• The new Whole Foods in New York is apparently the prototype for most new stores...definitely good news for those in Dedham and Reading, where the next two Massachusetts stores are set to open. [Racked]
• Dice-K mania continues as Brigham's announces a new flavor: Dice-Kream. [Inside Track]

We all like to eat and we all like to learn, so why not do both at once?

• We like to chug Sam Adams while eating Nutella from the jar, personally, but if you're looking for a classier way to make the great tastes of chocolate and beer taste great together, you should probably head over to Wine Gallery in Brookline where Temper Chocolates is presenting a class on pairing chocolate and beer at 7:00 tonight. $25 includes the class and chocolate and beer tastings.
• What could possibly be classier than chocolate and beer? How about a cooking class at the newly-renovated Rialto with chef Jody Adams? $125 gets you a lesson in how to prepare a four course Italian meal and the meal itself. Call (617) 661-5050 for reservations.

Word on the street is that Google is planning to open a big old office in Cambridge. This might initally seem to be of less than general interest to Hub foodies, but check out the last item on the top ten reasons to work at Google: "There is such a thing as a free lunch after all. In fact we have them every day: healthy, yummy, and made with love." "So what?", you might think. "Plenty of companies have cafeterias." True enough. But how many companies offer their employees bacon cheeseburgers served on a bun of Krispy Kreme donuts? Google does. In late 2006, the company made headlines after unveiling the cafeteria of their New York office, which includes amenities such as a ceviche bar and "untold hillsides" of fresh fruit, all completely gratis for employees. What does this mean for Bostonians with a taste for the finer things at lunchtime? Um, dudes, it's probably time to start sucking up to your tech-friendly friends. Now.

Rumors Keep Swirling: Google Is Coming [Bostonist]
Google Jobs [Google]
Google Mashup: Krispy Kreme Donuts + Burgers [Gothamist]
Google Cafeteria Makes Conde Nast Look Like Denny's [Gridskipper]

It's an all-Schaffer, all the time week over at The Herald!

• Mat Schaffer finds Miel to be hit or miss.
• Schaffer is more enthusiastic about Kaze and why not? Shabu shabu is fun!

Blogston Proper is your daily roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.

• The Boston Restaurant Blog thinks that Betty's on Huntington is more notable for the "crazy, kooky vibe" than the food.
• Everyone Loves a Boston Girl claims that Fire & Ice was once "over-hyped". Really, can there possibly be too little hype for an all-you-can-eat buffet?
• The Globe's Sheryl Julian, Stephen Meuse and Ann Scales face the paper's downsizing with cava, steak. Just one more piece of evidence that red meat makes everything better.

The Brookline Tab highlights Restaurant 108, an entirely student-run restaurant located on the first floor of Brookline High. Restaurant 108 is open to students, faculty, and community members and serves dishes like chocolate-covered strawberries and a Spanish frittata. The whole thing is pretty envy-inspiring, especially if you, like us, attended a school where the peak of culinary excellence was the hyper-greasy chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria. Although, to be fair, those were pretty delicious.

Hungry For Experience: Students Run Restaurant at High School [Brookline Tab]
Brookline High School [Official Site]

It's a very charitable Diner's Agenda tonight with not one, not two, but three benefits.

• Twenty of Boston's finest restaurants are participating in tonight's Table for Ten event to benefit the Harvard Medical School Center for Neurofibromatosis and Allied Disorders, and Neurofibromatosis, Inc. Here's how it works: reserve a table for ten at one of the participating restaurants. Enjoy a delicious dinner with nine of your nearest and dearest at 6:30. Afterwards, head over to the Omni Parker House for a reception. Tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by calling (781) 272-9936.
• If you'd rather sample the goodies of multiple chefs, be sure to run along to Cooking for a Cause at the State Room at 6:00, an evening of wine, food, and the inevitable Jimmy Tingle to benefit East End House. $150 gets you one ticket and $1,000 gets you ten. Call (617) 876-4444 for details.
• If it's neighborhood-focused eating you're after, check out the Taste of the Back Bay at 6:30 in the Copley Place Atrium. Sample dishes from dozens of area restaurants and help out the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. The event will cost you $95 and you can call (617) 247-3961 for details.

• Robert Nadeau hopes Davis Square's Sagra will last.
• Leah Ben-Ami thinks Blackstone Grill is "top of the list" for cheap food in Faneuil Hall.
• Tamara Wieder makes the pistachio soufflé at Sasso sound like sex in a dish.

