The glory years for the swanky cocktail lounge — which operated from 1966 to 1977 where the Four Seasons Hotel stands today — were in the swinging ’60s, when patrons paid a whopping $25 for an exclusive Playboy key that granted them entre to the celebrity-studded living room, penthouse and Playmate bar areas.
A slow economy has played a role, of course, but Casablanca and other independent spots have suffered a hard time in the tony Cambridge, Mass. retail district surrounding Harvard University - ever since big-name stores began pushing up rents, and crowding out some of the smaller players.Hopefully another dedicated person in the restaurant industry will purchase this spot and keep it running. I hope it does not become another bank!
Take Back Boston says it will have as many as 1,000 people in a march that starts at 3:30 p.m. at the Parkman Bandstand on the Common. The protest march will visit Verizon, embroiled in a contract dispute with workers, Hyatt, which fired those 100 workers, NStar and Fidelity before arriving at Federal Street, where 40 of the protesters - many people from Dorchester who have lost their homes to foreclosure - will stage a sit-in.Back in 2009 Hyatt let go the entire housekeeping staff from its locations in downtown Boston, Logan Airport, and Cambridge, replacing them with a contract cleaning company.
Lobsta Love will offer two types of lobster rolls in various sizes ranging from bite-sized to jumbo—one traditional with mayo, and one Asian-inspired. There will also be lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese, and clam chowder from Cape Cod-based Captain Parker’s Chowder. Down the road, Saunders says to expect crab salad rolls as well.
The festival features freshly harvested produce and seafood, delicious dishes ($5 or less) created with local ingredients and take-away from Made in Massachusetts producers, and local craft beer, mead, and wine tastings. Festival-goers can engage with farmers, chefs and entrepreneurs, learn from exhibits and demonstrations about gardening, cooking, nutrition, health and exercise while enjoying art and festive music. (Boston Local Food Festival website)
In what ways should the Public Market complement the Haymarket? What is the definition of “local” for certain product categories? What type of labeling/certification would you like to see at the market? What is the right balance of prepared to fresh foods at the market? What type of shopping experience do you want at the public market? Who should staff the stalls at the market? What types of marketing/educational programming will help ensure that the market is truly for everyone in the community. Should the State Agriculture Commission dictate a set of expectations to the operator, or let the operator manage programming on its own?
BPFF, now in its fifth year, showcases the diverse and creative work of all filmmakers (any nationality) exploring both historic and contemporary themes related to Palestinian culture, experience, and narrative. This festival features a range of compelling and thought-provoking documentaries, dramatic features, rare early works, and new films by emerging artists. These films from international directors bring an honest, self-described, and independent view of Palestine and its diasporic society, culture, and political travails. (Boston Palestine Film Festival website)
The Life is good Festival is easily accessible via public transportation or car! If you choose to arrive by car, parking lots are located nearby. We encourage you to take the MBTA's commuter rail (aka the Love Train) to the festival. Taking the train is the number one way for our fans to reduce the impact our event has on the environment. (Plus, in addition to bringing your kids to a fun day of music and games...all kids love train ride, especially Love Train rides!) The Life is good Festival will also run bus shuttles to and from the Rt. 128 / University Ave train station all day - making it an easy, stress free trip! (Life is Good website).
The Queen Elizabeth’s owner, Cunard Line, has a long history with Boston. The city first hosted a Cunard vessel in 1840, when the shipping company made its inaugural trans-Atlantic voyage after winning a royal contract to deliver mail and passengers between England and America.I wonder when it departs as that would be a great time to head to Castle Island to view the ship as it leaves the harbor.
The cruise industry today brings to Massachusetts more than 330,000 visitors annually, including passengers and crew, who spend nearly $26 million in local restaurants, shops, and other tourist attractions, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. The cruise industry pumps even more money into the state: Last year, direct spending on ships’ provisions, labor, and other items totaled $492 million in Massachusetts.
A new analysis by PKF Hospitality Research predicts Boston-area hotel occupancy will close out the year at 70.5 percent and should further expand to 71.9 percent in 2012.It was reported earlier this year that the Boston hotel market was performing better than the national market.
“If you say to the cab driver, ‘Do you take credit cards?’ and the cab driver says anything but ‘Yes,’ I consider that to be a bit of coercion,” Cohen (Boston Police Hackney Chief) said. “In the end, I think passengers are to some degree intimidated . . . and I think that’s wrong.”
Boston taxi drivers do, in fact, profit from credit card transactions, Cohen noted. Card-processing fees are capped at 6 percent, and Cohen said those fees were factored into a 16-percent fare hike in 2009 to cover the cost of card readers and other business expenses such as gas price increases.
Signature dishes at Artisan Bistro will include Seared Licorice-Honey Glazed Chicken with Rainbow Swiss Charr and Lentil Fricasee; Croque Monsieur with North Country Ham and Gruyere Béchamel; Smoked Pork Chop with Apple Sauce, Caramelized Cipolini Onion and Mashed Potato; Blue Hill Bay Mussels in a Sweet fennel-Tomato Broth; burgers and flatbreads including a Truffled Mushroom, Mozzarella Flatbread; and daily specials to include a Braised Beef Short Rib with Mashed Potato and Root Vegetable. An Artisan Cheese Collection with cheeses imported from around the world and local New England farms will be served with house-made pickled figs, quince and preserved walnuts. (Ritz Carlton)UrbandDaddy has a preview today.
