Jerry Remy’s restaurant stalled
Red Sox broadcaster’s steakhouse can’t find financing
By Thomas Grillo | Saturday, May 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Boston Red Sox [team stats] fans will have to wait until next year to eat steak at Jerry Remy’s restaurant in the shadow of Fenway Park [map].
Remy, the color analyst for New England Sports Network who is recovering from lung cancer surgery, was to open Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill at 1265 Boylston St. in April, as the Sox started the season. But plans to launch the steakhouse have stalled because financing has been scarce.
“We’re still seeking investors and it’s been slower than anticipated,” said John O’Rourke, president of LTS Sports and Remy’s business partner. “Investors are a lot more conservative and cautious, but in the last three weeks we’ve made progress.”
O’Rourke declined to provide details about how much of the $3.7 million project cost the partners need to begin renovating the space into a full-service restaurant and bar that would contain 380 seats. The Boston Red Sox purchased the property in 2005 for $3.3 million and will rent the 8,000-square-foot space to Remy for an undisclosed amount.
“Fortunately, a bunch of investors have stepped forward in the last month,” O’Rourke said. “We’d love to break ground after the All-Star break, but realistically it’s not going to happen that quickly.”
Charles Perkins of the Boston Restaurant Group, a broker who handles restaurant sales, said Remy is not alone in having trouble signing investors.
“A few years ago a handful of lawyers would have ponied up the cash for a celebrity restaurant,” he said. “But now even the chains can’t get money to expand. Investors have lost money and may not believe they will get a return on their investment because restaurant sales are down.”
O’Rourke stressed that the delay has nothing to do with Remy’s recent bout with cancer. “Jerry has a clean bill of health and is looking forward to getting back to work in the broadcasting booth soon,” he said.
Remy, 56, had surgery for lung cancer late last year. He developed pneumonia in February, but returned for the start of the season only to take an indefinite leave of absence from NESN as he recovers.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175646
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Suffolk County Holidays Survive Challenge
Boston.com THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING
The Boston Globe
Suffolk holidays survive challenge
Amendment fails in state Senate
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff | May 30, 2009
The recent assault on the traditions of Suffolk County did not spill blood like the Battle of Bunker Hill or require the cunning that forced the red coats out of Boston without a shot in 1776.
But it was an assault nonetheless, taking aim at Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day. A budget amendment in the state Senate threatened to end the two only-in-Suffolk-County holidays, which have been enjoyed by public employees since the Great Depression - and cost the state several million dollars.
Then a defender from South Boston stood tall on the Senate floor.
"If we eliminate these holidays today in Suffolk County, then what's next?" asked Senator Jack Hart, a Democrat, during last week's budget debate. "Do we eliminate maybe Presidents' Day? Do we eliminate July Fourth? Why don't we get rid of Thanksgiving? Why don't we think about getting rid of Christmas?"
The amendment backers, who had goaded their opponents into such hyperbole, shot back with sarcasm and a fake Irish brogue, mocking Hart and his annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast, which coincides with Evacuation Day on March 17.
"Christmas is for the children," said Senator Michael R. Knapik, a Westfield Republican. "We are not going to take the holidays away from the children, please. But the holidays for the hacks? Yes, the holidays for the hacks need to go."
But the holidays did not go. The amendment failed by five votes.
That means on June 17, Bunker Hill Day, all schools, libraries, and city and state offices will remain closed in Suffolk County. The same will be true next Evacuation Day, giving an estimated 35,000 workers the day off, according to a rough tally compiled with the help of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
Public employees outside of Suffolk County also benefit from the holidays with two floating days off. Both occasions combined cost the state roughly $5 million in lost time and overtime to fill shifts, according to Knapik. The proposal to kill the holidays, put forward by the Republican caucus, was one of more than 700 amendments tacked onto the $27.35 billion budget eventually passed by the Senate. In the flurry of yeas and nays, a spirited debate over the holidays on May 21 stretched for 16 minutes. Knapik launched the first salvo.
"These two holidays drive me up a wall, Suffolk-only holidays," Knapik said. "As if it's that special of a county that we should all bow in reverence to it."
Hart shot back what began as a misfire.
"In my district, St. Patrick's Day is a very important amendment," Hart said, making perhaps a subconscious slip when referring to Evacuation Day. The Democrat quickly righted his argument, however, blending Boston's Irish roots and the holiday commemorating when the Continental Army hauled 50 cannons up Dorchester Heights and surprised the British.
"We're talking about where this republic began," said Hart, whose district includes Dorchester Heights. "Let's not be expedient here for the sake of saving a couple of dollars."
In Knapik's retort, he compared Hart to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough.
"He weaves these great tales of the Irish and Boston and all the glories of days gone by," Knapik said in a put-on brogue. "But when you leave Suffolk County, the history ends."
That gave Hart an opening to take aim at Knapik's district in the western part of the state.
"I don't know what kind of history you have outside in Hamden and Hampshire [counties], but we have real history here in the city," Hart said. "We have great history here in Suffolk County, and we are not afraid to celebrate it."
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
The Boston Globe
Suffolk holidays survive challenge
Amendment fails in state Senate
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff | May 30, 2009
The recent assault on the traditions of Suffolk County did not spill blood like the Battle of Bunker Hill or require the cunning that forced the red coats out of Boston without a shot in 1776.
But it was an assault nonetheless, taking aim at Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day. A budget amendment in the state Senate threatened to end the two only-in-Suffolk-County holidays, which have been enjoyed by public employees since the Great Depression - and cost the state several million dollars.
Then a defender from South Boston stood tall on the Senate floor.
"If we eliminate these holidays today in Suffolk County, then what's next?" asked Senator Jack Hart, a Democrat, during last week's budget debate. "Do we eliminate maybe Presidents' Day? Do we eliminate July Fourth? Why don't we get rid of Thanksgiving? Why don't we think about getting rid of Christmas?"
The amendment backers, who had goaded their opponents into such hyperbole, shot back with sarcasm and a fake Irish brogue, mocking Hart and his annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast, which coincides with Evacuation Day on March 17.
"Christmas is for the children," said Senator Michael R. Knapik, a Westfield Republican. "We are not going to take the holidays away from the children, please. But the holidays for the hacks? Yes, the holidays for the hacks need to go."
But the holidays did not go. The amendment failed by five votes.
That means on June 17, Bunker Hill Day, all schools, libraries, and city and state offices will remain closed in Suffolk County. The same will be true next Evacuation Day, giving an estimated 35,000 workers the day off, according to a rough tally compiled with the help of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
Public employees outside of Suffolk County also benefit from the holidays with two floating days off. Both occasions combined cost the state roughly $5 million in lost time and overtime to fill shifts, according to Knapik. The proposal to kill the holidays, put forward by the Republican caucus, was one of more than 700 amendments tacked onto the $27.35 billion budget eventually passed by the Senate. In the flurry of yeas and nays, a spirited debate over the holidays on May 21 stretched for 16 minutes. Knapik launched the first salvo.
"These two holidays drive me up a wall, Suffolk-only holidays," Knapik said. "As if it's that special of a county that we should all bow in reverence to it."
Hart shot back what began as a misfire.
"In my district, St. Patrick's Day is a very important amendment," Hart said, making perhaps a subconscious slip when referring to Evacuation Day. The Democrat quickly righted his argument, however, blending Boston's Irish roots and the holiday commemorating when the Continental Army hauled 50 cannons up Dorchester Heights and surprised the British.
"We're talking about where this republic began," said Hart, whose district includes Dorchester Heights. "Let's not be expedient here for the sake of saving a couple of dollars."
In Knapik's retort, he compared Hart to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough.
"He weaves these great tales of the Irish and Boston and all the glories of days gone by," Knapik said in a put-on brogue. "But when you leave Suffolk County, the history ends."
That gave Hart an opening to take aim at Knapik's district in the western part of the state.
"I don't know what kind of history you have outside in Hamden and Hampshire [counties], but we have real history here in the city," Hart said. "We have great history here in Suffolk County, and we are not afraid to celebrate it."
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Car rental companies increase hybrid offerings
Beefing up the green fleet
Taking advantage of increased supply, car rental firms expand hybrid offerings
By Clifford Atiyeh, Globe Correspondent | May 30, 2009
Even as the recession and lower gas prices have chilled demand for hybrid vehicles, many car rental companies are adding to their fleets of Priuses and other gas-electric cars to lure a growing number of city dwellers attracted by high-mileage and "green" appeal.
After last summer's record-high gas prices, when there were waiting lists for Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius, hybrid sales in the United States this year were down 39 percent through April, according to data firm IHS Global Insight of Lexington. Sales of the Prius were off by even more - 49 percent.
But rental companies are taking advantage of the lower demand, which is making the cars easier to get. For instance, last month, Zipcar Inc., the car-sharing company based in Cambridge, added 21 Honda Civic hybrids, 9 Nissan Altima Hybrids, and a Honda Insight to its nearly 900-vehicle Boston fleet.
In February, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co. bought 5,000 hybrids for its US fleet and Alamo and National subsidiaries, bringing its total to about 9,000 out of nearly 854,000 vehicles. Most of the new cars are clustered in 24 cities at locations that stock a "high concentration" of hybrids, the company said.
And instead of charging the typical premium price for a hybrid, Zipcar slashed hourly rates on its hybrids from $10 to $7 last summer, making them the cheapest cars available from the company. Of its 6,000 vehicles worldwide, about 15 percent are now hybrids, according to Zipcar.
"We really want to promote the use of these cars," said Dan Curtin, Zipcar's Boston general manager. "Our members, as a group, are more environmentally conscious."
Along with premium compact models from BMW, Mini, and Volvo, hybrids are a hit among Zipcar's customers, who rent the company's cars by the hour instead of by the day, and often don't own their own vehicles.
"There's a strong undercurrent of interest in the environment for members, so having a percentage of hybrid cars in the fleet is attractive," said Dave Brook, who founded the country's first commercial car-sharing service in Portland, Ore., in 1998, and now consults on the subject.
From 2004 to 2008, car-sharing membership grew by an average of 53 percent annually, according to a University of California Berkeley study released in November. Susan Shaheen, one of the study's coauthors and director of the university's Innovative Mobility Research group, said the US car-sharing market's estimated 310,000 members and 6,090 cars will continue to expand and attract conventional rental companies.
Some of the major rental companies - spurred by Zipcar chief executive Scott Griffith's prediction that his company will reach $1 billion in revenue within the next decade - are expanding their car-sharing divisions, with hybrids as the main attraction.
"Growth in the car rental business has been flat for the past couple of years," said Brook. "The better capable car rental companies are looking around" for a way to increase revenue, he said.
Last September, Enterprise launched WeCar near its St. Louis headquarters. It's an all-hybrid car-sharing service geared to businesses, universities, and municipalities. The company has 800 members in St. Louis, but has no plans to offer it to the public elsewhere, though it provides the service to businesses nationwide, including Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
Hertz Corp. is gunning straight at Zipcar with the "Connect by Hertz" car-sharing program launched in New York, London, and Paris last December. Spokeswoman Paula Rivera said Hertz has "more than tripled" the New York fleet's 30 cars, comprised of Mini Coopers, Camrys, and Priuses. Pricing tiers mimic that of Zipcar, with hybrids being rented at the lowest hourly rates. By midsummer, Rivera said, it plans to include Boston.
But even as their green fleets grow, rental companies say hybrids are still tougher to buy than regular models.
"It's a supply and demand issue," said Enterprise spokeswoman Lisa Martini. "We're at the mercy of the manufacturers on the hybrids."
IHS estimates hybrid sales overall will crack 420,000 units this year, a 23 percent increase from 2008, and roughly 4.4 percent of the US auto market. Yet Honda and Toyota, the nation's best-selling hybrid manufacturers, haven't been as eager as domestic automakers to feed the rental market, for fear of declining resale values.
Honda spokesman Chris Naughton said in an e-mail the company - which has a minority stake in Zipcar - would rather cut production than "force extra sales with costly cash to customer incentives or harmful [in the long run] fleet sales."
Brook, who now works as a consultant for Daimler AG as it plans to build a car-sharing fleet of Smart fortwos in Austin, Texas, said controlling monthly vehicle costs is the car rental industry's biggest challenge, especially when pricier hybrids are added.
Because daily rental companies purchase vehicles rather than lease them like Zipcar, their upfront costs are higher than car-sharing companies, and so are the daily rates for their hybrids. At Enterprise, they typically cost up to $15 more than a "standard" rental, said Martini.
Hertz, which launched its "green collection" in 2006, didn't offer hybrid rentals until 2007, when it finally cut a deal with Toyota for 1,000 Priuses. The company now stocks about 5,000 hybrids out of nearly 311,000 vehicles.
"Would Hertz try to get out into the 'burbs like Zipcar has?" Brook said. "It's too early to tell."
Clifford Atiyeh can be reached at catiyeh@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Taking advantage of increased supply, car rental firms expand hybrid offerings
By Clifford Atiyeh, Globe Correspondent | May 30, 2009
Even as the recession and lower gas prices have chilled demand for hybrid vehicles, many car rental companies are adding to their fleets of Priuses and other gas-electric cars to lure a growing number of city dwellers attracted by high-mileage and "green" appeal.
After last summer's record-high gas prices, when there were waiting lists for Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius, hybrid sales in the United States this year were down 39 percent through April, according to data firm IHS Global Insight of Lexington. Sales of the Prius were off by even more - 49 percent.
But rental companies are taking advantage of the lower demand, which is making the cars easier to get. For instance, last month, Zipcar Inc., the car-sharing company based in Cambridge, added 21 Honda Civic hybrids, 9 Nissan Altima Hybrids, and a Honda Insight to its nearly 900-vehicle Boston fleet.
In February, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Co. bought 5,000 hybrids for its US fleet and Alamo and National subsidiaries, bringing its total to about 9,000 out of nearly 854,000 vehicles. Most of the new cars are clustered in 24 cities at locations that stock a "high concentration" of hybrids, the company said.
And instead of charging the typical premium price for a hybrid, Zipcar slashed hourly rates on its hybrids from $10 to $7 last summer, making them the cheapest cars available from the company. Of its 6,000 vehicles worldwide, about 15 percent are now hybrids, according to Zipcar.
"We really want to promote the use of these cars," said Dan Curtin, Zipcar's Boston general manager. "Our members, as a group, are more environmentally conscious."
Along with premium compact models from BMW, Mini, and Volvo, hybrids are a hit among Zipcar's customers, who rent the company's cars by the hour instead of by the day, and often don't own their own vehicles.
"There's a strong undercurrent of interest in the environment for members, so having a percentage of hybrid cars in the fleet is attractive," said Dave Brook, who founded the country's first commercial car-sharing service in Portland, Ore., in 1998, and now consults on the subject.
From 2004 to 2008, car-sharing membership grew by an average of 53 percent annually, according to a University of California Berkeley study released in November. Susan Shaheen, one of the study's coauthors and director of the university's Innovative Mobility Research group, said the US car-sharing market's estimated 310,000 members and 6,090 cars will continue to expand and attract conventional rental companies.
Some of the major rental companies - spurred by Zipcar chief executive Scott Griffith's prediction that his company will reach $1 billion in revenue within the next decade - are expanding their car-sharing divisions, with hybrids as the main attraction.
"Growth in the car rental business has been flat for the past couple of years," said Brook. "The better capable car rental companies are looking around" for a way to increase revenue, he said.
Last September, Enterprise launched WeCar near its St. Louis headquarters. It's an all-hybrid car-sharing service geared to businesses, universities, and municipalities. The company has 800 members in St. Louis, but has no plans to offer it to the public elsewhere, though it provides the service to businesses nationwide, including Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
Hertz Corp. is gunning straight at Zipcar with the "Connect by Hertz" car-sharing program launched in New York, London, and Paris last December. Spokeswoman Paula Rivera said Hertz has "more than tripled" the New York fleet's 30 cars, comprised of Mini Coopers, Camrys, and Priuses. Pricing tiers mimic that of Zipcar, with hybrids being rented at the lowest hourly rates. By midsummer, Rivera said, it plans to include Boston.
But even as their green fleets grow, rental companies say hybrids are still tougher to buy than regular models.
"It's a supply and demand issue," said Enterprise spokeswoman Lisa Martini. "We're at the mercy of the manufacturers on the hybrids."
IHS estimates hybrid sales overall will crack 420,000 units this year, a 23 percent increase from 2008, and roughly 4.4 percent of the US auto market. Yet Honda and Toyota, the nation's best-selling hybrid manufacturers, haven't been as eager as domestic automakers to feed the rental market, for fear of declining resale values.
Honda spokesman Chris Naughton said in an e-mail the company - which has a minority stake in Zipcar - would rather cut production than "force extra sales with costly cash to customer incentives or harmful [in the long run] fleet sales."
Brook, who now works as a consultant for Daimler AG as it plans to build a car-sharing fleet of Smart fortwos in Austin, Texas, said controlling monthly vehicle costs is the car rental industry's biggest challenge, especially when pricier hybrids are added.
Because daily rental companies purchase vehicles rather than lease them like Zipcar, their upfront costs are higher than car-sharing companies, and so are the daily rates for their hybrids. At Enterprise, they typically cost up to $15 more than a "standard" rental, said Martini.
Hertz, which launched its "green collection" in 2006, didn't offer hybrid rentals until 2007, when it finally cut a deal with Toyota for 1,000 Priuses. The company now stocks about 5,000 hybrids out of nearly 311,000 vehicles.
"Would Hertz try to get out into the 'burbs like Zipcar has?" Brook said. "It's too early to tell."
Clifford Atiyeh can be reached at catiyeh@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Friday, May 29, 2009
Central Square dining review
Central Square feast
Fine dining thrives in Cambridge
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining News
Central Square is the new South End.
Once home to Indian restaurants, fast-food chains, pizza parlors and little else, in recent years Central Square, Cambridge, has become a culinary hot spot, boasting some of the best eats and most talented chefs on either side of the Charles River.
The ’hood challenges the Hub with its competitive prices, better public parking and drivers who actually stop when you step into a crosswalk.
Yes, you can still enjoy cheap international fare, but you can also savor the cooking of chefs nationally recognized for their creativity and expertise.
If you haven’t dined in Central Square recently, what are you waiting for?
CENTRAL KITCHEN
“People thought I was crazy,” says Gary Strack about opening a restaurant that would serve affordable, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in Central Square 10 years ago. A decade later, Central Kitchen, with its copper-topped tables, votives and long wooden bar, is as busy - and delicious - as ever. Since Day One, there’s always red-wine-braised octopus to be had and ribeye steak frites with dressed watercress and crispy fries. On a recent visit, we were also wowed by lobster tarragon deviled eggs, chicken liver mousse on toasted brioche with poached prunes and a fillet of grilled tuna under a chunky sauce of tomatoes, olives and cilantro. Plus, a giant brick of homemade walnut baklava. Strack’s “less is more” approach to cooking continues to produce reliably tasty results.
