A new year, and I’m starting it out mostly like the last one–late with the monthly update. Here’s the spot for anything new or anything shutdown.
I know Wusong Road in Harvard Square is finally open, but since I’m back working
!?*@#$!?$ remotely for most of this month (we’ve made sooooo much progress in near 2 years, eh?) I’m not sure when I’ll get there since I won’t be going to the office. I’d say hopefully soon, but to be honest I am pretty much fresh out of hope.
There are signs that the bb.q in North Quincy will finally be opening this weekend. They are already showing up on local Ubereats and Grubhub apps, but delivery isn’t available until this Sunday.
Another chain, but I’ll take it if it’s good Korean fried chicken.
Wow, just read the Molti has closed, effective immediately (on their Instagram).
In Waltham, Molti is the revamp of Moody’s deli. So that closed along with the chicken place next door.
Sad.
So I know I’ve missed a few iterations on Moody, but what happened to it/him?
I haven’t been keeping track of all the twists and turn with respect to Moody’s . . . but general outline (some specifics/order could be off) . . . .
Moody’s Deli making their own cured meats, awesome sandwiches, all good
Expands to include Moody’s Backroom - just for dinner, same chef, same great food
Expands into new space to create a taco place - same chef, good tacos, didn’t do great
Changes Taco place into The Pollo Club - same chef, good chicken, I think the concept did well
Expands “Backroom” to include a new space and includes a crudo bar - same chef (their crudo was just okay IMHO)
Something happens, chef leaves (don’t know the relationship between the chef/owners/investors), chef opens New England Charcuterie which still makes the same great cured meats
Stays open as Moody’s for a long time, then a year or so again changes name to Molti (don’t know why) - we never went but no idea how the new concept was doing. . . and then wham - closed.
It was never quite the same once the main Chef left, but it also didn’t go immediately downhill or anything. So no idea if it was a struggle with the investors, poor business, rising rents, covid . . . no idea.
thanks so much for the timeline. No wonder I was confused!
I might be wrong but I think Chef Joshua Smith first opened New England Charcuterie with business partners before opening Moody’s Delicatessen. He expanded than as you described to the Backroom, taco place etc and had issue with his business partners about two years ago when he departed to now work for Alltown Fresh
That could be. None of them have had me over for dinner 
so I can only know so much.
It is sad, the backroom was so great when it opened.
Looks right
looks like Wang’s on Broadway is at least “temporarily” closed, they have a sign on the door. The place isn’t what it used to be, I mostly mention it because just recently the pizza place next door (Pini’s) shut down and there was some intimation that they had been forced out by the owner, who is maybe the Premiere on Broadway guy?
The whole block is now essentially shut but for Premiere and George’s Liquors, which is also planning to move.
How disappointing that the story of the once fantastic Moody’s has ended. Thanks to @Thimes for the intel.
This place was more than it seemed in the Chef Joshua Smith era, then became less than it appeared after the new management team assumed control.
My husband and I went to Waltham to stock up on a regular basis under Moody’s original ownership: the makings for a charcuterie dinner. Then house made goodies for later such as fresh (frozen) pasta, duck confit legs, frozen sausages, pickled onions, pimiento cheese, and their swoon-worthy meatballs also served at the Backroom. My husband managed to make it to the Backroom for dinner, and together we had yummy lunches on the premises.
We visited the rebranded Moody’s—Molti—a couple of times after the new team took over and found it diminished. Offerings were fewer. And though it was not possible for me to taste-test the charcuterie and sausages prepared under the original and new management, the flavors seemed to be dialed back. The direction was heading towards meh. We stopped going out of our way to get there.
P. S. As a topic-adjacent sidebar, another name caught my eye in that Alltown link
you shared, @honkman. Some years back my husband and I used to visit Vieques (off the main island of Puerto Rico) and had dinner at a place then helmed by Tony Cascino—now listed as being on the Alltown team. On a dark back road up in the hills, that spot was a dream restaurant for us that we sadly only got to once. Chef Tony had cooked at the now late, great East Coast Grill in Cambridge and brought with him and an evident passion for big flavors. Small world!
The pandemic has destroyed all sense of timing for me. However, since the original Moody’s and backroom were essentially over or headed downhill before the pandemic, I feel as it has been gone forever. It’s a shame we had some fantastic meals at the Backroom, however it was fleeting.
This is sad! I’ve continued to get good food from them, and don’t agree they’ve gone downhill. I made a huge Christmas Eve order with some special requests (making some of their dishes which usually have pork meat-free, such as the house special noodle and smoked tofu, which we love) and they filled the order accurately and everyone enjoyed, meat eaters and veggies alike. I do admit that they are the only place I order via GrubHub rather than direct/calling as I’ve had some issues with phone orders, but on the whole they are my favorite nearby Chinese and I’d be devastated if they closed.
ah, that’s good to know. I had a meal or two there that was OK but not great, especially when I compare it to how it was when I first started going there maybe 15 or so years ago, which I believe was a totally different owner. I still always like the frozen dumplings for freezer fare.
I tend to walk by here fairly often, so I’ll keep an eye out and update if I notice the sign change on the door. It is possible they’ve just shut down for a bit, given everything going on these days. With most everything else on that block vacating it just seemed noteworthy, but maybe they’ll stick around.
NOOO!!! That was our go-to when we lived in Teele Sq. And the back story sounds downright unsavory.
they are actually just moving, they’re taking over the spot on Boston Avenue where Espresso Pizza just went belly up.
That’s good news but sometimes I feel like pizza joints that are good are all about the specific locale. Terroir, if you will. Hopefully they will be able to replicate the delicious pizza in their new gig.
it’s not the Fresh Pond one that’s moving to Assembly, it’s the one on McGrath Highway across from Twin City Plaza. The signage is sure to be missed there, though!
I walked by here just now, and they had a different sign up saying they were still temporarily closed but that it was because they were doing a kitchen renovation. so @Parsnipity, it seems like they will be back at some point!
Bluebird Bar, in West Newton (former Lumiere location) opened recently. It looks gastropubby.
Updating my own post. bbq NQ moved the opening date to 'February" - nothing more specific.
Don’t blame them since we got slammed with 14 inches of snow last Friday and then it’s been bitter cold through today. Mother nature isn’t helping their cause.
