Shojo will open in Boston by July 1 at 11 Tyler Street. (Photo courtesy of Shojo)

As soon as July 1, Chinatown will gain a newcomer in Shojo, an Asian tapas spot from the team behind China Pearl. Located at 11 Tyler Street (just below China Pearl), the restaurant won’t offer your standard Chinatown fare—while co-owner Brian Moy says to expect dim sum appetizers, peking duck and whole suckling pigs, there will also more modernized fare like kimchi butter and champagne-poached lobster, and sea conch ceviche with sesame oil. “The concept is taking traditional Asian dishes, deconstructing them, and then sourcing different ingredients from what typically goes into an Asian dish,” Moy says.

Moy has spent the past 12 years as GM and owner of China Pearl, but says that he’s worked in Chinese restaurants for two decades. Shojo is the first of what he hopes will be several spots (located both in and outside of Chinatown) to show a different side of Asian cuisine. “All the restaurants in Chinatown have specialty courses, but all the restaurants largely serve the same food,” Moy says. “We wanted to serve food that you can’t get anywhere else in Chinatown.”

In addition to the fare above, Moy says there will be extensive cocktail and sake menus, plus a focus on traditional Asian liqueurs and beers.

With the success of similarly-constructed restaurants like East by Northeast, Myers + Chang, and more recently Moksa (despite its tepid reviews), it seems like Shojo will fit right in— and as much as we love hitting up Gourmet Dumpling House and Peach Farm, it’s great to have some alternatives in the neighborhood.

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston

When longtime chef-couple Carolyn Johnson (80 Thoreau) and Bill Flumerfelt (Nubar) moved into their Fresh Pond home, the kitchen didn’t fully suit their culinary needs. “It was definitely tricky, because there was no cabinetry or counter space inherently in the space,” Johnson says. “So we bought the butcher block table specifically for the space as a prep area. We repurposed these old CD racks as spice racks, to give us some shelf space. Billy installed shelves over the window.” Thanks to the additions, there’s now lots of space for the professional gourmands’ stuff: obscure spices, mementos, and quality booze aplenty. Before diving into some homemade linguica, Comte, and egg breakfast sandwiches, the couple gave us a tour of their digs.

1. The long shelf above the window is lined with mason jars of the couple’s pantry essentials like lentils, cornmeal, popcorn, barley and lots of other grains and beans. There’s also pickled jalapeno and cayenne peppers and homemade soups (like white bean and pumpkin). “We are kind of bean heads,” Johnson says. Just behind Flumerfelt is a sprig of Juniper “purloined from Fresh Pond,” per Flumerfelt, which they use fresh for brines and winter braises.  2. The small stuffed white turnip hanging by the bookshelf was a gift, and it’s a Taiwanese good luck charm. 3. A selection of cookbooks. 4. “It’s a flip flop with a chef with a piece of pizza on it,” Flumerfelt says.  ”It’s from Jax Discount Outlet, and it’s been going out of business for the past year,” Johnson says. “We just thought it was too hilarious to pass up.”

1. A watercress starter that Johnson bought to plant in a vegetable garden. 2. Flumerfelt’s first Executive Chef gig was at Arlington’s now-defunct Tea Tray in the Sky, which turned him into a bit of a tea aficionado. His favorite? “I really go back to the Oolongs a lot,” he says. “You’ve got your green teas at one end of the spectrum that are raw and unfermented, and the black teas are fermented for a long time. The Oolongs are right in the middle. 3. One of Flumerfelt’s past cooks made him a gorgeous, detailed, illustrated recipe book as a gift. 4. A copy of Joy of Cooking that Johnson has had since high school. It contains her go-to brownie recipe.

Johnson and Flumerfelt are foragers, and, as a result,are  really into mushrooms. Flumerfelt paid about $20 for a log at a farmers’ market that’s supposed to provide an endless stream of shitakes. “You can see, it’s run through with mycelium, and they drill holes and put plugs in,” he says. “So in theory the thing is thoroughly ripe with shitakes, but that’s not been our experience. If the temperature gets right, it should supposedly just explode [with them]. I’m still waiting for that to happen.”

1. A re-purposed CD rack acts as a spice organizer, containing seasonings like smoked habanero powder, fennel pollen (for garnishes), truffle salt, bacon salt (an ideal popcorn-topper), black cumon, epazote, and curry powder. 2. The duo are avid home brewers, and meticulously document their creations in notebooks. 3. Tangerine juice, which Johnson prefers over basic OJ. 4. The home brew set up. Johnson and Flumerfelt tend to go for hoppy, malty, porter-style brews.