(567 Massachusetts Ave. 617-491-5599; enormous.tv/central)
CRAIGIE ON MAIN
Discerning diners love Tony Maws’ passion, his locavore sensibilities (prefering to eat and cook locally grown food) and utilization of every part of an animal. But most of all they love his food - a delectable marriage of French rusticity and sophistication. At his new Central Square digs, Maws has more room to turn out divine terrines (four foies, beef cheek, goat rillettes) and house-cured pork belly. Curry-oil-poached and roasted scallops with littleneck and razor clams are garnished with pineapple and lovage foam. Slow-roasted breast of organic chicken with bacon-braised spinach and stewed beans sets a standard for juiciness. Roasted marrowbones with toast and sea salt are as much a guilty pleasure as the gloriously gingery gingerbread pain perdu. Expect a memorable meal if you eschew the menu and let Maws choreograph your dinner.
(853 Main St. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com)
CUCHI CUCHI
It’s a feast for the eyes and stomach at this perennial hot spot, popular for its international tapas and creative cocktails. Figure two or three small plates per person: perhaps chef Redha Betrouni’s shrimp wontons, garnished with pickled watermelon, blini crepes filled with creamed mushrooms, plump scallops Provencale or deep-fried Algerian bread and gruyere puffs. From Cuba, cigar-shaped, pulled short rib empanadas; from India, grilled lamb and raita yogurt dip; from Morocco, tomato, mint and onion couscous. A pitcher of red or white sangria is a refreshing accompaniment. Cuchi Cuchi’s eclectic furnishings - bronzes, bangles, boas and beads - and flamboyantly dressed servers contribute to the festive atmosphere, encouraged by owners Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva. A tarot reader sets up shop in the cozy front corner every Tuesday night.
(795 Main St., 617-864-2292. www.cuchicuchi.cc)
GREEN STREET
Sophisticated pub grub from chef Greg Reeves is the focus at this Central Square institution (it boasts the city’s oldest liquor license), reinvented and reinvigorated by Dylan Black, who purchased the business in 2006. There’s allspice-scented homemade corn dogs, crunchy Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese and celery and grilled calamari with fennel slaw and fennel puree. Spicy clam stew with littlenecks and homemade sausage bacon packs a savory punch while cheddar and tomato macaroni & cheese is as gooey as you’d ever want. Even the bacon double cheeseburger is top-notch, thanks to homemade potato chips. To finish up, dip ricotta fritters into crushed hazelnut melted semisweet chocolate sauce. The wine list is cool and the cocktail list, hot - no surprise, because Black is a Cantabrigian bartending legend.
(280 Green St., 617-876-1655; greenstreetgrill.com)
RENDEZVOUS
You’d never guess this chic bistro with a menu that emphasizes seasonal, regional ingredients used to be a Burger King. This time of year, chef/owner Steve Johnson’s commitment to New England farmers translates into such dishes as vibrantly purple ceviche of Rhode Island fluke cured in the juice of a blood orange, mint and chilies and grilled Portuguese sardines, smothered in tangy Meyer lemon and fennel vinaigrette (watch out for bones). Johnson’s cod and littlenecks poached in baccala broth with potatoes is supremely comforting. More adventurous palates will appreciate his paella Valenciana of shrimp, mussels, baby squid and chorizo over squid-ink-black rice. Regulars speak knowingly of the skilled bartenders, affordable and interesting wine list and attentive, low-key wait staff. Don’t miss the lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce for dessert.
(502 Massachusetts Ave., 617-576-1900. rendezouscentralsquare.com)
SALTS
What’s chef/owner Gabriel Bremer’s signature dish? Lavender-honey-glazed sourdough bread and fruit-stuffed, whole roasted boneless duck for two, carved tableside - and its every bit as delectable as it sounds. Because it frequently sells out, savvy patrons call ahead to reserve a duck. Not that they wouldn’t be as equally happy with soft-shell crab on brioche BLT, white asparagus and seven-minute souffled egg, velvety spring-dug parsnip and almond soup with citrus-glazed lobster and whatever creative interpretation of rolled chicken ballotine Bremer is cooking on the night you visit. Factor in the smart wine list, pampering service and achingly romantic dining room with its flower vase chandeliers and you’ll understand why Salts is one of the area’s premiere high-end dining destinations.
(798 Main St., 617-876-8444. saltsrestaurant.com)
Central Square dining timeline
April 1999. Gary Strack opens Central Kitchen.
July 2001. Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva open Cuchi Cuchi.
March 2004. Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo purchase Salts, reopening under the same name.
November 2005. Steve Johnson turns the Burger King in Central Square into Rendezvous.
April 2006. Dylan Black purchases Green Street Grill and reopens as Green Street.
November 2008. Tony Maws moves Craigie Street Bistrot from outside Harvard Square to the old La Groceria location on Main Street.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/general/view.bg?articleid=1175376
Fine dining thrives in Cambridge
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining News
Central Square is the new South End.
Once home to Indian restaurants, fast-food chains, pizza parlors and little else, in recent years Central Square, Cambridge, has become a culinary hot spot, boasting some of the best eats and most talented chefs on either side of the Charles River.
The ’hood challenges the Hub with its competitive prices, better public parking and drivers who actually stop when you step into a crosswalk.
Yes, you can still enjoy cheap international fare, but you can also savor the cooking of chefs nationally recognized for their creativity and expertise.
If you haven’t dined in Central Square recently, what are you waiting for?
CENTRAL KITCHEN
“People thought I was crazy,” says Gary Strack about opening a restaurant that would serve affordable, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in Central Square 10 years ago. A decade later, Central Kitchen, with its copper-topped tables, votives and long wooden bar, is as busy - and delicious - as ever. Since Day One, there’s always red-wine-braised octopus to be had and ribeye steak frites with dressed watercress and crispy fries. On a recent visit, we were also wowed by lobster tarragon deviled eggs, chicken liver mousse on toasted brioche with poached prunes and a fillet of grilled tuna under a chunky sauce of tomatoes, olives and cilantro. Plus, a giant brick of homemade walnut baklava. Strack’s “less is more” approach to cooking continues to produce reliably tasty results.
(567 Massachusetts Ave. 617-491-5599; enormous.tv/central)
CRAIGIE ON MAIN
Discerning diners love Tony Maws’ passion, his locavore sensibilities (prefering to eat and cook locally grown food) and utilization of every part of an animal. But most of all they love his food - a delectable marriage of French rusticity and sophistication. At his new Central Square digs, Maws has more room to turn out divine terrines (four foies, beef cheek, goat rillettes) and house-cured pork belly. Curry-oil-poached and roasted scallops with littleneck and razor clams are garnished with pineapple and lovage foam. Slow-roasted breast of organic chicken with bacon-braised spinach and stewed beans sets a standard for juiciness. Roasted marrowbones with toast and sea salt are as much a guilty pleasure as the gloriously gingery gingerbread pain perdu. Expect a memorable meal if you eschew the menu and let Maws choreograph your dinner.
(853 Main St. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com)
CUCHI CUCHI
It’s a feast for the eyes and stomach at this perennial hot spot, popular for its international tapas and creative cocktails. Figure two or three small plates per person: perhaps chef Redha Betrouni’s shrimp wontons, garnished with pickled watermelon, blini crepes filled with creamed mushrooms, plump scallops Provencale or deep-fried Algerian bread and gruyere puffs. From Cuba, cigar-shaped, pulled short rib empanadas; from India, grilled lamb and raita yogurt dip; from Morocco, tomato, mint and onion couscous. A pitcher of red or white sangria is a refreshing accompaniment. Cuchi Cuchi’s eclectic furnishings - bronzes, bangles, boas and beads - and flamboyantly dressed servers contribute to the festive atmosphere, encouraged by owners Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva. A tarot reader sets up shop in the cozy front corner every Tuesday night.
(795 Main St., 617-864-2292. www.cuchicuchi.cc)
GREEN STREET
Sophisticated pub grub from chef Greg Reeves is the focus at this Central Square institution (it boasts the city’s oldest liquor license), reinvented and reinvigorated by Dylan Black, who purchased the business in 2006. There’s allspice-scented homemade corn dogs, crunchy Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese and celery and grilled calamari with fennel slaw and fennel puree. Spicy clam stew with littlenecks and homemade sausage bacon packs a savory punch while cheddar and tomato macaroni & cheese is as gooey as you’d ever want. Even the bacon double cheeseburger is top-notch, thanks to homemade potato chips. To finish up, dip ricotta fritters into crushed hazelnut melted semisweet chocolate sauce. The wine list is cool and the cocktail list, hot - no surprise, because Black is a Cantabrigian bartending legend.
(280 Green St., 617-876-1655; greenstreetgrill.com)
RENDEZVOUS
You’d never guess this chic bistro with a menu that emphasizes seasonal, regional ingredients used to be a Burger King. This time of year, chef/owner Steve Johnson’s commitment to New England farmers translates into such dishes as vibrantly purple ceviche of Rhode Island fluke cured in the juice of a blood orange, mint and chilies and grilled Portuguese sardines, smothered in tangy Meyer lemon and fennel vinaigrette (watch out for bones). Johnson’s cod and littlenecks poached in baccala broth with potatoes is supremely comforting. More adventurous palates will appreciate his paella Valenciana of shrimp, mussels, baby squid and chorizo over squid-ink-black rice. Regulars speak knowingly of the skilled bartenders, affordable and interesting wine list and attentive, low-key wait staff. Don’t miss the lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce for dessert.
(502 Massachusetts Ave., 617-576-1900. rendezouscentralsquare.com)
SALTS
What’s chef/owner Gabriel Bremer’s signature dish? Lavender-honey-glazed sourdough bread and fruit-stuffed, whole roasted boneless duck for two, carved tableside - and its every bit as delectable as it sounds. Because it frequently sells out, savvy patrons call ahead to reserve a duck. Not that they wouldn’t be as equally happy with soft-shell crab on brioche BLT, white asparagus and seven-minute souffled egg, velvety spring-dug parsnip and almond soup with citrus-glazed lobster and whatever creative interpretation of rolled chicken ballotine Bremer is cooking on the night you visit. Factor in the smart wine list, pampering service and achingly romantic dining room with its flower vase chandeliers and you’ll understand why Salts is one of the area’s premiere high-end dining destinations.
(798 Main St., 617-876-8444. saltsrestaurant.com)
Central Square dining timeline
April 1999. Gary Strack opens Central Kitchen.
July 2001. Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva open Cuchi Cuchi.
March 2004. Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo purchase Salts, reopening under the same name.
November 2005. Steve Johnson turns the Burger King in Central Square into Rendezvous.
April 2006. Dylan Black purchases Green Street Grill and reopens as Green Street.
November 2008. Tony Maws moves Craigie Street Bistrot from outside Harvard Square to the old La Groceria location on Main Street.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/general/view.bg?articleid=1175376
Central Square dining review
Central Square feast
Fine dining thrives in Cambridge
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining News
Central Square is the new South End.
Once home to Indian restaurants, fast-food chains, pizza parlors and little else, in recent years Central Square, Cambridge, has become a culinary hot spot, boasting some of the best eats and most talented chefs on either side of the Charles River.
The ’hood challenges the Hub with its competitive prices, better public parking and drivers who actually stop when you step into a crosswalk.
Yes, you can still enjoy cheap international fare, but you can also savor the cooking of chefs nationally recognized for their creativity and expertise.
If you haven’t dined in Central Square recently, what are you waiting for?
CENTRAL KITCHEN
“People thought I was crazy,” says Gary Strack about opening a restaurant that would serve affordable, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in Central Square 10 years ago. A decade later, Central Kitchen, with its copper-topped tables, votives and long wooden bar, is as busy - and delicious - as ever. Since Day One, there’s always red-wine-braised octopus to be had and ribeye steak frites with dressed watercress and crispy fries. On a recent visit, we were also wowed by lobster tarragon deviled eggs, chicken liver mousse on toasted brioche with poached prunes and a fillet of grilled tuna under a chunky sauce of tomatoes, olives and cilantro. Plus, a giant brick of homemade walnut baklava. Strack’s “less is more” approach to cooking continues to produce reliably tasty results.
(567 Massachusetts Ave. 617-491-5599; enormous.tv/central)
CRAIGIE ON MAIN
Discerning diners love Tony Maws’ passion, his locavore sensibilities (prefering to eat and cook locally grown food) and utilization of every part of an animal. But most of all they love his food - a delectable marriage of French rusticity and sophistication. At his new Central Square digs, Maws has more room to turn out divine terrines (four foies, beef cheek, goat rillettes) and house-cured pork belly. Curry-oil-poached and roasted scallops with littleneck and razor clams are garnished with pineapple and lovage foam. Slow-roasted breast of organic chicken with bacon-braised spinach and stewed beans sets a standard for juiciness. Roasted marrowbones with toast and sea salt are as much a guilty pleasure as the gloriously gingery gingerbread pain perdu. Expect a memorable meal if you eschew the menu and let Maws choreograph your dinner.
(853 Main St. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com)
CUCHI CUCHI
It’s a feast for the eyes and stomach at this perennial hot spot, popular for its international tapas and creative cocktails. Figure two or three small plates per person: perhaps chef Redha Betrouni’s shrimp wontons, garnished with pickled watermelon, blini crepes filled with creamed mushrooms, plump scallops Provencale or deep-fried Algerian bread and gruyere puffs. From Cuba, cigar-shaped, pulled short rib empanadas; from India, grilled lamb and raita yogurt dip; from Morocco, tomato, mint and onion couscous. A pitcher of red or white sangria is a refreshing accompaniment. Cuchi Cuchi’s eclectic furnishings - bronzes, bangles, boas and beads - and flamboyantly dressed servers contribute to the festive atmosphere, encouraged by owners Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva. A tarot reader sets up shop in the cozy front corner every Tuesday night.
(795 Main St., 617-864-2292. www.cuchicuchi.cc)
GREEN STREET
Sophisticated pub grub from chef Greg Reeves is the focus at this Central Square institution (it boasts the city’s oldest liquor license), reinvented and reinvigorated by Dylan Black, who purchased the business in 2006. There’s allspice-scented homemade corn dogs, crunchy Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese and celery and grilled calamari with fennel slaw and fennel puree. Spicy clam stew with littlenecks and homemade sausage bacon packs a savory punch while cheddar and tomato macaroni & cheese is as gooey as you’d ever want. Even the bacon double cheeseburger is top-notch, thanks to homemade potato chips. To finish up, dip ricotta fritters into crushed hazelnut melted semisweet chocolate sauce. The wine list is cool and the cocktail list, hot - no surprise, because Black is a Cantabrigian bartending legend.
(280 Green St., 617-876-1655; greenstreetgrill.com)
RENDEZVOUS
You’d never guess this chic bistro with a menu that emphasizes seasonal, regional ingredients used to be a Burger King. This time of year, chef/owner Steve Johnson’s commitment to New England farmers translates into such dishes as vibrantly purple ceviche of Rhode Island fluke cured in the juice of a blood orange, mint and chilies and grilled Portuguese sardines, smothered in tangy Meyer lemon and fennel vinaigrette (watch out for bones). Johnson’s cod and littlenecks poached in baccala broth with potatoes is supremely comforting. More adventurous palates will appreciate his paella Valenciana of shrimp, mussels, baby squid and chorizo over squid-ink-black rice. Regulars speak knowingly of the skilled bartenders, affordable and interesting wine list and attentive, low-key wait staff. Don’t miss the lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce for dessert.
(502 Massachusetts Ave., 617-576-1900. rendezouscentralsquare.com)
SALTS
What’s chef/owner Gabriel Bremer’s signature dish? Lavender-honey-glazed sourdough bread and fruit-stuffed, whole roasted boneless duck for two, carved tableside - and its every bit as delectable as it sounds. Because it frequently sells out, savvy patrons call ahead to reserve a duck. Not that they wouldn’t be as equally happy with soft-shell crab on brioche BLT, white asparagus and seven-minute souffled egg, velvety spring-dug parsnip and almond soup with citrus-glazed lobster and whatever creative interpretation of rolled chicken ballotine Bremer is cooking on the night you visit. Factor in the smart wine list, pampering service and achingly romantic dining room with its flower vase chandeliers and you’ll understand why Salts is one of the area’s premiere high-end dining destinations.
(798 Main St., 617-876-8444. saltsrestaurant.com)
Central Square dining timeline
April 1999. Gary Strack opens Central Kitchen.
July 2001. Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva open Cuchi Cuchi.
March 2004. Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo purchase Salts, reopening under the same name.
November 2005. Steve Johnson turns the Burger King in Central Square into Rendezvous.
April 2006. Dylan Black purchases Green Street Grill and reopens as Green Street.
November 2008. Tony Maws moves Craigie Street Bistrot from outside Harvard Square to the old La Groceria location on Main Street.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/general/view.bg?articleid=1175376
Fine dining thrives in Cambridge
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining News
Central Square is the new South End.
Once home to Indian restaurants, fast-food chains, pizza parlors and little else, in recent years Central Square, Cambridge, has become a culinary hot spot, boasting some of the best eats and most talented chefs on either side of the Charles River.
The ’hood challenges the Hub with its competitive prices, better public parking and drivers who actually stop when you step into a crosswalk.
Yes, you can still enjoy cheap international fare, but you can also savor the cooking of chefs nationally recognized for their creativity and expertise.
If you haven’t dined in Central Square recently, what are you waiting for?
CENTRAL KITCHEN
“People thought I was crazy,” says Gary Strack about opening a restaurant that would serve affordable, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in Central Square 10 years ago. A decade later, Central Kitchen, with its copper-topped tables, votives and long wooden bar, is as busy - and delicious - as ever. Since Day One, there’s always red-wine-braised octopus to be had and ribeye steak frites with dressed watercress and crispy fries. On a recent visit, we were also wowed by lobster tarragon deviled eggs, chicken liver mousse on toasted brioche with poached prunes and a fillet of grilled tuna under a chunky sauce of tomatoes, olives and cilantro. Plus, a giant brick of homemade walnut baklava. Strack’s “less is more” approach to cooking continues to produce reliably tasty results.
(567 Massachusetts Ave. 617-491-5599; enormous.tv/central)
CRAIGIE ON MAIN
Discerning diners love Tony Maws’ passion, his locavore sensibilities (prefering to eat and cook locally grown food) and utilization of every part of an animal. But most of all they love his food - a delectable marriage of French rusticity and sophistication. At his new Central Square digs, Maws has more room to turn out divine terrines (four foies, beef cheek, goat rillettes) and house-cured pork belly. Curry-oil-poached and roasted scallops with littleneck and razor clams are garnished with pineapple and lovage foam. Slow-roasted breast of organic chicken with bacon-braised spinach and stewed beans sets a standard for juiciness. Roasted marrowbones with toast and sea salt are as much a guilty pleasure as the gloriously gingery gingerbread pain perdu. Expect a memorable meal if you eschew the menu and let Maws choreograph your dinner.
