Boston Restaurant Talk

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Island Creek Oyster Bar to Open in Burlington

A popular seafood restaurant in Boston's Kenmore Square neighborhood is expanding, with a second location coming to an upcoming development in Burlington.

Boston Magazine is reporting that a new Island Creek Oyster Bar is going to open at a complex called The District, a 13-building development that is going to be a "walkable, urban-style destination with amenities." (No specific information has been given on the exact location of The District.) The article says that Jeremy Sewall of ICOB is behind the new spot, along with partners Skip Bennett, Shore Gregory, and Garrett Harker, and Jackson Cannon will be heading up the cocktail/bar program.

[May 20 update: According to several sources--including food/drinks writer @RichardPF--The District is actually a rebranding of New England Executive Park, which is located between the Burlington Mall and the Lahey Clinic just north of Route 128. Richard sent a few pages and blueprints, including a letter showing that Island Creek Oyster Bar will be located at the site of 1 and 3 New England Executive Park and it will have 8,500 square feet of space, seating for 268, and an outdoor patio during the warmer months.]

If all goes as planned, the new Island Creek Oyster Bar in Burlington should be open sometime next year.

[July 13 update: According to an article in the Burlington Union, Island Creek Oyster Bar has received a special permit to open at The District. (The post also says that it plans to open next summer.)]

[November 2, 2016 update: A new article in the Burlington Union indicates that Island Creek Oyster Bar opens in Burlington tomorrow (Thursday, November 3).]

The address for the original ICOB is 500 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215. The website for the restaurant can be found at http://islandcreekoysterbar.com/

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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

Highlights for the Week Ending May 15, 2015

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including a Scottish-style sports bar coming to the Fenway, a new spot from a well-known restaurateur opening in Cambridge, and an iconic slush shop giving people a brief scare. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included an updated review of a bar in Quincy, a photo of steamed buns from a Chinese spot in Weston, and a question on fried clams in New England.

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

Boston Restaurant Talk

Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery to Open in Boston's Fenway Neighborhood

Uno Due Go to Expand; Another Location Planned for Boston

Waypoint Plans to Open in Cambridge

Richie's Slush Shop in Everett Announces That It Will Reopen

CuppaCoffee to Open in Boston's Back Bay

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

Updated Review: Darcy's Village Pub in Quincy, MA

New Photo: Steamed Beef with Minced Onion Buns from Dumpling Daughter in Weston, MA

Question: Favorite Fried Clams in New England?

Updated Review: Back Bay Bagel Company in Brockton, MA

New Photo: Hamburger Pizza from Darcy's Village Pub in Quincy, MA

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

Flat Black Coffee Is Opening on the Boston Waterfront

A local group of espresso bars is expanding again, this time opening a shop by the Boston waterfront.

According to a Twitter post from @ConciergeBoston, Flat Black Coffee is planning to open on State Street by the New England Aquarium and Long Wharf, taking over the space where a location of Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream had been. Once it opens, the new shop will join others on Broad Street, Franklin Street, and High Street in downtown Boston, along with Dorchester Avenue and Washington Street in Dorchester.

[December 23 update: According to a post from Eater Boston, the new Flat Black Coffee is now open on the Boston waterfront.]

According to its website, Flat Black is the largest independently-owned roaster, wholesaler, and retailer of specialty coffees in the city of Boston.

The address for this new location of Flat Black Coffee is 255 State Street, Boston, MA, 02109. The website for the business can be found at http://flatblackcoffee.com/

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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

7-Eleven to Acquire Tedeschi Food Shops

A Dallas-based chain of convenience stores is going to be taking over a local group of food shops.

The Boston Business Journal is reporting that 7-Eleven Inc. has worked out a deal to acquire the Rockland-based Tedeschi chain, though it is not known if Tedeschi will disappear from the map by way of a rebranding, or if the name will remain. The article says that it is also not known if any of the shops will close, but 7-Eleven is planning to extend job offers to most Tedeschi workers. Currently, 182 locations of Tedeschi Food Shops can be found in the Greater Boston area and New Hampshire, while nearly 10,500 7-Eleven shops can be found throughout the country.

Tedeschi Food Shops first started out in Rockland in 1923 as a small store that was located within founder's Angelo Tedeschi's home, according to the company website.

The BBJ says that the deal to purchase Tedeschi should be finalized sometime in the middle of the year.

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

[Note: Please join the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook Group Page to get more info on dining spots and also chat with others about Boston-area restaurants.]

Monday, May 18, 2015

Pierrot Bistrot in Boston's Beacon Hill to Become Ma Maison

A French restaurant in the Beacon Hill section of Boston is going to be morphing into a new spot, and the person taking over the kitchen has been a fixture of the local restaurant scene for a number of years.

Eater Boston is reporting that Pierrot Bistrot on Cambridge Street is going to become Ma Maison starting June 1, with Jacky Robert heading up the kitchen of the spot. The exact changes to the space have not been given as of yet, with a Facebook post simply mentioning that it will have "even more delicious French food, unique daily specials and a new cocktail list!"

Jacky Robert is known for his Petit Robert Bistro restaurants--two of which remain in the South End and Needham--and he was also Executive Chef at both the now-closed Locke-Ober and Maison Robert, the latter of which was started by his uncle and aunt.

The address for Pierrot Bistrot (and soon, Ma Maison) is 272 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, 02114.

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

[Note: Please join the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook Group Page to get more info on dining spots and also chat with others about Boston-area restaurants.]

Dumpling Palace Opens in Boston's Back Bay

A new restaurant has come to the Back Bay of Boston, and it appears to be connected to a highly-rated eatery in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.

According to a Twitter post from @TheDrewStarr along with posts on the Chowhound site, Dumpling Palace is now open on Mass. Ave., taking over the space where Nan Ling had been. Both posts seem to indicate that the new dining spot is affiliated with Dumpling Cafe, a Chinese and Taiwanese place on Washington Street that offers a variety of dumplings and steamed buns along with an extensive list of other entrees, and it appears that Dumpling Palace has a long and varied menu as well.

The Dumpling Cafe has received excellent reviews since opening five years ago, with Boston Magazine awarding it best spot for dumplings back in 2013.

The address for this new eatery in the Back Bay is: Dumpling Palace, 179 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115.

[Earlier Article]
Dumpling Cafe Opens on the Edge of Boston's Chinatown

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

[New article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Food Items from Asian Restaurants in the Boston Area]