Come October, the restaurateurs behind Grill 23 and Harvest will open a new venue, this time a neighborhood tavern in Back Bay at the forthcoming Clarendon luxury condo building. The kitchen at Post 390—its name refers to its location at the former site of post office—will be helmed by former Excelsior chef Eric Brennan, who plans to serve up classic comfort food in a casual-yet-polished setting complete with fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The restaurant will also feature two full bars, and while menu specifics are as yet unknown, spokesperson Nicole Barrick says the food and the atmosphere will be completely different from that of Grill 23 and Excelsior. Think refined American cuisine à la Houston’s or Stephanie’s, hints Barrick.

– H.D. SHELDON-DEAN

If you haven’t heard already, the Four Seasons announced this weekend that it will close its celebrated restaurant, Aujourd’hui, after a final dinner on June 27. This is sad news for lovers of Boston tradition (the restaurant opened in May of 1985 and served the likes of Julia Child, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Bruce Springsteen and even The Rolling Stones–who each took over the restaurant for private parties at one time or another).

It’s even sadder for fans of chef William Kovel’s excellent food–food which earned the restaurant 5th place in our January ranking of the 50 best restaurants in the city. But as of July 1, if you want to enjoy Aujourd’hui’s gorgeous park view, you’ll have to book a private event, as the dining room is being converted into meeting space.

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Formerly of downtown Boston’s Good Life, Michael Scelfo recently took on the role of executive chef at Cambridge favorite Temple Bar.

You’ve done a lot of work in fine dining, and you’ve also had experience in the American bistro style of cooking that Temple Bar is known for. How’s your new job at Temple Bar unique among the other posts you’ve held?

It’s different in the sense that it’s really a very bustling, busy place, so from a volume perspective, I have the opportunity to showcase my food to a much larger crowd. I’ve worked in much smaller places before, and it’s exciting to have this bigger venue.
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In recent weeks, I’ve had some pretty great dining experiences around Boston. Yummy meals of late: Dining on fisherman’s-style risotto, fresh doughnuts with rhubarb compote, and rosé at the bar at Tremont 647, which has a new executive chef and pastry chef; checking out Il Casale in its opening weeks (read about it here); dinner with my dad at Tomasso Trattoria (awesome Neapolitan-style pizza and to-die-for tagliatelle alla Bolognese).

But my eating RBI is admittedly better than usual. You have no idea how many half-baked meals I’ve choked down without a peep in the last several months. But we’ve been through this already; the truth is, I just have trouble sending food back.

But then I bit into a rock. (more…)

We know you already know about the Boston Beer Summit and the Wine Riot!, as well as all the pre-marathon carbo loading dinners, but here are some extra foodie events going on next week.

Cooking with New England’s 1st Spring Crops
April 19, 4-7 p.m.
Sofra
Sofra and Oleana chef-owner Ana Sortun and pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick are launching their spring cooking class series, and they’ll focus on foods found at farmer’s markets. This Sunday, students will learn how to use parsnips, sunchokes, nettles, ramps, and sorrel to create dishes like nettle soup, parsnips with Moroccan spices and sugared almonds, sunchokes with chorizo, and halibut with roasted grapes and sorrel butter.

Tuesday Tequila Tasting
April 21, 5:30-7 p.m.
Ole Mexican Grille
There are more than 900 brands of registered tequila, and while you may have experienced quite a few on spring break circa 2002, there are still plenty left to try. Ole Mexican Grill hosts tequila tastings on the third Tuesday of every month. Guests can learn about and enjoy samples of tequila for $18, which includes several small plates.

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Down:2:Earth’s Sustainable Living Expo
April 3, 5-9 p.m.
Hynes Convention Center
The event kicks off with a “Local Bites” Preview Party featuring chefs, food producers, and wineries from the Boston area that are making culinary steps in the right direction: sustainability. Chef Mary Dumont of Harvest, chef Jay Silva of Bambara, and chef Jeffrey Fournier of 51 Lincoln are just some of the guests throughout a weekend any informed foodie shouldn’t miss.

Shucking Lessons
April 4, 1 p.m.
Mercato del Mare, 99 Salem St., Boston
Shucking oysters isn’t just a skill for brawny seamen, Head over to Mercato del Mare with your family and friends to master the art of shucking oysters and clams. Then learn how to wow people with recipes for oysters on a half shell, oyster shooters, oysters Rockefeller, clam dip, and fried clams.
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$35 Prix Fixe Menu
Every day, 5-7 p.m.
Sage
Even after restaurant week, guests can enjoy a $35 three-course prix fixe menu at Sage every day from 5-7 p.m. that includes first-course choices like confit duck, squash flan, braised veal breast, or stuffed spicy calamari, and second-course choices like, avatelli with sausage, spaghetti Carbonara, baked Fazoleti with veal, or Artic char. And you can choose between four different desserts.

Unlimited Prime Rib
Every Mon. & Tues., 6-10 p.m.
KO Prime
Beef lovers, get ready to “meat” your match. On Mondays and Tuesdays for only $25, guests can indulge in unlimited prime rib. The deal kicks off the day after Restaurant Week ends.

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All right, people, get excited. While we’re not out of the woods yet (see: the April Fool’s Day blizzard), all signs point to spring. I’ve spotted window boxes full of freshly-planted pansies in Charlestown, crocuses coming up in JP, and a few rogue bulbs sprouting up in my own backyard. (I’m hoping they’re ramps, but I’ll settle for daffodils.)

Which has me thinking about spring veggies. I’m having visions of a brimming Copley Square Farmer’s Market, trips to the newly rebuilt Verrill Farm stand, and—soon, I hope—the forthcoming greenmarket in Dewey Square. (more…)

This morning, I had lard for breakfast.

Grossed out? So were some of my colleagues. But this was no ordinary lard: It was the now-famous “pig butter” from Bina Osteria, the newish, Italianate eatery in Downtown Crossing. A combination of rendered pork fat, crunchy sea salt, crushed peppercorns, and fresh green herbs, it is, in a word, delicious. Spread on thick, crusty rye bread? Auummmgggh.

But the whole linguistic trickery of the stuff got me thinking. (more…)

We’re sad to report that Marc Orfaly’s Restaurant L, opened only three months before, closed this weekend. There had been rumors that the restaurant was struggling, again (the previous iteration, Pino Maffeo’s Boston Public–pictured–blew up rather spectacularly last summer), and we noticed on a recent visit that a number of entrees weren’t available, which can be a sure sign of trouble (particularly when vendors stop delivering supplies). (more…)