(853 Main St. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com)
CUCHI CUCHI
It’s a feast for the eyes and stomach at this perennial hot spot, popular for its international tapas and creative cocktails. Figure two or three small plates per person: perhaps chef Redha Betrouni’s shrimp wontons, garnished with pickled watermelon, blini crepes filled with creamed mushrooms, plump scallops Provencale or deep-fried Algerian bread and gruyere puffs. From Cuba, cigar-shaped, pulled short rib empanadas; from India, grilled lamb and raita yogurt dip; from Morocco, tomato, mint and onion couscous. A pitcher of red or white sangria is a refreshing accompaniment. Cuchi Cuchi’s eclectic furnishings - bronzes, bangles, boas and beads - and flamboyantly dressed servers contribute to the festive atmosphere, encouraged by owners Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva. A tarot reader sets up shop in the cozy front corner every Tuesday night.
(795 Main St., 617-864-2292. www.cuchicuchi.cc)
GREEN STREET
Sophisticated pub grub from chef Greg Reeves is the focus at this Central Square institution (it boasts the city’s oldest liquor license), reinvented and reinvigorated by Dylan Black, who purchased the business in 2006. There’s allspice-scented homemade corn dogs, crunchy Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese and celery and grilled calamari with fennel slaw and fennel puree. Spicy clam stew with littlenecks and homemade sausage bacon packs a savory punch while cheddar and tomato macaroni & cheese is as gooey as you’d ever want. Even the bacon double cheeseburger is top-notch, thanks to homemade potato chips. To finish up, dip ricotta fritters into crushed hazelnut melted semisweet chocolate sauce. The wine list is cool and the cocktail list, hot - no surprise, because Black is a Cantabrigian bartending legend.
(280 Green St., 617-876-1655; greenstreetgrill.com)
RENDEZVOUS
You’d never guess this chic bistro with a menu that emphasizes seasonal, regional ingredients used to be a Burger King. This time of year, chef/owner Steve Johnson’s commitment to New England farmers translates into such dishes as vibrantly purple ceviche of Rhode Island fluke cured in the juice of a blood orange, mint and chilies and grilled Portuguese sardines, smothered in tangy Meyer lemon and fennel vinaigrette (watch out for bones). Johnson’s cod and littlenecks poached in baccala broth with potatoes is supremely comforting. More adventurous palates will appreciate his paella Valenciana of shrimp, mussels, baby squid and chorizo over squid-ink-black rice. Regulars speak knowingly of the skilled bartenders, affordable and interesting wine list and attentive, low-key wait staff. Don’t miss the lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce for dessert.
(502 Massachusetts Ave., 617-576-1900. rendezouscentralsquare.com)
SALTS
What’s chef/owner Gabriel Bremer’s signature dish? Lavender-honey-glazed sourdough bread and fruit-stuffed, whole roasted boneless duck for two, carved tableside - and its every bit as delectable as it sounds. Because it frequently sells out, savvy patrons call ahead to reserve a duck. Not that they wouldn’t be as equally happy with soft-shell crab on brioche BLT, white asparagus and seven-minute souffled egg, velvety spring-dug parsnip and almond soup with citrus-glazed lobster and whatever creative interpretation of rolled chicken ballotine Bremer is cooking on the night you visit. Factor in the smart wine list, pampering service and achingly romantic dining room with its flower vase chandeliers and you’ll understand why Salts is one of the area’s premiere high-end dining destinations.
(798 Main St., 617-876-8444. saltsrestaurant.com)
Central Square dining timeline
April 1999. Gary Strack opens Central Kitchen.
July 2001. Tamara Bourso and Fernanda da Silva open Cuchi Cuchi.
March 2004. Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo purchase Salts, reopening under the same name.
November 2005. Steve Johnson turns the Burger King in Central Square into Rendezvous.
April 2006. Dylan Black purchases Green Street Grill and reopens as Green Street.
November 2008. Tony Maws moves Craigie Street Bistrot from outside Harvard Square to the old La Groceria location on Main Street.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/general/view.bg?articleid=1175376
Back Bay Hotel is new name for Jurys
Jurys out
Owner pays homage to luxury hotels' locations in rebranding effort
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | May 29, 2009
What's in a name change? For Jurys Boston Hotel, which officially becomes The Back Bay Hotel today, it's about highlighting its swanky location.
The hotel's parent company, Dublin-based Doyle Collection, formerly known as the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, has launched a rebranding campaign for its 11 luxury hotels in England, Ireland, and the United States, remodeling many of them and changing their names to reflect their geographical location. At The Back Bay Hotel, which opened in 2004 in the former Boston police headquarters, improvements included $1 million for new flat-screen TVs, armoires, and coffee makers in the rooms, among other improvements.
The changes won't affect the hotel's room rates, which range from $215 to $375 a night, according to general manager Stephen Johnston. And even though Boston hotel occupancy rates have fallen - 50.9 percent from January to April this year, down from 59.1 percent over the same period in 2008, according to the Massachusetts Lodging Association - Johnston said the hotel is weathering the storm: "We have a very loyal following here."
Lodging association president Paul Sacco said the name change is brilliant. "It signifies it as being dead-smack in one of the hottest areas of the city," he said.
And the fact that some people will undoubtedly enter the term "Back Bay hotel" when searching on the Internet was definitely a consideration, said Doyle Collection chief executive Bill Walshe.
"It's kind of amazing," Johnston said, "that the name hasn't been used before."
Katie K. Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.
Owner pays homage to luxury hotels' locations in rebranding effort
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | May 29, 2009
What's in a name change? For Jurys Boston Hotel, which officially becomes The Back Bay Hotel today, it's about highlighting its swanky location.
The hotel's parent company, Dublin-based Doyle Collection, formerly known as the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, has launched a rebranding campaign for its 11 luxury hotels in England, Ireland, and the United States, remodeling many of them and changing their names to reflect their geographical location. At The Back Bay Hotel, which opened in 2004 in the former Boston police headquarters, improvements included $1 million for new flat-screen TVs, armoires, and coffee makers in the rooms, among other improvements.
The changes won't affect the hotel's room rates, which range from $215 to $375 a night, according to general manager Stephen Johnston. And even though Boston hotel occupancy rates have fallen - 50.9 percent from January to April this year, down from 59.1 percent over the same period in 2008, according to the Massachusetts Lodging Association - Johnston said the hotel is weathering the storm: "We have a very loyal following here."
Lodging association president Paul Sacco said the name change is brilliant. "It signifies it as being dead-smack in one of the hottest areas of the city," he said.
And the fact that some people will undoubtedly enter the term "Back Bay hotel" when searching on the Internet was definitely a consideration, said Doyle Collection chief executive Bill Walshe.
"It's kind of amazing," Johnston said, "that the name hasn't been used before."
Katie K. Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.
Tall Ships are coming but public may not get to see them
Money woes apt to keep public off Tall Ships
City, group still don't have security deal
By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | May 29, 2009
The Tall Ships are still coming to Boston in July, but the public probably won't get to see them.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that he has not been convinced that the organizers of Sail Boston 2009 can cover the estimated $1.1 million in public safety costs and other services for the five-day nautical event.
"Show me the green," Menino said yesterday.
Without a public safety agreement with the city, Sail Boston 2009 will not be able to invite the public to the ships or to the piers where they dock, said a spokesman for the nonprofit organization.
"The ships would still need to be accommodated since they're still coming to Boston," Scott Ferson said. "For the visiting ships, they would be confined to a limited number of piers with locked gates."
In recent weeks, Sail Boston has tried to broker a deal with city officials, who had rebuffed their initial efforts to assure the city it would not be left holding the tab for the event.
Organizers tried to muster more corporate sponsors for the event, whose fund-raising has flagged in tough economic times. Fearing that the mayor's rejection would dash any hopes of enticing sponsors or ticket sales, Sail Boston even sent emissaries to the mayor to try to rally his support.
Menino acknowledged yesterday that Paul D. Foster, a friend of the mayor and a Reebok vice president who serves on Sail Boston's board, presented him with an offer: Sail Boston would pay the city $250,000 upfront, with a promise of $500,000 later. The proceeds of ticket sales would pay for the rest.
But the mayor said he could not take a chance on the money not coming in, as he did years ago.
After the Tall Ships event in 2000, the state did not reimburse the city for the public expenses of putting on the spectacle, which typically boosts state tax revenue through meals and sales taxes but does little for city coffers. This time, Menino has asked Sail Boston to provide the money for public safety upfront.
"Paul is my friend. I trust him. But this is using public money," Menino said yesterday. "I would love this to happen if I was made whole. But I cannot take a chance like I did several years ago when people promised me the money and it never came."
The five-day nautical festival, planned for July 8 through 12, was originally expected to draw at least 27 ships from around the world and millions of spectators to Boston. But Sail Boston had to downgrade its plans when the recession dampened fund-raising and sank city revenues, leading the mayor to say he could not invest in a sailing event as the city was laying off teachers and other workers.
Sail Boston abandoned the idea of hosting a dramatic Parade of Sail, which was expected to draw the greatest crowds, and offered to reimburse the city with the proceeds of first-time ticket sales for "passports" to board the ships.
But early this month, city officials said that even the scaled-back plans would cost the city about $1.1 million. And Menino's administration demanded the public safety portion of it, estimated at $826,300, in advance. That ruled out ticket sales as the source of the funds.
Ferson said the Coast Guard set a Tuesday deadline to arrange plans for the arrival of international sailing vessels in Boston.
"The question is how they come in and where they go and how that's handled. It's obviously a fair amount of logistics involved, and we're coming down to the wire," Ferson said.
The ships might be visible in Boston Harbor, but they would have to dock at the Fish Pier or Black Falcon Terminal in South Boston, where there would be no public events or access.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns the piers, has also tried to get upfront financing from Sail Boston and would not accommodate the ships without the cooperation of city officials.
"We have worked closely with the City of Boston in planning for this event, and we cannot foresee the possibility of a public event along the waterfront without the active participation of the City of Boston," said a statement from Massport.
Stephanie Ebbert can be reached at s_ebbert@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
City, group still don't have security deal
By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | May 29, 2009
The Tall Ships are still coming to Boston in July, but the public probably won't get to see them.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that he has not been convinced that the organizers of Sail Boston 2009 can cover the estimated $1.1 million in public safety costs and other services for the five-day nautical event.
"Show me the green," Menino said yesterday.
Without a public safety agreement with the city, Sail Boston 2009 will not be able to invite the public to the ships or to the piers where they dock, said a spokesman for the nonprofit organization.
"The ships would still need to be accommodated since they're still coming to Boston," Scott Ferson said. "For the visiting ships, they would be confined to a limited number of piers with locked gates."
In recent weeks, Sail Boston has tried to broker a deal with city officials, who had rebuffed their initial efforts to assure the city it would not be left holding the tab for the event.
Organizers tried to muster more corporate sponsors for the event, whose fund-raising has flagged in tough economic times. Fearing that the mayor's rejection would dash any hopes of enticing sponsors or ticket sales, Sail Boston even sent emissaries to the mayor to try to rally his support.
Menino acknowledged yesterday that Paul D. Foster, a friend of the mayor and a Reebok vice president who serves on Sail Boston's board, presented him with an offer: Sail Boston would pay the city $250,000 upfront, with a promise of $500,000 later. The proceeds of ticket sales would pay for the rest.
But the mayor said he could not take a chance on the money not coming in, as he did years ago.
After the Tall Ships event in 2000, the state did not reimburse the city for the public expenses of putting on the spectacle, which typically boosts state tax revenue through meals and sales taxes but does little for city coffers. This time, Menino has asked Sail Boston to provide the money for public safety upfront.
"Paul is my friend. I trust him. But this is using public money," Menino said yesterday. "I would love this to happen if I was made whole. But I cannot take a chance like I did several years ago when people promised me the money and it never came."
The five-day nautical festival, planned for July 8 through 12, was originally expected to draw at least 27 ships from around the world and millions of spectators to Boston. But Sail Boston had to downgrade its plans when the recession dampened fund-raising and sank city revenues, leading the mayor to say he could not invest in a sailing event as the city was laying off teachers and other workers.
Sail Boston abandoned the idea of hosting a dramatic Parade of Sail, which was expected to draw the greatest crowds, and offered to reimburse the city with the proceeds of first-time ticket sales for "passports" to board the ships.
But early this month, city officials said that even the scaled-back plans would cost the city about $1.1 million. And Menino's administration demanded the public safety portion of it, estimated at $826,300, in advance. That ruled out ticket sales as the source of the funds.
Ferson said the Coast Guard set a Tuesday deadline to arrange plans for the arrival of international sailing vessels in Boston.
"The question is how they come in and where they go and how that's handled. It's obviously a fair amount of logistics involved, and we're coming down to the wire," Ferson said.
The ships might be visible in Boston Harbor, but they would have to dock at the Fish Pier or Black Falcon Terminal in South Boston, where there would be no public events or access.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns the piers, has also tried to get upfront financing from Sail Boston and would not accommodate the ships without the cooperation of city officials.
"We have worked closely with the City of Boston in planning for this event, and we cannot foresee the possibility of a public event along the waterfront without the active participation of the City of Boston," said a statement from Massport.
Stephanie Ebbert can be reached at s_ebbert@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Abe and Louie's is #1 in revenue in N.E.; Tavern on the Square opens in Salem; other restaurant news
Dinner for 50? You’ve got a deal
By Donna Goodison / Turning the Tables | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Discounts and other deals at local restaurants will be among the offers from a new Web site that lets consumers buy as a group.
Boston-based BuyWithMe.com launched last week with La Morra, Alta Strada, G’Vanni’s Ristorante and the UFood Grill and Stone Hearth Pizza chains among its initial restaurant customers.
The first restaurant deal - a $20 UFood gift card for $9 - requires at least 50 people to buy into it during a specific time frame. No fees are charged to consumers; restaurants and other companies pay commissions to BuyWithMe only if the threshold number of participants is reached before their deal expires.
The site, which is offering several deals a week, plans offers for everything from dry-cleaning services and discounts on Patriots [team stats] gear to event tickets and trips. A deal at Wellesley’s Alta Strada will be featured the week before Father’s Day as part of a “deal-a-day-for-dad,” and the week of June 22 is planned as a “Sweet” week.
“We’re not just going with any deal we can get,” CEO Josh Elwell said. “It’s stuff that we actually want to buy ourselves, or something that I would want to give to a friend. I don’t want something that I wouldn’t put my name on.”
With a slogan of “Let’s get it, together,” BuyWithMe lets consumers tell their friends about its deals via e-mail and Web sites like Facebook and Twitter.
“The Internet has done such a great job of uniting strangers in common goals, so why not use that to get discounts on great things to do around your city?” said Elwell, a 2004 Babson grad who grew up in Essex.
***
An opening by mid-July is planned for Bobby’s, a new classic American grill in Wellesley.
The 104-seat upscale, white tablecloth restaurant is under construction with a full bar across from Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 16.
It’s the first for owner Bobby Walsh, who was born and raised in the western suburb and has worked as a chef and a bond trader at the Chicago Board of Trade.
“We’ve always had an interest in opening a restaurant, and when this space became available, we were excited about the location,” Walsh said. “The traffic in this area is phenomenal.”
Bobby’s will have reserved parking in the back, and takeout with online ordering.
Menu items will include shepherd’s pie, New York sirloin, seared ahi tuna and lobster bisque, with $17-$28 dinner entrees.
***
Abe & Louie’s has made Restaurants & Institutions magazine’s list of the top 100 highest-grossing independent restaurants in the country for the sixth straight year.
Ranked 28th nationally with $15.2 million in 2008 sales, the 174-seat Boston steakhouse was the top revenue producer in New England. It served 204,221 meals, with a $75 average dinner check.
***
Arcari Restaurant Group expanded to the North Shore with last night’s opening of Tavern in the Square in Salem.
The contemporary sports bar is located at 189 Washington St. in the former Salem Evening News building. It has 308 seats, 30 high-def TVs, 30 draft beers and a large eclectic American menu.
It’s the third Tavern in the Square location - the others are in Central Square and Porter Square in Cambridge. Joey Arcari also owns the Boston Beer Garden and Playwright in Southie and the Joshua Tree restaurants in Somerville, Allston and New York City.
The Salem outpost is it for now, according to Arcari, who’ll welcome his first child in a couple of weeks.
“That’s the biggest project that I’m going to be doing,” he said.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175470
By Donna Goodison / Turning the Tables | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Discounts and other deals at local restaurants will be among the offers from a new Web site that lets consumers buy as a group.
Boston-based BuyWithMe.com launched last week with La Morra, Alta Strada, G’Vanni’s Ristorante and the UFood Grill and Stone Hearth Pizza chains among its initial restaurant customers.
The first restaurant deal - a $20 UFood gift card for $9 - requires at least 50 people to buy into it during a specific time frame. No fees are charged to consumers; restaurants and other companies pay commissions to BuyWithMe only if the threshold number of participants is reached before their deal expires.
The site, which is offering several deals a week, plans offers for everything from dry-cleaning services and discounts on Patriots [team stats] gear to event tickets and trips. A deal at Wellesley’s Alta Strada will be featured the week before Father’s Day as part of a “deal-a-day-for-dad,” and the week of June 22 is planned as a “Sweet” week.
“We’re not just going with any deal we can get,” CEO Josh Elwell said. “It’s stuff that we actually want to buy ourselves, or something that I would want to give to a friend. I don’t want something that I wouldn’t put my name on.”
With a slogan of “Let’s get it, together,” BuyWithMe lets consumers tell their friends about its deals via e-mail and Web sites like Facebook and Twitter.
“The Internet has done such a great job of uniting strangers in common goals, so why not use that to get discounts on great things to do around your city?” said Elwell, a 2004 Babson grad who grew up in Essex.
***
An opening by mid-July is planned for Bobby’s, a new classic American grill in Wellesley.
The 104-seat upscale, white tablecloth restaurant is under construction with a full bar across from Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 16.
It’s the first for owner Bobby Walsh, who was born and raised in the western suburb and has worked as a chef and a bond trader at the Chicago Board of Trade.
“We’ve always had an interest in opening a restaurant, and when this space became available, we were excited about the location,” Walsh said. “The traffic in this area is phenomenal.”
Bobby’s will have reserved parking in the back, and takeout with online ordering.
Menu items will include shepherd’s pie, New York sirloin, seared ahi tuna and lobster bisque, with $17-$28 dinner entrees.
***
Abe & Louie’s has made Restaurants & Institutions magazine’s list of the top 100 highest-grossing independent restaurants in the country for the sixth straight year.
Ranked 28th nationally with $15.2 million in 2008 sales, the 174-seat Boston steakhouse was the top revenue producer in New England. It served 204,221 meals, with a $75 average dinner check.
***
Arcari Restaurant Group expanded to the North Shore with last night’s opening of Tavern in the Square in Salem.
The contemporary sports bar is located at 189 Washington St. in the former Salem Evening News building. It has 308 seats, 30 high-def TVs, 30 draft beers and a large eclectic American menu.
It’s the third Tavern in the Square location - the others are in Central Square and Porter Square in Cambridge. Joey Arcari also owns the Boston Beer Garden and Playwright in Southie and the Joshua Tree restaurants in Somerville, Allston and New York City.
The Salem outpost is it for now, according to Arcari, who’ll welcome his first child in a couple of weeks.