The free event showcases the works of more than 200 established and emerging artists creating art in a wide variety of media including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass and fiber. The public is welcomed into their studios and galleries to meet the artists, talk about the art and purchase art directly from the artists. A number of artists will also be doing In-Studio demonstrations throughout the event including photography, paper quilts, and letterpress printing. (South End Patch)
Well-known ballroom and Latin DJ’s K&S Music will be spinning tunes during our Boston dancing event. Their musical selections will show that ballroom dancing and Latin dance can be enjoyed with traditional music – you can Tango to Rihanna, Cha Cha to JLo, and do an unforgettable Samba to the Black Eyed Peas! (Seaport Hotel website)Dancing Under the Stars at Seaport runs every Friday from 7pm-10pm through the end of September. Admission is $25 and includes parking, light hors d'oeuvres and non alcoholic beverages. A Cash bar is available.
The event will showcase locally grown fruits and vegetables and the people that grow them. Come sample delicious local fare, purchase locally grown foods, get tips from local experts on composting, community gardening, container gardening, raising chickens and bees and more! Cooking demonstrations by local chefs will be held throughout the day. Share your cookbooks or climate/environmental books at our book swap table. In addition, Grendel’s Den will be on hand to host a beer garden featuring locally crafted brews! All events are free, open to the public and are family friendly. (Harvard Square Business Association)
The sticking points leading to the most controversy on Tuesday were the restaurateur's' desire for a full liquor license, rather than a beer and wine license, and patio seating along the restaurant's side garden area, rather than seating on Washington St. The restaurateurs insisted that the restaurant must have a full license and patio seating in its side garden area if it is to go forth at all. Raised voices were the norm when these topics were brought up, and more than one person during the evening yelled in order to defend their position.
Area manager Andrew Trinchitella was before the NABB (Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay) Licensing and Building Use Committee Monday night with a proposal to construct a 23-seat fast food burrito restaurant at 583 Boylston Street. Trinchitella envisions a 12-seat patio eventually, but it's not part of the current proposal.The proposed Chipotle would be located just steps from a Boloco restaurant that opened earlier this year.
The second-floor restaurant opened in May. It is decidedly different from every other Legal, propelled by a different kind of ambition. The chain has focused on consistency and value. This branch offers a boutique experience, for a price. Legal president and CEO Roger Berkowitz is on the cusp of 60 and shows no sign of slowing down. The restaurant is an I-have-arrived statement, designed to impress.
Prices establish that it’s geared toward a mature crowd. Entrees are in the $30s, $40s, and $50s. The fact that there is only one review of the second floor on Yelp as of press time speaks volumes.
"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to work with you and other neighbors in the community, we have been unable to reconcile the scale of our proposed project with the direct abutters," the two wrote in an email to residents. "The lack of consensus ... has led us to the realization that we cannot build an economically viable building at the site with such significant opposition from the abutters."
Sam Cornish, Boston's Poet Laureate will kick off the festival's performance schedule starting at 12:30 p.m. Other weekend highlights include performances by Opera Boston, the Orfeo Group, the Felix Peikli Quartet, the Makanda Project, City Stage Company, the Boston Tap Company and many, many more. There will be over 60 juried visual and craft artists exhibiting and selling their work throughout the weekend and there is an extensive interactive arts program that includes mural painting with the Mayor's Mural Crew, glassblowing demonstrations with Diablo Glass, paper making, bookmaking and other hands-on arts activities with the staff from the Museum of Fine Arts. This year there will also be a chalk artist, puppet encounters and a photo booth! (www.bostonahtsfestival.com)
Before any bill is proposed or debated, he said, lawmakers will need to know exactly how much public money will be required to fund the expansion. So far, officials have offered a menu of options that includes diverting existing hotel tax revenue, borrowing against future revenue to be generated by the expansion, and increasing taxes on rental cars, taxis, and other tourist services in the Boston area.
Zo first opened in 2009, bringing to the Center Plaza/Government Center area a place to get soups, salads, stuffed grape leaves, gyros, pita wraps, and spinach pie. All items at Zo are well under $10, with a few being under $5.
Saint was completely gutted for the renovation. The formerly slick “nitery’’ - as Lesser dubbed it when it first opened almost a decade ago - is now a retro-flavored space that has been divided into two separate rooms. The first room, referred to as the Bordello Room, is a nod to the origin of the name Storyville, the notorious red light district of New Orleans.
The name of the shop is derived from a 3am rant from our chef, who has worked in the restaurant industry since he was 15. Said rant was about how a restaurant should BE, how the food should BE and the mutual companionship that should exist between the staff and customer and the community. This eatery represents who we are and what we like to eat and how we like to play. When you come here, you are amongst the best of unexpected friends (the kind that bring you food). We represent humor, kindness, sardonic wit, charm, comfort and, best of all, a passionate need to receive consistent adulation for our menu. Delicious, sometimes pretentious, always fresh: baked, butchered, shaved, roasted, toasted, grilled, fried, sauteed, spread, sliced, diced, dried, smoked, cracked, caramelized, whipped, braised, brined, marinated...Effort in every bite. Accept no substitutions...we don't...(Karl's Rant Facebook Page)