• Alison Arnett follows oft-migrating chef Michael Scelfo to The Good Life.
• Sacha Pfeiffer finds delicious, kid-friendly brunch and hit-or-miss Greek food at Zoe's
• For home cooks, the spring holidays reign with a look at Sephardic Passover specialties, a gallery of Easter cheesecakes, and a matzo taste test.
• In non-holiday related cookery, Visi Tilak investigates Indian-Chinese food and Jonathan Levitt turns us onto some New England winter tomatoes.
• Stephen Meuse looks at a few end-of-winter red wines.

Blogston Proper is your daily roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.

-No less of a national authority than A Hamburger Today looks at the deliciously fatty secret of the burger at The Lower Depths Tap Room.

Boston continues its slow but steady domination of the New York Times today with a piece on Bostonites Todd and Jason Ahlström, Weekly Dig contributors and creators of the Beer Advocate website and magazine. Times booze guru Eric Asimov met the Brothers Ahlström at The Publick House to talk about fighting beer's association with white hats and drinking games. The most notable revelation? Todd and Jason hope to eventually open a Boston-area brewery. We love Sam Adams and Harpoon as much as the next girl, but another brewery (or, you know, a dozen) could be pretty excellent as well.

Overcoming a Frat Party Reputation [The New York Times]
Beer Advocate [Official Site]
The Publick House [MenuPages]

• Lindsay Crudele goes on a hunt for pickles. Did you know that pickles help prevent scurvy? True story.
• Jason and Todd Alstrom check out an American Pale Ale from Milwaukee. Their verdict? Meh. Not Milwaukee's best, in either sense of the phrase.
• The whole Dig gang gets in on the semi-annual 5 Drink Minimum Madness. Good reviews, perhaps buoyed by all the alcohol, are uniform.

• Has anyone else noticed the abundance of good-looking literary types at the Harvard Book Store? Tonight's your chance to chat them up when HBS and the Brattle Theatre co-sponsor Setting the Oldways Table tonight at the Brattle at 6:00. A mere $3 gets you admittance to the panel discussion featuring various and sundry Cantabridgian foodies, and $55 takes you to both the panel and a reception at Casablanca afterwards. Tickets can be purchased at HBS or by calling (617) 661-1424, ext. 1.
• It seems like everyone's in the midst of spring fever. Copia embraces the condition tonight with a Spring Fever Wine Dinner. The event starts at 6:30 and tickets will run you $100. Call (617) 242-6393 for reservations.

There's nothing like an exciting new Sox player, is there? And, let's face it, Daisuke Matsuzaka is pretty much the most exciting new get since...well, it's been a long time, let's leave it at that. Sox fans, however, aren't the only ones excited about Dice-K's imminent arrival. The Globe ran a great story yesterday about Matsuzaka's possible impact on the Boston economy. Let's just say that restaurateurs are...excited. The Ritz-Carlton's Jer-Ne (Boston's best restaurant with a truly awful name) is now serving a Dice-K-Tini, made of sake, vodka, and passion fruit puree with a pair of ice-cube dice suspended in the middle. Over at The Palm, the entire menu is being translated into Japanese for the benefit of the Japanese media who will be flocking to the Hub as soon as spring training ends. Finally, while sushi may not be served alongside the chateaubriand at the Oak Room, the Fairmont Copley Plaza will be serving delightful raw fish in the Gold Lounge and Ashai beer in the Oak Bar. Of course, if Dice-K ever pulls a Damon, you can expect a citywide ban on sushi. In the meantime, enjoy Dice-K mania and get excited for Opening Day!

Sports Redux: The Dice-K-Tini? [Bostonist]
Welcome to Dice-K-themed Boston [The Boston Globe]
Jer-Ne [MenuPages]
The Palm [MenuPages]
Oak Room [MenuPages]

Blogston Proper is your daily roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.

• Bret Thorn has a hunch that L'Espalier's Frank McClelland is going to be named Best Chef in the Northeast.
• Meanwhile, the reliably awesome Anthony Bourdain is not happy about the way the Foundation is being run. Make sure to check out the comments.

According to the Globe, the Jewish community in the Greater Boston area is continually growing. Why, then, is it so difficult to find any restaurants serving a Passover menu? There seems to be only one on the radar...good thing it looks delicious! From April 2-9, The Metropolitan Club will be serving a special Passover menu at both lunch and dinner. Dishes like Baby Poussin with Date & Onion Marmalade and a Meringue & Berry Napoleon are a far cry from traditional Seder food, but for some families, that might be part of the appeal. For reservations, call (617) 731-0600 and specify that you'll be ordering the special menu. This sounds great, but it can't be the only Passover menu in the Hub...can it? As always, feel free to tip us with any news.