“That’s the biggest project that I’m going to be doing,” he said.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175470
Jurys Boston to become Back Bay Hotel
Jurys verdict is in: Hotel changes name
By Donna Goodison | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The Jurys Boston Hotel will be known as the Back Bay Hotel beginning Monday.
The name change is part of a larger corporate rebranding by the Doyle Collection, the luxury hotel’s parent company.
Formerly the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, the Dublin company sold its Jurys Inn brand two years ago and has been repositioning its remaining 11 hotels in the upper end of the four- and five-star market.
“The Back Bay Hotel is a more luxurious name befitting the location and what we think is a very special place in the city,” said general manager Stephen Johnston.
New signs were unveiled yesterday at the 225-room property, which opened in 2004 in the former Boston Police headquarters on Stuart Street. The hotel has undergone about $1 million in upgrades in the last six months.
“The Jurys name was very well-known in Britain and Ireland, but not so well-known here,” Johnston said. “But we’re spending good money on advertising, and we’re reaching out to all our regular guests and handling all the electronic booking channels as well to make sure the transition to the name is as seamless as it can be.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175476
By Donna Goodison | Friday, May 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The Jurys Boston Hotel will be known as the Back Bay Hotel beginning Monday.
The name change is part of a larger corporate rebranding by the Doyle Collection, the luxury hotel’s parent company.
Formerly the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, the Dublin company sold its Jurys Inn brand two years ago and has been repositioning its remaining 11 hotels in the upper end of the four- and five-star market.
“The Back Bay Hotel is a more luxurious name befitting the location and what we think is a very special place in the city,” said general manager Stephen Johnston.
New signs were unveiled yesterday at the 225-room property, which opened in 2004 in the former Boston Police headquarters on Stuart Street. The hotel has undergone about $1 million in upgrades in the last six months.
“The Jurys name was very well-known in Britain and Ireland, but not so well-known here,” Johnston said. “But we’re spending good money on advertising, and we’re reaching out to all our regular guests and handling all the electronic booking channels as well to make sure the transition to the name is as seamless as it can be.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175476
Thursday, May 28, 2009
MBTA board to consider budget plan today to lay off 1200 workers
Deadlines loom for MBTA, Turnpike
By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | May 28, 2009
The governor and Senate president yesterday sought to ease fears that commuters could soon be facing a combination of toll and tax increases in the same year, but looming deadlines have forced the state's transportation agencies to make contingencies in case increased fares or tolls are needed.
The Turnpike Authority is printing new toll tickets that would be used as of July 1 if a sales tax increase is not in place by then and the MBTA continues to analyze possible fare increases, and service reductions.
"We may actually see the music stop and we'll see who has a chair and who doesn't," said Stephen J. Silveira, a lobbyist who led a state commission on transportation funding that outlined a $20 billion problem over the next two decades.
The House and Senate have both passed - by a veto-proof majority - budgets that would increase the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent and devote about $275 million to transportation.
House and Senate negotiators have been meeting privately to hash out details of the plan, including whether to place specific restrictions on how money can be spent, and whether to protect the level of the subsidy from downturns in the economy. Lawmakers appear committed to preventing the hefty toll increases that are otherwise set to take effect July 1.
"The public cannot be expected to take on any additional burdens, like a toll increase, when they are already being asked to make significant sacrifices for the greater good of the Commonwealth," Senate President Therese Murray said in a statement.
Governor Deval Patrick has threatened to veto the sales tax increase, but dialed back rhetoric about a possible toll hike yesterday, even as he continued to assert that raising the gas tax would make more sense.
"We're not going to have a tax increase and the tolls," Patrick said. "Nobody wants that, I certainly don't want that."
Lawmakers have made less of a public commitment to rescuing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from its $160 million deficit. The MBTA passed a budget earlier this year that presumes there will be a legislative bailout. But an advisory panel, which has the final word on the authority's budget, is expected to reject that plan at a meeting today. Instead, the MBTA Advisory Board will consider a budget that lays off about 1,200 MBTA employees - putting further pressure on the T to begin publicly planning service cuts and fare hikes.
In practice, the T would still have several months of public hearings to decide what combination of layoffs, service cuts or fare hikes it would impose to plug its budget gap. General manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said in an e-mail yesterday that he is "very much encouraged by the support in the House and Senate for transportation reform and new funding that is currently pending."
Assuming the Legislature keeps its transportation commitment at $275 million, there would be enough to avoid fee hikes on both the turnpike and the T for another year. But the state might not use all the money solely on those two agencies because residents outside Greater Boston would benefit less.
The western portion of the turnpike and other state highways have significant maintenance problems and the regional transit authorities that run local bus services have also been hit by the bad economy.
Representative Joseph F. Wagner, a Chicopee Democrat who is cochairman of the transportation committee, said yesterday he hopes to avoid any turnpike toll increase in Greater Boston, but believed the T might not get all the help it needs to avoid a fare increase.
Matt Viser of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | May 28, 2009
The governor and Senate president yesterday sought to ease fears that commuters could soon be facing a combination of toll and tax increases in the same year, but looming deadlines have forced the state's transportation agencies to make contingencies in case increased fares or tolls are needed.
The Turnpike Authority is printing new toll tickets that would be used as of July 1 if a sales tax increase is not in place by then and the MBTA continues to analyze possible fare increases, and service reductions.
"We may actually see the music stop and we'll see who has a chair and who doesn't," said Stephen J. Silveira, a lobbyist who led a state commission on transportation funding that outlined a $20 billion problem over the next two decades.
The House and Senate have both passed - by a veto-proof majority - budgets that would increase the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent and devote about $275 million to transportation.
House and Senate negotiators have been meeting privately to hash out details of the plan, including whether to place specific restrictions on how money can be spent, and whether to protect the level of the subsidy from downturns in the economy. Lawmakers appear committed to preventing the hefty toll increases that are otherwise set to take effect July 1.
"The public cannot be expected to take on any additional burdens, like a toll increase, when they are already being asked to make significant sacrifices for the greater good of the Commonwealth," Senate President Therese Murray said in a statement.
Governor Deval Patrick has threatened to veto the sales tax increase, but dialed back rhetoric about a possible toll hike yesterday, even as he continued to assert that raising the gas tax would make more sense.
"We're not going to have a tax increase and the tolls," Patrick said. "Nobody wants that, I certainly don't want that."
Lawmakers have made less of a public commitment to rescuing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from its $160 million deficit. The MBTA passed a budget earlier this year that presumes there will be a legislative bailout. But an advisory panel, which has the final word on the authority's budget, is expected to reject that plan at a meeting today. Instead, the MBTA Advisory Board will consider a budget that lays off about 1,200 MBTA employees - putting further pressure on the T to begin publicly planning service cuts and fare hikes.
In practice, the T would still have several months of public hearings to decide what combination of layoffs, service cuts or fare hikes it would impose to plug its budget gap. General manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said in an e-mail yesterday that he is "very much encouraged by the support in the House and Senate for transportation reform and new funding that is currently pending."
Assuming the Legislature keeps its transportation commitment at $275 million, there would be enough to avoid fee hikes on both the turnpike and the T for another year. But the state might not use all the money solely on those two agencies because residents outside Greater Boston would benefit less.
The western portion of the turnpike and other state highways have significant maintenance problems and the regional transit authorities that run local bus services have also been hit by the bad economy.
Representative Joseph F. Wagner, a Chicopee Democrat who is cochairman of the transportation committee, said yesterday he hopes to avoid any turnpike toll increase in Greater Boston, but believed the T might not get all the help it needs to avoid a fare increase.
Matt Viser of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Renewed Push for Casinos in Massachusetts
Fresh faces join push to build casinos in Bay State
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | May 28, 2009
The renewed quest on Beacon Hill to legalize gambling has attracted a fresh set of casino interests to Massachusetts, promising another high-dollar lobbying blitz in coming months by developers sensing potential for a big jackpot.
Steve Wynn, one of the most famous casino moguls in the world, is making a much more concerted effort to lobby for a casino in Massachusetts, hiring a lobbyist and sending a representative from his company here yesterday.
Boyd Gaming Corp., a Vegas-based casino company that has 16 gambling sites, including the Borgata in Atlantic City, has also hired a Bay State lobbyist for the first time and has been scouring for sites.
"The signals coming out of the capital are pointing to a fall debate on gaming," said Jeff Hartmann, chief operating officer of Connecticut's Mohegan Sun, which earlier this month set up a storefront location in Palmer to describe its casino plans for the Western Massachusetts town and drum up local support. "We thought the timing was right to open the doors and get to know the community."
Much of the recent flurry of activity has been driven by developers from outside Massachusetts, creating competing versions of what gambling in the Bay State should look like. Well-financed developers from around the country pushing for full casino resorts are up against local racetrack owners, who want Governor Deval Patrick and lawmakers to quickly install slot machine parlors at the racetracks.
The Mohegan tribe, for instance, is hoping to develop a resort featuring a 600-room hotel, a spa, a casino, restaurants, and shops on a site less than a mile from the Massachusetts Turnpike. Companies also have sent representatives to look at possible resort casino sites throughout the state, including property in Milford, Palmer, Raynham, and New Bedford.
Interest in the state's racetracks also is intense.
A developer from Penn National Gaming, which operates 19 facilities throughout the country, visited Raynham Park yesterday. Someone from Station Casinos Inc., which has 18 casinos in Nevada, is planning to visit today, George Carney, the track's owner, said. Carney also met in recent weeks with someone from Boyd Gaming, but says he is focused on keeping his track.
"I tell them, 'My company is not for sale,' " Carney said. "But we haven't decided what route we're going to take."
Gary Piontkowski, chief executive of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, has met with several developers, including Boyd, Penn National, and Station Casinos.
"They're around like flies to honey," Piontkowski said. "All of which we've resisted. We're Massachusetts guys, we've been around, and we're ready to go. These people, as soon as they smelled something it was, 'Me too.' I don't need someone to come into Massachusetts and tell us how to do this."
The other two tracks in Massachusetts, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park, have already partnered to pursue a casino development.
Senate President Therese Murray spurred the renewed interest with a single act last month, pulling down her arm and saying, "Ka-ching" to a roomful of business executives. Her outspokenness in favor of gambling - along with the progambling stance of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo - has developers looking more intently than last year, when former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi killed Patrick's casino bill.
"We're going to have gaming," Murray said yesterday. "It won't be soon. It will probably be later than sooner, but we're going to work on it.
"We'll have hearings in the fall, and we'll be prepared to move when those hearings are done," she added.
The debate is likely to be complicated by political differences. DeLeo wants slot machines at racetracks, while Patrick envisions resort casino developments. Murray has not expressed any preference. Gambling economics also will probably play a factor. Developers have struggled with the economic downturn, halting projects midstream, laying off employees, and putting off future developments.
But some remain optimistic that the industry may be ready for a rebound.
Wynn said in a conference call earlier this month that he was "cautiously optimistic that maybe we've seen the bottom." He also said, "If the stars line up, we might be an acquirer," but added, "We have no deal cooking."
Gary Loveman, a Massachusetts resident and chief executive at Harrah's Entertainment Inc., has been interested in Massachusetts and in possibly forming a partnership with Suffolk Downs. Sheldon Adelson, a Dorchester native and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp., has sought to develop land near Marlborough.
One of the biggest question marks is where the casinos would be built.
There are various pockets of land available, including a large plot near Interstate 495 in Milford. The Turnpike Authority owns a swath of land off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Warren, which could be available.
Wynn, who was born in New Haven and later took over his family's Maryland-based bingo business, has developed lavish resorts - including the Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island - and has also expanded to Macau, where he is competing with Adelson.
Wynn last year also had discussions with Wonderland Greyhound Park owner Charles Sarkis, inquiring about the Revere property. The discussions did not become serious, and Wonderland later entered into a deal with Suffolk Downs to pursue a casino.
A subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Limited recently hired a Boston lobbying firm to pave the way on Beacon Hill. The subsidiary, Development Associates, also was among those bidding this month to build a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York.
"Wynn believes that its financial strength and development expertise may be a good match for the state," said Nancy J. Sterling, a senior vice president at ML Strategies, the lobbying firm Wynn has retained. "Wynn is interested in participating in the process as it unfolds."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | May 28, 2009
The renewed quest on Beacon Hill to legalize gambling has attracted a fresh set of casino interests to Massachusetts, promising another high-dollar lobbying blitz in coming months by developers sensing potential for a big jackpot.
Steve Wynn, one of the most famous casino moguls in the world, is making a much more concerted effort to lobby for a casino in Massachusetts, hiring a lobbyist and sending a representative from his company here yesterday.
Boyd Gaming Corp., a Vegas-based casino company that has 16 gambling sites, including the Borgata in Atlantic City, has also hired a Bay State lobbyist for the first time and has been scouring for sites.
"The signals coming out of the capital are pointing to a fall debate on gaming," said Jeff Hartmann, chief operating officer of Connecticut's Mohegan Sun, which earlier this month set up a storefront location in Palmer to describe its casino plans for the Western Massachusetts town and drum up local support. "We thought the timing was right to open the doors and get to know the community."
Much of the recent flurry of activity has been driven by developers from outside Massachusetts, creating competing versions of what gambling in the Bay State should look like. Well-financed developers from around the country pushing for full casino resorts are up against local racetrack owners, who want Governor Deval Patrick and lawmakers to quickly install slot machine parlors at the racetracks.
The Mohegan tribe, for instance, is hoping to develop a resort featuring a 600-room hotel, a spa, a casino, restaurants, and shops on a site less than a mile from the Massachusetts Turnpike. Companies also have sent representatives to look at possible resort casino sites throughout the state, including property in Milford, Palmer, Raynham, and New Bedford.
Interest in the state's racetracks also is intense.
A developer from Penn National Gaming, which operates 19 facilities throughout the country, visited Raynham Park yesterday. Someone from Station Casinos Inc., which has 18 casinos in Nevada, is planning to visit today, George Carney, the track's owner, said. Carney also met in recent weeks with someone from Boyd Gaming, but says he is focused on keeping his track.
"I tell them, 'My company is not for sale,' " Carney said. "But we haven't decided what route we're going to take."
Gary Piontkowski, chief executive of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, has met with several developers, including Boyd, Penn National, and Station Casinos.
"They're around like flies to honey," Piontkowski said. "All of which we've resisted. We're Massachusetts guys, we've been around, and we're ready to go. These people, as soon as they smelled something it was, 'Me too.' I don't need someone to come into Massachusetts and tell us how to do this."
The other two tracks in Massachusetts, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park, have already partnered to pursue a casino development.
Senate President Therese Murray spurred the renewed interest with a single act last month, pulling down her arm and saying, "Ka-ching" to a roomful of business executives. Her outspokenness in favor of gambling - along with the progambling stance of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo - has developers looking more intently than last year, when former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi killed Patrick's casino bill.
"We're going to have gaming," Murray said yesterday. "It won't be soon. It will probably be later than sooner, but we're going to work on it.
"We'll have hearings in the fall, and we'll be prepared to move when those hearings are done," she added.
The debate is likely to be complicated by political differences. DeLeo wants slot machines at racetracks, while Patrick envisions resort casino developments. Murray has not expressed any preference. Gambling economics also will probably play a factor. Developers have struggled with the economic downturn, halting projects midstream, laying off employees, and putting off future developments.
But some remain optimistic that the industry may be ready for a rebound.
Wynn said in a conference call earlier this month that he was "cautiously optimistic that maybe we've seen the bottom." He also said, "If the stars line up, we might be an acquirer," but added, "We have no deal cooking."
Gary Loveman, a Massachusetts resident and chief executive at Harrah's Entertainment Inc., has been interested in Massachusetts and in possibly forming a partnership with Suffolk Downs. Sheldon Adelson, a Dorchester native and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp., has sought to develop land near Marlborough.
One of the biggest question marks is where the casinos would be built.
There are various pockets of land available, including a large plot near Interstate 495 in Milford. The Turnpike Authority owns a swath of land off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Warren, which could be available.
Wynn, who was born in New Haven and later took over his family's Maryland-based bingo business, has developed lavish resorts - including the Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island - and has also expanded to Macau, where he is competing with Adelson.
Wynn last year also had discussions with Wonderland Greyhound Park owner Charles Sarkis, inquiring about the Revere property. The discussions did not become serious, and Wonderland later entered into a deal with Suffolk Downs to pursue a casino.
A subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Limited recently hired a Boston lobbying firm to pave the way on Beacon Hill. The subsidiary, Development Associates, also was among those bidding this month to build a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York.
"Wynn believes that its financial strength and development expertise may be a good match for the state," said Nancy J. Sterling, a senior vice president at ML Strategies, the lobbying firm Wynn has retained. "Wynn is interested in participating in the process as it unfolds."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Restaurants Lowering their lunch prices
Restaurants adjusting their lunch prices
Tabs are dropping as chains struggle to keep customers
By Lauren Shepherd, Associated Press | May 28, 2009
NEW YORK - Whether sit-down or take-out, restaurant chains are finding the key to persuading people to spring for lunch these days is keeping the tab below $10.
"There is no reason why anyone should spend more than $10 for lunch," said Zach Brooks, a stay-at-home dad and blogger who writes about lunch spots in Midtown Manhattan.
Restaurants certainly appear to be listening. Many have conducted extensive consumer research to determine the magic price that will get customers through their doors.
Hot sub maker Quiznos, for example, launched a new toasty sandwich in March called the Torpedo at $4 after testing it with focus groups at $4, $4.29, and $4.59 to figure out what consumers were willing to pay.
"$4 really went over the cliff," said Rick Schaden, the chain's chief executive.
"If I can get fed a good-size portion for $4 and that's my lunch, they're highly interested."
Schaden said Quiznos' overall sales jumped by double-digits, with traffic up more than 30 percent this spring.
In January the company cut its prices on 37 of its menu items, taking 20 of its subs under $5.
For chains without waiter service, the $5 mark seems to generate the most interest, said David Urban, a professor of marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"There seems to be something about that $5 price range, give or take a dollar or so, that seems to sing with consumers as sort of a threshold point in their minds about whether it's worth it to go out or not," Urban said.
T.G.I. Friday's began pursuing the parsimonious in April with nine new salads and sandwiches for $5 - a move that Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing, said has boosted the company's lunch business.
The regular prices for the nine salads and sandwiches range from $6 to $11 and will go back into effect June 1. The company is also offering "endless" refills on soup, salad, breadsticks, and drinks during lunch for $6.99.
Urban said fast-casual and even sit-down chains are stealing a strategy that has long worked well for fast-food chains. McDonald's Corp., the fast-food industry leader, has offered $1 meals and value deals for years. And its same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, rose 4.3 percent in the three months ending in late March, while those at most other restaurants dropped sharply.
Lunch has been an especially difficult meal for most chains, as it is one of the easiest for customers to cut out or replace with a brown bag from home.
"Obviously, when money is tight, things like lunch are out," Urban said, "especially sit-down lunches at full-service restaurants."
Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association, said lunch traffic goes down whenever the number of employed consumers drops. Those without jobs have less need for convenient lunch options and have less cash to spend.
Most consumers who are still working are still eating out, just not as frequently.
