Boston Restaurant Talk

Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Prudential Center Food Court Sets Closing Date of June 25 to Make Way for Eataly

In April, we reported that a food court in Boston's Back Bay would be shutting down in preparation for an Italian emporium to take over the space. Now we have learned when it will be closing.

A note from the Shops at Prudential Twitter page says that the food court at the Prudential Center is tentatively scheduled to close after business hours on June 25, which confirms some rumors about this date indeed being when it would shutter. As mentioned earlier, celebrity chef/restaurateur Mario Batali and his business partners will be opening a location of Eataly in that space and beyond, as it will be on three floors and have 45,000 square feet of space, with a rooftop restaurant being part of the plans. It appears that the marketplace will be ready to open by the middle to latter part of 2016, joining its flagship U.S. location in Manhattan and a store in Chicago (a number of other locations can be found in other parts of the world as well).

Some of the dining spots located at the food court at the Pru include Panda Express, Boston Chowda Co, Cheeseboy, Gourmet India, Flamers, and Pizzeria Regina.

[June 25 update: A new post from the Prudential Center website confirms that the food court will indeed be closing at the end of business hours today.]

[Earlier Article]
Mario Batali's Eataly Will Open at the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay

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

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Highlights for the Week Ending May 29, 2015

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including an award-winning Cambridge restaurant announcing that it will close, a shake-up coming to the North End dining scene, and two Boston-area spots being included on Esquire's best bars list. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included a new review of a South Shore burger bar, a photo of boneless tenders from a Quincy pub, and a question on lobster in New England.

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

Boston Restaurant Talk

Hungry Mother in Cambridge's Kendall Square Is Closing

Lord Hobo Brew Pub Planning to Open at 2 Canal Park in Cambridge

Shake-Up Coming to North End Restaurant Scene; Pompei, Mare, Il Panino Involved

Checkers Drive-In to Open Up to 50 Restaurants in the Boston Area and Elsewhere in Massachusetts

Esquire's 2015 Best Bars in America List Includes State Park in Cambridge, J.J. Foley's in Boston's South End

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

New Review: KKatie's Burger Bar in Marshfield, MA

New Photo: Buffalo Chicken Tenders from Darcy's Village Pub in Quincy, MA

Question: Best Places for Steamed/Boiled Lobster in New England?

Updated Review: Ittyo in Cambridge, MA

New Photo: Corn Fritters from Tony's Clam Shop in Quincy, MA

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Jimmy John's Is Opening in South Braintree Square

An Illinois-based chain of gourmet sandwich shops continues its expansion into the Greater Boston area, with a new one coming to a town center in the suburbs.

A recent check on the space indicates that Jimmy John's is opening in South Braintree Square, taking over the Washington Street space where a deli and sandwich shop called That's Italian used to be. An earlier article in the Braintree Forum confirms this, mentioning at the time of publication (February 24) that it was planning to open early this summer. Once it does open, the new Jimmy John's will join four existing locations in Boston (D Street in Southie, Park Drive in the Audubon Circle area, Valenti Way by North Station, and Western Avenue in Allston-Brighton). Another one is being planned for Waltham as well, though it is not known when that shop might open.

[September 2 update: A check on the place indicates that the new Jimmy John's in South Braintree Square is now open.]

Jimmy John's first opened in Charleston, IL in 1983 and now has more than 2,000 locations across the country.

The address for this new sandwich shop in Waltham is: Jimmy John's, 911 Washington Street, Braintree, MA, 02184. The website for the chain can be found at https://www.jimmyjohns.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]

Monday, June 01, 2015

The Shebeen (a Mobile Irish Pub) to Come to Boston

A new Irish pub is on its way to Boston, and this one will certainly be the first of its kind in the region, if not the entire country.

Boston Magazine is reporting that a tiny mobile pub called The Shebeen is expected to debut somewhere in the city in July, with a couple of unnamed local restaurateurs getting the trailer from cabinetmaker John Walsh of Galway, whose original Shebeen pub is used for events, parties, and promotions in Ireland. The article says that the pub, which will be 17 feet long and seating for 10, will have a thatch roof, fake brick walls, a wooden floor, Irish memorabilia, and two draft lines at the bar.

Walsh and his team will be building more mobile pubs to ship to Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, according to Boston Magazine.

The website for The Shebeen can be found at http://www.theshebeen.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Good Places to Get Beer in the Boston Area]

Liquiteria Opens in Cambridge's Harvard Square

A New York-based juicery has opened its first Boston-area shop, and it is located in one of the busiest parts of Cambridge.

According to a press release, Liquiteria opens today on Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square, with the address indicating that it is taking over the space by Church Street where The Body Shop had been. The release says that in addition to cold-pressed juices and made-to-order smoothies, the new shop also offers breakfast pastries, acai bowls, and grab-and-go snacks and salads. Hours for Liquiteria in Harvard Square are 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekends.

Liquiteria opened its first location in NYC's East Village in 1996 and currently has five locations in Manhattan. It is considered one of America's original cold-pressed juice and smoothie bars.

The address for this new juicery in Harvard Square is: Liquiteria, 1440 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138. Its website can be found at http://www.liquiteria.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]

Former Boston Herald Writer Laura Raposa to Open The Foodsmith in Duxbury

It looks like a well-known local newspaper writer is going to be opening her very own food shop on the South Shore.

According to a Facebook post, former Boston Herald columnist Laura Raposa is planning to open The Foodsmith, a bakery and "take-away" lunch place that will be located in Duxbury's Halls Corner. The note says that Raposa is looking to open the shop this summer, and that she and her husband are currently working on getting the Standish Street space ready (including doing some painting over the past weekend).

[August 25 update: A new Facebook thread indicates that The Foodsmith opens its doors tomorrow (Wednesday. August 26) at 7:00 AM.]

Laura Raposa worked for The Boston Herald for more than 30 years, including more than 20 of those as a co-columnist (along with Gayle Fee) for the Inside Track. She said farewell to the paper in the spring of 2013 in order to focus on her cooking and some other ventures, according to an earlier Herald article . Raposa was once interviewed on our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants), with the topic being mainly on favorite dining spots in the Boston area and beyond; a link to the chat can be found here:

Discussion with Laura Raposa on Favorite Restaurants

The address for this new bakery and lunch spot in Duxbury is: The Foodsmith, 17 Standish Street, Duxbury, MA, 02332.

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]