For What It's Worth: March 2016 Boston area Openings/Closings

I’m not totally sure just how useful this thread is (especially since I’m not really on the ground much in Boston these days) but I seem to have elected myself to start it every month. So here, for what it’s worth, is your March 2016 version.

I read on Eater Boston that there’s a March 5 pop up for Mamaleh’s Deli at Eastern Standard this Saturday. The instagram pics make this venture maybe look kind of promising, considering that our deli choices here are pretty limited:

so, whaddya got?

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Gilt City has a voucher for The Rising Bar in the old Hit Wicket space in Inman Square, Cambridge. The online reviews seem promising. The menu is fairly small but appealing, with mostly pub food choices. It appears to have opened sometime in February.

Mexica Burrito Grill has opened on Main St in Tewksbury, where Friendly’s used to be.
I haven’t seen any reviews. http://www.mymexica.com/

It is actually useful in a way that’s not very obvious in the short term. These opening/ closing thread is read by Eater. So they give the Boston board a little mention when someone mentions an opening/ closing that’s not mentioned already, e.g.

146 clicks from the Boston Eater site in the last 30 days on 7 topics…!

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that’s cool. i’ll keep starting 'em, and in general there seem to be occasional reports from Chinatown and the like that I haven’t seen elsewhere, so it seems worth it for multiple reasons (especially given the cost to me, which is obviously minimal). I just wish I had something to add myself, once in awhile!

I find it very useful as well. When this board first started the quarterly catch all Openings thread became a bit unwieldy and then there were one off threads that just said x place opened with no detail or review. Even though dates tend to slide and we might not always be consistent with listing a place when it is opened vs announced, having monthly threads is better in my option. Users can break out invdividual places that merit their own threads once there are actual experiences to report.

Mamalehs is doing their brunch pop up at ES on Sat but if you don’t already have a reservation you may be out of luck. I believe the same items are available at State Park during weekend brunch.

Ex-employees of Curly’s are saying that they would be surprised if it reopened. Ownership has chased out the opening staff (who made Curly’s what it was) and they’ve been cutting corners ever since (i.e. smaller portions) in an attempt to regain profits.

Harvard Square Panera is gone, a Tatte bakery is taking its place (though don’t know when opening is projected)

Wahlburgers is planning to open all over the country, including a branch in Dorchester.

Smoke Shop BBQ in Kendall is now saying “Spring” opening, but no set date. This video (linked) was posted to Twitter and retweeted by Husbands.

https://twitter.com/OnlyInBOS/status/707951668436938752

Tchaikovsky and composed plates don’t usually say BBQ to me, but some of the food made me hungry.

Seeing that Panera is purchasing Tatte, it’s kind of a remodel!

Saloniki is opening this week.

Neither opening or closing, but just a gossip, but it looks like Ranveer Brar, formerly of Banq, won’t be spending much time in Boston any more (not that he has recently). He’s opening up 3 eateries in Mumbai.

This probably shouldn’t be in the March openings thread, but Boston Restaurant Talk posted that a second Emma’s Pizza, now in Cambridge, will open in the South End.

Has anyone been to StreetFood Revolution, in the former Camino Real space? They have a pretty interesting menu.

This one’s not until next winter, but the Cambridge restaurant scene continues to get richer and richer. Eater reports that the Row 34/ICOB team will be opening a new place in Harvard Square. http://boston.eater.com/2016/3/21/11277456/island-creek-oyster-bar-row-34-cambridge

Pretty soon we’re not going to have much reason to cross the river.

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Not an opening or closing, but has anyone heard anything about the critic that Boston Globe is supposed to hire to replace First? Its been a while.

Today I saw Upper Crust signage and “coming soon” notices covering the windows of the space beside Chipotle on Mall Road in Burlington. What with their legal issues, and,several closures, I didn’t expect them to be in expansion mode. There’s a Clover in that strip too - if the “bad things come in threes” dictum holds true, they’re asking for trouble. Then again, perhaps the mere fact of UC being there qualifies as the bad thing.

not sure. they’re running reviews (Marliave by Christopher Muther today, Eat with Jack O’Neill by Sheryl Julian last week) but I don’t know what is up with them tabbing someone as a primary critic.

Hopefully their being deliberate with their hiring means they are going for a good one.

Chloe Coscarelli, winner of Cupcake Wars, is opening a vegan restaurant in Seaport this summer.