April 2012 Openings & Closings

[el_caballero]

Looking forward to two new additions to Inman Square area--All Star Pizza Bar (which opens...when exactly?) and Dwell Time, if for nothing else besides the proximity to my apt. What are the other big ones for this month?

[gourmaniac]

Cafe of India (Brattle Street near Harvard Square) has closed after 25 years or so. I had not been in a while but there was a time it was my favorite pan Indian. It has certainly been surpassed but i was a little nostalgic seeing it gone.

[Uncle Yabai]

That place ceased to be good, I don't know, somewhere around 1994. But sad to see it close anyway, one more empty storefront in the Square, at risk of being stuffed with a bank or some stupid cellphone store or another.

[Luther]

Unique Chinese Food (145 Harvard Av, Allston) has re-opened and there seems to be a paper menu in the window describing their (new?) noodle specialties.

[cambridgedoctpr]

do they prepare their noodles themselves; my last trip there was mildly disappointing.

[hiddenboston]

Maki Maki just opened in Allston.

[opinionatedchef]

sounds rock 'n roll -like. Hope someone will report on it soon. thx, hb.

[Prav]

Good news for Newton office workers - New England Soup Factory in Newton Upper Falls (Needham St) is expanding, and will have rotisserie chickens.

Just heard this from our office manager (from Newton, who's one of those people that's known everyone in town since they were babies, including Marjorie, the founder of NESF).

[bear]

Huh. That is good news. That's probably why Pizzapalooza closed.

[Prav]

I believe they're moving, from what I've been told.

[bear]

I think so, too. They said they were looking to relocate in Newton or Needham.

[peregrine]

Any word on when the Taiwan Café will re-open? They were still closed and papered over last Saturday (4/14).

[viperlush]

Redbones bbq shack in Kendall Sq has opened for the season today. We have had such a mild spring they probably could have reopened monthes ago.

[bear]

There's a big sign in the window of the now-closed liquor store in Lexington Center announcing Orange Leaf Yogurt opening soon. It looks to be a chain with an outlet in Andover. Fat-free yogurt with do-it-yourself toppings.

[fantundo]

Not a true closing, thank goodness, but just an alert that Strip-T's will be closed Monday and Tuesday for "minor renovations." They will reopen on Wednesday with a new lunch menu, which you can check out on their website.

[total13]

Gail's Cafe & Grill in the new bldg on the corner of Centre and LaMartine St. in JP is about ready to open. Have no other info.

New cafe going into the former Junebug Cafe space in Hyde Sq.

[el_caballero]

Word is that Liberal Servings just got their approval from the licensing board to take over the basement part of the Tannery location in Harvard Square. Open til 2 AM, with 368 person capacity. Doubt it will be opening this month but soon maybe?

http://www.cambridgeday.com/2012/04/0...

[MC Slim JB]

Urban Daddy has Nix's Mate opening this Friday. Old Caliterra space in the Downtown Hilton, chef is David Nevins, last seen in town at Neptune.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[hotoynoodle]

last i heard of nevins he was slated to be exec chef as olives re-opened. hmph. curious, eh? hilton sure seems an unlikely gig for him.

[Bob Dobalina]

Never had the lobster spaghettini at Neptune, but my parents had it at Nevins' restaurant in Norwalk, CT - Osetra - and they still shake their heads in wonder. Unfortunately, the hotel restaurant menu does not look nearly as creative, and $36 for steak frites gets a big wooo...

This chef needs a tell-all page burner or a reality show.

[hotoynoodle]

i had an app special from him of "spaghetti with clams" -- the babiest of clams, the silkiest pasta, the most aromatic lemony broth and some tiny porky meatballs that i still dream about. sigh.

the hilton is clearly a stop-gap so he's not sleeping at the bus stop. gawd, i hope he stays in boston though.

[MC Slim JB]

Nevins probably just got tired of the Waiting for Godot act in Charlestown. It's been an amusing comedy routine to watch as a consumer, but I imagine it's less fun when you want / need to work.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[hotoynoodle]

+ 1 on this.

they have even gone through the charade of "hiring" servers. jiminy.