1. A custom butcher block table next to the stove provides essential counter space. 2. The couple has a bit of an obsession with old-school potato ricers, and owns several. “We’re always ricing, 24/7,” Flumerfelt jokes. 3. Since Johnson preserves lots of vegetables and soups, she relies on this monster pressure canner to get the job done.

1. An old-school bacon press, which the couple uses mostly for crisping up quesadillas. 2. Flumerfelt’s carbon steel, standard-issue military cook’s knife. 3. A two-part garlic paster. “You roll the garlic [in the tube] to de-skin it, and then you press it on [the plate],” Flumerfelt says.

Unsatisfied with basic, flimsy pizza stones, Flumerfelt custom-ordered this beast from Fibrament.  The two make pizza often, with favorite combos like bacon and caramelized onion, or sausage, chile flakes, and broccoli rabe.

Finally, the fridge! 1. More tangerine juice. 2. Johnson’s homemade marinated olives. 3. A mini keg of some home brew. 4. The plastic tub contains pork spread, which was a housewarming gift. “It’s sort of like rilletes, a smooth pork paste,” Johnson says. 5. Just your average cheese-in-a-can. “Washington State University has a big agriculture program, and they make this canned cheese,” Johnson says. “My grandfather is somewhat obsessed with it, and he sends it for Christmas every year. It’s very good. It ages in the can, and it’s good indefintely in the fridge in the can. The Cougar Gold they’ve been making  forever, and it’s a cheddary, creamy cheese.” 6. A slew of condiments, including homemade piri piri sauce from Tavolo chef (and good friend) Nuno Alves, plus duck fat, mustard, capers, sweet chile sauce, and horseradish for Bloody Marys.

1. Frozen croissants that Johnson’s mom sends her each year. 2. The couple’s guilty pleasure: Trader Joe’s mint-chocolate ice cream sandwiches. 3. Empanada dough.

Of course, one fridge is never enough—especially for beer nuts. Some typically on-hand brews include Allagash White, Harpoon Rye, Old Chub Scotch Ale, Mayflower Porter, and Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Cocchi Americano is also a current favorite of the duo, and usually use it to make soda spritzers. “We add gin if we’re feeling sassy,” Johnson says.

1. + 2. Mementos Johnson picked up from a trip to Japan includes a cute sandwich cutter, and, even cuter, capsules designed for Japanese school children to use for transporting soy sauce in their lunchboxes. 3. A mandoline for slicing veggies. 4. A Saeco Incanto espresso machine. “That’s a cappuccino machine, probably our most prized possession,” Johnson says. 5. Other various kitchen gadgets include a Vietnamese coffee grinder (left) and old-school egg slicer.

Behold, the home bar, which is stocked with spirits like Berkshire Mountain Distiller’s Ethereal Gin, Old Overholt rye whiskey, and, of course, Fernet Branca. “There’s always lots of rye and gin,” Johnson says.

“We’re big Lillet fans,” Johnson says of the French apertif, which they often blend into Manhattans. Angostura bitters, orange bitters, grenadine, and Dolin vermouth round out the mix.

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston.

Chef Michael Schlow’s latest venture is Fenway’s Happy’s Bar + Kitchen, a casual cafeteria- meets post-Sox game hangout-meets hipster haven. It’s got an odd combination of graffiti walls and polished tin ceiling tiles. The menu reads a bit silly, with phrases such as “ridiculously delicious,” “the greatest,” and “super creamy” sprinkled throughout the breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings. It’s all tongue-and-cheek I’m sure, even if it is a series of over-promises. The hostesses (all four of them) stared blankly as I walked in, a cold gesture that felt ironic in a place called Happy’s. I got the same treatment on my way out,  despite great service from my server during dinner.

Playing off the cafeteria/diner theme, every night of the week features a different blue plate special, and Tuesday’s just so happens to be “The Attack of the Killer 1lb Meatball” night. (If anyone has seen the campy 80’s flick  Attack of the Killer Tomatoes you’ll get the reference) The meatball is as gaudy as you might expect, and for $17 it’ll fill you up right. The tightly packed meatball is about the size of a small child. It’s perfectly round, topped with a bright red tomato sauce and a dusting of Parmesan cheese, and shares the platter with a pile of herbed fettuccine (labeled spaghetti on the menu) and big hunk of garlic bread.

