Oof. This hasn't been the best week for Boston restaurants. We've got only opening to report and an extremely sad closing. Ordinarily, we choose to measure the health of the city's dining scene by the number of openings, but we're still in a good enough mood from the World Series (and today's parade!) that we're going to keep on believing that Boston can do no wrong right now.

Openings
•The Beantown Bloggery reports that a second Morton's, The Steakhouse will open at the Seaport on Friday. OMG! Just what this city needed! Another steakhouse and another chain!

Changes of Plans
•Remember when we told you a month ago that Tapeo was planning to open a second branch in Southie's Allele condos? Yeah. Change of plans. Tapeo has apparently backed out and Boston Condo Report claims that a Jae's Cafe will take its spot instead. We called Boston Condo Group, who were unable to confirm. Developing!

Closings
•The Newton Tab reports that the West Street Grill in Nonantum is closed, although its unclear whether its for renovations or forever. Nonantum sure is fun to say, isn't it?
•In the BS OF ALL BS, the Globe reported today that soul food emporium Bob's Southern Bistro will shutter in December, only to be replaced by (shudder) Night Town, an "upscale lounge for college students and young professionals." We'll readily admit that Bob's has gone downhill since its glory days as Bob The Chef's, but the fried chicken remained incredible and the restaurant was always plenty of fun. It will be very sorely missed.

[Photo: Flickr: greenbeangirl74]

We recently received some interesting news about Grille Zone. It seems that what we are seeing on Comm Ave is not simply a eco-friendly burger joint to fill the bellies of hungry BU students without emptying their wallets, but a chain-in-the-making. Grille Zone's founders, Ben Prentice and Barry Baker plan to open ten locations within the next five years. That's a fairly epic expansion plan, one not dissimilar to that currently being promulgated by Pinkberry in New York City.

Grille Zone has only been open for a few months, but it's already developed a cult following among Chowhounders, who rave about the juicy burgers and excellent BLTs. Now that the students are back, business will probably pick up even more, building enough buzz for the planned expansion.

If all ten new locations are within the Boston area, this would certainly represent a boon for those area burger lovers who want their food quickly, but don't want to patronize giant chains like McDonald's. Grille Zone boasts of its green operations: most of their foods are locally sourced, they use fully compostable serving wares, and rather than using a trashcan, customers deposit all of their waste into compost and recycling bins. Yes, we're certainly looking forward to the day that we don't have to take the B line to get yummy cheap burgers at an enivro-friendly restaurant.

Grille Zone [MenuPages]
Grille Zone [Official Site]
Grille Zone - Interesting New Joint for Burger Connoisseurs [Chowhound]

We promise that this will be the last post concerning either Dunkin' Donuts or trans fats for at least a week. Believe us, we're feeling as worn down by these perennials as you are, so unless Dunkie's opens a store on the moon or trans fats are found to be secretly healthy, we shan't speak of them again in August. Really, we wouldn't have even mentioned them today, except that there is big news!

In May, we reported that Dunkin Donuts had been attempting to create a tasty trans-fat free donut since 2004 with no success. Excitingly, they have finally succeeded, as the company announced yesterday that by October 15th, Dunkin' Donuts menus nationwide will be free of trans fats. Well...mostly. As the Associated Press reports, Dunkie's is actually offering donuts with "zero grams of trans fat", not "trans fat free" donuts. The difference? Federal regulations allow any food with less than half a gram of trans fats to categorize itself as having zero grams of trans fat. The federal government is, as it turns out, a fan of rounding.

Apparently, the low trans fat donuts have been blindly taste-tested in 400 stores nationwide. The new donuts will be available in all Dunkie's by October 15. We, for one, are looking forward to trying them. What do you think? Will they taste like the regular hyper-unhealthy kind?

Dunkin' Donuts Announces Zero Grams Trans Fat Menu To Be Available Nationwide By October 15 [Dunkin' Donuts]
Dunkin' Donuts to Slash Trans Fats [Boston Globe]

Oh, Dunkin' Donuts. Just when you've annoyed us to no end with your unnecessary expansion and dumb ads, you redeem yourself at least a little bit by doing something nice. Today's Globe has a sweet story about a very old house in Lower Mills. The house is in unusable condition, so when Gregg Donovan purchased the house, he did so with the intention of tearing it down and using the land for apartments and retail. It turned out, however, that the house is so old that the Boston Landmarks Commission filed a demolition delay order. Donovan was then stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, there didn't seem to be much to do with the dilapidated house itself, but on the other, he couldn't get rid of it.

