A Number of Food Spots to Open in Shipping Container Kiosks on the Boston Waterfront

It looks like a handful of dining spots will be coming to a building on the Boston waterfront, and it will include some familiar names.

Eater Boston is reporting (via several social media pages and a term sheet showing the details of the project) that the Innovation and Design Building will become home to Mei Mei, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Yankee Lobster Co., Jubali, and Triangle Coffee, with EB saying that there could be as many as eight kiosks coming there. The food spots will be set up in shipping container kiosks, each of which are approximately 160 square feet in size, with the kiosks being set up as a mini-food hall in the promenade along the Drydock Avenue side of the structure.

[September 3 update: A press release sent today gives more information, including the fact that the eight kiosks will feature other businesses as well--Niche Urban Garden Supply, Drydock Exchange (a hardware store), and Cut-Splice (a salon).]

[November 4 update: A source tells us that Mei Mei and Roxy's Grilled Cheese should be opening within what will be called the Containers at IDB over the next couple of weeks, with the non-food shops possibly opening later this week or sometime next week. (It is not yet known if Yankee Lobster Co., Jubali, and Triangle Coffee will open in the next two weeks as well.)]

[November 10 update: BostInno states that all of the Containers at IDB vendors--including Mei Mei, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Yankee Lobster Co., Jubali, and Triangle Coffee--could open by the end of this week.]

[November 13 update: According to a source, Jubali and Triangle Coffee are now open, with Mei Mei hoping to open on Monday and Roxy's Grilled Cheese opening Thursday. (It is not known when Yankee Lobster Co. might open, though it appears it will be sometime next week.)]

[November 17 update: @BostonTweet states that Mei Mei opens today within the Containers at IDB.]

The landlord of the Innovation and Design Building (Jamestown) has been involved in other food halls, including Chelsea Market in New York.

If all goes as planned, the kiosks could be ready by this fall.

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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]

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Scoop N Scootery Ice Cream Delivery Opening Brick-and-Mortar Spot in Arlington

It looks like the people behind a Somerville-based mobile ice cream delivery and catering business will be opening a permanent shop in the local area.

Eater Boston is reporting (via the company's Facebook page) that Scoop N Scootery Ice Cream Delivery is currently working on signing a lease for a brick-and-mortar location and its business is closed for the time being while they finalize the deal. At this point in time, Founder Austin Crittenden is not yet ready to announce where exactly the shop will be, but it can probably be assumed that their signature ice cream sundaes will be offered once the store becomes reality.

[January 26, 2016 update: A new article from Eater Boston states that the brick-and-mortar location for Scoop N Scootery will be at 112 Mass. Ave. in East Arlington, and that it could be opening as early as later this week. The post also mentions that the business will continue to deliver treats to those within its existing radius.]

[February 4, 2016 update: A Facebook post from Scoop N Scootery indicates that its opening has been delayed, with the place saying that they "hit a major snag in our inspection today. Exposed piping may look awesome but it's a big no no for the health department. So another project and postponed opening for the Scootery team."]

[February 9, 2016 update: A new Facebook post from Scoop N Scootery says that the piping is just about done and the shop should open soon, though no specific date has been given, with the post also saying that "Progress is being made!! Kinda"]

[March 4, 2016 update: Eater Boston mentions that Scoop N Scootery's shop in Arlington is now open, with hours being 3:00 PM to 2:00 AM Tuesday through Sunday.]

According to an earlier article in Boston Magazine, Scoop N Scootery Ice Cream Delivery got its start in 2012 when Crittenden was a student at Tufts University; the company was put on hold a few months later before starting up again last year.

The website for Scoop N Scootery Ice Cream Delivery can be found at http://www.thescoopnscootery.com/

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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]

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El Jefe's Taqueria Is Opening in The Taco Truck Space in Cambridge's Harvard Square

It looks like a brand new Mexican restaurant with a familiar name behind it may be coming to Cambridge, and it would apparently be replacing an existing Mexican dining spot.

Eater Boston is reporting (via the City of Cambridge website) that El Jefe's Taqueria is looking to open in The Garage on Mount Auburn Street in Harvard Square, with the address indicating that it would be taking over the space where The Taco Truck currently resides. The hearing notice mentions that the manager of the proposed eatery is John Schall, who is the founder of Fire + Ice, a small group of custom stir-fry grills/bars that has a location on Church Street in Harvard Square, along with ones in Boston's Back Bay, Providence, Anaheim, CA, and Lake Tahoe, CA.

It is not known when The Taco Truck might close if the license is granted to El Jefe's, nor is it known what their plans are for possible new openings. (An earlier article from a few years back mentioned that the New Jersey-based group of taco restaurants and trucks had been planning to open multiple locations in the Boston area.)

[September 24 update: A new article from Eater Boston states that The Taco Truck has closed its brick-and-mortar restaurant in Cambridge's Harvard Square, and it has also pulled its food truck off the streets of the Boston area. The post mentions that the people behind the group of dining spots and trucks may return at some point, saying that "We hope to be back in the near future." For now, however, they will be focusing on growing their business in their home base of New Jersey.]

