Boston Restaurant Talk

Monday, October 17, 2016

Building Housing Piattini in Boston's Back Bay Hit by Fire

A fire last night in the Back Bay of Boston caused major damage to a Newbury Street building, and one of the businesses affected by the blaze is an Italian eatery and wine bar.

According to several Twitter posts from the Boston Fire Department, the building housing Piattini sustained approximately $900,000 in damage in a fire that reportedly began on the first floor of the structure, with the fire department first getting word of the blaze around 6:18 PM. Based on a tweet from @MstrGoodmorning, it looks like the windows at Piattini--which resides in the basement--were smashed, while one of the Twitter posts from the fire department last night mentioned that Fire Investigators were on the scene to determine the cause of the blaze. A Facebook post from the restaurant says "Fire is out, happy to report everyone is fine. Big Thank you to our chef Luis for helping evacuate the building. Fire started in the Gallery above us. Thank you for all the well wishes ...we love you!"

It is not yet known how long Piattini might be closed, nor is it known the exact extent of the damage to the place.

The address for Piattini is 226 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116. Its website can be found at http://piattini.com/

[December 1 update: According to a press release, Piattini will reopen early this month and it have a redesigned interior as well as an updated menu and expanded beverage program.]

[December 15 update: A Facebook post mentions that Piattini is now waiting on final inspections and that it hopes to open by the end of this week or early next week.]

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Tous Les Jours Is Opening in Allston

Last fall, we reported that a Korea-based group of French-Asian bakeries was looking to open in Allston, only to have the plans fall through. Now we have learned that the plans are back on, though it will be opening in a different space nearby.

Eater Boston mentions that Tous Les Jours is looking to open on Harvard Avenue, with the address indicating that it will be moving into a space within sight of the space it had been eyeing previously, which ended up becoming a location of Five Guys. Once it opens, the new bakery will join two other outlets in the region--one on Tremont Street in downtown Boston and another within H-Mart in Burlington.

Tous Les Jours offers a variety of baked goods, pastries, and other items, including breads, pies, cakes, sandwiches, coffee, tea, and smoothies.

The address for this upcoming French-Asian bakery in Allston is: Tous Les Jours, 150-152 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA, 02134. The website for the business can be found at http://www.tljus.com/

[July 11, 2017 update: It appears that the new Tous Les Jours may be getting close to opening, as a tweet from yesterday shows that a sign is now up for the place.]

[August 18, 2017 update: Eater Boston states that Tous Les Jours is now open in Allston.]

[Earlier Article]
Tous Les Jours Is Opening in Downtown Boston

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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]

Figs in Boston's Beacon Hill Remains Closed After Fire Earlier This Month

A week and a half after a fire hit a Beacon Hill dining spot owned by a celebrity chef, the place remains closed and it is not known when it might reopen again.

A check on the spot indicates that Todd English's Figs is locked up and dark, with a note out front at the Charles Street restaurant saying "Due to a small fire, we will be closed temporarily until further notice," while it refers customers to the Figs location on Main Street in Charlestown--and it also says it is offering delivery to the Beacon Hill area from that location. An earlier post from Universal Hub mentioned that this was a fire in the ductwork that extended up to the roof, noting that a duct fire in 2010 is also what ended up leading to the permanent closure of another Todd English restaurant--Olives in Charlestown.

As soon as we find out when Figs in Beacon Hill might reopen again, we will post an update here.

The address for Figs is 42 Charles Street, Boston, MA, 02114. The website for both locations can be found at https://toddenglishfigs.com/

[December 29 update: A check on the place indicates that Figs is still closed.]

[May 8, 2017 update: More than a half year after it closed due to a small fire, Figs on Beacon Hill remains locked up and dark, according to a source.]

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]

Plans Fall Through Yet Again for the Windsor Button Space in Boston's Downtown Crossing

Last month we reported that an iconic space in downtown Boston could finally be getting a restaurant after a series of plans fell through, but now we have learned that this will not be happening after all.

According to a source, the former Windsor Button space in Downtown Crossing now has a sign up saying "Restaurant or Retail Space for Lease," several weeks after a proposal was put in place--and then withdrawn--for a dining spot called Niku Ramen to open at the Temple Place site. This is the same space that The Painted Burro in Somerville's Davis Square had been looking at, along with another restaurant called Cut and Sew, and we have been told that other people had been looking at the space as well only to decide against opening a place there.

Windsor Button had been in operation for nearly 80 years until it closed in 2013.

[Earlier Articles]
Niku Ramen Could Open in Former Windsor Button Space in Boston's Downtown Crossing
New Restaurant Proposed for Boston's Downtown Crossing
The Painted Burro to Open in Boston's Downtown Crossing
Plans for The Painted Burro to Open in Boston's Downtown Crossing Have Apparently Fallen Through

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]

La Fabrica Is Replacing Monroe in Cambridge's Central Square

It looks like a Cambridge restaurant and nightclub that was was hit by a suspension from the city will not be reopening, instead being replaced by a new place from a person behind three dining spots in Boston.

According to a License Commission Hearing Agenda page within the city's website, a transfer of the liquor license for Monroe in Central Square (which is listed under the old name "Moksa") to La Fabrica will be looked at next week, with the manager listed for the proposed spot being Nivia Pina, who is co-owner of Vejigantes on West Dedham Street in Boston's South End, Merengue on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, and Dona Habana in Newmarket Square. The listing states that La Fabrica hopes to include a front bar and lounge area, a dining room with a small bar, a function room with a stage and a large bar, and two patios.

Monroe, which replaced Moksa and Naga earlier this year, was hit by a suspension this summer after being the site of a series of violent incidents, and the place never reopened.

The address for La Fabrica will be 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

[October 17 update: Wicked Local Cambridge states that La Fabrica will be a family-friendly restaurant that offers food with Spanish-Caribbean influences, with a ceviche bar being part of the plans along with Latin jazz. If all goes well, the new dining spot could be open in a couple of months.]

[February 24, 2017 update: Eater Boston says that La Fabrica is now open, with its exact name being La Fabrica Central.]

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]

Cosi in Boston's South Station Has Closed

It looks like a troubled Boston-based chain of dining spots continues to scale back, as it has shut down another one of its locations.

A check on its website indicates that the South Station outlet of Cosi is no longer in business, as its page has been deleted and it is no longer listed in the locations section of the site. (A Yelp post seems to confirm this as well.) This comes a few weeks after the chain closed its Back Bay location--and subsequently filed for bankruptcy, had its stock delisted, and put its assets up for sale.

Locations of Cosi on Federal Street, High Street, Milk Street, and State Street in downtown Boston--along with the Seaport District, Logan Airport (2), and Cambridge's Kendall Square remain in operation for now.

[Earlier Articles]
Cosi Seeks to Sell Its Assets in What Could Be an Auction
Cosi to Be Delisted from The Nasdaq Stock Market
Cosi Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Cosi in Boston's Back Bay Has Closed

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]