"I have been brown bagging it more often recently, but sometimes I just have to get out of the office to get some quality face time with my colleagues," said Dan Brown, who works at a technology public relations company outside Chicago.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Tabs are dropping as chains struggle to keep customers
By Lauren Shepherd, Associated Press | May 28, 2009
NEW YORK - Whether sit-down or take-out, restaurant chains are finding the key to persuading people to spring for lunch these days is keeping the tab below $10.
"There is no reason why anyone should spend more than $10 for lunch," said Zach Brooks, a stay-at-home dad and blogger who writes about lunch spots in Midtown Manhattan.
Restaurants certainly appear to be listening. Many have conducted extensive consumer research to determine the magic price that will get customers through their doors.
Hot sub maker Quiznos, for example, launched a new toasty sandwich in March called the Torpedo at $4 after testing it with focus groups at $4, $4.29, and $4.59 to figure out what consumers were willing to pay.
"$4 really went over the cliff," said Rick Schaden, the chain's chief executive.
"If I can get fed a good-size portion for $4 and that's my lunch, they're highly interested."
Schaden said Quiznos' overall sales jumped by double-digits, with traffic up more than 30 percent this spring.
In January the company cut its prices on 37 of its menu items, taking 20 of its subs under $5.
For chains without waiter service, the $5 mark seems to generate the most interest, said David Urban, a professor of marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"There seems to be something about that $5 price range, give or take a dollar or so, that seems to sing with consumers as sort of a threshold point in their minds about whether it's worth it to go out or not," Urban said.
T.G.I. Friday's began pursuing the parsimonious in April with nine new salads and sandwiches for $5 - a move that Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing, said has boosted the company's lunch business.
The regular prices for the nine salads and sandwiches range from $6 to $11 and will go back into effect June 1. The company is also offering "endless" refills on soup, salad, breadsticks, and drinks during lunch for $6.99.
Urban said fast-casual and even sit-down chains are stealing a strategy that has long worked well for fast-food chains. McDonald's Corp., the fast-food industry leader, has offered $1 meals and value deals for years. And its same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, rose 4.3 percent in the three months ending in late March, while those at most other restaurants dropped sharply.
Lunch has been an especially difficult meal for most chains, as it is one of the easiest for customers to cut out or replace with a brown bag from home.
"Obviously, when money is tight, things like lunch are out," Urban said, "especially sit-down lunches at full-service restaurants."
Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association, said lunch traffic goes down whenever the number of employed consumers drops. Those without jobs have less need for convenient lunch options and have less cash to spend.
Most consumers who are still working are still eating out, just not as frequently.
"I have been brown bagging it more often recently, but sometimes I just have to get out of the office to get some quality face time with my colleagues," said Dan Brown, who works at a technology public relations company outside Chicago.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Abandoned puppy found outside of Westin Copley Hotel
Cops seek abandoned pup’s doghouse
By Renee Nadeau | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Do those woebegone eyes and that furry, forlorn face look familiar to you?
Animal control officers are trying to get to the bottom of a poor pup’s tale after he was found tied to a tree and left all on his own in the Back Bay yesterday.
The mournful mutt had been unretrieved for at least an hour outside the Westin Hotel by the time the cops were alerted. A motorcycle cop was flagged down just before 2 p.m. by a hotel manager who had been watching the lonely pooch at the corner of Dartmouth and Stuart streets.
“It’s against the law and definitely not the right thing to do,” Charles Rudack, director of Boston’s animal control unit, said of abandoning animals on city streets. “And there’s no excuse for it.”
There may be no excuse, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find someone willing to take a stab at one.
And within minutes of the cops’ arrival, a young man showed up claiming to be the 3- to 6-month-old canine cutey’s owner, Rudack said.
His excuse was that someone had given him the dog while on the Green Line earlier in the day, cops said. The man told the officers he had to leave the dog while he went on a job interview.
The man could not provide proof of ownership and decided to take his leave without said canine, as an animal control officer arrived.
Rudack said it is possible that the dog - either a shepherd/lab mix or shepherd/akita mix - had been stolen. It has been well-behaved and is in good health, he said, which suggests someone has been taking good care of it.
“It didn’t just pop into existence after four or five months. Somebody had to have it,” Rudack said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to reunite it with the owner.”
But if not, the forlorn fido will be put up for adoption after seven days. In the meantime, he will spend his days at the city’s animal shelter.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1175231
By Renee Nadeau | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Do those woebegone eyes and that furry, forlorn face look familiar to you?
Animal control officers are trying to get to the bottom of a poor pup’s tale after he was found tied to a tree and left all on his own in the Back Bay yesterday.
The mournful mutt had been unretrieved for at least an hour outside the Westin Hotel by the time the cops were alerted. A motorcycle cop was flagged down just before 2 p.m. by a hotel manager who had been watching the lonely pooch at the corner of Dartmouth and Stuart streets.
“It’s against the law and definitely not the right thing to do,” Charles Rudack, director of Boston’s animal control unit, said of abandoning animals on city streets. “And there’s no excuse for it.”
There may be no excuse, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find someone willing to take a stab at one.
And within minutes of the cops’ arrival, a young man showed up claiming to be the 3- to 6-month-old canine cutey’s owner, Rudack said.
His excuse was that someone had given him the dog while on the Green Line earlier in the day, cops said. The man told the officers he had to leave the dog while he went on a job interview.
The man could not provide proof of ownership and decided to take his leave without said canine, as an animal control officer arrived.
Rudack said it is possible that the dog - either a shepherd/lab mix or shepherd/akita mix - had been stolen. It has been well-behaved and is in good health, he said, which suggests someone has been taking good care of it.
“It didn’t just pop into existence after four or five months. Somebody had to have it,” Rudack said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to reunite it with the owner.”
But if not, the forlorn fido will be put up for adoption after seven days. In the meantime, he will spend his days at the city’s animal shelter.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1175231
Chilean Navy tall ship visiting Boston
Music floats their boat!
By Katy Jordan | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
When the sailing ship Esmeralda glided into Boston’s inner harbor yesterday, the city was graced not only by the ship itself - which boasts global titles of the second-tallest and the longest-sailing ship - but by Esmeralda’s musical crew.
Of the 350-person crew, 20 suited up in full military dress and performed in Downtown Crossing yesterday, treating almost 1,000 onlookers to a nautically inspired concert for two hours.
The Chilean Navy Band, which comprises professional musicians, as well as the magnificent Esmeralda Tall Ship, will be at the Charlestown Navy Yard through Saturday morning.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1175238
By Katy Jordan | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
When the sailing ship Esmeralda glided into Boston’s inner harbor yesterday, the city was graced not only by the ship itself - which boasts global titles of the second-tallest and the longest-sailing ship - but by Esmeralda’s musical crew.
Of the 350-person crew, 20 suited up in full military dress and performed in Downtown Crossing yesterday, treating almost 1,000 onlookers to a nautically inspired concert for two hours.
The Chilean Navy Band, which comprises professional musicians, as well as the magnificent Esmeralda Tall Ship, will be at the Charlestown Navy Yard through Saturday morning.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1175238
Filene's Basement bidder is committed to reopening Downtown location
Key Basement bidder: I’m ready to battle
By Jay Fitzgerald | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Stanley Chera is throwing down the gauntlet to Vornado Real Estate Trust in the escalating contest to take over the assets of bankrupt Filene’s Basement.
“Vornado better come to the auction with a big checkbook,” said Chera, the New York real estate mogul whose company has bid $22 million to buy most of Filene’s Basement’s assets, including the retailer’s coveted super-cheap lease for Downtown Crossing.
Portraying himself as the savior of Boston retail history, Chera said yesterday in an interview he’s “absolutely committed” to reopening Filene’s Basement at its original Downtown Crossing location, once the now-stalled redevelopment of the site is complete.
Chera, who runs Crown Acquisitions, dismissed Vornado’s move to partner with clothing retailer Syms to buy the assets of Filene’s Basement, saying Vornado is only interested in getting its hands on the Downtown Crossing lease.
Vornado is one of the two redevelopers, along with Gale International, of the Franklin Street site, now just a giant hole surrounded by the exterior shell of the old Filene’s building. Work on the project abruptly stopped last fall due funding woes.
A Vornado spokesman declined comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175248
By Jay Fitzgerald | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Stanley Chera is throwing down the gauntlet to Vornado Real Estate Trust in the escalating contest to take over the assets of bankrupt Filene’s Basement.
“Vornado better come to the auction with a big checkbook,” said Chera, the New York real estate mogul whose company has bid $22 million to buy most of Filene’s Basement’s assets, including the retailer’s coveted super-cheap lease for Downtown Crossing.
Portraying himself as the savior of Boston retail history, Chera said yesterday in an interview he’s “absolutely committed” to reopening Filene’s Basement at its original Downtown Crossing location, once the now-stalled redevelopment of the site is complete.
Chera, who runs Crown Acquisitions, dismissed Vornado’s move to partner with clothing retailer Syms to buy the assets of Filene’s Basement, saying Vornado is only interested in getting its hands on the Downtown Crossing lease.
Vornado is one of the two redevelopers, along with Gale International, of the Franklin Street site, now just a giant hole surrounded by the exterior shell of the old Filene’s building. Work on the project abruptly stopped last fall due funding woes.
A Vornado spokesman declined comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175248
City asks for Gov't Center Project size to be reduced
Garage plan needs work
City asks for smaller project, new school
By Thomas Grillo | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The city wants the proposed $2.3 billion redevelopment of the Government Center Garage to be smaller and to include an elementary school.
“That’s very exciting news,” said Chiara Rhouate, a West End parent of two school-age children. “The school won’t be built in time for our children, but a neighborhood school is an important option for families who want to stay in Boston rather than move to the suburbs.”
Rhouate and the Coalition for Public Education, a group of 165 parents from the downtown neighborhoods, have met with Mayor Thomas Menino to lobby for an elementary school at the site.
In a 47-page finding by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the agency recommends that Raymond Property Co. resubmit plans for the mixed-use project with inclusion of a K-8 school on- or off-site.
Earlier this year, Raymond filed plans to replace the 11-story garage with 42- and 52-story towers as well as a hotel, stores, restaurants and smaller residential buildings. During a series of community meetings, parents called upon the developer to build a school as part a community benefits package.
Steven Kasnet, Raymond’s chief executive, repeatedly told the crowd that he was waiting for guidance from the BRA on how to proceed.
The proposal for the 4-acre site has been controversial from the start. West End, Beacon Hill and North End residents have said the project is too massive, the towers are too tall and the MBTA cannot handle an influx of thousands of additional office workers.
Last month, the Impact Advisory Group, a 12-member panel appointed by Menino to review the 3 million-square-foot proposal adjacent to the John F. Kennedy building, said the project’s height and density are unacceptable.
The BRA yesterday called on Raymond to reduce the project’s size but did not specify how many stories would be acceptable to the city.
Kasnet declined comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175242
City asks for smaller project, new school
By Thomas Grillo | Thursday, May 28, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The city wants the proposed $2.3 billion redevelopment of the Government Center Garage to be smaller and to include an elementary school.
“That’s very exciting news,” said Chiara Rhouate, a West End parent of two school-age children. “The school won’t be built in time for our children, but a neighborhood school is an important option for families who want to stay in Boston rather than move to the suburbs.”
Rhouate and the Coalition for Public Education, a group of 165 parents from the downtown neighborhoods, have met with Mayor Thomas Menino to lobby for an elementary school at the site.
In a 47-page finding by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the agency recommends that Raymond Property Co. resubmit plans for the mixed-use project with inclusion of a K-8 school on- or off-site.
Earlier this year, Raymond filed plans to replace the 11-story garage with 42- and 52-story towers as well as a hotel, stores, restaurants and smaller residential buildings. During a series of community meetings, parents called upon the developer to build a school as part a community benefits package.
Steven Kasnet, Raymond’s chief executive, repeatedly told the crowd that he was waiting for guidance from the BRA on how to proceed.
The proposal for the 4-acre site has been controversial from the start. West End, Beacon Hill and North End residents have said the project is too massive, the towers are too tall and the MBTA cannot handle an influx of thousands of additional office workers.
Last month, the Impact Advisory Group, a 12-member panel appointed by Menino to review the 3 million-square-foot proposal adjacent to the John F. Kennedy building, said the project’s height and density are unacceptable.
The BRA yesterday called on Raymond to reduce the project’s size but did not specify how many stories would be acceptable to the city.
Kasnet declined comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1175242
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Great Bay to Close May 30th
NAMES
May 27, 2009
Great Bay restaurant shutting its doors
First Aujourd'hui - now Great Bay. Just a day after the Four Seasons announced that its high-end French restaurant would close at the end of June to be turned into a function space, Hotel Commonwealth announced yesterday that the Michael Schlow and Christopher Myers restaurant Great Bay will be shut down May 30. Hotel Commonwealth partner Terry Guiney said he's still deciding how the Great Bay space will be used. "I'm saddened at the closing of Great Bay, but this clearly was the wisest course of action," said Guiney. "We are enormously grateful to Michael and Christopher, and to the entire staff, for their contributions." Like Aujourd'hui, Great Bay had competition within its own complex. The Hotel Commonwealth also houses Garrett Harker's Eastern Standard and the George Lewis nightlife spot Foundation Lounge. Meyers said in Hotel Commonwealth's statement that it was better to close up shop at Great Bay than redefine the brand in a tough economy. "The principals decided the best course of action was to close Great Bay rather than try to remake it into something other than what it was designed to be - the best seafood restaurant in Boston." Schlow and Myers will have plenty to keep them busy. Their restaurant resumes include Via Matta, Radius, Alta Strada, and Myers+Chang.
May 27, 2009
Great Bay restaurant shutting its doors
First Aujourd'hui - now Great Bay. Just a day after the Four Seasons announced that its high-end French restaurant would close at the end of June to be turned into a function space, Hotel Commonwealth announced yesterday that the Michael Schlow and Christopher Myers restaurant Great Bay will be shut down May 30. Hotel Commonwealth partner Terry Guiney said he's still deciding how the Great Bay space will be used. "I'm saddened at the closing of Great Bay, but this clearly was the wisest course of action," said Guiney. "We are enormously grateful to Michael and Christopher, and to the entire staff, for their contributions." Like Aujourd'hui, Great Bay had competition within its own complex. The Hotel Commonwealth also houses Garrett Harker's Eastern Standard and the George Lewis nightlife spot Foundation Lounge. Meyers said in Hotel Commonwealth's statement that it was better to close up shop at Great Bay than redefine the brand in a tough economy. "The principals decided the best course of action was to close Great Bay rather than try to remake it into something other than what it was designed to be - the best seafood restaurant in Boston." Schlow and Myers will have plenty to keep them busy. Their restaurant resumes include Via Matta, Radius, Alta Strada, and Myers+Chang.
Review of Five Boston Signature Restaurants
DINING OUT
Five classics revisited
There's a reason the city's signature restaurants - and dishes - retain their status
By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
In a newspaper, you expect to read about new, dare I say, "hot," restaurants. After all, the chic Bostonian eco-foodie needs to know where to strike a pose this week. Where is everyone dining on terrine de mango with parsnip and urchin-roe foam?
But this in-with-the-new hype tends to overlook iconic restaurants - Boston institutions really - the places that spring to mind when you think about dining out here, the ones that make you feel like a Kennedy or a tourist hoping to run into a Kennedy.
These are the restaurants that still manage, after years - in some cases, centuries - to fill the house if not nightly, then certainly on weekends. A sterling reputation can rest on its laurels, even as it raises an obvious question about change: If something's been working for 97 years, why adjust it?
So in the spirit of casting a fresh eye on an established place, we head to five of the city's most venerable dining rooms and reconsider them through their signature dish.
Hamersley's Bistro
For 21 years, Bostonians in-the-know have been going to Hamersley's Bistro in the South End for roast chicken with garlic, lemon, and parsley ($27). And not just because their parents are in town. Favored by Julia Child, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo DiCaprio, the dish is basically the perfect roast bird you cannot replicate at home. Ever. Very slow-cooked, then boned and finished in a pan with lemons and chicken stock under the crisping flames of a salamander, Hamersley's chicken can easily be cut with a fork and is an example of marinade (garlic, lemon, parsley, and spices overnight) and seasonings that showcase, rather than overshadow, the carefully raised hen. Served with roast potatoes and onions, it has become a legendary dish.
Other items on the menu are competent, but not as miraculous as the chicken. Chef and co-owner Gordon Hamersley has a sense of humor about this. "It's a simple dish, and it's a good dish," he says. "I'm a two-bit singer with a hit song." The roast chicken isn't just a hit, it's the restaurant's glorious national anthem. And the staff treats it with reverence. The same chef is not allowed to make the dish for more than six months, and Hamersley often personally supervises the preparation (he's the one in the kitchen wearing a Red Sox cap).
Originally, Hamersley's goal was to create a chicken dish every bit as good as the roast Bresse chicken at L'ami Louis, a renowned Paris bistro favored by Bill Clinton and French politicians. Bresse, of course, is located in France - so Hamersley cannot roast those celebrated birds. Instead he uses a 3- or 4-pound Bell & Evans chicken.
Even if your version of the dish manages, by some miracle, to come sort-of close, it's just not the same as being there in that quirky, famously yellow dining room, enjoying this dish for the first (or 20th) time.
Oak Room
The interior of the Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza is breathtaking. Well-heeled Bostonians have been gathering at restaurants in this space since 1912. Beautiful hand-detailed oak walls enclose a lush, comfortable, and, above all, Old World luxury dining room suitable (as it has often been) for heads of state, the rich, and the famed. One of the many shiny art panels at the back of the room is actually a clandestine two-way mirror (look carefully, the color is slightly different). Back in the day (perhaps now) it allowed managers to survey service and presentation, which are still impeccable. The room manages to be marvelously alive - not at all an antique. Large, brilliant cherry-blossom arrangements complete the enveloping mise-en-scene. You are greeted and treated like royalty by a dedicated staff, some of whom have been perfecting their craft here since this restaurant opened in the historic space 20 years ago.
Honestly, I am so enthralled that after we are seated I simply settle in and forget we were here to eat. The waiter seems used to this. "Welcome to the Oak Room, sir." We're off to a good start. I like being called "sir." I am wearing black pants, so I get a black napkin (to avoid lint and to match as you sit). I'm trying to be critical, but I'm already smiling.
The vast majority of the menu is local and organic, but I am told, apologetically, that the rarity of Chateaubriand ($95 for two) requires importation from Kansas. After appetizers, the steak is wheeled to our table on a dramatic silver cart and cut in front of us so I can verify the doneness. If you are not fully pleased, send the cart back to the kitchen to address the problem before it ever hits your plate.
This is the real deal. The beef is not mega-sized, it's not molecular-ized, it's not swimming in some high-concept sauce. It is that most classic and treasured cut, marvelously simple and wonderfully cooked, and accompanied by an entire bulb of fragrant roast garlic, cut open to accent the delicious aroma of the steak. I don't know if you are supposed to eat the steak and the garlic together - the Oak Room does not presume to give its guests dining instructions - but I eat each tender effortless slice of steak with a bit of the roasted garlic and it is heaven.
