 Thanks to restaurants like Sweet Cheeks (above), there's more places to find quality pulled pork. (Photo by Leah Mennies) Today, Eater Boston announced that a new BBQ spot, called The Red-Eyed Pig, is gearing up to open tonight in West Roxbury. It’ll serve some serious-sounding Southern-style eats: On the app side, there’s pork belly and green chile doughnuts, hush puppies slathered in orange maple-bacon butter, and crispy pimento cheese-stuffed jalapenos, while a pit BBQ list promises fried chicken with red-eye gravy, smoked spicy fennel sausages, Texas-style brisket, and smoked pork belly.
Sound familiar? It should—local chef darling Tiffani Faison is currently killing it in Fenway with her own Texas-style smoked meats, buttery biscuits, and jug-sized Micheladas at Sweet Cheeks, while Somerville barbecue standby Redbones recently expanded with a rib shack in Kendall Square and a roving food truck. READ MORE
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 A preview of what's to come at Julep. (Rendering courtesy of Tanya Nayak Design) Next month, aqua-haired chef Jason Santos’ downtown spot Blue Inc. (which we featured in our November issue here) will gain a “upscale lounge” sibling in Julep, which comes from an investor team that’s also behind Blue Inc., Petit Robert Central, and MacGreevy’s (who knew?). It’s taking over the former Revolution Rock Bar space. READ MORE
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In this month’s The 50 Best Restaurants issue, we wrote a piece called “Culinary Genius,” in which we explored the increasing connection between science and cooking and its groundbreaking results. We also questioned whether or not the rise in modern cuisine would take hold in our own restaurants in Boston. Living proof that is has, at least in some regard, is Salts chef Gabriel Bremer, who whips up truffle juice “caviar” and sous-vide veggies when he’s not rolling gnocchi or glazing his legendary roast duck for two.
While attending the Harvard Science and Cooking lecture series, we routinely spied Bremer sitting in the front row, taking in the talks from toques like Jose Andres and Grant Achatz. We called up the chef to talk food and science, and Monday headed to his restaurant to watch him demonstrate eggless apple cider meringue, burrata “ravioli,” and powdered and gelled PB&J to a group of eager high school students who visited as part of a new food-based MIT course at its Nuvu studio. Check out our Q&A with Bremer, and take in highlights from his demo above. READ MORE
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 A rendering of Rosa Mexicano. Apparently, there will be roaming women in cocktail dresses. (Rendering courtesy of Baltz & Co.) Last week, the Boston Globe shared the news that yet another Mexican restaurant is on its way in Boston—this time, it’s a large, upscale import from New York, called Rosa Mexicano, and it will be setting up shop at Seaport West in the South Boston waterfront.
Curious about what drew the chain to Boston (they also have locations in Washington, D.C., Miami and Atlanta, among others), we called up Rosa Mexicano president/CEO Howard Greenstone to get some more details. READ MORE
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 A teaser of the decor at The Painted Burro. (Photo courtesy of The Painted Burro/Facebook) While some may still be mourning the loss of Davis Square stalwart Gargoyles on the Square, we have to admit we are looking forward to its successor, The Painted Burro. We spoke earlier with Posto chef/owner Joe Cassinelli, who’s behind the new restaurant, to get the lowdown on the concept. READ MORE
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 Clover's chickpea fritter pita sandwiches are taking over the Boston area. (Photo by Leah Mennies) It’s a tough economic climate to open a single restaurant right now, let alone several. Impressively, the Clover Food Lab formula appears to be recession-proof: offer meat-free fare, smartly source ingredients and keep everything under five bucks. It’s a business plan that’s allowed them to launch yet another truck two weeks ago, in the Longwood Medical Area. READ MORE
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 The Zebra Room in the Monday Club now has prancing zebras on the wall. (Photo courtesy of Mary-Catherine Deibel) Late this summer, UpStairs on the Square closed its more casual downstairs Monday Club Room, in order to give the famously whimsical space a bit of a facelift. It’s reopening next week, so we chatted with co-owner Mary-Catherine Deibel to find out what we can expect from the updated space and its accompanying new menu.
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 Try The Biltmore and Local 149's Lemongrass Saison starting Oct. 11. (Photo courtesy of Goldstein Pierce) Beginning on October 11, Newton elevated pub-grub standby The Biltmore and its Southie sibling Local 149 will offer a custom exclusive beer from Gloucester-based Cape Ann Brewery. Dubbed “Lemongrass Saison,” it’s a Belgian-style ale that’s been brewed with farmhouse ale yeast and local honey and dryhopped with pink peppercorns and lemongrass. It’s certainly an interesting-sounding brew, and the first of many customized beers, according to owner Jason Owens, who in the release says that “this collaboration gives us an opportunity to share some truly special local tastes with our guests and reinforce our commitment to local farmers, brewers and purveyors.”
The Biltmore and Local 149 are but the latest of several local spots to go custom with beers. Russell House Tavern recently introduced a “Russell House Lager” by way of Holyoke-based Rapscallion Brewery, while Scottish tavern The Haven in Jamaica Plain features exclusive one-off Scottish brews from Ipswich-based Notch Brewing. At Ten Tables, meanwhile, you can find “Ten Tables Porter,” a collaboration with Berkshire Brewing Company. Is this a trend we’re seeing?  We certainly hope so, as customized brews are a great way for restaurants to inject their personality into their beer list. For those looking to try the Lemongrass Saison, we suggest heading over to The Biltmore or Local 149 close to the release date, as it’s only available while the limited quantity lasts.
Update [2:08 p.m.] : Garrett Harker, owner of Island Creek Oyster Bar and Eastern Standard, reminds us that ICOB also has a custom beer, a special “ICOB Pilsner” from Will Shelton of Belchertown-based Shelton Brothers.
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 The Federal will become a new concept under Boston Nightlife Ventures. (Photo courtesy of BNV) Last night, news broke on Chowhound that The Federal, a Beacon Hill pizza/deli concept from Boston Nightlife Ventures (Forum in Back Bay, Noche in the South End, The Tap in Faneuil Hall) has closed, after owners posted “The Federal is closed. Thank you for your patronage,” on the door. We wondered if BNV had decided to sell the space to focus on newer, scene-ier spots like Noche and Forum, but we just learned this afternoon that the team is merely closing The Federal for a re-concepting. Below is the official statement that BNV gave Chowder:
“Due to changes in the marketplace, the location formerly occupied by The Federal is temporarily closed for renovations. Boston Nightlife Ventures is looking forward to the new concept that lies ahead for the space.”
Re-concepting spaces has been a trend recently—first Saint transitioned to Storyville under the same ownership, and late this year the same will happen to currently-shuttered Redline under the Grafton Restaurant Group. BNV is mum on what will come next, but we wonder if the new concept will fall into step with its flashier South End and Back Bay siblings. We will keep you posted as we learn more. [Chowder, Chowhound via Boston Restaurant Talk]
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 Photo courtesy of Hendrick's Last week, the Woodward at Ames hosted two installments of Hendrick’s Gin’s Delightfully Peculiar Cocktail Academy. The classes, run by brand ambassador and longtime mixologist Jim Ryan, give attendees the chance to learn about making great cocktails — and to imbibe a bit, natch. We caught up with Ryan to get his thoughts on the ideal drink and why gin beats vodka any day of the week — plus his recipe for the Carte Blanche, a gimlet with a twist. READ MORE
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