Minds Matter Boston Spring Soiree to Be Held in Boston's Fort Point, April 5, 2013

A fundraising event that features food, drink, and more is returning to Boston this week, and this time it will take place near the southern edge of the Fort Point section of the city.

On Friday, April 5, the fifth annual Minds Matter Boston Spring Soiree will be held at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter on West 2nd Street, with the event going from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Once again, the 21+ soiree will include snacks from local spots as well as drinks, dancing, a live and silent auction, and a VIP reception (which begins at 8:00 PM).

Tickets to the event cost $140 for general admission ($160 for VIP), with proceeds supporting Minds Matter Boston, a chapter of a nonprofit organization that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission to prestigious colleges.

For more information on the fifth annual Minds Matter Boston Spring Soiree, please go to the following link:

http://mindsmatterboston.org/events/

Tweet

Maki Maki Opens in Woburn

An all-you-can-eat sushi spot in Allston has opened a second restaurant, with this one being north of Boston.

According to its website, Maki Maki is now open in Woburn, with the Cummings Park eatery joining its original location on Western Avenue, which opened just under a year ago. The new Japanese spot is open for lunch and dinner daily and has four separate dining areas, including an outdoor patio that will be open during the warmer months. In addition to sushi, Maki Maki also offers soups, salads, appetizers, rice dishes, and entrees such as teriyaki and noodle options.

The address for this new all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Woburn is: Maki Maki, 40 Cummings Park (Washington Street), Woburn, MA, 01801. Its website can be found at http://makimakiwoburn.com/

Tweet

Waltham Food and Wine Festival to Be Held April 10, 2013

A food event is on its way to a western suburb of Boston this month, and it will also be focusing on the city's roots in the textile industry.

On Wednesday, April 10, the 21st annual Waltham Food & Wine Festival will take place at the Westin Hotel on 3rd Avenue, with the event going from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The festival will celebrate a couple of Waltham innovators from the textile industry--Francis Cabot Lowell and Sondra Celli--with exhibits being shown at the event. In addition to food and wine from various restaurants and wine distributors, the festival will also feature live music, a raffle, a silent auction, and more. (Some of the participants include The Chateau, The Elephant Walk, the Grille at Hobbs Brook, Horizon Wines and Spirits, Lizzy's Homemade Ice Cream, Ruby Wines, The Skellig, Solea, Tempo, and Watch City Brewery.)

Tickets to the Waltham Food & Wine Festival cost $45 in advance ($50 at the door), with the event being a fundraiser for the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation. For more information on the festival, please go to the link below:

http://www.crmi.org/

Tweet

USA Today, Zagat Include Parker's Restaurant in Boston Among Most Iconic Restaurants in USA

A national daily newspaper and a popular restaurant guide have given their picks for the most iconic dining spots in the United States, and a high-end place in downtown Boston has made the list.

According to USA Today and Zagat, Parker's Restaurant within the Omni Parker House Hotel on School Street is one of 15 eateries picked as iconic spots, where "a famous dish, local cuisine, decor, service or history make an out-of-towner feel as though they're a part of a city or even a regular customer." The article mentions that Zagat's reviewers had actually looked at Mamma Maria in Boston's North End as being a Boston icon, but the editors at Zagat decided to go with Parker's instead, with editors and reviewers noting that the "glorious" restaurant is "the only place to go for Parker House rolls and Boston cream pie," and that it is "where the elegance of another era thrives via old-time, pricey New England eats, beautiful, formal digs and wonderful service."

Other picks on the list include The Four Seasons in New York, City Tavern in Philadelphia, and Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, DC.

For a complete list of iconic restaurant picks from USA Today and Zagat, please go to the link below:

Zagat picks the USA's most iconic restaurants

Tweet

Update: Pu Pu Hot Pot in Cambridge Is Becoming Patty Chen's Dumpling Room

[Ed note: This article was updated on July 8 to reflect a slight name change for the new place.]

A Chinese restaurant in Cambridge with a rather interesting name will be making way for a new Asian dining spot.

Cambridge Day is reporting that Pu Pu Hot Pot on Main Street in the city's Central Square neighborhood will be replaced by The Dumpling Room [ed note--now called Patty Chen's Dumpling Room], with the new place featuring what could be Taiwanese-style dumplings and possibly other items. The chef at the 20-year-old Pu Pu Hot Pot (Patty Chen) will be one of the owners of the upcoming Dumpling Room along with Marc Shulman, who runs the soon-to-close All Asia Bar on Mass. Ave. with Chen, and eventually, a new club coming to Central Square called the Prospect Lounge.

Expect a June opening for Patty Chen's Dumpling Room, according to the article.

[June 10 update: Eater Boston states (via Toscanini's Facebook page) that Pu Pu Hot Pot is now officially closed. As soon as we find out when Dumpling Room will be opening, we will post another update here.]

[July 8 update: A new post from Eater Boston indicates that Patty Chen's Dumpling Room plans to open in the middle of this month, and that it will feature both traditional and sweet dumplings (EB mentions Nutella and bananas among the latter category).]

September 12 update: The latest post from Eater Boston says that Patty Chen's Dumpling Room is having a soft opening today, with its grand opening being this Sunday.]

[September 16 update: A quick confirmation--according to its website, Patty Chen's Dumpling Room has officially opened.]

The address for Patty Chen's Dumpling Room is 907 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

Tweet

Highlights for the Week Ending March 29, 2013

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including a landmark luncheonette closing in Brookline, a Jewish BBQ spot planned for Cambridge, and a location of a popular grocery chain coming to Boston. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included a new review of a restaurant and bar in Cambridge, a photo of chicken mole from a Mexican pop-up in Somerville, and a blog entry on favorite ice cream places.

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

Boston Restaurant Talk

Treat Cupcake Bar to Open in Chestnut Hill

Sealey's Lunch in Brookline to Close

Basha Is Moving into the Casbah Space, Which Had Moved into the Basha Space

Steve "Nookie" Postal to Open Steinbones (Jewish BBQ) in Cambridge's Central Square

Wegmans to Open a Market in Boston's Fenway Neighborhood

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

New Review: Atwood's Tavern in Cambridge, MA

New Photo: Chicken Mole from Villa Mexico Pop-up at Daddy Jones in Somerville, MA

New Blog Entry: The Ongoing Debate About Seaport District Restaurants

New Photo: Risotto Fritters from Inn at Bay Pointe in Quincy, MA

New Blog Entry: A Few Ice Cream Places to Check Out


Tweet