Enter everyone's favorite donut purveyor. Dunkin' Donuts is now in talks with Donovan to renovate the house and turn the first level into a shop which, in grand Bostonian tradition, would replace the Dunkie's a few hundred feet away. Now. Obviously, Dunkin' Donuts' motivation in this situation is based far more on capitalism than altruism, but it's still a nice thing to do and one that will help Lower Mills keep some of its awesome historical architecture. We'd be even happier if Dunkie's was planning to turn the house into a museum or something neat, but we'll take what we can get.

For Historic House, A Donut Break Seen [Boston Globe]

The New York Times recently reported that everyone's favorite locally-based megachain, Dunkin' Donuts, has inked a deal with Proctor & Gamble to sell Dunkie's coffee at grocery and convenience stores nationwide. This means that within a month or so, you'll be able to pick up a bag of beans not only during your daily donut run, but also at retail operations from CVS to Target. For Bostonians, this is no big whoop. After all, we live in a city with no less than 196 Dunkin' Donuts locations within the city limits. If you want to get some beans, it's not that tricky. This decision is a much bigger deal for non-New Englanders. It's no secret that the DD is planning to greatly expand throughout the country, especially in the Midwest, South, and West. The Boston-based chain hopes to start seriously rivaling Starbucks. Getting Dunkin' Donuts coffee on the widest possible array of shelves is a great way to spread brand recognition.

We're a little torn on this decision and, indeed, the giant expansion of Dunkin' Donuts. On the one hand, we're no huge fan of megachains. On the other, we love Dunkie's. Back on the first hand, as we've mentioned before, we worry that brand extension will inevitably result in quality dilution. On the other hand again, assuming the product is good, why should we be so selfish as to deny our Midwestern (and Western and Southern) brethren the pleasures of a good (and reasonably priced...40 ounce bags of beans will sell for about $16) cup of coffee? On the first hand again, what if the product isn't good? The beans will, after all, be roasted by Proctor & Gamble, rather than Dunkin' Donuts. What if the quality isn't up to snuff?

Basically, we're adopting a wait and see policy on this one. We're not huge at-home coffeemakers, so if you are, let us know how the new supermarket Dunkie's tastes.

Grocers to Sell Dunkin' Donuts Coffee [New York Times]
Proctor & Gamble Brings Dunkin' Donuts Coffee to Kitchens Across the Country [Dunkin' Donuts]

As longtime readers have already learned, we take dining options into account when choosing where to work out and which museum to frequent. Is it any surprise that food factors into our decisions about where to shop? While we enjoy nothing more than spending a day moseying down Newbury Street or around Downtown Crossing, it's hard to beat malls for convenience and temperature control. The food offerings at Boston-area malls vary widely, so for your information and convenience, here is a guide to the malls of Boston.