[southie_chick]

I did see them taking stuff out the back door & loading a truck at Kingfish Hall at Faneuil Hall the other day .......... which is where I thought it was mentioned they were training the new Olive's waiters. Don't know what's going on at Olive's in Charlestown with the construction.

[MC Slim JB]

Thrillst reports that Tonic is about to open in the old Griifin's Cafe space in JP.

Upscale French-leaning American eatery. Full 2am license. "'80s retro" vibe, 11 tables, 18-seat bar.

Sample dishes: tempura-fried pork belly, soups self-served from sake bottles, mussels steamed in ale, molasses-brined double-thick pork chop, burger on a Fornax bun w/ bacon mustard jam, grilled ribeye with crumbled Stilton.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[opinionatedchef]

i hope they remember to put butter and mayo on their tempura fried pork belly.and evoo of course.

[vtmavt]

Moozy's Ice Cream and Yogurt Emporium is now open in Belmont in the old Brigham's.

The windows were still papered the other day, but there was a new sign up for Roksana's Kabob Hut in Watertown.

[Guido]

I heard from a friend of the owner that the restaurant will open on Sunday at 10:00. The address is 133 Mt Auburn Street in Watertown.

[meeps2002]

Not april, but wanted to share. Grotto/marliave folks, will be in the old Pops spot in south end. "the kitchen" will be the name, targeting june 1 start

Cheers!

[opinionatedchef]

thx for that. so glad that those hardworking guys are successful enough to do a 3rdplace. hope they don't stretch themselves too far.

[margaretweigel]

Carroll's, a new, more restaurant-y version of the late,lamented Carroll's Diner, is scheduled to open in Medford Square any day now. I hear it will be staying open late, woo hoo!

[hckybg]

Dwelltime is open and quite wonderful. Great space, great coffee, great sweets.

[Blumie]

Haven't tried their food yet, but their lattes truly are wonderful!
It's a perfect neighborhood joint, too. I've already met a neighbor at one of the communal tables who I likely never would have met otherwise. (Hi Kim!)

[bear]

Agreed. We went on Saturday and they were slammed but managing the crowds quite nicely. The cappuccinos were excellent. The copper bar is beautiful and in general there is a pleasant, relaxed vibe.

There is also a small open kitchen area in the back where they were making scones and other baked goods. I'm not sure how much is made in-house.

[cpingenot]

I was there Saturday too- we've been so excited to have it, that we made a special trip despite expecting it to be slammed. Service was actually pretty quick, and the coffee, as expected was fantastic, but they seem to be missing half the tables and chairs on the long banquette wall, which made it not appealing to linger.
Having the coffee bar in the middle of the space allows for a nice European style standing counter, but makes the circulation a bit confusing. You walk in, and you're not sure where to go to place your order. Lots of empty space that hopefully will be filled with tables soon.

I had the cheese puffs (gougieres) and my DC had a scone. Both were tasty but not mindbowing, and I hope they'll have something more substantial like bagels or breakfast sandwiches for weekend brunches.

[bobot]

Because they don't have off-street parking, they need a special permit from the city to have an occupancy > 20. That's why there's so few tables right now. It sounded like the permit process was mostly a formality, but would take them two or three months to work through.

[cpingenot]

That really seems bogus, in such a bike-ped dense neighborhood. I would think that Cambridge's zoning would be more progressive than that. Damn.
I was thinking that they needed more bike parking in that neighborhood more than they needed car parking. I wonder if letters of support are needed/ wanted....

[emannths]

Stopped by yesterday. The giant windows were thrown open, the espresso fantastic, what more could you want?

The staff complimented the place very well--very friendly and helpful. I witnessed one barista help steer a customer asking for an espresso to go, something they apparently don't sell, towards a pourover in a very helpful, patient way. I think sometimes baristas (like any other experts) can be too cool for school, but at least during these opening weeks, these guys are great.

