Boston Restaurant Talk

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Sun Sun Supermarket in Boston's Chinatown Has Closed

A decades-old grocery store in Boston that was one of the last of the independents in the city's downtown area has shut down.

According to an article from the Boston Chinatown Blog from back in September, it appeared that Sun Sun Company on Oxford Street was going to be closing at that time, with a message sent from the author of the post telling us this week that the market has indeed shuttered. A Chowhound post indicates that Sun Sun may have closed sometime in early October but an exact date for its closure is not known.

The Boston Chinatown Blog says that Sun Sun was "one of the first Chinese Supermarkets in Boston's Chinatown if not the first. And...one of the last old school style mom and pop supermarkets to last." The Manta site states that it was established in 1964, though it may have been even older than that, based on information from a Google search.

The address for Sun Sun Company was 18-20 Oxford Street, Boston, MA, 02111.

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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]

Rooftop Restaurant May Be Coming to Kenmore Square in Boston's Fenway

A new hotel is being proposed for a section of Boston that continues to be redeveloped, and the hotel may include a dining spot that would presumably have great views.

The Boston Hospitality and Tourism Industry Blog is reporting (via bldup.com) that Mark Development is looking to build a hotel at the site of the Citizens Bank building at the Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square, with the tower having a roof deck restaurant along with retail space on the ground floor. Plans for the development are expected to be filed with the Boston Planning & Development Agency this fall.

The address for the proposed hotel (and rooftop restaurant) is 560 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215.

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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]

McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square Has Been Purchased by Broadway Marketplace in Cambridge

A landmark butcher shop that declared bankruptcy last year and subsequently squelched rumors that it was closing has been sold, but it is apparently not going anywhere.

According to a thread within the Davis Square LiveJournal blog, the people behind Broadway Marketplace in Cambridge have purchased McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square, with a phone call to a manager at Broadway Marketplace confirming this. The person we talked to said that the Elm Street shop will remain McKinnon's, though it was not mentioned what changes will be coming--if any--to the store.

In November of 2015, McKinnon's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and rumors soon came out that the shop was shutting down; the store responded in its weekly ad that "there is no truth to the rumor that [the shop] is closing," and it has remained open since the filing.

McKinnon's has been in Somerville since the mid-1960s.

The address for McKinnon's Meat Market is 239 Elm Street in Somerville, while the address for Broadway Marketplace is 468 Broadway in Cambridge. (The website for McKinnon's can be found at http://www.mckinnonsmeatmarket.com/)

[Earlier Articles]
McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square Squelches Rumors That It Is Closing

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]

Oak + Rowan Opens in Boston's Fort Point Neighborhood

A year and a half after first reporting about it, a brand new restaurant debuts in Boston today--and a person who runs two award-winning dining spots north of the city is behind the place.

According to a Facebook post, Oak + Rowan opens its doors today in Boston's Fort Point neighborhood, moving into a space on A Street just south of where it goes under Summer Street (by the Melcher Street intersection). The new 150-seat restaurant is owned by Nancy Batista-Caswell of Ceia and Brine (both in Newburyport) and focuses on "all things land and sea" including steak, oysters, locally-sourced fish, sustainable caviar, pasta, and more, along with a variety of wines from the United States, Italy, France, and elsewhere.

In addition to its main dining area, Oak + Rowan also has a bar and two private dining rooms, according to its website.

The address for this new restaurant in Fort Point is: Oak + Rowan, 319 A Street, Boston, MA, 02210. Its website can be found at http://oakandrowan.com/

[Earlier Article]
Nancy Batista-Caswell (Ceia, Brine) to Open Oak + Rowan in Boston's Fort Point

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]

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Tiffani Faison to Open Fool's Errand in Boston's Fenway Neighborhood

A few months ago, we heard that one of Boston's best-known chefs was planning to open a third restaurant in the city. Now we have learned a bit more about the place.

Boston Magazine is reporting that Tiffani Faison is going to be opening Fool's Errand in the Fenway area, with the article saying that the eatery will be located next to Sweet Cheeks on Boylston Street and will have seating for 12 and a ticketed reservation system set up, though no information on the exact concept has been given as of yet. Late this summer, we discovered (via a licensing board page) that Fool's Errand was indeed on the way to the Fenway and that it would apparently be sharing the Sweet Cheeks liquor license, though when asked about the place, Faison told us that she did not have any additional information to share at the time.

In addition to Sweet Cheeks, Tiffani Faison also runs Tiger Mama, a Southeast Asian-influenced restaurant just down the block on Boylston Street.

The address for Sweet Cheeks is 1381 Boylston Street; it is not yet known if Fool's Errand will also have this address as well.

[March 30, 2018 update: A post within the job openings section of bostonchefs.com indicates that Fool's Errand will be "an intimate American style tapas bar with a focus on wine and fortified spirits."]

[June 26, 2018 update: An Instagram post from Tiffani Faison indicates that Fool's Errand will open early this summer and that it is being branded as an "adult snack bar."]

[July 26, 2018 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe states that Fool's Errand is expected to open within the next few days.]

[August 15, 2018 update: According to a press release, Fool's Errand opens tomorrow and it will be a "standing room only" snack bar with room for 20-30 people, while the space includes a wooden bar, a small countertop, and a patio.]

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]

Sweetgreen Opens in Cambridge's Harvard Square

A growing chain of farm-to-table dining spots is debuting yet another new Boston-area location, and this one is the first to come to Cambridge.

Eater Boston is reporting that Sweetgreen plans to open in Harvard Square today, and it has actually had a few sneak preview days at the JFK Street space already. The new outlet joins others in Boston's Downtown Crossing, the Financial District, the Ink Block in the South End, Fort Point, the Back Bay (2), the Fenway, Chestnut Hill Square on the Newton/Brookline border, and MarketStreet Lynnfield.

Sweetgreen, which is based in Washington, DC, is known mainly for its salads and grain bowls using seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

The address for this new dining spot in Harvard Square is: Sweetgreen, 39 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the chain is at http://www.sweetgreen.com/

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]