It’s not necessarily gourmet, so much as it is classically prepared just like the way mom used to make. The noodles are homemade and more precise than your run-of-the-mill cafeteria pasta, but that’s the Schlow touch for you. The garlic bread, heavily charred to the point of burnt, yields two chewy and salty pieces of thick bread missing the presence of actual garlic. The meatball is cooked consistently throughout, no easy feat for a meatball of any size, but even more impressive with one of this stature. It’s tender and hearty, with some bite from a healthy dose of black pepper, but it’s otherwise one-note—small traces of pork can be detected, but beef is the predominant flavor.

The tomato sauce tastes a little tinny and slightly acidic; the flavors of the canned tomatoes are undeveloped and thus a bit harsh on the palette. The sauce, though, is merely an afterthought, as the spotlight is on the meatball. Of course, there’s only so much meat one can eat in a single sitting, even for me, and I grew increasingly bored as I ate. Maybe, though, that’s the simplicity they are after, and I suppose the interest lies in the size on the plate, not the flavors themselves. At the end of the day, it’s a large meatball as advertised and quite  literally a centerpiece of conversation for everyone who orders it. But, unfortunately, it lacked the punch I had anticipated.

Happy’s Bar + Kitchen, 1363 Boylston Street, 857-753-4100, happysbarandkitchen.com

Yesterday, the blog Caught in Southie shared the rumor that Tasty Burger may be opening a quick-service outpost in South Boston—something we can confirm after speaking with owner David DuBois last night. “We are trying to do that old fashioned burger stand,” DuBois says of the new takeout window-only spot, which will be located at 69 L Street. This means a curtailed menu (most of the burgers and dogs are available, plus fries and milkshakes; no booze) plus one major addition: house froyo (including dipped cones!!), a nod to space’s predecessor, ice cream stand The Boathouse. “We do think it’s a cool thing to have that kind of walk up window, it’s kind of fun and retro,” DuBois says. “That space is such an iconic part of that neighborhood.”

While it won’t be open in time for the long Memorial Day weekend, DuBois says he expects the stand—for those keeping count, the third outpost of the growing Tasty empire— to open within the next couple of months, which means soon enough, you can augment your Southie tan with a spicy jalapeno burger and a dipped cone.

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston

Night Shift, one of Boston’s newest nanobreweries, opened for tours and tastings at the beginning of April. While the 2,000 square foot space in an industrial park in Everett is by no means gargantuan, the old World War II-era parts factory houses plenty of room for the 3.5-barrel system, a five-fermenter room, a walk-in cooler, a sour room with two fermenters, and a bar for tastings, where both flagship and experimental beers are served.

And since Night Shift has recently released a few new brews, a visit was in order—and we weren’t disappointed. Somer Weisse, a Berliner Weisse-style sour ale named after the founders’ humble beginnings in Somerville, is exactly what you want to drink on a hot, summer day. At 5.2 percent ABV, it’s insanely easy to drink; refreshing and spiked with citrusy lemongrass and the spice of fresh ginger root. Viva Habanera, which hasn’t been bottled yet, is a 7.1 percent ABV rye ale brewed with habaneros and agave nectar. It has a bright, coppery color and was inspired by a love of cooking—the heat of the peppers is surprisingly subtle, slightly warming, and complements the rye’s natural spice. And finally, the Quad Reserve, a Belgian style quad made with brown sugar and Shiraz grape juice, is aged for 60 days and is an outstanding example of a beer/wine hybrid—fans of Dogfish Head’s Noble Rot would do well to try this one. It’s big at 10.5 percent ABV, but the deep brown brew has a distinct wine flavor that pairs well with the sweetness from the brown sugar.

Night Shift promises more new, experimental beers in the future, too: plans so far include a saison with rosemary for the Drink Craft Beer Summerfest in July, a different variation of Somer Weisse with hibiscus, and and apple cider ale this fall. And the company is working to source as many local ingredients as possible. “We want to support the community around us,” says Michael Oxton, one of the brewery’s three founders. “We also prefer interacting with people that we know. That’s tough to do if your [ingredients] come from 300 miles away.”

Hit up Night Shift for a tour on Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 to 4 p.m.