I was pleased that they seem to be taking notice of (or anticipating) customer feedback, adding a sign to help you figure out what side of the bar to order from, and a small note explaining their lack of seating. Presumably once they get their permit, they'll add the bar stools to the left side of the bar, which will make the flow more obvious.

I was excited to see the taps installed in the bar, thinking about late-night decisions between coffee and beer. And then I learned that they're for serving iced coffee and tea for nitro-pressurized kegs. Cool. Though if one happened to wind up hooked up to a beer keg at some point I wouldn't complain.

After seeing the Barismo shop, which strikes me as a somewhat cobbled-together, utilitarian location, I was surprised by the attention to detail put into all the aspects of Dwelltime. It's not just a site for coffee geekery--somehow it's also got the friendliness of a neighborhood coffee shop and the polish of a high-end restaurant.

More seats and longer hours (currently close at 7pm on weekdays) and things will be perfect.

[tammyh]

I swung by yesterday as well, and asked for a pour-over myself. Took them about 15min to make though, so I think they have some kinks to work out, especially since they have only one hot-water dispenser for their pour-over station.

They also seemed to be all over the place--so many different guys working various parts of the counter that I couldn't keep track. It seemed like sometimes they couldn't keep track either.

I appreciated their "keep calm and carry on" vibe, though.

[tammyh]

Not sure if this counts as an opening/closing, but the switchover from Barley Hall to Joshua Tree in Allston seems to have officially happened. Just passed by and saw the new sign, though I swear I saw the old sign up only yesterday or the day before ... never saw a sign change so quickly. Can't say if anything's different on the inside.

[el_caballero]

Eater is reporting that Cafe Aromi in JP (former space of June Bug Cafe) will be open on 4/15

http://boston.eater.com/archives/2012...

[yarm]

Eater via DigBoston claims that Ronnarong Thai Tapas Bar in Union Square will be closing soon perhaps from the tapas traffic going next door to Casa B.

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[MC Slim JB]

I wondered about that. It may just be that the Thai small plates concept didn't have legs, or that enough Thai dining got drained off by newer places in Cambridge and Somerville. The notion that Casa B killed it seems like a stretch to me.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[emannths]

I never got the sense that the "tapas" menu was different enough from any Thai "appetizers" menu to warrant a special trip. I think the bold flavors of Thai food would make for excellent tapas-type small plates, but nothing about the "tapas" menu at Ronnarong seemed too interesting. If anything, the tapas that weren't just "appetizers" seemed more subdued rather than bold, crazy, and creative.

Also, tapas for $7-9 seems...odd when the entrees are $11-15.

[jgg13]

I went to some of their tuesday drink/tapas pairing things last year. The owner was a real nice guy but I got tired of the schtick. He was constantly talking about how he'd get Ronnie to whip up something authentic/super spicy/whatever and it was never any different than stuff I'd get at any other gringo-ized place. Particularly irritating was their spicy night, I finally got tired of him asking things like "hot enough for ya?" when there was no discernable heat.

[Bob Dobalina]

Ronnarong never quite lived up to potential. For example, don't think these green peppercorns ever made it to the menu - http://ronnarong.wordpress.com/the-me...

[hckybg]

There was a strange tweet from Union Square Main Street reading "Ronnarong is closing but not because of lack of love. Owner Ron is just launching a new concept with a new..." But the link that they provided did not give the rest of the tweet. So it doesn't sound they are necessarily going out of business, just reformatting. But the answer is apparently to be determined.

[antimony]

That's too bad -- I liked Great Thai Chef, and still liked it in it's small plates incarnation.

[hiddenboston]

The Eiffel Tourer food truck is now up and running. It will be at City Hall Plaza today.

[Mike5966]

Welp, looks like Yakitori Zai probably won't open until May. Their website shows that their classes start in May, and they got rid of all the ones they had previously scheduled for April. I see the Snappy Sushi truck hanging out pretty frequently so hopefully that means there's still a lot going on to get the place ready.

Still can't wait!