No. 9 Park
When I ask serious foodies about the most famous dish in Boston, the prune-stuffed gnocchi with foie gras, toasted almonds, and vin santo at No. 9 Park is suggested by the most people. Chef and owner Barbara Lynch developed the dish some 15 years ago after a trip to Italy to learn pasta-making. Our waiter recites the catechism: ". . . so she added foie gras, and the prunes, and the rest is history!"
The dish is marvelously clever. Light, expertly made gnocchi are stuffed with a soft prune filling. Each gnoccho is topped with a small slab of foie gras, then drizzled with a beurre blanc made with vin santo. Tiny cubes of prune - precision-cut and jewel-like - decorate the plate with tinier sprigs of chervil. It's a beautiful presentation, but you might think it would only be eaten by those who like prunes and foie gras - i.e. someone else's grandparents.
The genius of this dish, is (1) it is truly delicious and (2) you get to enjoy eating foie gras. It makes foie gras accessible to everyone, by offsetting its sometimes off-putting fatty richness with sweet prunes, and mitigating its unique animal taste with equally rich starchy gnocchi. My 14-year-old niece gobbles them up, calling them "soft pillows of pure happiness." Really. She even stops texting until they are gone. Just try getting your 14-year-old to eat foie gras on its own (or to stop texting). This is quite an appetizer.
But it is only an appetizer, and because it's so rich, one that is typically shared. Its fame gets people talking about and into the restaurant, where the superior service and very good menu have managed to keep them coming back.
Locke-Ober
It's been a week of interesting and memorable meals. And then I go to Locke-Ober. Indisputably one of Boston's most famous restaurants, it is best known for Lobster Savannah ($62), the star of the menu since 1875. The restaurant itself is a single, large, 1800's-era, dark-wood room with subtle lighting. At dinner one night, nearly everyone is having Lobster Savannah, a scene made more surreal by the very large size of the mostly untouched lobsters staring up at each of the mostly elderly diners. Dozens of the immobile red creatures are all oriented in the same position, head facing the diner, the way the waiter places them.
The dish is too dense and too much for most people to make a dent in. My waiter, who has been with the restaurant since 1968, still calls this the "small lobster." The large (3-pound) lobster was downsized in 1976 due to "health concerns."
The body of the 2-pound lobster is removed from the shell, cut in pieces, and cooked with a sauce made from a four-hour reduction of lobster bodies, sherry, port, and heavy cream. The amalgam is stuffed back in the lobster shell, and served. It's no wonder most diners do not finish the dish. The heavy pinkish-orange sauce militates against the delicate lobster meat, rendering it an intolerably-rich sauce-substrate. Lobster Savannah does not taste good, it's excessive, and very expensive.
Wealthy Harvard students reportedly host traditional and lavish invite-the-dorm dinners at the private "a la carte" dining rooms upstairs, to leverage the restaurant name and outspend one another on conspicuous excess (expensive lobster, wood-paneled rooms, trademark pink sauce). It just might be the best use of this restaurant.
Durgin-Park
This is the most casual of the restaurants I visit. The eclectic Durgin-Park wait staff is curt, intolerant of unnecessary questions (imagine how I went over), and refreshingly fun. Think your favorite aunt who has no time for your nonsense. It's intentional, and part of the shtick.
Since 1826 the restaurant has occupied a roomy historic Faneuil Hall space with large wood and mostly communal tables. Side dishes are good, and taste as if served in a very competent college dining hall; there are even little white flume-proof bowl-plates. New England classics like Indian pudding (slow-baked molasses and cornmeal mash served with ice cream) are faithfully and well prepared. Wine and beer lists are limited but adequate. The crowd on our night is a mix of local steak-lovers and tooly business-trip types.
This place is all about beef, mostly the aged-on-premises prime rib ($29 and $40). At the entrance to the restaurant, you pass a glass see-all meat-locker-as-exhibit, which, I assume, entices the very carnivorous up the stairs. There are two sizes of prime rib. I had the well-prepared, less expensive "Yankee Cut," which, at 1-pound, seems stressfully large. A 2-pound "Durgin Cut," the main feature at the meat-museum downstairs, is being devoured by some of the much bigger guys nearby. Three sauces are available for your steak (which arrives unseasoned). Don't taunt the waitress with polite questions about what "peppercorn sauce," "Bearnaise," and "Bordelaise" are. Just order one. Then relax and enjoy the steak. Once you've gotten your food, the waitstaff is not going to disturb you - maybe for a long time.
"People like Durgin-Park because it's simple and New England, and because it hasn't changed," says general manager Seana Kelley. "It's familiar, and it's comfortable."
I'm with her. Old is the new new.
Ike DeLorenzo writes about food and wine. He can be reached at delorenzo@gmail.com. Restaurant critic Devra First returns next week.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Five classics revisited
There's a reason the city's signature restaurants - and dishes - retain their status
By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
In a newspaper, you expect to read about new, dare I say, "hot," restaurants. After all, the chic Bostonian eco-foodie needs to know where to strike a pose this week. Where is everyone dining on terrine de mango with parsnip and urchin-roe foam?
But this in-with-the-new hype tends to overlook iconic restaurants - Boston institutions really - the places that spring to mind when you think about dining out here, the ones that make you feel like a Kennedy or a tourist hoping to run into a Kennedy.
These are the restaurants that still manage, after years - in some cases, centuries - to fill the house if not nightly, then certainly on weekends. A sterling reputation can rest on its laurels, even as it raises an obvious question about change: If something's been working for 97 years, why adjust it?
So in the spirit of casting a fresh eye on an established place, we head to five of the city's most venerable dining rooms and reconsider them through their signature dish.
Hamersley's Bistro
For 21 years, Bostonians in-the-know have been going to Hamersley's Bistro in the South End for roast chicken with garlic, lemon, and parsley ($27). And not just because their parents are in town. Favored by Julia Child, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo DiCaprio, the dish is basically the perfect roast bird you cannot replicate at home. Ever. Very slow-cooked, then boned and finished in a pan with lemons and chicken stock under the crisping flames of a salamander, Hamersley's chicken can easily be cut with a fork and is an example of marinade (garlic, lemon, parsley, and spices overnight) and seasonings that showcase, rather than overshadow, the carefully raised hen. Served with roast potatoes and onions, it has become a legendary dish.
Other items on the menu are competent, but not as miraculous as the chicken. Chef and co-owner Gordon Hamersley has a sense of humor about this. "It's a simple dish, and it's a good dish," he says. "I'm a two-bit singer with a hit song." The roast chicken isn't just a hit, it's the restaurant's glorious national anthem. And the staff treats it with reverence. The same chef is not allowed to make the dish for more than six months, and Hamersley often personally supervises the preparation (he's the one in the kitchen wearing a Red Sox cap).
Originally, Hamersley's goal was to create a chicken dish every bit as good as the roast Bresse chicken at L'ami Louis, a renowned Paris bistro favored by Bill Clinton and French politicians. Bresse, of course, is located in France - so Hamersley cannot roast those celebrated birds. Instead he uses a 3- or 4-pound Bell & Evans chicken.
Even if your version of the dish manages, by some miracle, to come sort-of close, it's just not the same as being there in that quirky, famously yellow dining room, enjoying this dish for the first (or 20th) time.
Oak Room
The interior of the Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza is breathtaking. Well-heeled Bostonians have been gathering at restaurants in this space since 1912. Beautiful hand-detailed oak walls enclose a lush, comfortable, and, above all, Old World luxury dining room suitable (as it has often been) for heads of state, the rich, and the famed. One of the many shiny art panels at the back of the room is actually a clandestine two-way mirror (look carefully, the color is slightly different). Back in the day (perhaps now) it allowed managers to survey service and presentation, which are still impeccable. The room manages to be marvelously alive - not at all an antique. Large, brilliant cherry-blossom arrangements complete the enveloping mise-en-scene. You are greeted and treated like royalty by a dedicated staff, some of whom have been perfecting their craft here since this restaurant opened in the historic space 20 years ago.
Honestly, I am so enthralled that after we are seated I simply settle in and forget we were here to eat. The waiter seems used to this. "Welcome to the Oak Room, sir." We're off to a good start. I like being called "sir." I am wearing black pants, so I get a black napkin (to avoid lint and to match as you sit). I'm trying to be critical, but I'm already smiling.
The vast majority of the menu is local and organic, but I am told, apologetically, that the rarity of Chateaubriand ($95 for two) requires importation from Kansas. After appetizers, the steak is wheeled to our table on a dramatic silver cart and cut in front of us so I can verify the doneness. If you are not fully pleased, send the cart back to the kitchen to address the problem before it ever hits your plate.
This is the real deal. The beef is not mega-sized, it's not molecular-ized, it's not swimming in some high-concept sauce. It is that most classic and treasured cut, marvelously simple and wonderfully cooked, and accompanied by an entire bulb of fragrant roast garlic, cut open to accent the delicious aroma of the steak. I don't know if you are supposed to eat the steak and the garlic together - the Oak Room does not presume to give its guests dining instructions - but I eat each tender effortless slice of steak with a bit of the roasted garlic and it is heaven.
No. 9 Park
When I ask serious foodies about the most famous dish in Boston, the prune-stuffed gnocchi with foie gras, toasted almonds, and vin santo at No. 9 Park is suggested by the most people. Chef and owner Barbara Lynch developed the dish some 15 years ago after a trip to Italy to learn pasta-making. Our waiter recites the catechism: ". . . so she added foie gras, and the prunes, and the rest is history!"
The dish is marvelously clever. Light, expertly made gnocchi are stuffed with a soft prune filling. Each gnoccho is topped with a small slab of foie gras, then drizzled with a beurre blanc made with vin santo. Tiny cubes of prune - precision-cut and jewel-like - decorate the plate with tinier sprigs of chervil. It's a beautiful presentation, but you might think it would only be eaten by those who like prunes and foie gras - i.e. someone else's grandparents.
The genius of this dish, is (1) it is truly delicious and (2) you get to enjoy eating foie gras. It makes foie gras accessible to everyone, by offsetting its sometimes off-putting fatty richness with sweet prunes, and mitigating its unique animal taste with equally rich starchy gnocchi. My 14-year-old niece gobbles them up, calling them "soft pillows of pure happiness." Really. She even stops texting until they are gone. Just try getting your 14-year-old to eat foie gras on its own (or to stop texting). This is quite an appetizer.
But it is only an appetizer, and because it's so rich, one that is typically shared. Its fame gets people talking about and into the restaurant, where the superior service and very good menu have managed to keep them coming back.
Locke-Ober
It's been a week of interesting and memorable meals. And then I go to Locke-Ober. Indisputably one of Boston's most famous restaurants, it is best known for Lobster Savannah ($62), the star of the menu since 1875. The restaurant itself is a single, large, 1800's-era, dark-wood room with subtle lighting. At dinner one night, nearly everyone is having Lobster Savannah, a scene made more surreal by the very large size of the mostly untouched lobsters staring up at each of the mostly elderly diners. Dozens of the immobile red creatures are all oriented in the same position, head facing the diner, the way the waiter places them.
The dish is too dense and too much for most people to make a dent in. My waiter, who has been with the restaurant since 1968, still calls this the "small lobster." The large (3-pound) lobster was downsized in 1976 due to "health concerns."
The body of the 2-pound lobster is removed from the shell, cut in pieces, and cooked with a sauce made from a four-hour reduction of lobster bodies, sherry, port, and heavy cream. The amalgam is stuffed back in the lobster shell, and served. It's no wonder most diners do not finish the dish. The heavy pinkish-orange sauce militates against the delicate lobster meat, rendering it an intolerably-rich sauce-substrate. Lobster Savannah does not taste good, it's excessive, and very expensive.
Wealthy Harvard students reportedly host traditional and lavish invite-the-dorm dinners at the private "a la carte" dining rooms upstairs, to leverage the restaurant name and outspend one another on conspicuous excess (expensive lobster, wood-paneled rooms, trademark pink sauce). It just might be the best use of this restaurant.
Durgin-Park
This is the most casual of the restaurants I visit. The eclectic Durgin-Park wait staff is curt, intolerant of unnecessary questions (imagine how I went over), and refreshingly fun. Think your favorite aunt who has no time for your nonsense. It's intentional, and part of the shtick.
Since 1826 the restaurant has occupied a roomy historic Faneuil Hall space with large wood and mostly communal tables. Side dishes are good, and taste as if served in a very competent college dining hall; there are even little white flume-proof bowl-plates. New England classics like Indian pudding (slow-baked molasses and cornmeal mash served with ice cream) are faithfully and well prepared. Wine and beer lists are limited but adequate. The crowd on our night is a mix of local steak-lovers and tooly business-trip types.
This place is all about beef, mostly the aged-on-premises prime rib ($29 and $40). At the entrance to the restaurant, you pass a glass see-all meat-locker-as-exhibit, which, I assume, entices the very carnivorous up the stairs. There are two sizes of prime rib. I had the well-prepared, less expensive "Yankee Cut," which, at 1-pound, seems stressfully large. A 2-pound "Durgin Cut," the main feature at the meat-museum downstairs, is being devoured by some of the much bigger guys nearby. Three sauces are available for your steak (which arrives unseasoned). Don't taunt the waitress with polite questions about what "peppercorn sauce," "Bearnaise," and "Bordelaise" are. Just order one. Then relax and enjoy the steak. Once you've gotten your food, the waitstaff is not going to disturb you - maybe for a long time.
"People like Durgin-Park because it's simple and New England, and because it hasn't changed," says general manager Seana Kelley. "It's familiar, and it's comfortable."
I'm with her. Old is the new new.
Ike DeLorenzo writes about food and wine. He can be reached at delorenzo@gmail.com. Restaurant critic Devra First returns next week.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
John Williams Returns to Lead Boston Pops this week
MUSIC REVIEW
John Williams takes colorful detour
By Joel Brown, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
The music of composer John Williams resembles the filmography of Tom Hanks, full of drama and Oscar-ready uplift. They've both been around long enough, and done enough movies, that you pretty much know what you're going to get from them, whether it's an alien adventure or a World War II ordeal.
But Williams surprised with his world premiere Concerto for Viola and Orchestra last night. Not a soundtrack but a musical gift to Pops principal violist Cathy Basrak, it was a challenging piece quite unlike his familiar big-screen emotional narratives.
The first movement offered Basrak taxing, unaccompanied passages all over the strings, with little bursts that touched on dissonance and long, still notes that hung in the air. In short, a showpiece.
The second movement featured Basrak trading phrases in a duel with her husband, principal timpanist Timothy Genis, which led Williams to dub the movement the "Family Argument" and drew chuckles from the audience. The third movement brought in principal harpist Ann Hobson Pilot to pluck the strings behind Basrak in a dreamy sequence.
The rest of the night featured movie music, mostly by Williams, of varying interest. The opening "Hooray for Hollywood" got a smart reading by Williams and the orchestra that found touches of Copland-esque subtlety in that well-worn melody. And Williams's Suite from Jane Eyre gave the strings a chance to shine, especially in the second movement, when the conductor emeritus held up a finger to the violins to keep them sawing away while he leaned in the other direction to give close attention to the cellos. On the other hand, Korngold's March from The Adventures of Robin Hood felt like a trailer for emotions we'd be having later.
Deadline forced our exit before the final set, featuring music from "Superman," "Far and Away," and more. I can't say I looked forward to that as much as our press table neighbors David and Sylvain did. The movie-music aficionados came from France to attend two Film Night programs this week. Still, it was hard not to wish that Williams would write more works like the concerto.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
John Williams takes colorful detour
By Joel Brown, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
The music of composer John Williams resembles the filmography of Tom Hanks, full of drama and Oscar-ready uplift. They've both been around long enough, and done enough movies, that you pretty much know what you're going to get from them, whether it's an alien adventure or a World War II ordeal.
But Williams surprised with his world premiere Concerto for Viola and Orchestra last night. Not a soundtrack but a musical gift to Pops principal violist Cathy Basrak, it was a challenging piece quite unlike his familiar big-screen emotional narratives.
The first movement offered Basrak taxing, unaccompanied passages all over the strings, with little bursts that touched on dissonance and long, still notes that hung in the air. In short, a showpiece.
The second movement featured Basrak trading phrases in a duel with her husband, principal timpanist Timothy Genis, which led Williams to dub the movement the "Family Argument" and drew chuckles from the audience. The third movement brought in principal harpist Ann Hobson Pilot to pluck the strings behind Basrak in a dreamy sequence.
The rest of the night featured movie music, mostly by Williams, of varying interest. The opening "Hooray for Hollywood" got a smart reading by Williams and the orchestra that found touches of Copland-esque subtlety in that well-worn melody. And Williams's Suite from Jane Eyre gave the strings a chance to shine, especially in the second movement, when the conductor emeritus held up a finger to the violins to keep them sawing away while he leaned in the other direction to give close attention to the cellos. On the other hand, Korngold's March from The Adventures of Robin Hood felt like a trailer for emotions we'd be having later.
Deadline forced our exit before the final set, featuring music from "Superman," "Far and Away," and more. I can't say I looked forward to that as much as our press table neighbors David and Sylvain did. The movie-music aficionados came from France to attend two Film Night programs this week. Still, it was hard not to wish that Williams would write more works like the concerto.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Dining Deals at Dante and Sel de la Terre
CHEAP EATS
Small plates, big flavors
By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
Happy hour drink specials - $3 margaritas and other bargains to imbibe - might be illegal in Massachusetts, but the hours between about 5 and 7 have gotten decidedly more pleasant since high-end restaurants have started offering special low-priced menus for the after-work crowd.
Indeed, one of the happier hours I've spent recently was on the patio at Dante in Cambridge, at a high cafe table overlooking the sailboats on the Charles. Starting late in the afternoon, the bar menu includes four $1 sfizzi, small plates, in addition to other appetizers (all under $10).
Fried smelts ($1) are lightly battered and fried, served with a tangy aioli. Arancini ($1), plump balls of tomato and fontina risotto, are also fried; these come with a truffled honey sauce. The combination is crunchy, salty, sweet, and savory all at once. Lacy Parmesan crisps ($1) are good on their own, but a smoked tomato aioli makes them amazing.
A shallow square dish of lemony, garlicky hummus topped with pickled red onions ($1) is served with huge baked lavash triangles. The hummus is a little thin, but the flavor is wonderful, and the pita triangles are a great vehicle for not only the hummus, but also the aioli and the smoked-tomato dipping sauce. We round out our light meal with sea urchin ($6), also from the sfizzi menu, which is chopped with garlic and lemon rind and served with grilled toasts.
For an edgier, more urban, but no less happy time, Sel de la Terre in Back Bay offers a French Quarter menu (four items, each $5) early in the evening. The funky downstairs bar, with white cement block walls and vintage bicycles hung from the ceiling, feels like a cafe in one of Paris's hipper arrondissements.
The menu changes periodically, but the crostini of tuna conserva Nicoise (below) will be around for a while. A lovely plate of mixed greens with shaved tuna belly in olive oil sitting on a toast, it's a perfect warm-weather bite. The pork belly boudin served with toasted baguette and a syrupy rhubarb spread is pleasingly smoky and sweet.
