given to the Pastoral folks, but it has been stolen. (George Lewis Jr. of the upcoming restaurant is now offering a reward for finding the sign.)]

[Earlier Article]
Pastoral to Open in Boston's Fort Point Neighborhood

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Restoration Hardware in Boston Is Not Open After All (No Occupancy Permit)

Earlier this month we reported that a California-based luxury home furnishings that includes a restaurant held an opening night party at its new Back Bay location (which was soon shut down due to overcrowding). Now we have learned that the Berkeley Street store never actually opened because it doesn't have an occupancy permit yet.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Restoration Hardware (also known as RH) remains closed nearly two weeks after their opening party and that its opening could still be "weeks away" while issues centering around its exhaust system, elevator, and fire alarm are dealt with. Bryan Glascock, who is commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department, says in the article that "At this point, the ball's sort of in their court. They can let us know when they're ready for final inspection."

Once it does open, Restoration Hardware will include a restaurant that will apparently be on the third floor.

The address for this upcoming home furnishings store and dining spot in the Back Bay is: Restoration Hardware (RH), 234 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116. The website for the chain can be found at http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Note: This story was first reported by the Boston Business Journal last week.

[April 10 update: A new article in the Boston Globe mentions that Restoration Hardware could be opening in the next couple of days, and that an announcement may be coming from the company by the end of today. (Keep checking back for updates.) Thanks to the Boston Hospitality and Tourism Industry Blog for bringing this to our attention.]

[April 12 update: The Globe now says that Restoration Hardware is planning to open tomorrow (Saturday, April 13).]

[Earlier Article]
Restoration Hardware (RH) Opens in Boston's Back Bay; Opening Party Shut Down by Fire and Police Departments

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Area Four Food Truck Opens April 1

In January we reported that Area Four was one of a couple of restaurants around town looking to get into the food truck business. Now we have learned that the Cambridge eatery may be only a couple of weeks away from having its truck up and running.

Eater Boston is reporting (via a Craigslist job post) that the Area Four truck is planning to debut on April 1, with EB (and Craigslist) previously saying that the food truck might be serving breakfast and lunch in both Cambridge and Boston. The Kendall Square restaurant isn't new to the mobile dining world, as it had also set up a hot dog cart last fall outside its Technology Square location.

[April 1 update: Area Four's Facebook page has confirmed that their food truck (which they are calling the "A4 Truck") debuts today, with the truck serving breakfast and lunch at the Rose Kennedy Greenway for their first day in operation.]

As mentioned earlier, another restaurant that is looking to start up a food truck is Biryani Park in Malden.

The website for Area Four can be found at http://www.areafour.com/

[Earlier Articles]
Area Four, Biryani Park Food Trucks Coming; Mei Mei Street Kitchen and Roxy's Grilled Cheese May Expand to Brick-and-Mortar
Area Four in Cambridge's Kendall Square Opens a Hot Dog Cart

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Geoffrey's Cafe in Boston Closes, May Reopen Under Different Ownership

An eclectic restaurant in Bay Village (near where the South End and Back Bay of Boston meet) has been shut down, though it appears that the place could open back up under new ownership.

Universal Hub is reporting that Geoffrey's Cafe on Berkeley Street is closed, with a Twitter picture showing a sign out front saying that the eatery was "vacated" this past Friday by order of the Superior Court. Facebook posts by Brian Spencer imply that he is apparently out as the owner of Geoffrey's, though it sounds like the dining spot may reopen with someone else behind it, as he says that "It will still be Geoffrey's. I may not be there, yet Geoffrey's is a neighborhood place, the people that go there make it."

[March 19 update: It looks like Geoffrey's may indeed be reopening, as owner Brian Spencer says via his Facebook page that "the group that is buying [the restaurant] has full intentions of keeping the name, concept, staff, and doing some much needed renovations! It is slated to reopen in a month or so!" It is not known at this point who is buying Geoffrey's; as soon as we find out, we will post another update here.]

Geoffrey's Cafe had moved from Roslindale to Berkeley Street in 2010, and it had also previously resided on Boylston Street (its original location), Tremont Street, and  Commonwealth Avenue. The restaurant has been in business for more than 20 years.

The address for this now-closed dining spot in Boston is: Geoffrey's Cafe, 142 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116.

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Boston Restaurant Week (Winter 2013) to Be Held March 17-22, 24-29

Boston Restaurant Week returns this month, with the winter 2013 version of the event including a huge number of dining spots throughout the Boston area once again.

Based on information from the RW websites (see below), the latest restaurant week begins on Sunday, March 17 and runs through Friday, March 22, with a break on Saturday before starting up again on Sunday, March 24 and ending on Friday, March 29. This year, three-course dinners cost $38.13, three-course lunches cost $20.13, and two-course lunches cost $15.13, with more than 200 restaurants participating. (The prices shown are per person and do not include beverages, tax, or tips.)

For more information on the winter 2013 Boston Restaurant Week, please go to the following links:

http://www.restaurantweekboston.com/

http://www.bostonusa.com/visit/restaurantweek/

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