The Metropolitan Club [MenuPages]

Okay. You think you can keep this straight? The current Sound Bites breakfast emporium in Ball Square is closing. It will be replaced by another breakfast shop, this one from the owners of Victor's Deli, the spot next door and (not coincidentally) Sound Bites' current landlords. Meanwhile, Sound Bites will be moving across the street to the space that used to be El Guapo. But wait! They won't stop there! David Yasser, the owner of Sound Bites, will be opening another restaurant in the former home of the Urban Gourmet. No details are available yet, but it is definitely being considered a member of the Sound Bites family. Sound Bites BBQ and Grill will also remain open in its current location. For those of you keeping track at home, this means that there will be three Sound Bites restaurants within two blocks of each other. In case that's not enough breakfast for you, you can also grab a morning bite at True Grounds or Kelly's Diner. Truly, an embarrassment of breakfast riches. Mmm, breakfast riches.

Ball Square [Chowhound]
Sound Bites [Official Site]
True Grounds [Official Site]

[Photo: Virtual Tourist: sarahandgareth]

It's a busy night for the Hub diner!

• Feeling charitable in the suburbs? At 6:00, the Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce hosts the 13th annual Spring Seasonings event at the Boston Marriot Newton Hotel. $30-$40 gets you food and drink from 35 area restaurants and a portion of the proceeds go to benefit the Needham Council on the Aging's Noontime Meals program for seniors. Call (617) 244-5300 for tickets.
• "Garagiste", from the French word for "protect", refers to winemakers who produce their product in tiny batches. UpStairs on the Square shows off some of the rarest finds (some, they promise, "with a following more fanatical than Natalie Portman at a Star Wars convention") at their Garagiste Dinner tonight at 6:30. The meal costs $80 and reservations can be made at (617) 864-1933.
• I know this is heresy for a Bostonian, but I think I might love Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook even more than Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Marcella's son Giuliano, an esteemed cookbook author in his own right, will be at The Butcher Shop tonight to read and prepare a three course meal from his book, Every Night Italian. $125 gets you a four-course meal with wine pairings, as well as a signed book. The event starts at 7:00 and reservations can be made by calling (617) 423-4800.

Rumors are buzzing that Boston mega-restaurateur Ken Oringer is planning to open a taco joint in the Lansdowne Street space formerly occupied by Tiki Bar. John Delpha, formerly of Mistral and Sorellina is attached. Allegedly, it will be less upscale and more affordable than Oringer's other restaurants, but we'll see how that goes. So, just to recap: Oringer is currently operating three restaurants (Clio, Uni, and Toro) and has two more on deck (the aforementioned taco joint (rumored to be called La Verdad) and KO Prime, which will open later this year in the current space of Spire). We do believe that constitutes an empire.

Ken Oringer's Mexican Place [Chowhound]
Mistral [MenuPages]
Sorellina [MenuPages]
Clio [MenuPages]
Uni [MenuPages]
Toro [MenuPages]

[Photo: Irish Massachusetts]

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Chowhound about whether it's possible to get cuy in the Boston area. For those of you who missed this week's episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, cuy is guinea pig. For dinner. It is generally served within the Andean mountains and is spit-roasted over a fire. Frankly, we're sold with "spit-roasted over a fire". It sounds kind of...good? Certainly no more adventurous than the sweetbreads on the menu at high-end eateries like Hamersley's or No. 9 Park. Sadly, the Chowhound consensus seems to be that cuy would be difficult, if not impossible to find anywhere near Boston, so this one will have to be filed with the many other foods to try while traveling.

Cuy/Guinea Pig in Boston? [Chowhound]
Hamersley's Bistro [MenuPages]
No. 9 Park [MenuPages]

[Photo: Restless Adventurer]

Blogston Proper is your daily roundup of Hub-related food writing from all over the Internet. We read the blogs so you don't have to. But you should anyway, just to be nice.

• Eat and Destroy decides that The Squealing Pig is only worthwhile "if a friend is buying me drinks".

  -In the continuing saga of Passover shopping being a pain in the tuchus for Boston-area residents, Rachele Rosi-Kessel is not happy that Roslindale's Village Market doesn't have a Passover section.

  -Alex at Boston Weekly Photo discovers the neatest part of Mantra.