[keith]

Rosa Mexicano is talking about a May 1st opening in Seaport West. Does that mean a soft opening in April? How long before it puts Temazcal out of business?

[hotoynoodle]

i walk by there often, and even a soft opening in 2-3 weeks looks impossible. i think temazcal has already carved out its niche as a drinking spot, more so than one for dining. the waterfront deck is a bonus. rosa is on the shady side of that street too.

[hotoynoodle]

happy's, michael schlow's place in the fenway, is hopeful for mid-april. i'm thinking they want to catch the crowds for fenway's 100th shebang weekend.

[mats77]

Looks like the the Other Side is closing for real at the end of the month.

[Luther]

Still eagerly awaiting Maki Maki all-you-can-eat sushi at the Brighton Mills shopping center in Lower Allston. It's been delayed for quite some time now, but I anticipate at least a month of good quality AYCE before they start trying to cut costs.

[nightsky]

Is that a buffet-style place where they leave it out, like Minado in Natick? Those can be iffy as you never know how long it's been sitting there (and you get hoverers/hoarders of some stuff).

I'm amazed that Ginza does AYCE sushi that they make fresh for you.

[catsmeow]

Can you elaborate on Ginza's AYCE? This is the first I've heard about it. Thanks

[Luther]

I hope it's menu-based, those leave-it-out places are pretty awful.

[cambridgedoctpr]

all that you can eat sushi also does not inspire confidence.

[Luther]

I'm confident they will feed me a ton of sushi

[jgg13]

I walked by Olive Cafe today, on Mass Ave near MIT. It was papered up with a sign that said "Mexican Taqueria Coming Soon"

[Luther]

Hey, anything other than a third Chipotle or Mexicali would be fantastic.

[hiddenboston]

The new place is going to be called Beantown Taqueria.

[cpingenot]

The name does not inspire confidence.

[jgg13]

No it doesn't, although I 100% agree w/ Luther.

[Luther]

This empty website promises "Mexican Soul Food"
http://www.letseat.at/beantowntaqueria

[hiddenboston]

Especially since it isn't actually in Beantown.

[viperlush]

Saw that it was open as I walked pass this morning.

[viperlush]

Three tacos for $7. Fresh hand pressed tortillas. One per taco. Carnitas moist but not much flavor. Shredded beef dry. Veggies pretty spicy. We will give it another go.

I guess Central Square will be the "Asian" Square now Saw that a Japanese sushi restaurant is opening up in the Floating Rock space. Thank God it is not a Cheesecakes Factory. Hopefully some good sunshine in Central Sq.

[uallach]

I haven't been yet but a friend of mine told me Beantown Tacqueria was fantastic. They have an "authentic" menu and a "tex-mex" menu, they deliver, and Thurs-Sun they're open from 7am to 4am. The rest of the week they're open until 11. Even if it wasn't good I'd be thrilled that there's someplace that will deliver at 2 in the morning.

[bear]

Angelato in Belmont appeared to be closed yesterday and there were ladders inside. I can't find any info online, though.

[mkfisher]

Last I heard All Star Pizza Bar is scheduled to open the week of 4/15

Green Street was closed over the weekend, but I believe they're re-opening today. Think it was just for repairs.

Also, just based on construction progress I'd guess West Bridge in the One Kendall building will be a May opening. They've still got quite a bit of work to do inside. I snuck a peak this morning.

[viperlush]

They were closed to at least the 4th but they are open again. Wish I had read this thread last week before I planned on taco night.

[hiddenboston]

Jonathan's (upscale New American spot) may be opening on Needham Street in Newton this month.

[MC Slim JB]

I'd guessed that Boston Chops, the steakhouse-plus concept from the dbar / Deuxave team, targeting the old Ginger Park space, might have been scotched over liquor-license issues, but apparently those have been resolved somehow, and the project is still on. Given plans for a major interior redesign -- Moksa salvaged some of the old Banq booths and such for its dining room -- any opening will be months away, not April.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[emannths]

Dwelltime opens 4/7, according to twitter.