The locally based site allows diners to book online while saving restaurants money.
 A view of the cloud-based UReserv software from an iPhone. (Photo courtesy of UReserv.) If you dine out regularly, or even semi-regularly, chances are youâve used OpenTable to book your spot. For years, the ubiquitous online-reservations system has been the way to book a table in Boston and major cities around the world. What many people don’t realize, though, is that the convenience comes at a cost: Restaurants shell out 25 cents for every per person who books through the OpenTable app on their own website, $1 for reservations made through the main OpenTable site, and as much as $7.50 per person for â1,000-pointâ bookings, which help restaurants fill seats at off-peak times (like 5:30 on a Monday). Thereâs more: Itâs $100 a month for the OpenTable equipment lease, plus another $100 for the software lease. All together, Catalyst chef/owner William Kovel told us he pays âabout a couple thousand a monthâ â a figure thatâs just not financially feasible for many smaller restaurants, putting many at a competitive disadvantage. At Jason Bond’s sub-30 seat Bondir, his team must personally field hundreds of reservation calls each day â time and money that could otherwise be better spent. Continue reading “New Restaurant Reservation Site UReserv Offers an OpenTable Alternative” »
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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” »
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Your guide to everything from pop-up whiskey tastings to an underground supper club.
 Chef Marc Sheehan plates a dish at a recent Brasstacks event, which you can read about below. (Photo by Rob Strong) When it comes to dining out in Boston, there’s no shortage of fantastic restaurants to visit. Those looking to mix it up a bit more, however, can seek out opportunities for clandestine, under-the-radar eats. From whiskey tastings to vegan Cuban fare, here’s where to seek out local limited-edition dining experiences.
Barrio:
Wheeler de Toro, a noted pop-up restauranteur and vegan ice cream maker, is at it again; according to Eater Boston, Barrio, a pop-up event featuring Afro-Cuban street food, is scheduled for an event on Thursday, March 8th at 8:30 p.m. Some details remain in the dark (like the location), but donât miss the chance to try some Cuban food â especially since this event also will showcase the talents of Neptune Oyster chef Michael Serpa. Purchase tickets by emailing rayna.verbeck@gmail.com, Thu Mar 8, 8:30 p.m., location to be announced. Continue reading “Find Pop-Ups and Limited-Edition Dining in Boston” »
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Catalyst's William Kovel, Clink's Joseph Margate, and Bistro du Midi's Robert Sisca represent Boston and Cambridge in the New England Region.
 From left: Robert Sisca of Bistro du Midi, Joseph Margate of Clink, William Kovel of Catalyst.
This morning, Food & Wine magazine announced the nominees for their second-annual “People’s Best New Chef”  awards, a voted-upon companion to the magazine’s annual, big-deal Best New Chef awards. Last year, Toro and Coppa toque Jamie Bissonnette came out on top of the 100 nominated chefs (broken down into 10 regional sections of 10) to win the national prize, which brought a large amount of visibility to the chef’s talents. In this year’s New England category, there’s three nominated chefs from the Boston/Cambridge area:  Joseph Margate (Clink), Robert Sisca (Bistro du Midi), and William Kovel (Catalyst).
While Margate and Sisca got nods last year as well, this year marks the first nomination for Kovel, whose Cambridge restaurant, Catalyst, is reaching it’s six-month mark. Continue reading “Food & Wine Announces ‘People’s Best New Chef’ Nominees” »
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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” »
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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 Marketâs neighboring wine shop, the independently owned and operated Urban Grapeâor 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 shopâin 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?” »
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The All Star Sandwich Bar team will offer pies with toppings ranging from grits to meatballs to figs.
 Above is the box design for All Star Pizza Bar, which will open next Month. (Photo courtesy of All Star Pizza Bar) In this month’s Where to Eat in 2012 issue, we told you about All Star Pizza Bar, the latest venture from the team behind Inman Square’s popular All Star Sandwich Bar. The pizza placeâlocated across the street from its sandwich siblingâis gearing up for a mid-March opening. Co-owner Kosta Diamantopoulos sent me the pizza menu recently, which you can check out ahead. Continue reading “Preview the Menu for All Star Pizza Bar, Opening Mid-March” »
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The Travel Channel star will serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence for students.
 Andrew Zimmern spoke to a crowd of students on Monday afternoon. (Photo by Justin Knight.)
While Travel Channel personality Andrew Zimmern is known for dining on roasted raccoon and insects aplenty, the Bizarre Foods host also has an agenda when it comes to raising social awareness about food. The most recent example of this is his new collaboration with Wellesley-based Babson College, a school known for its entrepreneurial prowess. Zimmern will serve as entrepreneur-in-residence and work directly with the school’s Lewis Institute Social Innovation Lab plus the Labâs ‘Food Sol,’ an âaction tankâ that’s focused on food-related innovation.
To kick off the collaboration, Zimmern visited the college on Monday afternoon to give a talk in front of several hundred students and faculty. Per The Herald, he used the talk as an opportunity to encourage students to interact more with faculty, and also take the time to travel.
Prior to the lecture, I chatted with Zimmern on the phone to learn about his new responsibilities as entrepreneur-in-residence at the business school, and I was encouraged to learn that he’ll be serving as more than a mere famous figurehead. Continue reading “Andrew Zimmern Dishes on His New Collaboration with Babson College” »
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Learn more about the roasty brown lager, and find out where to try it tonight.
 Behold the new label for Lovely Saint Winefride, which debuts today. (All art courtesy of Pretty Things)
Somerville’s omnipresent gypsy brewers Pretty Things are adding a new beer to their roster today: St. Winifrede. The roasty brown lager (which owners Dann and Martha Paquette suspect is the only brown lager on the market) was named after a Welsh lass whose spurned suitor chopped her head off back in the 7th century. Legend has it that after Winifrede’s uncle managed to put her dome piece back onto her body, she came back to life. Huzzah! Continue reading “What’s Brewing: Pretty Things Launches St. Winifrede” »
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Get a look at the still-under-construction space.
The blueprint for Moksa, slated to open mid-next month. All photos by Leah Mennies.
Earlier this month, I showed you a preview of Patricia Yeo’s menu for Moksa, her highly anticipated izakaya in Central Square. Though the concept was originally slated to open in December, it’s now been pushed back to the middle of next month.
“This has been the longest gestation ever,” Yeo told me yesterday, when I visited her in the still-rough space for a preview of the massive 8,500 square ft (!!) space. So while you may not be able to sample Yeo’s small plates and skewers for a few more weeks, you can learn about Moksa’s separate night club, “restaurant within the restaurant,” and bristled walls ahead. Continue reading “Patricia Yeo Gives us a Sneak Preview of Moksa, Opening Next Month” »
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