Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec 2022 Openings and Closings [Boston, New England]

Keep us posted! Maybe Mary Chung’s needs its own thread. I searched and came up with a post from Digga from years ago stating she’d be “inconsolable” should it ever close. How are you hanging in there? For me, I remember writing a long paean to the joys of dining at Mary Chung’s with a new baby, and having a server disappear with said baby into the kitchen. I wish I could find that writing which disappeared into the black hole of Chowhound. We were planning our usual Christmas Eve Chinese take out, but given the lines I don’t think we can chance it. First Wang’s, now Mary Chung’s. It’s a sad time. I suppose we’ll probably give Zoe’s a go unless anyone has another suggestion.

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Oh Mary Chung’s is/was so good with children! We took in our son when he was 6 (and very newly adopted), knowing he wouldn’t be able to eat any of the food given his background, but we really wanted to eat there, had no child care, and wanted to expose him to at least being around highly spiced and fragrant food. I asked the server if it was OK if he sat with us without eating anything. She said, “he’s a child, feel free to get him something from McDonald’s across the street, he can eat it here next to you.”

She was so very kind.

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In Cambridge, we’ve moved on from Zoe’s to Dumpling House, very pleased with that! And you can get delivery via Chownow, which is a restuarant-and-delivery-person friendly alternative to Grubhub, etc.

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As @splendidspatula suggests, Dumpling House (with which you are familiar). I also offer 5 Spice in Central Square, and MDM Noodles in Brighton as worthy competition.

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Yes, we love Dumpling House but for some reason we mostly do dine-in there. Also, our Christmas Eve meal involves a lot of vegetarians, and our favorite dumplings and lamb dishes there are all meat-focused. I think we’ve had some misses with vegetables and not good flexibility with asking for tofu dishes meat-free. But thank you for putting it back on the radar for take out.

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If you do go there please order the sweet potato with hot toffee (G3 on the online menu) and report back.

5 spices has a very good scallion fried rice, and an equally good string bean dish with bamboo shoots. They also have an intriguing cauliflower dry pot, but I haven’t had it.

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I did not see it mentioned in any of the closing threads on HO, but Devra First’s article about new Boston restaurants in today’s Globe mentioned that S & I Thai in Allston has closed. How sad. It was our once monthly go to Thai food for many of the 27 years I lived in Brighton. My favorite Thai place by far.

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Bumma.

But there will be greatness in our future, I just know it.

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Oh no! The best Thai in Boston for so many years. I’ve been using Sugar and Spice in Porter Square, which is fine but not up to S&I in its prime. Others that folks like?

Now that I’m in Newton Centre, we go to Coconut Newton which is fine, but no S & I. I’ve been told the specials board at Thai North in Brighton are very good, but when I lived in Brighton we pretty much only went to S & I.

I used to live up the hill from Thai North and the specials were good but not S&I good.

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Cha Yen in Watertown is fantastic, and presumably sister restuaurant Kala Thai in Boston is too. Of the Newton places, I like Le Deu in Newtonville the best. I haven’t been to Dok Bua in Brookline in ages, but it used to be great back in the day.

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We like Dakzen in Davis Square, Cha Yen in Watertown & Boon Noon in Arlington.

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Has anyone else tried BoonNoon Market in Arlington, included in Devra First’s 2022 awards review in the Globe? Dishes cooked to order and also a Thai market. Sounds really interesting. Parsnipity, what’s the market like? I am always looking for fresh lime leaves and can’t find them since Russos closed. He’s also the chef at Dakzen, which we very much enjoyed for take out during the height of the pandemic. Must get back.

https://www.boonnoonmarket.com/

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There was this review by @MC-Slim-JB.

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and I wrote about it here Boon Noon Market [Capitol Square, Arlington MA]
The market is small- it’s really just a shelf or two. I can’t remember if there were any fresh lime leaves.

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I can see that I liked your review back in 2021 but somehow spaced on reading it and on BoonNoon! Thanks for the link to remind me. And thanks to GretchenS, too. We’ll try it soon.

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WholeFoods on Alewife and River St tended to gave lime leaves

Yes, used to, sometimes. Pre pandemic. I will have to try Alewife again. We go to River St frequently and never there in last few years.

Thanks for reminding me! I hope you and family are doing well in California.

9zaab east cambridge