Boston Restaurant Talk

Update: Kam Man Market "Sealed Off" from South Bay Center

In April, we reported that an Asian supermarket just south of downtown Boston had apparently closed, with its status being unclear at the time. Now we have learned a bit more about what exactly is going on.

The Dorchester Reporter mentions that Kam Man has been "sealed off" from South Bay Center near the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester due to a dispute concerning the planned addition of a Dollar Tree store within the space. The article says that E&A Northeast Limited Partnership, which owns the shopping center, has been against the market sharing its space with the store, and once signs went up for the Dollar Tree in late April, jersey barriers were set up at the entrance of the market's parking lot, which kept customers and delivery trucks from being able to get into the lot. The store is now closed and the dispute is heading to court, with a hearing taking place on June 23 in Suffolk Superior Court.

According to the article, the building in which Kam Man resides is not owned by E&A, but the market's sole access is by way of Allstate Road, which is mostly owned by the company. The post says that according to court documents, E&A agreed to allow the previous market in the space (Super 88) to use the access road in exchange for an annual sum over the course of a 20-year period, with the deal including "limiting the total area of the building and restricting certain commercial use within the building itself." Earlier this year, Kam Man told E&A about its plans, which was opposed by the company because they said it was in violation of the lease agreement that Kam Man assumed from Super 88. E&A then made an offer on the Kam Man building, but the offer was rejected and the barriers went up soon after the Dollar Tree signs were posted.

The address for Kam Man in South Bay is 101 Allstate Road, Dorchester, MA, 02125.

[Earlier Article]
Kam Man in Boston's South Bay Has Closed; Status Unknown

Yong Yong Is Opening in Malden

A new restaurant has come to the downtown section of Malden, and it features a variety of options for dining.

A Twitter note from @DuffyMalden indicates that Yong Yong has soft opened on Ferry Street, with the grand opening for the place coming sometime this week. Based on information from the Twitter post as well as the restaurant's Facebook page, it looks like the dining spot is offering sushi, a hotpot buffet, dim sum a la carte, and Chinese dishes.

The address for the new restaurant in Malden is: Yong Yong, 108 Ferry Street, Malden, MA, 02148.

[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

The Wok in Wellesley Could Be Coming to the Former Tonic Space in Jamaica Plain

It looks like a Chinese restaurant in Wellesley could be on its way to the site of a now-closed dining spot in Jamaica Plain, though nothing is written in stone as of yet.

Universal Hub is reporting that the people behind The Wok on Route 9 are in discussions with owner Coran McCormack of the shuttered Tonic to open in the space on Washington Street in the Forest Hills part of JP. The article mentions that plans to bring an Italian restaurant to the space fell through awhile back, and negotiations with others didn't work out, either, with the Boston Licensing Board now considering taking the liquor license away (the board could decide to grant McCormack more time, however, with a possible vote coming this Thursday). If The Wok does end up opening in the Tonic space, UH says that this would be the "first sit-down Chinese restaurant in Boston's southwest corner in years."

The Wok is a restaurant that has been featured by our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) as an under-the-radar spot to go to for both Chinese-American and authentic Chinese fare. The review for it can be found at the following link:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/TheWok.html

The address for the space where Tonic used to be is 3698 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.

[Earlier Articles]
Owner of Tonic in Jamaica Plain May Replace It with an Italian Restaurant
Tonic in Jamaica Plain Has Closed (Again)

Carvel Ice Cream Is Opening at South Station in Boston

Three years ago, we reported that a chain of ice cream shops was going to be returning to the Boston area, and now we have learned that its first location will be coming to the heart of the city this week.

Eater Boston is reporting that Carvel opens at South Station this Thursday (June 12), with this being the start of an expansion that will include both full-sized and express locations in the Boston area and elsewhere in the state. The South Station location of Carvel is being run by the franchise owner of the Auntie Anne's shop at South Station, with the ice cream shop being integrated within the pretzel place, according to a release on the Business Wire site.

Atlanta-based Carvel, which first started out in 1934, used to have a handful of locations in the local area, including in Brockton, Malden, and Woburn. Currently, the only places in Massachusetts that serve Carvel ice cream are locations of Moe's Southwest Grill in Waltham and Shrewsbury, based on information from the Carvel site. (The website for the ice cream chain is at http://www.carvel.com/)

[Earlier Article]
Carvel Ice Cream is Returning to the Boston Area

Article 24 to Replace The Boyne in Brighton

Last fall we reported that the folks behind a couple of Boston-area restaurants were looking into opening two more spots over the coming year. Now we have learned where one of them might be.

According to a Licensing Board page within the City of Boston website, a restaurant/bar that is tentatively called Kitchen Sink is hoping to acquire the liquor license from The Boyne, an Irish pub that is located in Brighton, with the new spot planning to open within that Western Avenue space. The person listed as the manager of the proposed restaurant is Jayson Goldstein, who also is one of the people behind the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which runs Local 149 in South Boston and The Biltmore Bar and Grille in Newton. It is not yet known when The Boyne might close or when the new spot could open; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.

The address for The Boyne (and the proposed new spot) is 458 Western Avenue, Brighton, MA, 02135.

Thanks to a poster on the Chowhound site for bringing this to our attention.

[October 27 update: Eater Boston is reporting (via a Licensing Board page) that the new restaurant coming to The Boyne space will apparently be called Local 458, not Kitchen Sink.]

[January 22, 2015 update: The BostonChefs.com jobs section seems to indicate that the restaurant tentatively called Local 458 will be opening "shortly," and as mentioned in an earlier article, there is apparently another dining spot coming from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, though nothing is known about that spot at this point in time.]

[February 20, 2015 update: Eater Boston mentions (via a new Licensing Board page) that another name change may be taking place, with the upcoming spot now being called Article 24.]

[February 26, 2016 update: A Craigslist job post indicates that Article 24 will open in March, and that it is currently looking for a "rock star opening staff."]

[Earlier article]
Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Local 149, Biltmore) Plans to Open Two More Dining Spots

Mollie Maguire's Pub Opens in Former Union Chowder House Space in South Weymouth

A seafood restaurant on the South Shore has been replaced by an Irish pub.

According to a source over the weekend (and confirmed by a poster on Twitter), Mollie Maguire's Pub is now open in South Weymouth, with the pub moving into the space on Union Street where the Union Chowder House had been. The new dining and drinking spot is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, with items such as an Irish breakfast, clam chowder, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, short rib beef stew, a boiled dinner, grilled salmon, and baked scrod on the menu.

The Union Chowder House had been in business for approximately 25 years.

The address for this new Irish pub in South Weymouth is: Mollie Maguire's Pub, 26 Union Street, South Weymouth, MA, 02190. Its website can be found at http://molliemaguirespub.com/