[October 26 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe states that El Jefe's Taqueria is now open.]

The address for The Taco Truck (and new El Jefe's Taqueria) is 83 Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138.

[Earlier Articles]
The Taco Truck Is Opening a Restaurant in Cambridge
The Taco Truck Is On Its Way to the Boston Area

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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]

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Jamie Bissonnette, Ken Oringer Open Little Donkey in Cambridge's Central Square

It looks like two of the best-known chefs and restaurateurs in the Boston area will be opening a brand new dining spot in Cambridge.

Eater Boston is reporting that Little Donkey is planning to open on Mass. Ave. in Central Square, with a post from mypublicnotices.com indicating that Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer are behind the restaurant. Very little is currently known about the place, other than the fact that it will have a dining area, a bar, and an outdoor patio, and that it will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner based on its proposed hours. This would be the fourth restaurant from the pair, with Bissonnette and Oringer also operating Coppa and Toro in Boston's South End and another Toro in New York City.

The Cambridge License Commission will hear more about Little Donkey at a hearing on September 8, with the hearing including a request to transfer the liquor license from Takemura in Harvard Square.

The address for this new dining spot in Central Square is: Little Donkey, 505 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

[September 21 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe mentions that Little Donkey will offer "globally inspired small plates," with the restaurant opening sometime in the late spring of 2016.]

[October 1 update: An article from Cambridge Day mentions that a few items that could be on the menu at Little Donkey include snail fried rice, ox cheek pierogi, fried clam torta, crab nachos, BBQ lamb sliders, octopus ceviche, clam garlic bread, deviled eggs, fondue with crudite, and a Thai coffee sundae.]

[July 8, 2016 update: Eater Boston states that Little Donkey plans to open July 18.]

[July 15, 2015 update: A Twitter post from Jamie Bissonnette indicates that Little Donkey is still looking at an official opening on Monday (July 18), but it appears that the restaurant is currently going through a soft opening.]

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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]

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Highlights for the Week Ending August 28, 2015

Several more stories and articles focusing on the Boston-area restaurant scene came out over the past week, including a decades-old candy shop closing, a major blow dealt to a proposed waterfront restaurant, and a popular soup spot being demolished. In addition, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) included a new review of an Italian food shop in South Medford, a photo of ramen from a restaurant in Weston, and an updated review of a bar in North Cambridge.

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

Boston Restaurant Talk

Kingston Station in Downtown Boston Is Closed for Renovations; Status Unknown

Candy Castle in Lexington Is Closing

Federal Judge Rules Against Restaurant at Site of Long Wharf Pavilion

Barney Fanning's in Boston's Financial District Is Apparently Closing; The Times Planning to Move In

New England Soup Factory in Brookline Village Is Closing; Building to Be Demolished

Boston's Hidden Restaurants

New Review: Bob's Italian Foods in Medford, MA

New Photo: Three-Day Pork Ramen from Dumpling Daughter in Weston, MA

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

Updated Review: Joe Sent Me in Cambridge, MA

New Photo: Grilled Beef Vermicelli from Sunrise Restaurant in Dorchester, MA

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Kings, Second Restaurant, iFLY Skydiving Facility Proposed for Shoppers World in Framingham and Natick

A shopping center west of Boston is making plans to add on to its space, with a bowling alley/restaurant complex, a second dining spot, and a skydiving facility being included in the proposal.

Wicked Local Natick is reporting that Shoppers World has filed plans to bring a location of Kings and a separate unnamed restaurant to 19 Flutie Pass in Framingham (between Shoppers World and the Natick Mall), with an indoor skydiving facility called iFLY being included at the site as well, just on the other side of the border in Natick. The article says that the 12.8-acre space being looked at is a vacant lot at the present time, and it had formerly been a snow dump along with commuter parking and overflow parking for the nearby AMC cinema. The Framingham Planning Board is looking to hold a public hearing on the proposed Kings and separate restaurant on September 10, while the Natick Planning Board is looking to hold a hearing on the skydiving facility on September 16.

[September 14 update: A new article in Wicked Local Natick mentions that the Framingham Planning Board was "happy" to hear of the plans for a Kings, a restaurant, and a skydiving facility at Shoppers World, with the public hearing on the project continuing October 1. (As mentioned previously, Natick will be discussing the plans on Wednesday.) The article also notes that a tenant has not been chosen for the restaurant as of yet, with the search continuing.]

[February 24, 2016 update: Wicked Local Natick states that both Kings and the still-unnamed restaurant have been given the green light to open by the town of Framingham, while the skydiving facility has been given the ok by the town of Natick; if all goes well, the complex could open sometime in late 2017.]

Kings currently has locations in Boston's Back Bay, Burlington, Dedham, Lynnfield, Raleigh, NC, Orlando, FL, and Rosemont, IL, with another one coming to Boston's Seaport District in 2017. iFLY, which has facilities in North America, the United Kingdom, and Asia, has a sole New England location in Nashua, NH.

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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]

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