99 Ranch instagram confirmed steaming/frying fish is free with purchase. They are already open today, but there are various prizes and goodie bags at stake for tomorrow and Sunday (and lion dances and DJ and family activities…) so expect a huge crowd with grand opening/Chinese New Year next weekend.
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Ranch99 (and most other Asian supermarkets at least in California) clean, filet, fry, stream etc your whole fish for free. (I never looked for it but isn’t that also the case in Boston ?)
The fish section of Asian markets here will definitely clean the fish for you, and some that have enough of a non-Chinese clientele will even offering different types of cuts (fillets vs steaks, as an example), but I’ve never seen steaming or frying.
I did brave the cold and the crowds this Saturday and it was a zoo in there. I didn’t even attempt to get too far in to the meats and seafood sections because it was all grid-locked. I like the store overall, but need additional time to look for the different items I buy. It reminds me of a cross between H-Mart and Kam Man, but better organized than Kam Man, and less Korean-centric than H Mart.
I didn’t see a particularly huge Japanese foods section, which is slightly disappointing. I do need to take a better look though. I also didn’t see the big bags of the Japanese haiga rice I like to buy from HMart in Burlington, and that would have been the real win for me.
Overall, I definitely like having it as an option. There is a bakery in the store with what looks like very appetizing cakes and other desserts. There was a guy manning a grill there, so I think there will be a very limited offering of cooked foods.
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Minuteman Diner, Great Road in Bedford, is finally open (they originally planned to open last summer). They are only serving breakfast so far so their “diner by day, tavern by night” tagline is only half fulfilled. I have mixed feelings, we need more good lunch options in the area and a really awesome diner would be a very welcome addition, but I am not known for my self-control…
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Have you tried the rice section at Kam Man or Good Fortune? I bought the 15lb Tamaki haiga at Good fortune in the past and really liked it. Unfortunately they didn’t have it the last time I had to restock, so I got the Hukkura one at Kam Man. But they also had Nishiki haiga I think.
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Now serving full menu.
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I don’t have a car so trips to Kam Man and Good Fortune are rare, but I absolutely hate the parking at Good Fortune. When I’m lucky enough to get a ride, we all hate driving over there.
I did end up finding the Tamaki Haiga at 99 Ranch today so that’s good news.
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Cupola in Newton Center has closed. They were the sister restaurant of Bottega Florentina in Coolidge Corner. Not a huge loss, but I did enjoy their prosciutto sandwich on rustic bread. Will keep an eye on the space to see what goes in there next.
Whaling in Oklahoma is closed. Sad news. I really liked that restaurant.
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Oh no! That is sad news indeed.
Bummer! It was on my list to try. I wonder why – it hasn’t been open for that long. 
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I heard the investor was impatient, but IDK.
Whaling in Oklahoma just wasn’t as good as I Had hoped, so not shocked.
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Ribelle, before Whaling In Oklahoma, was REALLY impressive on multiple visits and I loved it, but only went to Whaling once & was not impressed.
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Agree that Ribelle was a knockout over multiple visits. The food was truly astonishing. I never made it to Whaling, which saddens me, but in truth the menu never really appealed.
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Zero resemblance between the restaurants… Too bad!
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Ribelle was amazing. Whaling was quite different, but the food was really good. I liked it a lot and it was a great spot to eat before heading off to the Caulderwood.
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Meirtage in the Boston Harbor Hotel is closing next month. It’s unfortunate as it was one of the last traditional more formal dining holdouts in the city. I was there a few months back for a business dinner and it was very good (and near capacity).
In the past an outdated or underperforming outlet would be replaced with a new concept in a high end hotel property. However it seems that model is changing and 5 star properties (in Boston at least) are training customers to expect less. Just as when the Four Seasons decided they could make more money from weddings and corporate events in the space occupied by Aujourd’hui, at the expense of their guests.
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