Sofa Cafe in Boston's Back Bay Is Moving to Framingham

A cafe in Boston's Back Bay is leaving the city for the suburbs.

According to a Facebook post from the place, Sofa Cafe on Newbury Street is moving to the downtown section of Framingham, with the note saying that "Our new location will enable us to serve our clients better: we will have more space; our own Kitchen where we will prepare and cook our New Signature Menu; a Roasting System, where we will roast our own beans directly brought from Brazil right at the store." The Back Bay cafe thanks its friends, clients, and neighbors for their support over the past couple of years, and tells customers to keep checking back on its blog and Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on when it will open in Framingham.

Sofa Cafe first opened on Newbury Street in April of 2014, offering salads, sandwiches, baked goods, coffee, and more. The shop is part of a chain that started out in 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is the only location in the United States.

The address for the original location of Sofa Cafe is 217 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116, while the new address will be 181 Concord Street, Framingham, MA, 01702. Its website can be found at http://sofacafeusa.com/

[November 7 update: Eater Boston states that Sofa Cafe on Newbury Street is now closed, with the place hoping to reopen in Framingham possibly between late December and mid-January.]

[March 29, 2017 update: A new article from Eater Boston mentions that Sofa Cafe plans to open in Framingham on April 8.]

[April 12, 2017 update: A Facebook post from the place indicates that Sofa Cafe is now open in Framingham, though it is only doing takeout for now.]

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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]

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Cheeseboy Closes Its South Station Location

A group of restaurants that features grilled cheese sandwiches has closed one of its Boston locations.

According to a poster on the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, the South Station location of Cheeseboy is gone, with a Facebook post from the place confirming that it has indeed shut down. It appears that the remaining locations of the eatery in Downtown Crossing, at the Natick Mall, and at the service areas in Darien (2) and Milford, CT are still in business.

Cheeseboy first opened at South Station in October of 2010, joining the original location in Milford; in addition to the South Station shop closing, the group of eateries has also closed a few other locations over the past few years as well, including in Braintree, the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay, Providence, and West Nyack, NY.

The website for Cheeseboy can be found at  http://cheeseboy.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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Samurai in Boston's Back Bay Is Closed; Exact Status Unknown

A Japanese and Korean restaurant in the Back Bay of Boston is shuttered, and it is not known if/when it might reopen again.

According to a poster on the Chowhound site, Samurai on Boylston Street has apparently closed, with the dining spot being locked up since at least the latter part of last week. The poster says that someone at the adjacent Chili Duck believes it is a permanent closure, though this has not yet been confirmed, and phone calls placed to the dining spot have been unsuccessful today (the phone rings without going to voicemail).

Samurai, which opened approximately ten years ago, has been known in part for its sushi, while also offering Japanese and Korean meals such as teriyaki, bi bim bop, katsu, tempura, and udon and soba options.

The address for Samurai is 827 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02116.

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

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America's Test Kitchen Files Lawsuit Against Christopher Kimball

It looks like the split between a local food media outlet and its co-founder could be taking a nasty turn.

The Boston Globe is reporting that the Brookline-based America's Test Kitchen (ATK) has filed a lawsuit against Christopher Kimball, citing that he "literally and conceptually ripped off" the company by creating a new business called Milk Street while still being paid by America's Test Kitchen, and using the recipes and databases of ATK in a way so Milk Street would be a direct competitor. A lawyer who represents Kimball declined to comment because he had not taken a look at the lawsuit as of yesterday.

In the fall of 2015, Kimball said goodbye to America's Test Kitchen after a change of leadership took place a couple of months earlier. He subsequently went on to launch what was originally called Milk Street Kitchen, though it now appears to be simply called Milk Street, according to the Globe. Much like ATK, Milk Street has a magazine along with television and radio shows, and it also includes a cooking school.

[Earlier Articles]
Christopher Kimball to Leave America's Test Kitchen
Update: Christopher Kimball (Founder of America's Test Kitchen) to Launch Milk Street Kitchen

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Flour Opens in Cambridge's Harvard Square

The person behind a local group of bakery-cafes has opened a brand new location in one of the busiest parts of Cambridge.

A Facebook post from the place confirms that Flour opens today in Harvard Square, moving into a space on Mt. Auburn Street just west of Brattle Square. This is the fifth location of Joanne Chang's group of eateries, and two more are on the way, including one at 30 Dalton in Boston's Back Bay and another on Erie Street in Cambridgeport.

Other locations of Flour can be found in Boston's South End, Back Bay, Fort Point, and Cambridge's Central Square.

The address for the new location of Flour is 114 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for all locations can be found at http://www.flourbakery.com/

[Earlier Articles]
Joanne Chang to Open Three New Locations of Flour
A Fifth Location of Flour Is In the Works

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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]

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Villa Rosa in Quincy Offers to Redeem Customer Gift Cards

The future of a Quincy institution that closed over the summer remains unknown, but it is now doing something that not too many shuttered dining spots do.

According to a post within the Quincy Is Everything Facebook group page, Villa Rosa on Adams Street has a note up in the window out front that says it is offering to redeem the gift cards of customers, saying to mail them with a name and address to the restaurant itself in order to receive a check for the amount of the gift card(s). Villa Rosa shut down for renovations in late June but never reopened, and while there has been chatter that the dining spot could reopen again, it is also possible that the place could end up being sold.

Villa Rosa first opened approximately 65 years ago and was known over the years as a family-friendly Italian restaurant that offered pizza, pasta dishes, veal and chicken options, and more.

The address for Villa Rosa is 703 Adams Street, Quincy, MA, 02169, which is where the gift cards should be sent.

[Earlier Articles]
Villa Rosa in Quincy Has Closed
Villa Rosa in Quincy May Be Reopening

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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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