The concept will offer craft beers, craft cocktails, and an Asian-inspired menu.
From left: tuna tartare-stuffed wonton, parsnip and potato chowder, scallops with parsnip puree and daikon. Photos courtesy of Tonic.
As soon as mid-April, Jamaica Plain will gain another new addition to its dining scene thanks to Tonic, a 70-seat bar and restaurant looking to be a neighborhood hangout with an upscale edge. Heading up the kitchen will be Ryan Kelly, an alum of restaurants including Clio, Canary Square, and Haru. Kelly’s time at Clio and Haru definitely bear influence 
on his menu, which features bistro fare with a decidedly Asian twist: there’s dishes like tuna tartare-stuffed fried wonton atop “banh mi”-style veggies; parsnip and potato chowder with candied bacon, tempura clams, and caramelized shallots; duck breast with pomegranate molasses and a rhubarb, Asian pear, and ramp chutney; and tuna “faux” pho with udon noodles and shaved vegetables.
Get a peek at the storefront at left; Thrillist Boston has a more extensive look at the space, which features orange and tan banquettes and a slick-looking bar. Find the full opening dinner menu ahead.
Continue reading “Your First Look at the Menu for Tonic, Coming to JP This Month” »
|
Is Somerville the new Kendall? Cafe Tango is the latest of a string of eateries deciding to make the area their home.
 Cafe Tango is the latest concept to join the Casa B and The Bearded Pig in Somerville. Per a post on Craigslist over the weekend, an “eclectic, music/dance’ oriented café,” appropriately dubbed Cafe Tango, will be bringing coffee, panini, and crepes to Bow Street in Somerville. While it’s not the most monumental of openings, it’s still notable for its chosen location—quite simply because it’s yet another place that’s decided to make Somerville its home. Continue reading “When it Comes to Restaurants, Somerville is So Hot Right Now” »
|
Plans to open in Davis Square fell through, so the burger team is heading to Harvard.
 Tasty Burger will set up shop in Harvard Square by the end of the summer. (Boston Magazine photo). Late last year, I wrote that Fenway-based burger joint Tasty Burger had plans to open a second location in Somerville, where they were looking to take over the space currently occupied by the Rosebud Diner in Davis Square. Earlier this week, owner Dave DuBois informed me that the plans to head to the Rosebud fell through. Continue reading “Tasty Burger II To Open in Harvard Square” »
|
Yesterday a lottery took place to determine the scheduling in prime locations. Here's a look at the results.
 Boston Speed Dog will now serve their dogs in Back Bay and Chinatown. (Photo via Flickr/j_Lai) April 1st marks the start of a new year of food truck scheduling in Boston, and in order to dole out prime spaces, the city held a lottery. Roxy’s Grilled Cheese owner James DiSabatino sent us the new schedule, which you can check out ahead. Continue reading “A Preview of This Year’s Food Truck Schedule, Effective April 1” »
|
The Davis Square Mexican restaurant features dishes like Oaxaca cheese grits, pork belly guacamole, and queso fundido.
 Way back in October, I told you about The Painted Burro, a Mexican restaurant coming from the team behind Somerville Italian restaurant Posto. I’ve just received word that the concept, located in the former Gargoyles on the Square space in Davis Square, will finally open to the public on March 19. Continue reading “A Look at the Menu for The Painted Burro, Opening March 19” »
|
The new concept will have an oyster and charcuterie bar, communal dining, and more.
 Gilson's new restaurant, bridgestreet, will open by late spring/early summer. Last week, BRT shared that Will Gilson (formerly of Garden at the Cellar and Adrian’s in Truro) had plans to take over the Bosphorous space in Inman Square for his own place, called bridgestreet. On Tuesday, Gilson secured a beer and wine license for his concept, a 110-seat, New-American-style restaurant on Cambridge Street. Yesterday, the chef filled me in on some more details about the concept, which should be opening by late spring/early summer. Continue reading “Details on Bridgestreet, Will Gilson’s Upcoming Cambridge Restaurant” »
|
While the JP burger spot awaits its final permit, take some time to scope out the opening menu.
 Photo courtesy of Grass Fed/Facebook Another day, another dose of burger news: Grass Fed, the new burger spot from Ten Tables’ Krista Kranyak, will be opening any day in the former Bon Savor space in Jamaica Plain, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. While the team is still waiting on a final permit to officially begin cooking, in the meantime you can scope out Grass Fed’s opening menu. Continue reading “Check Out the Menu for Grass Fed, Opening Any Day” »
|
Two years in the making, the new spot will offer burgers, beer, wine, and perhaps even boozy frappes.
 The new Boston Burger Co. storefront, located at 1100 Boylston St. in Fenway. All photos by Leah Mennies. Since it opened in 2009, burger joint Boston Burger Company, has, in fact, never served a burger in Boston proper—until now, that is. Per Adam’s Hospitality Blog, the popular Somerville spot will soon gain a more accessible outpost for Back Bay and Fenway dwellers thanks to a new space on Boylston Street near Mass. Ave.
I recently spoke with owner Paul Malvone to learn more about the new location, which he had been eyeballing for about two years.
Continue reading “Boston Burger Company to Open Fenway Outpost This April” »
|
Find out the Craigie on Main toque's must-have ingredients and unique kitchen tools.
Welcome to The Kitchen Spy, where we visit local chefs’ home kitchens, and force them to open up their fridge, drawers, and cabinets.
 All photos by Charlotte Wilder/Boston magazine
It would stand to reason that as the chef and owner of Craigie on Main, one of the city’s foremost restaurants, Tony Maws would have a kitchen so stuffed with high-tech gadgetry and obscure ingredients that it would make your head spin. But take one look in the chef’s kitchen, decked out with finger paintings, pint-sized aprons, and picture books, and you’ll realize that he’s got another priority in his home digs: his three-year-old son, Charlie.
That’s not to say that Maws—along with his wife, Karolyn—doesn’t so some serious cooking here. When they moved in to his Cambridge condo, functionality was a priority. “It needed to be open, because both of us knew we were going to be spending time in here, and we couldn’t afford a big glorious kitchen in this time of our lives,” Maws says. “It’s not a place where you can’t open the fridge door all the way. It’s just easy.” Ahead, get the lowdown on the toque’s hot sauce obsession, favorite old-school beer, and go-to late-night snack.
 Continue reading “The Kitchen Spy: Tony Maws” »
|
With Star Market applying for a liquor license, The Urban Grape faces damage to their business
 The Urban Grape's beer specialist Noah Feldman, inside the unique wine shop. (Photo via Boston magazine) Last week, we learned that Star Market, (part of the Supervalu supermarket group based out of the midwest) is seeking a beer and wine package license for their Chestnut Hill location. This may sound harmless, until you consider the surrounding businesses, more specifically Star Market’s neighboring wine shop, the independently owned and operated Urban Grape—or the fact that Star Market will be doing away with 200 feet of food shelving to provide room for the (unnecessary) addition of liquor.
The Urban Grape isn’t your run-of-the mill wine and spirits shop—in fact, we love them so much that they won the Best Wine Shop award in our Best of Boston issue this past August. Not only is their selection divine, but their unique shelving system and top-notch customer service are far superior to other liquor stores around.
Concerned about the potential damage to their business if the liquor license is granted, UG owners, husband-and-wife team TJ and Hadley Douglas, sent a letter to customers and took to their blog to reach members of the public. Continue reading “Does Chestnut Hill Need Another Corporate Liquor Store?” »
|
