Category Archives: Dining

Earlier this spring EaterBoston published their Ultimate $1 Oyster Guide. By clicking on the link you can read through the nearly 60 restaurants and bars that provide dollar oyster deals throughout Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville.  Here are a few of my favorite places from that list.

Ashmont Grill every Thursday, starting at 5PM and available while they last.

Bar Boulud Available Monday thru Friday from 4:30-6:30PM this is part of a larger happy hour which also includes other bar bites, selection of local beers, cocktails, including frosé.

Bastille Kitchen from 4:30PM – 7PM Monday thru Saturday dollar oysters are available which you can pair with their monthly wine specials featuring a specific glass of wine for just $5.

Boston Chops on Sundays only from 3-5PM available at the bar and patio only.

Boston Public Market offers this deal the first Sunday of every month, from 11AM – 7PM (or while supplies last).

Les Zygomates offers up dollar East Coast oysters Monday thru Friday from 3-7PM in the bar area only.

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar in Southie is every Monday from 5PM – 1AM.

Marliave offers this deal from 4-6PM and from 9-10PM seven days a week.

Oak Long Bar + Kitchen available from the patio menu only, this daily special runs from 4-5PM.

The Burro Bar, which is opening a new location in space formerly occupied by the Aquitaine Group’s La Motta Ristorante, has posted notices on its windows along Washington Street, indicating that they are now hiring  for: Manager, Sous Chef, Line Cooks, Dishwashers, Hosts, Backservers, Barbacks, Servers and Bartenders in their soon to open South End location.

The Burro Bar South End website describes itself as a neighborhood Mexican kitchen and tequila bar and the newest sibling of The Painted Burro in Somerville and Burro Bar Brookline. Chef Joe Cassinelli’s menu will be a welcome addition to the South End which has very few Mexican options. No word on when the restaurant may open but work continues at a brisk pace.

burrobarsouthend.com

According to a recent ranking by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Mayor Walsh and the city of Boston are the worst city for an entrepreneur to open and run a food truck.

The Food Truck Index  – an industry that contributes more than $2b nationally – finds that Boston is prohibitively expensive and is overly bureaucratic. The index, reviewed regulations in twenty of America’s largest cities. They focused on the permitting processes and licensing, complying with restrictions and operating a food truck. The findings were based on on fees, trips to government agencies and the number and level of government procedures from nearly 300 food truck operators in the twenty cities.

While I don’t expect (or want) to live in a city where there is no oversight, it seems like Mayor Walsh and the City of Boston are openly hostile to the food trucks.  For example, in Denver, food truck operators need to make 8 trips to licensing agencies, follow 10 procedures, and pay an average $811 to get their trucks up and running. In Boston, the average cost in fees is $17,066, and to add insult to injury they must make nearly 3X as many trips (22 trips) to government agencies to ensure they are in compliance with more than 30 procedures.

When you compare the out-of-pocket cost for obtaining permits and licenses for a new food truck in Boston it is so incredibly out-of-step to other cities. Even Seattle which ranked 19 out of 20 cities only costs $6,211 (almost 3x less). If you remove both Boston and Seattle from this list, the average cost  in fees for the remaining 18 cities is $1,622; Boston’s fees are roughly 10X that amount.

The astronomical cost associated with permitting and licensing doesn’t stop there either because operating a food truck in Boston is estimated to cost nearly $38,000 in Boston (also ranking us last). Realizing that the cost of operating a food truck in a city like Boston is going to be more expensive than many places in the U.S., the least the city could do is make the licensing and permitting process more affordable and less onerous.

Mayor Walsh – Boston can do better than this.

Last month EaterBoston shared some beautiful photos of Southern Proper, a new restaurant scheduled to open to the public today, in The Girard Apartment building here in the South End. Southern Proper’s entrance is at 600 Harrison Avenue and will have outdoor seating later this spring.

The 1,500 square foot restaurant is Chef Jason Cheek’s latest venture. When he was asked about the menu by Eater Boston he said, “It’ll be heavily oriented toward chicken and beer”, but he also indicated patrons will be able to order smoked sausages, lamb, and pulled pork as well. Most of the menu is under $20, continuing a trend in dining here in the South End of more affordably priced restaurants opening (let’s hope this trend continues). You can check out the full menu on their website, southernproperboston.com.

Jason Cheek’s name might sound familiar to some of you, because he has a distinguished career working at several excellent Boston restaurants including The Maiden, Sam’s at Louis,  Coppa and Toro. Best of luck to Southern Proper.

Southern Proper
600 Harrison Avenue in the South End

On Wednesday the staff at Andy Husbands Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel were told that both restaurants will close permanently on April 1 with plans to reopen as a Japanese bistro at a later date.

Andy Husbands’ Tremont 647 has been operating in the South End since 1996 and is a popular (and affordable) neighborhood bar and restaurant that will definitely be missed by many. At this point there are no details regarding the Japanese restaurant that will be replace them.

Andy Husbands has in recent years expanded beyond his humble adjoining South End restaurants opening two barbecue restaurants called The Smoke Shop, the first of which opened in Kendall Square in 2016 and the second which opened in Fort Point Channel this past November.

UPDATE: Chef behind Japanese Restaurant replacing 647 & Sister
via EaterBoston

Approximately two years after opening their doors, The Aquitaine Group’s restaurant, La Motta, on Washington Street in the South End says it will close. Marc Hurwitz writes in the blog Hidden Boston, that a Mexican eatery in Brookline called the Burro Bar will take over the space.  I took a quick look at their menu and if the prices remain the same, this looks like it could be an affordable dining option with most plates ranging from $12-$16.

The Burro Bar in Brookline’s Washington Square is under the same ownership as the Painted Burro. Joe Cassinelli, who founded the Alpine Restaurant Group, also runs Posto and Rosebud in Davis Square and Osteria Posto in Waltham.

Although I hate to see restaurants close, I was never able to appreciate La Motta’s and after several disappointing tries I stopped going. I’m unfamiliar with the new owners and don’t have any details when La Motta’s will finally close and the Burro Bar will open in its place but stay tuned.