The Boston Licensing Board today approved a plan to replace the closed Daily Catch at the Moakley Courthouse with a bar catering to hard chargers who need to unwind with a cocktail in hand as they watch the sun go down after a long day arguing in court or creating new wonder drugs in a nearby life-sciences lab. Read more.
MassLive reports a robot named "Alfred" is now working as a sous-chef at Bonapita, a pita place in the Star Market strip mall on Spring Street in West Roxbury. No word if he gets paid in cans of motor oil.
The Boston Licensing Board could decide tomorrow whether to let Bay Sweets Market, 120 Spring St. in West Roxbury, use some of its shelf space for beer and wine. Read more.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports that Rodey's Pizzeria and Pasta, across from the O'Neill Federal Building, is now Boston Döner, serving up döner (like shawarma, but Turkish) and other Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes.
Falafel King on Tremont Street downtown will soon be sharing space with Taccos Arabas, which will offer such dishes as shawarma tacos, Boston Restaurant Talk reports.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports Cafe Jaffa on Gloucester Street is no more.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports what could be the end of Sami's, which has been feeding hospital staffers and medical, college and high-school students in the Longwood area since 1979.
The Board of Appeals yesterday approved a proposal to station a food truck serving Mediterranean-style Halal food at the Sunoco station at 1250 Boylston St. in the Fenway. Read more.
La bibliotequetress reports:
Oh, no! Went to beloved Boston Shawarma on Washington St for my ritual Sunday work lunch & it's closed! Sign in window says lease ran out 4/25. That means 2 empty storefronts side by side--landlord plans?
A fan of Cafe Beirut on Centre Street has set up a GoFundMe page to help owner Brian O'Muimhneacháin make up the $6,000 an employee managed to skim: Read more.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports a DC-based falafel place called Falafel, Inc., could be looking to expand to Boston.
The Chicken & Rice Guys say Boston public-health inspections of their facilities have shown no E. coli and that their Medford restaurant will re-open tomorrow.
The Downtown Crossing store could re-open tomorrow as well, after an ISD inspection in the morning; in fact, ISD Commissioner William Christopher vows to buy the first meal at 11 a.m., assuming the inspection goes OK. Read more.
The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center plans to open a cafe in its mosque at 100 Malcolm X Blvd in Roxbury Crossing. Read more.
If you didn't get a chance to visit Aurum in Hyde Square, well, it's too late now, although the owner is promising pop-ups from time to time.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports that Landwer Cafe, which has a menu featuring Israeli fare such as shakshouka as well as coffee, is advertising for a chef and general manager for a Boston outpost.
A correspondent asks if there's someplace to get this Jordanian dessert:
My 93 year-old father in law is visiting and has a hankering for Knafeh Nablusieh. I was wondering if we could ask the hive-mind as to whether this can be bought for money somewhere in the Boston area?
The Chubby Chickpea announced today it's giving up kosher certification.
The Boston Licensing Board next week hears a request by the owner of Cristelle's, 5268 Washington St., to sell the restaurant and its beer and wine license to Fadi Metri for a Middle Eastern restaurant called Fairouz.
Along with the sale, Metri will seek permission to expand the alcohol license to include liqueurs.
Al Wadi, which offers Lebanese fare, opened on VFW Parkway in 2010. Cristelle's sold pizza and subs, along with a few Greek specialties.
The Crimson reports ISD has given Sami's a month to either install plumbing or shut down, because inspectors have determined the stand at Longwood and Avenue Louis Pasteur is not mobile and therefore falls under the city building code, which requires permanent plumbing. Sami's landlord, Harvard, says it has no plans to help Sami's out by running pipes out to the stand, the Crimson reports.
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