•Arsenal Mall: We're going to level with you. We've always found the Arsenal Mall to be soul-crushingly depressing. There's just something about the lighting and the decor and how it's always weirdly dark that just makes us want to cry a little bit. But! There's a Target nearby and the Gap outlet and sometimes you need to renew your license, so it's likely that your travels will take you to the Arsenal on occasion. When they do, your best bet is probably the Bugaboo Creek Steak House, which, despite being a chain, does have really very good chicken fingers. We love chicken fingers.
•CambridgeSide Galleria: CambridgeSide is probably one of the most normal malls in the Boston area. It's airy and suburban and it has a good selection of stores. What it doesn't have is an excellent food selection. There's a California Pizza Kitchen and a Cheesecake Factory as well as a fairly meh food court. We'd go with CPK because we not-so-secretly crave the tomato basil spaghettini with goat cheese, but really, it's six in one, half a dozen in the other, so take your pick.
•The Mall at Chestnut Hill/The Atrium: We'll admit it. We're nuts for the Mall at Chestnut Hill (the Chestnut Hill Mall if you're nasty). Yes, it's absolutely ridiculous and every time we go there, we see seventh graders carrying bags that cost more than our rent, but there's something quite pleasant about the whole thing. Maybe it has to do with the piano on the lower level. The Atrium, while being possessed of the world's worst parking lot, is similarly pleasant. Both malls have inordinately good food options and, in fact, the Chestnut Hill Mall is, perhaps, the only mall in the area we go to just to eat. Guys, we love Bernard's. The Peking ravioli is to die for and their dim sum is pretty great as well. At the Atrium, you could do far worse than dining at Bertucci's. Even if you're dining alone, we recommend getting a large margherita pizza. It's great hot, but it's absolutely tremendous cold.
•Copley Place/The Prudential Center: We grew up going to the movies at the late, lamented Copley Place movie theatre and it wasn't until college that we realized that Copley is not really a normal mall. Like, at all. It's only gotten more ridiculously extravagant as we've gotten older (remember when everything on the second floor used to be affordable?), but there's still something (read: sitting in the center atrium and people-watching) that's pretty charming. The Pru is slightly more down-to-earth (slightly) and during junior high and high school, we estimate that we spent at least a full month of our life sitting in the food court. Your best bet in either center is Legal Sea Foods. Conveniently (and bizarrely), there's one in each, despite the fact that they are, for all intents and purposes, in the same building. Word to the wise: the one on the second floor of Copley Place is usually less crowded.
•Dedham Mall: The Dedham Mall doesn't really have a website. Nor is it especially functional as a mall in the traditional sense. Considering that the best thing about the Dedham Mall is its mention in The Departed, we are not especially certain we'd eat there, but if we did (and, indeed, we have), it would be at the Pizzeria Uno.
•The Natick Collection: Although the Natick Collection will always be the Natick Mall to us, there's no denying that it's getting much fancier. The mall's recent expansion is set to host a variety of exciting sounding restaurants, including a branch of Sel De La Terre, a burger joint from the folks behind The Metropolitan Club called The Metropolitan Bar & Grill, a Finale outpost, and "a new concept by Legal Sea Food." We very much hope that this development heralds a new trend in mall dining: local restaurants serving up food good enough to make the mall a dining destination even for those who aren't going shopping.

Yesterday, we learned that McDonald's has sold off Boston Market. Our thoughts upon hearing this news were threefold:

1) McDonald's owns Boston Market?
2) Remember when it was called Boston Chicken?
3) Hey, why is it called Boston Market anyways? We're pretty sure we'd know if it was headquartered in the Hub.

We did a little investigating into the third matter. According to the company's site, it turns out that the first Boston Chicken opened in Newton in 1985. Less than ten years later, the company up and moved its headquarters to Golden, Colorado, an evocatively named town of under 18,000 outside of Denver that is also home to the Coors Brewery and the Colorado School of Mines. In 1995, Boston Chicken became Boston Market, ostensibly to "reflect the addition of ham, turkey and meat loaf" to the menu. In 2000, the company was purchased by McDonald's. We think the Boston Market (nee Chicken) story is kind of a fascinating example of expansion. Within fifteen years, it went from one little shop in Newton to a nationwide chain owned by a global behemoth. It makes us wonder if, two decades from now, people across the country will be popping into The Upper Crust or Anna's Taqueria for a quick bite.

What do you think? Will another Boston-based fast food chain go local?

McDonald's Selling Off Boston Market Chain [Rocky Mountain News]
Company Milestones [Boston Market]
The Upper Crust [Official Site]
Anna's Taqueria [MenuPages]

In the past few weeks, the Internets have been going a little crazy about The Upper Crust. Chowhound has hosted a very active thread about the Upper Crust on which the pizza is called everything from "just lousy" to "awesome." On the one hand, pretty much every thread on Chowhound could essentially be summarized with the phrase "different strokes for different folks", but on the other hand, this level of polarization does seem a bit much. Further complicating matters is local blog megorious. Early last week, megorious' Ryan Saucier (whose last name we are very jealous of, incidentally) wrote a post alleging continued poor treatment at The Upper Crust's Coolidge Corner location. Saucier reported that he had sent an email to TOC general manager Patrick Joyce who had been extremely helpful and apologetic. When Saucier then ordered another pizza from TOC, he reports that he received an extraordinarily messy pie which he perceived as a direct retaliation for his complaints. Saucier then called for a boycott.

We've always basically liked The Upper Crust. We never thought it was transcendent, but it can be relied on for a good slice and it's certainly conveniently located. We've never found the service to be remarkable in either direction. Basically, we're neutral. We're not inclined to especially believe in the concept of a vindicative staff ruining pizzas for those who dare complain, but we're also certainly not dismissing or disbelieving Saucier's claims out of hand. So in the end, dear reader, we put it to you: how do you feel about The Upper Crust? Leave us a comment or shoot us an email and let us know what you think.

