Boston Restaurant Talk

Juicy Spot Cafe Is Opening in Boston's Chinatown

A pair of New York-based cafes will be joined by a third shop in Boston this week, and the new place will feature a type of ice cream treat that made its way into the city last year.

Eater Boston is reporting that Juicy Spot Cafe is opening in Chinatown tomorrow, with the Tyler Street shop featuring Thai ice cream rolls. According to Juicy Spot's website, the sweet treat (which is also known as stir-fried ice cream) is made on a sub-zero "anti-griddle" and includes flavors such as chocolate chip espresso, watermelon lychee, cookie butter, creme de papaya, and more. Once it opens, the new store will join one other Boston spot that features ice cream rolls--Hi B3ar Ice Cream Rolls in Allston--along with a kiosk called Frollz at the Square One Mall in Saugus. (The NYC locations of Juicy Spot Cafe can be found in the Lower East Side and in Chinatown.)

The address for this new spot in Chinatown is: Juicy Spot Cafe, 16 Tyler Street, Boston, MA, 02111. The website for the existing locations in New York is at http://www.juicyspotcafe.com

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Desserts from Boston-Area and New England Spots]

Oath Craft Pizza Is Opening in Brookline's Coolidge Corner

A growing group of pizzerias that got its start on Nantucket Island is going to be opening another Boston-area location, with this one being in one of the busiest parts of Brookline.

According to a source, Oath Craft Pizza is planning to open in Coolidge Corner, with an earlier planning board meeting confirming what the source said, that it will be opening near the corner of Beacon Street and Harvard Street in the former Walgreens space. (A page within the Oath website shows that it will be opening as well.) Once it opens, the new pizzeria will join other locations in Boston's South Station, Somerville's Davis Square, and Chestnut Hill Square on the Newton/Brookline border, along with the original on Straight Wharf in Nantucket.

The website for all of the locations of Oath can be found at http://oathpizza.com/

[March 3 update: Eater Boston confirms (via a board of selectmen hearing page) that Oath will indeed be moving into the Walgreens space; the planning board meeting above had the address as 1331 Beacon Street, with the hearing page showing the correct address as 276 Harvard Street.]

[March 31 update: According to an email, Oath Craft Pizza will open its new shop in Coolidge Corner on April 6, and to celebrate its opening, half of the cost of each diner's meal will be on the house that day at that location.]

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

Jasmine Taste of Persia in Watertown Has Apparently Closed

A Watertown restaurant that has been featured as a hidden gem on our sister site appears to have closed its doors.

According to several sources, Jasmine Taste of Persia on Mt. Auburn Street is locked up and papered over, with one poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page saying that a "For Rent" sign is displayed out front. Phone calls placed to the dining spot have gone unanswered, and its website shows no indication of its closure; as soon as we find out why Jasmine has shuttered, we will post an update here.

Jasmine Taste of Persia has been a spot that Boston's Hidden Restaurants featured as an under-the-radar spot to go to for Iranian and Middle Eastery fare, with the review being found at this link:

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

The address for Jasmine Taste of Persia is 580 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA, 02472.

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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]

Aurum Closes in Jamaica Plain; Owner to Focus on Catering, Wholesale and Pop-Ups

A Jamaica Plain restaurant that offered hand pies has shut down, but the business itself is not going away.

Boston Magazine is reporting that Aurum in Hyde Square is closed, with owner Matthew Virzi deciding to shift the focus to catering, wholesale, and pop-up events across New England. The article mentions that Virzi's Syrian hand pies could soon find their way into stores--though the main focus will apparently be on catering--and the pop-ups could get going sometime this spring.

Aurum first opened in JP in January of 2014 in the space where Kennedy's Fried Chicken had once been.

The address for the now-closed Aurum restaurant was 377A Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130. The website for Aurum can be found at http://www.aurumjp.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Sandwiches from Restaurants in the Boston Area and Elsewhere in New England]

Steam Flavor Opens in Former Power Cafe Space in Watertown

A new Brazilian restaurant has come to the western suburbs of Boston, and it takes over the space where a cafe that was staffed and run by people with disabilities had been.

The Watertown TAB is reporting that Steam Flavor is now open in Watertown, moving into the former Power Cafe space on Lexington Street. The article says that the new dining spot offers a buffet that includes local cuts of beef, chicken, and pork along with a salad bar, with diners weighing their plates and being charged $7.49 per pound. According to the article, Steam Flavor co-owner Roni Louzada hopes to open more locations of Steam Flavor, focusing on neighborhoods that have a Brazilian population but are not well-represented with Brazilian dining spots.

Power Cafe closed last fall after being in business for approximately a year.

The address for the new Steam Flavor is 45 Lexington Street, Watertown, MA, 02472. Its website can be found at http://steamflavorrestaurant.com/

[Earlier Article]
Power Cafe in Watertown Has Closed

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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]

Caffe Nero to Open Near Boston University

A chain of European-style coffee places continues to expand into the Boston area, with a shop on the way that should be popular with college students.

According to a couple of sources, Caffe Nero is planning to open on Commonwealth Avenue over by Boston University and just east of Packard's Corner, with a message from the chain saying that an opening date has not been given as of yet, though they will let us know when they do have one. Once the new location opens, it will join a number of other outlets in the local area, including Downtown Crossing, the South End, Fort Point, Longwood, Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Cambridge's Central Square, Andover, and Wellesley, along with upcoming shops in Somerville's Assembly Row and Arlington. [Ed note--the Arlington location is now open.]

Caffe Nero is a London-based chain of coffeehouses that opened its first Boston-area location in the spring of 2014.

The address for the new Caffe Nero by Boston University is 1047 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.The website for the chain can be found at http://www.caffenero.com/

[July 21 update: According to a Twitter post from the company, the new Caffe Nero by BU soft-opens tomorrow from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM with free coffee being served.]

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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]