Seviche is not as salty as we like it, but then we realize it comes with potato chips for a reason. Scoop up this marinated salmon belly and snapper on a chip, and you've got all the salt you need - along with a nice crunch.
None of these plates is large, but they're not tiny either. Order the pommes croquettes, four golf ball-sized servings of rich, nutmeg-scented potato puree fried to a deep gold, and a couple of other items from the French Quarter menu, and along with the lovely basket of bread, you've got a meal. A happy meal.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Small plates, big flavors
By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Correspondent | May 27, 2009
Happy hour drink specials - $3 margaritas and other bargains to imbibe - might be illegal in Massachusetts, but the hours between about 5 and 7 have gotten decidedly more pleasant since high-end restaurants have started offering special low-priced menus for the after-work crowd.
Indeed, one of the happier hours I've spent recently was on the patio at Dante in Cambridge, at a high cafe table overlooking the sailboats on the Charles. Starting late in the afternoon, the bar menu includes four $1 sfizzi, small plates, in addition to other appetizers (all under $10).
Fried smelts ($1) are lightly battered and fried, served with a tangy aioli. Arancini ($1), plump balls of tomato and fontina risotto, are also fried; these come with a truffled honey sauce. The combination is crunchy, salty, sweet, and savory all at once. Lacy Parmesan crisps ($1) are good on their own, but a smoked tomato aioli makes them amazing.
A shallow square dish of lemony, garlicky hummus topped with pickled red onions ($1) is served with huge baked lavash triangles. The hummus is a little thin, but the flavor is wonderful, and the pita triangles are a great vehicle for not only the hummus, but also the aioli and the smoked-tomato dipping sauce. We round out our light meal with sea urchin ($6), also from the sfizzi menu, which is chopped with garlic and lemon rind and served with grilled toasts.
For an edgier, more urban, but no less happy time, Sel de la Terre in Back Bay offers a French Quarter menu (four items, each $5) early in the evening. The funky downstairs bar, with white cement block walls and vintage bicycles hung from the ceiling, feels like a cafe in one of Paris's hipper arrondissements.
The menu changes periodically, but the crostini of tuna conserva Nicoise (below) will be around for a while. A lovely plate of mixed greens with shaved tuna belly in olive oil sitting on a toast, it's a perfect warm-weather bite. The pork belly boudin served with toasted baguette and a syrupy rhubarb spread is pleasingly smoky and sweet.
Seviche is not as salty as we like it, but then we realize it comes with potato chips for a reason. Scoop up this marinated salmon belly and snapper on a chip, and you've got all the salt you need - along with a nice crunch.
None of these plates is large, but they're not tiny either. Order the pommes croquettes, four golf ball-sized servings of rich, nutmeg-scented potato puree fried to a deep gold, and a couple of other items from the French Quarter menu, and along with the lovely basket of bread, you've got a meal. A happy meal.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Retailers Syms and Men's Wearhouse to bid for Filene's Basement - Boston Herald Article
Filene’s may get buried
Possible buyers eye bankrupt co.’s assets
By Jay Fitzgerald | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
With a week to go before bids are due, the odds are increasing that the Filene’s Basement brand and its iconic Downtown Crossing space may not survive the company’s latest bankruptcy.
Clothing retailers Syms and Men’s Wearhouse are now eyeing the assets of the bankrupt Filene’s Basement, raising the possibility that one of the two could fill the void if Filene’s stores are liquidated.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s development chief seemed to be bracing yesterday for the possibility of Downtown Crossing never seeing a return of Filene’s Basement.
John Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said the city’s “strong preference” is for Filene’s Basement to return to Downtown Crossing.
But he said the city is “willing to entertain any proposal” that kick-starts the now-stalled Downtown Crossing redevelopment project.
“We’re remaining open” to new plans, said Palmieri, emphasizing the city “can’t control a final decision” by a bankruptcy court judge.
New York-based Crown Acquisitions has announced a bid of $22 million for the Basement’s 17 stores as well as the lease for the chain’s shuttered Downtown Crossing location. Crown has said it wants to get the retailer back to its core urban “roots.”
But a Syms or Men’s Wearhouse takeover could all but kill Filene’s future.
The Syms move comes with a twist.
To raise necessary cash, Syms reportedly would partner with real-estate developer Vornado, which wants to get its hands on the Basement’s super-cheap, $2.27-per-square-foot Downtown Crossing lease that runs through 2024, the New York Post reported yesterday.
The Herald previously reported that Vornado, which has teamed with Gale International to redevelop the entire Filene’s site, was angling to boot the Basement out of its long-term space.
In a related move, Filene’s Basement has begun the process of laying off more than 1,600 employees, including many in Massachusetts, if a corporate savior isn’t found soon. The company has filed a WARN notice about its intent to possibly start eliminating jobs on June 15. Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, a company must file with the state if it plans to shut down a plant within 60 days or lay off a third of its work force.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174954
Possible buyers eye bankrupt co.’s assets
By Jay Fitzgerald | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
With a week to go before bids are due, the odds are increasing that the Filene’s Basement brand and its iconic Downtown Crossing space may not survive the company’s latest bankruptcy.
Clothing retailers Syms and Men’s Wearhouse are now eyeing the assets of the bankrupt Filene’s Basement, raising the possibility that one of the two could fill the void if Filene’s stores are liquidated.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s development chief seemed to be bracing yesterday for the possibility of Downtown Crossing never seeing a return of Filene’s Basement.
John Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said the city’s “strong preference” is for Filene’s Basement to return to Downtown Crossing.
But he said the city is “willing to entertain any proposal” that kick-starts the now-stalled Downtown Crossing redevelopment project.
“We’re remaining open” to new plans, said Palmieri, emphasizing the city “can’t control a final decision” by a bankruptcy court judge.
New York-based Crown Acquisitions has announced a bid of $22 million for the Basement’s 17 stores as well as the lease for the chain’s shuttered Downtown Crossing location. Crown has said it wants to get the retailer back to its core urban “roots.”
But a Syms or Men’s Wearhouse takeover could all but kill Filene’s future.
The Syms move comes with a twist.
To raise necessary cash, Syms reportedly would partner with real-estate developer Vornado, which wants to get its hands on the Basement’s super-cheap, $2.27-per-square-foot Downtown Crossing lease that runs through 2024, the New York Post reported yesterday.
The Herald previously reported that Vornado, which has teamed with Gale International to redevelop the entire Filene’s site, was angling to boot the Basement out of its long-term space.
In a related move, Filene’s Basement has begun the process of laying off more than 1,600 employees, including many in Massachusetts, if a corporate savior isn’t found soon. The company has filed a WARN notice about its intent to possibly start eliminating jobs on June 15. Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, a company must file with the state if it plans to shut down a plant within 60 days or lay off a third of its work force.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174954
Filene's Basement files possible layoff notice with state
Layoffs loom over Filene’s Basement
By Jay Fitzgerald | Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Filene’s Basement has begun the process of laying off more than 1,600 employees if a corporate savior isn’t found for the bankrupt discount retailer.
The company has filed with the state a so-called WARN Act notice about its intent to possibly start eliminating jobs on June 15 at its stores in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
But any layoffs depend on what company purchases the assets of Filene’s Basement - and whether a new owner intends to keep open the Filene’s stores, Filene’s said in its notice to the state.
Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, a company must file a report with the state if it plans a plant shutdown within 60 days or layoffs encompassing a third of its work force.
Filene’s Basement employs people at seven stores in Massachusetts, a warehouse in Auburn and a headquarters office in Burlington.
A number of companies are reportedly jockeying to purchase the Filene’s assets.
On May 4, the day Filene’s Basement filed for bankruptcy, New York-based Crown Acquisitions announced a bid of $22 million for 17 stores as well as the lease for the chain’s shuttered Downtown Crossing location.
Rival clothing retailers Syms and Men’s Wearhouse also are entering bids for Basement assets, the New York Post reported today. Bids are due June 3 and a bankruptcy court auction is scheduled for June 5.
New Jersey-based Syms, which has stores in Norwood and Peabody, is reportedly teaming with Vornado Realty Trust, a company involved in the redevelopment of the Filene’s block in downtown Boston.
The Herald reported May 15 that Vornado is trying to boot the Basement from its flagship space for good because of the cheap terms - just $2.27 per square foot - of the lease that runs until 2024.
Vornado and Gale International had started redeveloping the Filene’s block but their financing dried up last fall.
Crown Acquisitions founder Stanley Chera sees the Downtown Crossing location as key to turning around Filene’s Basement after the chain’s second run through bankruptcy. The store is known for the original “Running of the Brides” event and “automatic markdown” system.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174877
By Jay Fitzgerald | Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Filene’s Basement has begun the process of laying off more than 1,600 employees if a corporate savior isn’t found for the bankrupt discount retailer.
The company has filed with the state a so-called WARN Act notice about its intent to possibly start eliminating jobs on June 15 at its stores in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
But any layoffs depend on what company purchases the assets of Filene’s Basement - and whether a new owner intends to keep open the Filene’s stores, Filene’s said in its notice to the state.
Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, a company must file a report with the state if it plans a plant shutdown within 60 days or layoffs encompassing a third of its work force.
Filene’s Basement employs people at seven stores in Massachusetts, a warehouse in Auburn and a headquarters office in Burlington.
A number of companies are reportedly jockeying to purchase the Filene’s assets.
On May 4, the day Filene’s Basement filed for bankruptcy, New York-based Crown Acquisitions announced a bid of $22 million for 17 stores as well as the lease for the chain’s shuttered Downtown Crossing location.
Rival clothing retailers Syms and Men’s Wearhouse also are entering bids for Basement assets, the New York Post reported today. Bids are due June 3 and a bankruptcy court auction is scheduled for June 5.
New Jersey-based Syms, which has stores in Norwood and Peabody, is reportedly teaming with Vornado Realty Trust, a company involved in the redevelopment of the Filene’s block in downtown Boston.
The Herald reported May 15 that Vornado is trying to boot the Basement from its flagship space for good because of the cheap terms - just $2.27 per square foot - of the lease that runs until 2024.
Vornado and Gale International had started redeveloping the Filene’s block but their financing dried up last fall.
Crown Acquisitions founder Stanley Chera sees the Downtown Crossing location as key to turning around Filene’s Basement after the chain’s second run through bankruptcy. The store is known for the original “Running of the Brides” event and “automatic markdown” system.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174877
Drink review
Drink specials: Barbara Lynch’s new lounge tailors cocktails to customers
By Mat Schaffer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Food & Recipes
At Drink, the new Fort Point Channel cocktail lounge from No. 9 Park chef/owner Barbara Lynch, you don’t so much order a libation as negotiate it. While the bartenders can mix all the old favorites, they prefer to fix you a cocktail based on your likes and dislikes and how you’re feeling.
“In some ways we’re drink shrinks in the sense that some of our patients require verbal or liquid assuaging,” said manager John Gertsen, one of the Hub’s most respected mixologists. “My bartenders are required to know the recipes for four or five hundred different classic cocktails that I hope they will use as the beginning for what might be ‘therapy’ for the guest.
“If someone comes in and says, ‘I really, really love the daiquiri, what should I have?’ the bartender should easily be able to say five or six drinks that we have formulas for, right off the top of his head,” Gertsen explained. “It’s not just making it up on the spot and making every single person a drink individually. It’s making every single drink as best as we can, as fresh as we can and as appropriate for the person that’s ordering.”
Indeed, Gertsen is obsessive about the quality of ingredients from ice to mixers.
“We get large blocks of super dense ice shipped down from Gloucester (so) that we can chip a 2-inch cube or nice big spear into someone’s whiskey glass,” he said. “And we have a Kold-Draft machine - it’s the leader in modern bars - that produces cubes that are an inch and a quarter by an inch and a quarter by an inch and a quarter. We store (the cubes) at zero degrees so they are as hard and cold as possible.”
The herbs - mint, lavender, lemon balm and verbena - muddled in Drink drinks are grown at the Herb Lyceum in Groton. Juices, fruit purees and syrups - grenadine, honey, demerara (sugar) and sorghum - are all prepared in-house.
“I hope people come in, take over a corner of the bar, maybe ask a few questions of their bartender, and get something that tastes good and feels right,” Gertsen said. “We want to connect with the heart and stomach more than the brain.”
Drink, 348 Congress St. 617-695-1806; drinkfortpoint.com.
By Mat Schaffer | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Food & Recipes
At Drink, the new Fort Point Channel cocktail lounge from No. 9 Park chef/owner Barbara Lynch, you don’t so much order a libation as negotiate it. While the bartenders can mix all the old favorites, they prefer to fix you a cocktail based on your likes and dislikes and how you’re feeling.
“In some ways we’re drink shrinks in the sense that some of our patients require verbal or liquid assuaging,” said manager John Gertsen, one of the Hub’s most respected mixologists. “My bartenders are required to know the recipes for four or five hundred different classic cocktails that I hope they will use as the beginning for what might be ‘therapy’ for the guest.
“If someone comes in and says, ‘I really, really love the daiquiri, what should I have?’ the bartender should easily be able to say five or six drinks that we have formulas for, right off the top of his head,” Gertsen explained. “It’s not just making it up on the spot and making every single person a drink individually. It’s making every single drink as best as we can, as fresh as we can and as appropriate for the person that’s ordering.”
Indeed, Gertsen is obsessive about the quality of ingredients from ice to mixers.
“We get large blocks of super dense ice shipped down from Gloucester (so) that we can chip a 2-inch cube or nice big spear into someone’s whiskey glass,” he said. “And we have a Kold-Draft machine - it’s the leader in modern bars - that produces cubes that are an inch and a quarter by an inch and a quarter by an inch and a quarter. We store (the cubes) at zero degrees so they are as hard and cold as possible.”
The herbs - mint, lavender, lemon balm and verbena - muddled in Drink drinks are grown at the Herb Lyceum in Groton. Juices, fruit purees and syrups - grenadine, honey, demerara (sugar) and sorghum - are all prepared in-house.
“I hope people come in, take over a corner of the bar, maybe ask a few questions of their bartender, and get something that tastes good and feels right,” Gertsen said. “We want to connect with the heart and stomach more than the brain.”
Drink, 348 Congress St. 617-695-1806; drinkfortpoint.com.
Bayside Development plans could include expanding hotel
Expo Center’s up for auction, but owner still has big plans
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Real Estate
The Bayside Exposition Center is facing a foreclosure auction tomorrow, but the owner vows to still be involved in redevelopment of the 28-acre site.
The Dorchester parcel is slated for a public auction because Corcoran Jennison Cos., the Boston real estate development firm that owns the center and several adjacent properties, was in default of its Expo mortgage.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is considering Corcoran Jennison’s $1 billion, 2 million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment of the site, just off Morrissey Boulevard.
If approved, the Expo Center would be replaced with stores, offices, apartments and 1,800 parking spaces.
Under the proposal, the existing Doubletree hotel would be expanded and an existing office building would remain. Then, 300 units of housing, a 105,000-square-foot office building and 250,000 square feet of retail would be added.
cw-3 “Whatever happens with the Expo Center parcel - which does not include the office or the hotel parcels - we expect to continue to be involved with the future redevelopment of this site on Columbia Point,” said John Mostyn, Corcoran Jennison’s attorney, in a statement.
But it’s unclear how the project would proceed, since Corcoran Jennison is not expected to control the Expo site following the auction. Mostyn declined to answer questions about the project.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/view.bg?articleid=1175023
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Real Estate
The Bayside Exposition Center is facing a foreclosure auction tomorrow, but the owner vows to still be involved in redevelopment of the 28-acre site.
The Dorchester parcel is slated for a public auction because Corcoran Jennison Cos., the Boston real estate development firm that owns the center and several adjacent properties, was in default of its Expo mortgage.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is considering Corcoran Jennison’s $1 billion, 2 million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment of the site, just off Morrissey Boulevard.
If approved, the Expo Center would be replaced with stores, offices, apartments and 1,800 parking spaces.
Under the proposal, the existing Doubletree hotel would be expanded and an existing office building would remain. Then, 300 units of housing, a 105,000-square-foot office building and 250,000 square feet of retail would be added.
cw-3 “Whatever happens with the Expo Center parcel - which does not include the office or the hotel parcels - we expect to continue to be involved with the future redevelopment of this site on Columbia Point,” said John Mostyn, Corcoran Jennison’s attorney, in a statement.
But it’s unclear how the project would proceed, since Corcoran Jennison is not expected to control the Expo site following the auction. Mostyn declined to answer questions about the project.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/view.bg?articleid=1175023
Men's Wearhouse and Syms to join bidding for Filene's Basement
Men's Wearhouse, Syms, and the battle for Filene's Basement
Rival chains expected to join the bidding for more than half of famed Hub retailer's stores
By Jenn Abelson and Casey Ross, Globe Staff | May 27, 2009
Men's Wearhouse and rival Syms are planning to bid for the bankrupt Filene's Basement chain and keep the 100-year-old brand alive with at least 15 stores, according to a Basement official with knowledge of the talks.
In the past few weeks, executives from the two clothing businesses have visited the Basement's headquarters in Burlington to learn more about the famed Boston merchant, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month. Another bidder, Crown Acquisitions, has already offered $22 million to buy 17 of the Basement's 25 shops. Bids are due June 3 and an auction will be held on June 5.
"Both Men's Warehouse and Syms indicated they wanted to keep the Filene's Basement name," said the Basement official who could not be named because the talks are private. "There would be no benefit to buying it without the name and the 100-year history. The real estate is good - particularly in the Back Bay and Manhattan - but it's not that good to get rid of the Basement."
One former Basement official briefed on the talks said Syms, the New Jersey off-price merchant, is considering partnering with the New York real estate firm Vornado Realty Trust to help fund the acquisition and potentially take back the cheap, long-term lease for the Basement's flagship store in Downtown Crossing. Vornado owns the Downtown Crossing property - which has been shuttered since 2007 because of a stalled project to build a 39-story tower on the site. Vornado also owns several Basement locations in New York and New Jersey.
A report yesterday in the New York Post said Men's Wearhouse, the men's dress retailer based in Texas, and Syms, planned to buy Filene's Basement simply for the real estate and replace the sites with their own brands. Syms and Vornado declined to discuss the matter. Officials at Men's Warehouse and Crown Acquisitions did not return calls seeking comment.
In its Chapter 11 filing on May 4, Filene's Basement blamed its current crisis on the recent economic downturn, credit problems, poorly performing suburban stores, and the loss of the flagship store in Downtown Crossing. Vornado had been paying Filene's Basement $500,000 a month to help offset losses from the closing of the Washington Street location, but the firm halted payments without notice in January, according to court documents.
Laura Champine, a retail analyst with Cowen and Co. in New York, said the Basement's shops are the right size and location for Men's Wearhouse, which has a good balance sheet and could easily finance the deal. However, Men's Warehouse, with 1,000 shops, also might be looking for a new expansion vehicle. "They don't have experience in the discount business. But this is a small business so it wouldn't be a huge risk," Cowen said. "Though it does seem more plausible as a real estate transaction."