3 Charlton St., Everett, nightshiftbrewing.com.

Back in January, we told you about West Bridge, a collaboration from Aquitaine alums Matthew Gaudet and Alexis Gelburd-Kimler. At long last, the Kendall Square restaurant is all staffed up (including  the addition of bar manager Josh Taylor, formerly of Eastern Standard), and ready to open tomorrow.  Ahead, get a look at some of the dishes (including crispy chicken skin with malt vinegar aioli and a fried pig’s head cake with pickled pumpkin) from the opening menu.

While everyone thinks of Taza when it comes to local chocolates, there’s another, newer, local company that deserves some attention, too: EHChocolatier, a Cambridge-based joint project from former Harvard admissions counselor Catharine Sweeney and physician Elaine Hseih. After working at their respective jobs for years, the two were both craving something else from their lives, and when they were introduced in 1999 to co-create a mutual friend’s wedding cake, they realized they had both been craving something sweet (“It was the edible luster dust” that bonded the two women, Sweeney jokes.)

In the fall of 2009, the two left their jobs and started a trial monthly chocolate shop exclusively available for their family and friends, and they honed their skills at the Cambridge Culinary School. EHChocolatier launched in November of last year—and almost a year later, their chocolates are being snapped up at Formaggio Kitchen, at farmers’ markets throughout New England, at gourmet shops spanning from Maine to North Carolina, and online.

Hseih and Sweeney are both mothers, and in honor of Sunday’s impending holiday, the duo decided to launch a new line of flavors: lemon curd, strawberry balsamic, lavender/vanilla, varietal milk, ceylon cinnamon, and earl grey. We stopped by their Cambridge workshop (which they rent from Taza) to watch the duo create their signature sweets.

Chopping up soon-to-be melted bars of chocolate for the candies.

An unfinished batch of Ancho Bars (which contain spiced nuts, pretzels, Balvenie Scotch caramel, and 65% single varietal chocolate), wait to get enrobed in chocolate.

Finished Ancho Bars. All of the chocolates at EH are dipped by hand.

Pecans for turtle-like pecan clusters get a good toss in a mixture of maple syrup and sea salt.

Finished clusters, topped with Knob Creek bourbon caramel and a layer of 65% dark chocolate, cool on the racks.

New chocolates for Mother’s Day are filled with everything from lemon curd to lavender (right).

Others include fillings like ceylon cinnamon (right) and strawberry and balsamic.

Hseih and Sweeney pose with a finished batch of chocolates. In addition to giving chocolate as a gift, you can book a Beyond the Bar class, a $40 introduction to the art of chocolate making and tasting (check online for more details).

—Hannah Lauterback

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston

Is Alfresco's becoming a new restaurant? (Photo courtesy of Yelp/Ligaya T.)

Alfresco, a Davis Square Italian spot with a wildly popular brunch, may be closing and re-concepting, it seems. Per a post on a Davis Square Livejournal forum (yes, it appears that one does indeed exist): “Alfresco restaurant, at the corner of Highland and Cutter avenues, has all of its doors and windows papered over. A sign on the front door says ‘Closed for Minor Improvements. Sorry for any Inconvenience…’” The phone has been temporarily disconnected as well.

But wait, there’s more. According to a Craigslist post today, a new restaurant will soon be opening in the same space (382 Highland Ave.), and will feature “a unique mix of fresh, organic and local ingredients” plus a beer list that  ”highlights New England craft with classic and vintage brews” (and what they mean by “vintage” beers, we are not entirely sure).

If it’s a wholly new restaurant coming to the area, well, then, it’s yet another choosing to make Somerville its home—and if the concept is from the same owners as Alfresco, it’s likely that they are trying to keep up with the rapid changes in the area. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston

All photos by Brian Samuels.

When walking around Boston’s South End, it is easy to pass by the small restaurants tucked into its side streets. The area is known for their classy neighborhood concept restaurants and Coppa, the brainchild of chefs/owners Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette (who was recently nominated for a Best Chef: Northeast James Beard award for his work at the restaurant), is no exception. Their menu features Italian small plates that range from charcuterie to pastas and wood-fired pizzas.