True story: when we spent a year living in London, we ate at Wagamama once a week. For ten pounds (which would have been a lot cheaper if the exchange rate hadn't been bound and determined to strip us of all our money and/or sanity), one could get a hearty bowl of chicken ramen (the authentic kind, which bears no real resemblance to Oodles of Noodles), two gyoza (dumplings), and a beer. Truly, the lunch or dinner of champions. They also serve a chocolate cake with a wasabi and white chocolate filling that, quite literally, haunts us in our dreams. Imagine our excitement when I learned that the 'Mama would be opening their first ever North American location in Quincy Market, with a Harvard Square outpost to follow. (Hint: said excitement involved shrieking and sending several frantic text messages.) A post on Craigslist seeking servers and kitchen staff reveals that I only have to wait until April 23 to reunite with Wagamama's favorable prices and fantastic food. And the countdown begins...

The Noodle Is Coming: Wagamama Boston Opening Spring 2007 [Wagamama]
NOW HIRING servers/kitchen staff! [Craigslist]

When New York Times food columnist Amanda Hesser wanted to update the 1966 recipe for David Eyre's Pancake, she went, not to a New York chef, but to Cambridge's own Ana Sortun, chef at the always-delicious Oleana. According to The Food Section, Eyre is the founding editor of Honolulu Magazine. We don't know much about Hawaiian magazines, but we do know that Eyre's pancake (essentially, a pancake baked in the oven) sounds delicious in and of itself. Inspired by the recipe, Sortun created a Moroccan Chicken dumpling that sounds like a combination of a popover, dumpling, and the food of our dreams. The new dish won't appear on the menu at Oleana, but thanks to the article, it can be easily created at home.

Recipe Redux - 1966: David Eyre's Pancake [The New York Times]
Oleana [MenuPages]

[Photo: Funny Accent]

It's another boozy night for the Diner's Agenda!

• The Columbus Street outpost of Piattini hosts "The Gamays People Play", an installment of its weekly "Class in a Glass" series at 6:00. $40 gets you a four course meal with paired wines...not a bad deal! Call (617) 423-2021 for reservations.
• L'Espalier is also planning on getting you a little tipsy with an installment of its "Wine Mondays" series awesomely titled "Like Wow...Totally Organic!" Perhaps someone over at L'Espalier was dipping into the evening's offerings a little bit early? Tickets will run you $60 and the event begins at 7:00. Call (617) 262-3023 to reserve a place.

There's a wild rumor floating around Chowhound that the owners of much-beloved Eastie pizzeria Santarpio's are planning to open an "upscale" joint in the spot on Porter Street formerly occupied by Sablone's. Although we'd hate to see Santarpio's stray from its delicious sausage and greasy pizza roots, it would be interesting to see what they could do with a menu of more than three items. Here's hoping that "upscale" doesn't just mean "out of our budget".

Camen's Kitchen in East Boston [Chowhound]
Santarpio's Pizza [MenuPages]

[Photo: Roadfood]

A very belated congratulations to all the Boston-area James Beard Foundation Award nominees. The Globe's Food section is one of only three nominees for best newspaper section and local legend America's Test Kitchen received a nod for best national television food show. Finally, Micheal Leviton of Lumiere, Frank McClelland of L'Espalier, and Marc Orfally of Pigalle were all nominated for Best Chef: Northeast.

Winners will be announced on May 7. Good luck to all the Hub's nominees!

2007 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees [The James Beard Foundation]
Food [The Boston Globe]
America's Test Kitchen [Official Site]
L'Espalier [MenuPages]
Pigalle [MenuPages]

Anna's Taqueria founder Mike Kamino has confirmed that an Anna's outpost will be opening this spring or summer at Mass General Hospital. This will be the first Anna's Taqueria to open in Boston proper: definitely good news for Bostonians and even better news for anyone who works in or around MGH.

Anna's Taqueria Rumor #1: Mass General [The Burrito Blog]
Anna's Taqueria [MenuPages]

A reader writes in:"Went out on Monday to this great new Indian place on Brighton Ave right between Harvard ave and Shaws. Super super good. I think it opened just under 3 months ago. Excellent quality, great price and really authentic atmosphere and food. Only downside was the giant flat screen playing Indian music videos... kind of hypnotic in a really creepy sort of way. Anyway, it was pretty deserted and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. So far it's the best Indian I've had in the city."

Over on Chowhound, folks are similarly enthusiastic, saying "Punjab Palace's version [of fish biryani] was possibly the best I've ever had" and suggesting that it might be the "best all around" Indian food in the area. Punjab Palace is owned by the same folks as India Quality and the buzz seems to indicate that it's living up to its pedigree.

Punjab Palace (Allston) [Chowhound]
India Quality [MenuPages]
Punjab Palace [MenuPages]
Punjab Palace [Official Site]

In a severe case of bad timing, Hurwitz's Kosher Butcher Shop in Framingham has permanently shut its doors after 49 years of business, leaving Framingham's Jewish population with a pain in the tuchus. Where to do the Passover shopping?

