Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionals—and your views, too.


News for Restaurants in Boston
August 2008 Archive

Search / Openings / Closings / Chef Shuffle / News Bytes / Culinary Events / Wine Dinners / Sign up for our free, monthly newsletter / News Archive

BOSTON RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

Tavolo is the latest restaurant from chef/owner Chris Douglass, long known for his South End fine-dining standout Icarus, and more recently for Ashmont Grill, a casual bar/restaurant he opened up near his home in Dorchester. Tavolo is located in the Carruth condominium building, a short distance down Dorchester Avenue from the Ashmont Grill. It’s a casual, approachable spot cleverly decorated with slate chalkboards, some decorated by local professional artists, others available for scribbling patrons. Grownups will appreciate the full bar as a spot to enjoy a meal and watch the game; families will come for the kid-friendly menu of pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and salads at modest prices. Dinner nightly. Tavolo, Carruth, 1918 Dorchester Avenue, Boston, MA 02124, 617-822-1918.
 
Cafe Marliave opened in 1875 and served traditional American fare to generations of Bostonians before fading into a sad, tattered senescence and closing a few years ago. Fortunately, chef Scott Herritt of Grotto, a beloved Italian restaurant on nearby Beacon Hill, has bought the space and restored it to its late-19th-century glory, bringing out long-hidden architectural details like tin ceilings and tile floors. The venue has three distinct spaces: a six-seat raw bar at the foundation level, a first-floor bar with café seating that will serve food late into the evening, and a second-story dining room with huge windows overlooking Bromfield and Province Streets. Diners at the new Restaurant Marliave can expect a menu of sophisticated Continental cuisine in the dining room, more modestly-priced retro American classics in the bar, creative versions of Prohibition-era cocktails, and a casual, convivial atmosphere. Dinner nightly. Restaurant Marliave, 10 Bosworth Street, Boston, MA 02113, 617-422-0004.
 
L'Espalier, long regarded as one of the very best restaurants in Boston, served its last meal in the Back Bay townhouse it called home for twenty-five years and has reopened a couple of blocks away in the new Mandarin Oriental, Boston on Boylston Street near the Prudential Center. (The hotel is scheduled to open the first week of October.) Designed by Martin Vahtra, the new venue features a more modern look, twice the square footage, and significantly more seating. Chef-owner Frank McClelland and his peerless front- and back-of-house staffs will certainly not miss the cramped kitchen and many staircases of the old space. L'Espalier, Mandarin Oriental, Boston, 774 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02199, 617-262-3023.
 

News Bytes

Banq adds French/Asian Fusion Brunch
Banq Restaurant & Bar, one of Boston's hottest restaurants, grabs a lot of attention for its stunning interior design, perhaps unfairly at the expense of its inventive menu. Chef Ranveer Brar creates classic French dishes given fresh ingredients and exotic spicing from all over Asia, notably India, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. It should be fascinating to see what he can do with that staple of South End weekends, the mid-day brunch. Some of his promised dishes include crepes with anise-spiced bananas in mango sauce, and eggs Benedict made with nutmeg-cured rock shrimp. The de rigueur brunch cocktail list will include similar East/West fusion elements, like a sweet and fiery Asian Bloody Mary. Dinner nightly, brunch Sat.-Sun.. Banq Restaurant & Bar, 1375 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118, 617-451-0077.
 
Craigie Street Bistrot to Move
Craigie Street Bistrot, the French restaurant helmed by chef/owner Tony Maws, is moving to a bigger, brighter location in Cambridge, into the old La Groceria space in Central Square. Famous for its locavore slant and Sunday and Wednesday night "Chef's Whim" improvisational dinners, Craigie Street Bistrot has always been hampered by a small, somewhat cramped basement space in a residential building in a quiet neighborhood with difficult parking near Harvard Square. The new space will offer more seating, a bigger kitchen that will enable Maws to expand his menu, ample nearby parking, and a full bar. Maws also expects to add brunch, lunch, and private dining. Fans should epect the Bistrot to close for good sometime in September, and the newly-dubbed Craigie on Main to open at 853 Main Street about two weeks later. Craigie Street Bistrot, 5 Craigie Cir., Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-497-5511.
 

Chef Shuffle

Check back soon for more news.


Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for Boston to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from the past. The Federalist, R.I.P.

Boston Public, the Asian-accented steakhouse from chef Pino Maffeo, has closed. Boston Public, Louis Boston, 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, no phone.
 

BostonChefs.com is a site featuring the area’s top chefs and their cuisine via a portfolio of color photos of the chef’s signature dishes, a chef bio and picture, etc. Check out e-licious, their semi-monthly email newsletter. They also feature lots of restaurant job postings!

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to
learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.


View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Boston

Current News View archived news: January 2020 | November 2019 | October 2019 | September 2019 | May 2019 | March 2019 | February 2019 | January 2019 | December 2018 | September 2018 | July 2018 | April 2018 | March 2018 | December 2017 | November 2017 | August 2017 | June 2017 | May 2017 | March 2017 | February 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 | October 2016 | September 2016 | August 2016 | July 2016 | June 2016 | May 2016 | April 2016 | March 2016 | February 2016 | January 2016 | December 2015 | November 2015 | October 2015 | September 2015 | August 2015 | July 2015 | June 2015 | May 2015 | April 2015 | March 2015 | February 2015 | January 2015 | December 2014 | November 2014 | October 2014 | September 2014 | August 2014 | July 2014 | June 2014 | May 2014 | April 2014 | March 2014 | February 2014 | January 2014 | December 2013 | November 2013 | October 2013 | September 2013 | August 2013 | July 2013 | June 2013 | May 2013 | April 2013 | March 2013 | February 2013 | January 2013 | December 2012 | November 2012 | October 2012 | September 2012 | August 2012 | July 2012 | June 2012 | May 2012 | April 2012 | March 2012 | February 2012 | January 2012 | December 2011 | November 2011 | October 2011 | September 2011 | August 2011 | July 2011 | June 2011 | May 2011 | April 2011 | March 2011 | February 2011 | January 2011 | December 2010 | November 2010 | October 2010 | September 2010 | August 2010 | July 2010 | June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | January 2010 | December 2009 | November 2009 | October 2009 | September 2009 | August 2009 | June 2009 | May 2009 | April 2009 | March 2009 | February 2009 | January 2009 | December 2008 | November 2008 | October 2008 | August 2008 | July 2008 | June 2008 | May 2008 | April 2008 | March 2008



VALENTINE'S DAY WINES

Add wine to the celebration of love, curated by GAYOT´s Wine & Spirits Editor.

Check the list.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS

For a rosé bubbly Valentine's Day celebration.

Get the recipes.

GAYOT'S RESTAURANT AWARDSOver the years, we have been electing restaurants to be on GAYOT's Yearly Restaurant Awards.

Check the list.