Madison Riley, a retail analyst with consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates in Boston, said it makes sense for Syms to pursue Filene's Basement as a growth strategy. "Both retail brands are in the same space so you could leverage the buying and administrative functions of both companies. It adds distribution and volume while leveraging expense," Riley said.
The Filene's Basement official with knowledge of the talks confirmed Men's Wearhouse and Syms see cost-savings opportunities in combining the Basement's back-end operations - distribution, finance, and technology - with their own systems. The official said several other people have inquired about the Basement but none have seriously pursued the business.
Additionally, Filene's Basement recently filed a notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, which requires companies to provide 60 days notice before the closing a business, about plans to potentially lay off more than 1,600 employees - its entire workforce - if the winning bidder in Bankruptcy Court decides to shut down the Basement.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday said he had not been informed about the two new potential bidders for Filene's Basement but is concerned about Downtown Crossing losing the beloved landmark famed for its automatic markdown system and Running of the Brides event.
"Syms is no Filene's Basement," Menino said. "I can't stop a proposed development, but I'd rather have a known product there that has been great for the community."
John Palmieri, the director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said he has remained focused on trying to resume construction on the Filene's site, where work crews ceased operations last November due to a lack of financing.
"Obviously, we think retail at that location is critical, and we hope the Filene's Basement flagship store will reopen in Downtown Crossing," Palmieri said. "But we also know the bankruptcy process will determine what happens."
He said he continues to talk with Vornado and Gale International, which co-owns the Filene's Basement Downtown Crossing location, about possible changes that would make the $700 million project financially feasible, but no solution has been identified. Even if the developers secured tentative financial commitments today, it would likely take another six months to close the deal and resume construction.
In the meantime, Palmieri said the developers are working with the city to improve the appearance of the work site, which looks like a massive bomb crater in the middle of Downtown Crossing.
"It's important that they improve the appearance of the site and stabilize it," Palmieri said. "They're talking to their engineers now, and they've been pretty serious about addressing the concerns the mayor raised a couple of weeks ago."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Rival chains expected to join the bidding for more than half of famed Hub retailer's stores
By Jenn Abelson and Casey Ross, Globe Staff | May 27, 2009
Men's Wearhouse and rival Syms are planning to bid for the bankrupt Filene's Basement chain and keep the 100-year-old brand alive with at least 15 stores, according to a Basement official with knowledge of the talks.
In the past few weeks, executives from the two clothing businesses have visited the Basement's headquarters in Burlington to learn more about the famed Boston merchant, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month. Another bidder, Crown Acquisitions, has already offered $22 million to buy 17 of the Basement's 25 shops. Bids are due June 3 and an auction will be held on June 5.
"Both Men's Warehouse and Syms indicated they wanted to keep the Filene's Basement name," said the Basement official who could not be named because the talks are private. "There would be no benefit to buying it without the name and the 100-year history. The real estate is good - particularly in the Back Bay and Manhattan - but it's not that good to get rid of the Basement."
One former Basement official briefed on the talks said Syms, the New Jersey off-price merchant, is considering partnering with the New York real estate firm Vornado Realty Trust to help fund the acquisition and potentially take back the cheap, long-term lease for the Basement's flagship store in Downtown Crossing. Vornado owns the Downtown Crossing property - which has been shuttered since 2007 because of a stalled project to build a 39-story tower on the site. Vornado also owns several Basement locations in New York and New Jersey.
A report yesterday in the New York Post said Men's Wearhouse, the men's dress retailer based in Texas, and Syms, planned to buy Filene's Basement simply for the real estate and replace the sites with their own brands. Syms and Vornado declined to discuss the matter. Officials at Men's Warehouse and Crown Acquisitions did not return calls seeking comment.
In its Chapter 11 filing on May 4, Filene's Basement blamed its current crisis on the recent economic downturn, credit problems, poorly performing suburban stores, and the loss of the flagship store in Downtown Crossing. Vornado had been paying Filene's Basement $500,000 a month to help offset losses from the closing of the Washington Street location, but the firm halted payments without notice in January, according to court documents.
Laura Champine, a retail analyst with Cowen and Co. in New York, said the Basement's shops are the right size and location for Men's Wearhouse, which has a good balance sheet and could easily finance the deal. However, Men's Warehouse, with 1,000 shops, also might be looking for a new expansion vehicle. "They don't have experience in the discount business. But this is a small business so it wouldn't be a huge risk," Cowen said. "Though it does seem more plausible as a real estate transaction."
Madison Riley, a retail analyst with consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates in Boston, said it makes sense for Syms to pursue Filene's Basement as a growth strategy. "Both retail brands are in the same space so you could leverage the buying and administrative functions of both companies. It adds distribution and volume while leveraging expense," Riley said.
The Filene's Basement official with knowledge of the talks confirmed Men's Wearhouse and Syms see cost-savings opportunities in combining the Basement's back-end operations - distribution, finance, and technology - with their own systems. The official said several other people have inquired about the Basement but none have seriously pursued the business.
Additionally, Filene's Basement recently filed a notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, which requires companies to provide 60 days notice before the closing a business, about plans to potentially lay off more than 1,600 employees - its entire workforce - if the winning bidder in Bankruptcy Court decides to shut down the Basement.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday said he had not been informed about the two new potential bidders for Filene's Basement but is concerned about Downtown Crossing losing the beloved landmark famed for its automatic markdown system and Running of the Brides event.
"Syms is no Filene's Basement," Menino said. "I can't stop a proposed development, but I'd rather have a known product there that has been great for the community."
John Palmieri, the director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said he has remained focused on trying to resume construction on the Filene's site, where work crews ceased operations last November due to a lack of financing.
"Obviously, we think retail at that location is critical, and we hope the Filene's Basement flagship store will reopen in Downtown Crossing," Palmieri said. "But we also know the bankruptcy process will determine what happens."
He said he continues to talk with Vornado and Gale International, which co-owns the Filene's Basement Downtown Crossing location, about possible changes that would make the $700 million project financially feasible, but no solution has been identified. Even if the developers secured tentative financial commitments today, it would likely take another six months to close the deal and resume construction.
In the meantime, Palmieri said the developers are working with the city to improve the appearance of the work site, which looks like a massive bomb crater in the middle of Downtown Crossing.
"It's important that they improve the appearance of the site and stabilize it," Palmieri said. "They're talking to their engineers now, and they've been pretty serious about addressing the concerns the mayor raised a couple of weeks ago."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Closed Car-Dealerships may become hotels, stores and offices
Developers see opportunity in car-dealer lots
GM, Chrysler woes may spur stores, hotels
By Casey Ross, Globe Staff | May 26, 2009
With dozens of car dealerships in Massachusetts scheduled to be closed, real estate developers are looking to replace the soon-to-be-empty showrooms with stores, hotels, and office buildings.
"This potentially represents a sea change in the availability of commercial real estate," said Len Bierbrier, president of Bierbrier Development of Lexington. "You never see this many terrific opportunities to acquire usable land."
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC will close the dealerships because they aren't selling enough cars. But the large lots they occupy - along highways as well as major suburban streets - are considered prime locations for other types of businesses.
Bierbrier is working from a list of 35 Eastern Massachusetts dealerships, trying to find locations that could support shopping centers or mixed-use developments. Some of the dealerships on his list are still operating, and Bierbrier is trying to be respectful of owners who are still seeking to save their businesses, he said.
He intends to acquire some of the properties in coming months and will spend the next year or two securing permits for his redevelopment plans.
"The point is to have the inventory [of properties] ready to go by the time the recession is over," Bierbrier said.
This month, Chrysler said it would soon close 12 dealerships in Massachusetts, while General Motors said it would close an undisclosed number by the end of 2010.
A Massachusetts lawyer who is working with some of the dealers previously told the Globe that General Motors will close at least 12 of its 96 outlets in the state.
And there are already another 56 car lots for sale in Massachusetts.
"A week doesn't come and go without a new car dealership coming available " said J.P. Plunkett, a senior brokerage director at Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate services firm. "These may be the first [commercial] properties to move once the economy starts to improve."
Even before this new round of closings, the retail auto sector in Massachusetts had been contracting. Eighty dealerships have closed in the state since January 2007, according to the Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Association.
In some cases, the dealers own the lots on which their dealerships sit; in other cases, the automakers own the land. Still other lots are owned by third parties.
The average asking price for the 56 car lots currently on the market is $1.49 million, according to CoStar Group Inc., a commercial real estate research firm. The properties have been for sale for an average of 291 days. Two car dealerships have sold so far this year, while one is under agreement.
Several dealers have pledged to fight the carmakers' planned closings, so it's unclear just how many properties will become available for redevelopment. Moreover, the large inventory of lots could make it difficult to sell all of them.
Still, some of the dealers said they are already getting inquiries from developers - often to their dismay.
"It's like someone approaching you at a wake and saying, 'Do you want to sell your property?' " said Jim Bickford, whose family owns Westminster Dodge in Dorchester, one of the dealerships Chrysler is seeking to close.
Bickford is among 284 dealers who have petitioned US Bankruptcy Court in New York, which is overseeing Chrysler's reorganization, for more time to try to save their businesses.
"A lot of people take it for granted that you're going to close, but I'm fighting this," he said. "I even have auctioneers calling. It's way too early for any of that."
The redevelopment of auto dealer lots is expected to unfold gradually, and many are likely to languish for several years. The down economy is making it difficult to find tenants; some retailers, for example, are closing stores, not opening new ones.
That means developers may have to assume more risk than they would like, something they are loath to do in this economic environment.
Still, a confluence of events makes it a great time to explore business opportunities: Real estate values have declined, and the owners of vacant car lots, and those that are about to be vacant, may want to sell.
Among those shopping for development sites is CVS Caremark Corp., which recently won approval to build a 13,000-square-foot drugstore on the site of a former Buick-Pontiac-GMC truck dealership in Arlington.
"We're looking at a number of dealership locations," said Paul Beck, a vice president at Gershman, Brown & Crowley, a Rhode Island real estate firm. "We're aware of a dozen or more sites" in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he said.
Competition for the best locations is typically fierce. CVS will probably be vying for sites with competitor Walgreen Co., as well as other retailers and development companies.
The range of potential uses for the properties is limited, since many are in locations that would work only for retailers. What happened at the Berejik Motors site in Needham was typical: It was redeveloped as a mall with a Panera Bread outlet, a furniture store, and other businesses.
Some developers are trying to be more creative. In Sacramento, city officials are considering plans to turn a string of empty dealer lots into a new neighborhood with housing as well as commercial buildings. Scottsdale, Ariz., officials are contemplating similar plans for a largely vacant auto dealer strip.
Those kinds of developments require large swaths of land, meaning a closed dealership would have to be combined with several surrounding parcels.
Douglass Karp, executive vice president at New England Development, said his firm often looks to combine auto lots and adjoining sites so it can build full-scale shopping centers, typically with a supermarket.
"If it's a unique location, you're going to want to take advantage of that opportunity," said Karp, who is looking at several dealership properties. "Some of these sites are once-in-a-lifetime locations for retailers," he said.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
GM, Chrysler woes may spur stores, hotels
By Casey Ross, Globe Staff | May 26, 2009
With dozens of car dealerships in Massachusetts scheduled to be closed, real estate developers are looking to replace the soon-to-be-empty showrooms with stores, hotels, and office buildings.
"This potentially represents a sea change in the availability of commercial real estate," said Len Bierbrier, president of Bierbrier Development of Lexington. "You never see this many terrific opportunities to acquire usable land."
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC will close the dealerships because they aren't selling enough cars. But the large lots they occupy - along highways as well as major suburban streets - are considered prime locations for other types of businesses.
Bierbrier is working from a list of 35 Eastern Massachusetts dealerships, trying to find locations that could support shopping centers or mixed-use developments. Some of the dealerships on his list are still operating, and Bierbrier is trying to be respectful of owners who are still seeking to save their businesses, he said.
He intends to acquire some of the properties in coming months and will spend the next year or two securing permits for his redevelopment plans.
"The point is to have the inventory [of properties] ready to go by the time the recession is over," Bierbrier said.
This month, Chrysler said it would soon close 12 dealerships in Massachusetts, while General Motors said it would close an undisclosed number by the end of 2010.
A Massachusetts lawyer who is working with some of the dealers previously told the Globe that General Motors will close at least 12 of its 96 outlets in the state.
And there are already another 56 car lots for sale in Massachusetts.
"A week doesn't come and go without a new car dealership coming available " said J.P. Plunkett, a senior brokerage director at Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate services firm. "These may be the first [commercial] properties to move once the economy starts to improve."
Even before this new round of closings, the retail auto sector in Massachusetts had been contracting. Eighty dealerships have closed in the state since January 2007, according to the Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Association.
In some cases, the dealers own the lots on which their dealerships sit; in other cases, the automakers own the land. Still other lots are owned by third parties.
The average asking price for the 56 car lots currently on the market is $1.49 million, according to CoStar Group Inc., a commercial real estate research firm. The properties have been for sale for an average of 291 days. Two car dealerships have sold so far this year, while one is under agreement.
Several dealers have pledged to fight the carmakers' planned closings, so it's unclear just how many properties will become available for redevelopment. Moreover, the large inventory of lots could make it difficult to sell all of them.
Still, some of the dealers said they are already getting inquiries from developers - often to their dismay.
"It's like someone approaching you at a wake and saying, 'Do you want to sell your property?' " said Jim Bickford, whose family owns Westminster Dodge in Dorchester, one of the dealerships Chrysler is seeking to close.
Bickford is among 284 dealers who have petitioned US Bankruptcy Court in New York, which is overseeing Chrysler's reorganization, for more time to try to save their businesses.
"A lot of people take it for granted that you're going to close, but I'm fighting this," he said. "I even have auctioneers calling. It's way too early for any of that."
The redevelopment of auto dealer lots is expected to unfold gradually, and many are likely to languish for several years. The down economy is making it difficult to find tenants; some retailers, for example, are closing stores, not opening new ones.
That means developers may have to assume more risk than they would like, something they are loath to do in this economic environment.
Still, a confluence of events makes it a great time to explore business opportunities: Real estate values have declined, and the owners of vacant car lots, and those that are about to be vacant, may want to sell.
Among those shopping for development sites is CVS Caremark Corp., which recently won approval to build a 13,000-square-foot drugstore on the site of a former Buick-Pontiac-GMC truck dealership in Arlington.
"We're looking at a number of dealership locations," said Paul Beck, a vice president at Gershman, Brown & Crowley, a Rhode Island real estate firm. "We're aware of a dozen or more sites" in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he said.
Competition for the best locations is typically fierce. CVS will probably be vying for sites with competitor Walgreen Co., as well as other retailers and development companies.
The range of potential uses for the properties is limited, since many are in locations that would work only for retailers. What happened at the Berejik Motors site in Needham was typical: It was redeveloped as a mall with a Panera Bread outlet, a furniture store, and other businesses.
Some developers are trying to be more creative. In Sacramento, city officials are considering plans to turn a string of empty dealer lots into a new neighborhood with housing as well as commercial buildings. Scottsdale, Ariz., officials are contemplating similar plans for a largely vacant auto dealer strip.
Those kinds of developments require large swaths of land, meaning a closed dealership would have to be combined with several surrounding parcels.
Douglass Karp, executive vice president at New England Development, said his firm often looks to combine auto lots and adjoining sites so it can build full-scale shopping centers, typically with a supermarket.
"If it's a unique location, you're going to want to take advantage of that opportunity," said Karp, who is looking at several dealership properties. "Some of these sites are once-in-a-lifetime locations for retailers," he said.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Aujourd'hui to close July1st
Economy tables Four Seasons favorite
Aujourd’hui closing its doors
By Mat Schaffer | Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
One of the Hub’s classiest eateries is closing its doors as the economy serves up a painful dish of belt-tightening patrons.
Aujourd’hui, the fine dining restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, will close its doors at the end of June, a victim of changing dining habits and the sluggish economy.
Beginning July 1, the more casual Bristol Lounge will be the sole dining option at the posh Back Bay hotel. The Aujourd’hui space with its famed view overlooking the Public Garden will be renamed and used for private functions.
“It’s not how people are dining anymore,” said Four Seasons Hotel Boston public relations director Kristan Fletcher about Aujourd’hui’s high-priced, sophisticated cuisine and spit-and-polish service.
“Guests and locals alike want more relaxed options,” said hotel General Manager Bill Taylor in a written statement.
But industry insiders say the current economic climate was also a factor. The restaurant’s average entree goes for about $40.
“In the old days, the numbers weren’t important,” said former Ritz-Carlton, Boston maitre d’ Alfonso DeLucia. “If you had a restaurant with a great reputation, you could charge higher room rates. Now a hotel restaurant must be as profitable as a restaurant on the street. You compete with corporations.”
“People are dining out but they’re being more cost conscious,” said Boston Harbor Hotel executive chef Daniel Bruce. “As opposed to buying the highest end bottle of wine, they’re buying a mid-tier bottle of wine . . . It’s more in line with the times.”
Since it opened in 1985, Aujourd’hui has been one of the city’s top-rated restaurants - a popular destination for family gatherings, business dinners and celebrity watching.
It was also a launching pad for celebrity chefs Michael Kornick (mk and mk North in Chicago) and Jamie Mammano (Mistral, Teatro, Sorellina, Mooo and L’Andana).
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1174700
Aujourd’hui closing its doors
By Mat Schaffer | Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
One of the Hub’s classiest eateries is closing its doors as the economy serves up a painful dish of belt-tightening patrons.
Aujourd’hui, the fine dining restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, will close its doors at the end of June, a victim of changing dining habits and the sluggish economy.
Beginning July 1, the more casual Bristol Lounge will be the sole dining option at the posh Back Bay hotel. The Aujourd’hui space with its famed view overlooking the Public Garden will be renamed and used for private functions.
“It’s not how people are dining anymore,” said Four Seasons Hotel Boston public relations director Kristan Fletcher about Aujourd’hui’s high-priced, sophisticated cuisine and spit-and-polish service.
“Guests and locals alike want more relaxed options,” said hotel General Manager Bill Taylor in a written statement.
But industry insiders say the current economic climate was also a factor. The restaurant’s average entree goes for about $40.
“In the old days, the numbers weren’t important,” said former Ritz-Carlton, Boston maitre d’ Alfonso DeLucia. “If you had a restaurant with a great reputation, you could charge higher room rates. Now a hotel restaurant must be as profitable as a restaurant on the street. You compete with corporations.”
“People are dining out but they’re being more cost conscious,” said Boston Harbor Hotel executive chef Daniel Bruce. “As opposed to buying the highest end bottle of wine, they’re buying a mid-tier bottle of wine . . . It’s more in line with the times.”
Since it opened in 1985, Aujourd’hui has been one of the city’s top-rated restaurants - a popular destination for family gatherings, business dinners and celebrity watching.
It was also a launching pad for celebrity chefs Michael Kornick (mk and mk North in Chicago) and Jamie Mammano (Mistral, Teatro, Sorellina, Mooo and L’Andana).
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1174700
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