The Upper Crust [Official Site]
Upper Crust: meh... [Chowhound]
Would you eat this? [Megorious]

[Photo: The Upper Crust]

A commenter on Serious Eats reports that the event we've been quietly dreading since April has finally come to pass: good old Dunkin' Donuts has introduced a line of personal pizzas and flatbread sandwiches. Currently, the new menu items are only available at stores in New England, Hartford, Tampa, and Springfield, MA. (By the way, someone should really tell the folks at Dunkies that two of the named cities are, in fact, in New England.)

Why do we have such an issue with this development? Quite simply, we're bothered by unreasonable expansion from eateries that already have a good thing going. Dunkin' Donuts makes awesome donuts, great coffee, and reasonable bagels. Brand extension can easily turn into brand dilution, so why mess with a winning formula? (We feel the same way about all the new menu items from Starbucks.) We'll admit, however, that we wouldn't totally hate the brand extension if the food turned out to be amazing. Given the facts that the pizzas and sandwiches are pretty clearly not made on site and that they just plain don't look very good, we have low expectations.

Has anyone tried one of the new items from the DD? Tips, as always, are more than welcome.

Fast Food Extensions [Serious Eats]
Pizza and Sandwiches [Dunkin' Donuts]

We'll admit it. We can't stop thinking about The Baconator. In the throes of our obsession, we turned, as we so often do, to YouTube. We watched the ad for the titular burger and we have one very important question:

Why are there no women in the ad? Can't a girl be crazy for an artery-clogging burger? We get that the joke of the ad is that there are men's faces on teenage girl's bodies. (Oh, the hilarity!) Would it have killed them, however, to include at least one woman who's psyched to get herself some treyf goodness? We haven't been this annoyed since we read this piece in the New Yorker where the owner of a Manhattan restaurant featuring waitresses in bikinis claims that his restaurant is a haven for feminists because "We have a section that says ‘simply grilled,’ because women don’t like to eat sauces the way men do. They’re watching their weight more often." This is actually even more ridiculous than claiming that women don't want too much garlic flavor. The underlying message in all of these examples (as well as this ad, which we're still mad about) is that women prioritize low-fat foods over foods filled with flavor and that is just plain wrong. Not all women are sitting around calculating how many calories are in their chopped salad and, you know what? Nor should they be. Eating a Baconator doesn't make you less feminine, just as eating a salad doesn't make you less of a man. Eat what makes you happy.

Baconator Mania! [YouTube: rkrouse007]
In The Zone [The New Yorker]
I Am Man - Burger King [YouTube: feeteh]

We haven't eaten at a major fast food chain that is not called Chipotle since we read Fast Food Nation and My Year of Meats within a month of each other in 2001 (it is a testament to the strength of our deep love for meat that those books didn't make us go vegetarian altogether. So troubling!). That being said, we must admit to being just a tiny bit tempted by Wendy's newest offering: The Baconator. The Baconator! The name alone conjures up delectable images of a veritable army of bacon, ready to make delicious war with oury arteries and, indeed, the product does not disappoint! Two patties, two slices of American cheese, mayo, ketchup and, oh yeah, six slices of bacon. SIX SLICES OF BACON! In the inimitable (cleaned-up) words of Gwen Stefani, this shh is bananas.

Aside from not eating fast food, we also don't eat either American cheese or mayonnaise, but we must admit: we're seriously considering making our own knockoff Baconator at home tonight using cheddar and maybe applewood-smoked bacon. Yeah, the burger contains a startling 830 calories, but everything in moderation, right?

Chipotle [Official Site]
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal [Amazon]
My Year of Meats [Amazon]
Baconator [Wendy's]
U.S. Nutrition Information [Wendy's]

Whole Foods has found itself in an embarrassing position as of late, thanks to its CEO's habit of stealthily posting on financial message boards, but at least the company has one thing to be pleased with: apparently, the stores are great places to meet like-minded singles. Today's New York Sun features a funny little article about the burgeoning singles scene at New York's Whole Foods Bowery. Apparently, at Whole Foods, flirting is "easy...because of low expectations." A ringing endorsement if we've ever heard one! Gawker followed up with a post on some of New York's finest Craigslist Missed Connections posts about Whole Foods. The whole thing got us wondering...are the Hub Whole Foods stores comparable meet markets to their New York counterparts? We took to our own Craigslist for an investigation. Below, some of the highlights:

•feisty cute chick at whole foods in newton: "Saw you a while back but it was in the hing store.Well if you read this and are interested in a good guy not a stalker lol.5ft4 dirty blond name begins with a d ?": We know what all those words mean, but not in that order. Whose name begins with a "D"? Truly, we are at a loss.
•Whole Foods Fresh Pond: "You look like someone who is spoken for, or the kind of man that would never read these posts. You seemed kind of tired and hungry but very beautiful; in a blue shirt w/ pale green fatigues. A little shy, Like I am?": How, exactly does one look like someone who is spoken for? Was this dude wearing a wedding ring?
•Spanish(?) girl at Whole Foods near Central red line ~2pm: "You were doing grocery with your mom. I was in the line behind you.": True fact: you can't mack on someone when they're out with their mom.

So what are the takeaways here?
•Whole Foods patrons may love organic produce, but they don't necessarily love proper grammar.
•There are plenty of single and looking folks at Whole Foods, so next time, speak up instead of posting on Craigslist!

Whole Foods Market [Official Site]
Whole Foods CEO May Be In Some (Bottled) Hot Water [Serious Eats]
Whole Foods Bowery Is Proud Of Its Meet Market [New York Sun]
Meet The God Of Whole Foods Union Square [Gawker]

In spite of what our awful vision and predilection for early bedtimes would have you believe, we're not actually that old. In fact, we have yet to encounter our official quarterlife crisis. We're hip to what the kids like. We use MySpace, even though some of the graphics give us a headache. We are, perhaps, undermining the point we're trying to make, which is this: we should be able to understand most technological innovations. And yet! Taco Bell's new advertising concept leaves us totally baffled.

From what we can gather, it seems that the company is holding "virtual auditions." Apparently, you can go onto Gizmoz and create an avatar. We sort of understand what that means, even if we don't quite know why that avatar on the Gizmoz page is staring at us all funnylike. Anyways, after you create an avatar, you can record a fifteen second voice audition. Taco Bell and MTV will then choose one avatar to star in...wait for it...a Taco Bell "avatarsment" that will air on MTV. So, basically, you could be sort of kind of famous...as an animated character. Huh. That seems...nonsensical. We have to go lie down now. Our head hurts.

Taco Bell Partners with Gizmoz and MTV to Launch Virtual Casting Call [QSR Magazine]
Gizmoz [Official Site]

The Globe recently reported that everyone's favorite local chain, Dunkin' Donuts, is rolling out fresh-brewed iced tea. This week, New England stores started carrying peach and raspberry iced tea and by next summer, the brew will be available at Dunkies nationwide. For those who love iced tea with a passion far surpassing that which they feel for iced coffee (full disclosure: we are very much included in this category), this is exciting news indeed.

It's been a little too chilly for us to get our iced tea on this week, so we haven't tried the new offering, but we very much hope it's good. So far, signs are mixed. On the one hand, the coffee from the DD is great, so perhaps the chain's proficiency with caffeinated beverages will extend to iced tea. On the other hand, we're a little troubled that they're only offering fruity varieties with nary a black tea in sight. Obviously, tea is but a tiny fraction of the empire and no one is expecting a selection to rival Tealuxe, but offering at least one black tea alongside herbal blends is, along with the presence of simple syrup, the best way to identify a serious spot for iced tea. We're adopting a wait and see policy for Dunkin Donuts' new offering. What about you?

Facing Tough Java Rivals, Dunkin' Sees Green In Iced Tea [Boston Globe]
Simple Syrup [Drink Boy]
Tealuxe [Official Site]

After fireworks, the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is indisputably our favorite part of the Fourth of July. If you've never watched this masterpiece of gluttony, we cannot encourage you strongly enough to turn on ESPN at noon tomorrow. As with all eating competitions, the contest's beauty is its simplicity. Twenty contestants have twelve minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible. That's it. Takeru Kobayashi, the Japanese man who is the world's foremost competitive eater, has won for the past six years, last year beating American Joey Chestnut by a mere 1.75 hot dogs (Chestnut ate 52, Kobayashi 53.75).

Understandably, competitive eating enthusiasts have been very excited for this year's Kobayashi/Chestnut rematch. The buzz only intensified when Chestnut recently broke the world hot-dog-eating record with an astonishing 59.5 dogs. The world was ready for a showdown. Chestnut v. Kobayashi. David v. Goliath. USA v. Japan. Who would win? The plot thickened last week when Kobayashi announced that he was suffering from a bout of jaw arthritis that left him unable to open his mouth more than the width of two fingers. Speculation ran amok. Would Kobayshi be able to compete? (Yes.) Was he doing this merely to screw with Chestnut? (No.)