The evening I stopped by Coppa, there were three individuals working the kitchen (apparently, this is always the case, as the facility simply isn’t large enough to fit additional people). J.T. DeBrie, the chef de cuisine, was at the front, reading off tickets, rolling meatballs, and finishing off dishes with oils, herbs, and cheese before they made their way out to diners. Running the wood-fire oven was Nevin Taylor, who moved efficiently through the cramped space, flinging pizza dough which was then molded and topped with everything from ramps to sausage. In the back, running the pasta station, was Brian Limoges, who remained quiet throughout my stay. He maintained focus as each order came in and, despite being tucked away, had just as much to do as his counterparts to execute Coppa’s pasta dishes.

It’s an amazing feat when people can work shoulder to shoulder and not lose their cool. But that’s exactly what the staff at Coppa manages to do. “Yes, there are challenges to working in this kitchen.  It is so small that often times there is a literal case of  ’too many cooks in the kitchen,’  as they are jockeying for prep space and burners on the stove,” says GM Mary Edes. “The key is a lot of teamwork and common sense, along with being okay with losing your personal space bubble.”  Watch the team in action ahead.

On an average night, Coppa does about 100 covers. Though the restaurant now takes reservations, you can still expect to wait about 45 minutes for a table for two as a walk-in.

Chef de cuisine J.T. DeBrie, here grabbing an order ticket, has been with Coppa since it opened about two and a half years ago.

DeBrie seasons what will become meatballs, one of Coppa’s top sellers (particularly at lunch). The dinnertime kitchen staff arrives at 11 a.m. each day to prep for the evening service.

Brian Limoges mans the pasta station. On average, the restaurant goes through about 40 orders of pasta each evening.

A finished order of Trophie con Pesto with fingerling potatoes and Piave cheese.

One of the night’s specials when I visited: ramp Casoncelli with beef tongue and brown butter.

Nevin Taylor was in charge of the pizza station that night (and he clearly knows his way around a ball of dough).

Coppa sells between 40 and 45 pizzas during an average dinnertime service. The most popular pizzas are the bone marrow pie (white pizza with roasted beef heart, bone marrow, celery, and horseradish) and the Parma (tomato, mozzarella, arugula and Prosciutto di Parma).

DeBrie puts the finishing touches on a small plate of broccoli rabe.

For more online food coverage, find us on Twitter at @ChowderBoston.

A peek inside Wan Convenience store, a secret sandwich haven located in Mission Hill. All photos by Katie Barszcz.

Mission Hill’s Wan Convenience store is an odd little creature; sure, you can pick up a selection of Goya products, potato chips and bottles of paprika that have probably sat on the dusty shelves for years, but you can also come in for a fine variety of sandwiches and subs, which come out of Al’s Deli, which is located inside. It’s a little chaotic as owner Al mans the griddle and chats up a diverse blend of regulars, students, and overwhelmed newbies who think they might be in the wrong place. But look beyond the graffiti walls and cigarette signs, and allow the aroma of crispy caramelized meats to distract you while you eagerly await the sandwich to come.

Al, the man behind the griddle, hard at work.

Be patient, though— there is no rhyme or reason with the ordering system; you just have to wait your turn until Al decides your sandwich is ready. Someone may come in after you but still receive their order long before you do, and there’s a chance your sandwich is missing an ingredient or has something randomly added instead. But it’s all good. Because when your sandwich does arrive, you’ll be eager to tear into the paper bag and unwrap a glorious, foot long-plus sub on crackly and chewy French bread.

I was immediately drawn to the “Deathwich,” because with a name like that you know it has to be good, even if it’s not exactly good for you. The Deathwich is a kitchen sink type of sandwich, not overly filled but properly stuffed with shaved steak, thinly sliced pork, diced bacon, American cheese and Al’s blend of spices and sauces. The spices and sauces are nothing exotic, as hints of black pepper and Italian dressing seem to sneak their way onto the plethora of meats, but it works.

Al cooks one sandwich at a time, his Caribbean accent peeking through at random intervals, and he is a one man griddling machine. Once a sandwich is completed, Al calls it “a beautiful thing” and then turns his attention to the next one. It’s hard to argue with him. The messy Deathwich is a fantastic blend of quality proteins, with each bite as flavorful as the next. It’s warm and soul-satisfying in a way most sandwiches can only dream about. In a half-kidding tone, Al graciously tells you to pay after you eat and that if you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay. I guarantee that not paying won’t be an option; the sandwiches are that good.

This certainly isn’t fast food, since Al definitely works at his own pace. But sandwiches are worth the wait, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more genuine and enjoyable sub shop in the city.

(WAN Conveneince Store, 1508 Tremont St., Boston 617-445-4268)