Personally, we've always been partial to shopping for the seder on Harvard Street in Brookline...although we did once get body-checked by a sweet-looking older lady while waiting in line to buy brisket at The Butcherie.

Where's The Beef? [This Is Framingham]
The Butcherie [Official Site]

Friday, March 23

• Divas Uncorked bills itself as a society for "sisters who sip." Join them at the Westin Boston Waterfront today and Saturday for their "Wine, Women And..." conference. Ticket prices range from $135-$250.


• Tonight also marks the last night of Kids Fund Dine Out. Eat at one of twelve sponsoring restaurants and get 10% of your bill donated to the Kids Fund at Boston Medical Center.

Saturday, March 24

• The Fireplace holds a Fireside Chat this afternoon at 1:30. Actually, it's not so much a "chat" as a tasting of Pinot Grigio and Viognier wines, but really, who's complaining? Things get underway at 3:30 and admission is $25.

Sunday, March 25

• Radius hosts a cooking class dedicated to foods that pair well with Champagne. Is it just us or is this Diner's Agenda taking on a distinctly alcoholic flavor? Proving that it's never too early for Champagne, the class starts at 11:00 in the morning. Proving that Champagne remains out of our budget, it costs $125.


• It's time for another Cabaret Sunday at L'Espalier. Noted soprano Tracy Reynolds will sing lounge songs while diners devour a four-course menu with paired wines. Admission is $68 and the festivities begin at 7:00.

• Mat Schaffer takes a look at Salem Street's "new North End" with stops at Goody Glovers, Eclano, Neptune Oyster, Antico Forno, and L'Osteria.
• While he's on Salem Street, Schaffer also checks out the grocery options on the block
• Kerry Byrne finds that "the years have been kind to Central Kitchen."
• Mat Schaffer (who wins the busy bee award of the week) catches up with soon-to-be-married Masa chef Sean Wesoky.
• Finally, the Herald continues its slightly baffling capsule reviews section, in which grades seem to be arbitrarily assigned to restaurants. The Middle East, for example, gets a B-, but the two-sentence review gives no information about the food and in fact, says "World leaders could learn a lot here." Buh-guh-wha?

• Robert Nadeau finds Deep Ellum to be "bohemian and cool, but entirely professional" and says "the food works, with or without beer".
• Leah Ben-Ami alerts us to Mangia Mangia, a "diamond-in-the-rough deli" in the North End.
• Mike Miliard checks out an organic beer brewed in Maine.

Josh Ourisman recently attended a slow food event at Garden of Eden. Two pigs were prepared and the variety of dishes sounds truly amazing...and spectacularly gluttonous. Pork lard was deep fried. Pork lard. DEEP FRIED. Truly, a triumphant moment in the history of pig fat.

Pig vs. Pig [On the Other Hand]
Garden of Eden [MenuPages]

Barstool Sports is shocked about the soon-to-be-opened Popeyes in Kenmore Square. We can't be the only people who remembers the original Kenmore Square Popeyes, can we? It was (we believe) next to the B.U. Bookstore (when it was still the B.U. Bookstore and not Barnes & Noble) and positively crawling with vermin. Perhaps that's not a specific enough description, because this was the late 1980s and all of Kenmore Square was rat-infested. I'm a little surprised about the new Popeyes myself, since the square is now one of the Hub's premiere dining destinations. Does the addition of a tasty low-brow chain like Popeye's represent a return to its roots? Can we expect a revival of other long-gone Kenmore favorites, like Deli Haus? Will IHOP be next? One can only hope.

Popeyes, 645 Beacon St, Boston, (617) 236-7276

Popeye's Chicken Is Coming to Town? [Barstool Sports]
Popeyes [Official Site]

Whittard of Chelsea, the much-venerated English tea merchant, has decided to expand its operations Stateside with a shop in Back Bay slated to open next month. Predictably, everyone is making jokes about the likelihood of all this tea being dumped right back into the Harbor, but to our mind, the real issue is Boston's current tea emporium. Whittard will be on Newbury between Exeter and Dartmouth: a mere block away from the Back Bay Tealuxe. Although Whittard will not be selling tea to go (or that delicious, delicious tea cake), it seems they could give Tealuxe a run for their money in the sale of take-home tea and tea accouterments. Will a full scale Battle of the Teamongers erupt, complete with twee insults from both sides and, perhaps, some sort of duel? Presumably, we'll find out when Whittard opens in Boston next month.

Fast Food: Have a Cuppa [Boston Herald]
Whittard of Chelsea [Official Site]
Tealuxe [Official Site]
Tealuxe [MenuPages]