No one knows what will happen tomorrow, but it truly seems like things could go either way. Kobayashi may not be operating at full capacity, but his worst work is better than the best of most. We, for one, will be glued to our television tomorrow at noon.

Nathan's 2007 Hot Dog Contest [Nathan's Famous]
Injury Sets Back Japan's Hot Dog Star [New York Times]
Kobayashi Denies Injury Is Ploy To Miss July 4 Event [ESPN]
Hot Dog Champion Is Here. How's His Bite? [New York Times]

[Photo: Nathan's Famous]

Hey, remember how J P Licks is offering free iced coffee anytime the temperature reaches 81 this summer? Sadly, that's not going to happen today, since the projected high is 80. (Also, there's a 30% chance of rain, so we hope you brought your umbrella.) However! Enthusiasts of iced coffee and free stuff need not fret! In celebration of the first day of summer, Bruegger's Bagels will be offering free iced coffee from 2pm-4pm this afternoon. Free! Iced coffee! 16 ounces worth! From Vermont's Green Mountain Coffee Roasters! Mmm. Caffeine-y.

Bruegger's Bagels [Official Site]
Bruegger's Bagels [MenuPages]

We just checked out Dunkin' Donuts brand-new D Stop section on their website. D Stop is a collection of Dunkie's-based videos, games, quizzes and screensavers. Some highlights:

•Both storytelling videos (It Goes Without Saying and The Legend of the Niknuds) are fairly cute and entertaining, certainly more so than the Rachael Ray ad for the company that's been polluting the airwaves (after reading a recent profile of Ray in People Magazine (we are very lame sometimes), we were surprised to realize that she seems like kind of an awesome person, but her food persona still bugs).
•The other video section, Meg's Minute, is a bit of a hot mess. Meg seems very helpful, but the line delivery ranges from stilted to unintentionally hilarious.
•For reasons unknown, the Dunkin' Diagnosis game wasn't working properly when we tried to play.
•The funniest part of the site hands-down? The entertainingly silly FAQs.

Overall, the site may or may not be helpful for selling donuts (we did think quite a bit about how we want a chocolate cruller (which, by the way, we absolutely refuse to call a chocolate stick on the grounds that it sounds like the basis for an R. Kelly song about bakeries), but that's pretty much always what we're thinking about), but it's definitely good for some procrastination.

D Stop [Dunkin' Donuts]

It's been a bloody week for Boston-area food purveyors. Since Monday, we've received word of two closed restaurants and two shuttered food shops. So you don't schlep all the way out to Somerville (or Brookline or Newton) only to get burned, here's whats closed this week and where you might try instead:

•The Garden City reports that the Newton Corner Applebees is no more. Do try to dry your tears. In case you're hankering for some riblets, try the Applebees in Chestnut Hill or at the Pru.
•In much more depressing news, Cantabridgia lets us know that Somerville's Kirkland Cafe is no more. The cafe's booking agent is moving to The Cantab, so head over there for the music you know and love.
•Kosher shopping in the area just got even worse, as The Kosher Blog is reporting that Beacon Kosher has closed. Guess it's all on the Butcherie now.
•Finally, in the saddest news of the week, Escar-go-go says Davis Square's La Contessa is no more. There are plenty of North End bakeries where one can buy similar goodies, but we'll miss La Contessa nonetheless.

Let us just make one thing clear: Chipotle is no Anna's Taqueria. It's a lot more expensive, for one, and their grilled vegetables can't hold a candle to Anna's. That being said, when we're outside of Boston we eat the odd Chipotle burrito and, we must admit, we enjoy it. It's got some pleasant heat and, although it's owned by McDonald's (turns out McDonald's divested in 2006. Thanks to the eagle-eyed reader who brought this to our attention!), the meat is all naturally raised and the produce is grown in a sustainable matter. Although it probably wouldn't be in our top three places to go for a quick Mexican fix, we certainly wouldn't be sad if one opened in the Hub, especially in a neighborhood that is not currently well-served by Boston's burrito blitz, like, say Downtown Crossing.

