Boston Restaurant Talk

Monday, November 16, 2015

Dairy Castle/Route 1 Miniature Golf in Saugus Has Closed for Good

Yet another iconic spot on an infamous stretch of highway has shut down.

According to a message on its voicemail, Route 1 Miniature Golf in Saugus (which is also home to the Dairy Castle ice cream stand, batting cages, and an arcade) is now closed for good, with yesterday apparently being its final day in operation. A few months ago, we had reported that the place was being sold and that a hotel/apartment development would be moving in, with the people behind the entertainment complex saying a few weeks later that they expected to remain open until late October or early November, depending on the weather.

It is still not known what might become of the legendary orange dinosaur out front, though the developer who purchased the property has hinted that he would be open to keeping it at the site.

The Route 1 Miniature Golf complex, which had been in business in 1958, is just one of several landmark spots to close and/or be torn down over recent times, with the Hilltop Steak House, Donatello's, and Weylu's--the latter of which was demolished in September after being closed for more than 15 years--being among them.

[Earlier Article]
Dairy Castle/Route 1 Miniature Golf in Saugus to Be Sold; Hotel/Apartment Complex to Move In

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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]

Friday, November 13, 2015

Waffle Cabin Is Opening in Cambridge's Kendall Square

A Vermont-based Belgian waffle concept with locations at ski areas in the Northeast and elsewhere is coming to the Boston area.

An email sent today indicates that Waffle Cabin is opening a location at the outdoor ice rink in Cambridge's Kendall Square, taking over the Moo-Moo's ice cream/frozen yogurt kiosk for the winter season. This will be one the fourth "cabin" in Massachusetts, with the others being at Bradford in Haverhill, Nashoba Valley in Westford, and Wachusett in Princeton.

According to the email, the new Waffle Cabin in Kendall Square will be open seven days a week starting in December. (The rink is located on Athenaeum Street between Second Street and Third Street.)

[December 17 update: According to its Twitter page, the new Waffle Cabin in Kendall Square is now open.]

The website for Waffle Cabin can be found at http://www.wafflecabin.com

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Breakfast Dishes/Items from Restaurants in the Boston Area and Beyond]

Cafe, WGBH Radio Studio to Be Set Up in Boston Public Library

One of the Back Bay's most iconic buildings is going to be getting a new cafe--and a radio studio.

The Boston Globe is reporting that the Boston Public Library will be the site of an all-day cafe and a WGBH satellite studio, with both being on the first floor of the Johnson Building. The article says that the upcoming Newsfeed Cafe will probably offer both grab-and-go and counter service food/drink, and it will be run by the same company (Catered Affair) that operates the Courtyard Restaurant and the Map Room Cafe in the McKim Building. The satellite location of WGBH will likely record segments for various TV and radio programs along with podcasts, and it may also collaborate with the library on programming for children.

If all goes as planned, both the new cafe and the radio studio should be up and running by next summer.

[September 27, 2016 update: A new article from The Boston Globe mentions that the Newsfeed Cafe and WGBH's satellite studio will make their debut at the Boston Public Library on Friday, September 30.]

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

Bee's Knees Supply Company in Boston's Fort Point Is Apparently Up for Sale

It looks like a gourmet market in one of Boston's hottest neighborhoods is on the selling block.

According to a post on the Craigslist site. a "High-End Market &amp Cafe" is up for sale, with the photos included in the post showing the interior of Bee's Knees Supply Company on Farnsworth Street in the city's Fort Point area. The listing says that the retail beer and wine license would be included in the price, and the reason given for the store being sold is because of a "partnership dispute."

Bee's Knees first opened in Fort Point in March of 2013, with the shop including an extensive grocery area as well as a deli and cafe. A second shop opened on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston this summer, and a source tells us that that location will remain in operation.

The address for Bee's Knees Supply Company in Fort Point is 12 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA, 02210. Its website can be found at http://www.beeskneessupply.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

Burlington Beer Works Plans to Open in Former Outback Steakhouse Space

A local group of restaurants and brewpubs continues to expand through the Greater Boston area, with a new one now being planned for a space north of Boston where a popular location of a restaurant chain had been.

According to an article in the Daily Times Chronicle, Burlington Beer Works is looking to open in the former Outback Steakhouse space in the Burlington Crossroads shopping center on Cambridge Street. The article says that the town approved of its plans this week, though with the continued permitting process and upcoming construction, the place probably won't be ready to open until the middle of 2016.

Existing locations of Beer Works including ones near Boston's North Station, in the Fenway, at Logan Airport, and in Framingham, Hingham, Lowell, and Salem.

The address for this planned restaurant and brewpub in Burlington is: Burlington Beer Works, 34 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA, 01803. The website for the company can be found at http://www.beerworks.net/

[January 3, 2018 update: More than two years after first being announced, Burlington Beer Works has still not opened, and a new article in the Daily Times Chronicle mentions that town selectmen are not pleased about this, taking action by recently having a revocation hearing that focused on the unused liquor license. The post says that the planning board will look into the granting of a building permit for the place tomorrow (Thursday, January 4) and that if approved, construction would apparently commence immediately, while selectmen have allowed "mercy" to Burlington Beer Works, continuing the liquor license discussion via a meeting on January 22, and its decision will be based on the decision made by the planning board this week. (An attorney for the restaurant group says that the plan is to open Burlington Beer Works this June.)]

[Related Articles]
Outback Steakhouse in Burlington Has Closed
Waltham Beer Works Getting Closer to Opening in Former Watch City Space

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

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

Addis Red Sea in Boston's South End Is Up for Sale

An Ethiopian restaurant in Boston's South End that has been in business for more than a quarter century is on the market.

According to a source (Aaron Gong), Addis Red Sea on Tremont Street is up for sale, with a couple of listings (including a listing on the Castles Unlimited site) confirming this, saying that the business/space is indeed for sale at a price of $300,000. The listing indicates that the space is being sold "as is" and "as sold" and that existing fixtures and equipment are part of the deal, and the restaurant's existing beer and license is also mentioned as well. [Ed note: Listing no longer up as of April 26, 2016.]

Addis Red Sea, which first opened in the late 1980s, also had a location on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, though that spot closed in 2013 after being open for only a brief amount of time. The original South End eatery has been featured on our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants), with the review being at the link below:

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

The address for Addis Red Sea is 544 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02116.

[April 26, 2016 update: According to a poster on the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, the phone number for Addis Red Sea in the South End is not working, with a call placed this afternoon indicating that it is indeed temporarily out of service. As soon as we find out the exact status of the restaurant, we will post another update here.]

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.]