Well, looky here! Today's Globe reports that not only is Target looking at four sites in Boston (which, incidentally, is AMAZING news), but Chipotle, which recently opened its first Massachusetts outpost in Medford, is looking to set up a branch in the D.C. Currently, Downtown Crossing's has but one major burrito option: Qdoba Mexican Grill, which, as any worker in the area can attest, is always packed to the gills. A Chipotle would go a long way towards easing the congestion. In general, we'd prefer to see a locally owned business set up shop rather than a chain, but if it's going to be a chain, we (and our tummy) is glad it's Chipotle.

Menino: Target Looking at 4 Sites [Boston Globe]
Chipotle [Official Site]
Anna's Taqueria [MenuPages]
Qdoba Mexican Grill [Official Site]

So, the fact that JP Licks is giving away free coffee all day tomorrow is such old news that we've already mentioned it two times. Even though we are truly, madly, and deeply enamored of free things, we would ordinarily not mention tomorrow's promotion a third time. But! But! We've just learned about an exciting new development. The Globe is reporting that if you go to Free Coffee Day at JP Licks tomorrow, you will be rewarded with a Free Iced Coffee Card. Anytime the temperature climbs to 81 degrees or above (the temperature is in honor of the first shop's opening year of 1981), you can present your card for a free cup of iced coffee. If you, like us, are iced coffee fans, that's a tremendous steal for the summer, particularly if you live and/or work near one of the shop's seven locations. Yeah. It's going to be a goood summer.

JP Licks [MenuPages]
JP Licks [Official Site]
Chain to Offer Free Coffee--If The Weather's Hot [Boston Globe]

Good news: Häagen Dazs is offering free scoops today!

Bad news: You only get two flavor choices.

Good news: The flavors are cinnamon dulce de leche and sticky toffee pudding.

Bad news: The giveaway is only happening between 4:00 and 8:00 tonight.

Good news: It's only 5:00!

Bad news: The only two Häagen Dazs in the Boston area are at the Burlington Mall and the Natick Mall.

Good news: Tomorrow Thursday (sorry!), JP Licks is giving away free coffee all day...and it's much more convenient.

New Flavor Day [Häagen Dazs]
JP Licks [MenuPages]
JP Licks [Official Site]

[Photo: Flickr: selva]

We were all set to make fun of the new $1,000 martini at The Capital Grille, but then we realized that it's for charity and we felt more than a little bit mean. The "martini" is made of Ciroc vodka, creme de mure (blackberry liqueur) and fresh berries. It comes garnished with a piece of jewelery, which, presumably, is yours to keep. 100% of the profits go to Share Our Strength. Here's our question: we're used to tipping a dollar per drink (sometimes a little more on something absurdly annoying to make), but somehow, that doesn't seem quite right on a thousand dollar drink. What would you leave?

For those of you without the means to donate a grand to a charity martini, here's how to make your own version at home:
1) Go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of creme de cassis and the cheapest possible bottle of bubbly.
2) Fill a champagne glass about an eighth of the way with creme de cassis.
3) Fill the rest with cheap champagne.
4) Garnish with a plastic ring. May we suggest this super-chic little guy?
5) Feel very swank.

What Makes A Martini Worth $1000? Serving It With A Very Special Twist [Capital Grille: News]
The Capital Grille [MenuPages]
Share Our Strength [Official Site]

Wagamama has been open for a week now and it's already inspiring controversy among Boston foodies. While many are delighted that their favorite U.K. chain decided to open its first U.S. branch in the Hub, the consensus on Chowhound seems to be that service needs to work out some kinks and the food is not authentic. The pro-Wagamama camp contends that the service will get better and the food, while perhaps not incredibly authentic, is delicious. Although we haven't yet had the opportunity to check out the Faneuil Hall location, we must confess to falling squarely onto the pro-Wagamama side of things. Even we, however, will admit that the food at the 'Mams is not especially authentic. If you want true Japanese ramen (and not simply a well-priced meal and a slice of that wasabi white chocolate cake), the consensus seems to be that you should check out Ken's Noodle House in Allston, where a bowl of true ramen can be obtained for under $10. Wherever you decide to get your ramen, enjoy it...ideally, with a side order of dumplings.

Naughty & Nice [Boston.com]
Wagamama open today? [Chowhound]
Wagamama [Official Site]
Ken's Noodle House [Official Site]

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.

•...Restaurants in Dorchester! [Lower Dot (Lower Dorchester)]
•...Chinese takeout in Powderhouse Circle! [Boston's Hidden Restaurants]
•...Menu items at Subway! [Consumerist]

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]

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]

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]