As of Friday afternoon, Toscanini’s remains closed. However, owner Gus Rancantore sent us this update:

“We were trying to prevent this from happening and we thought we could get things in order by today, Friday, noon. That’s not going to happen and because of the MLK weekend we probably won’t be able to do anything until Tuesday.

“We do owe money to The Commonwealth. The DOR does not want to close us and we certainly don’t want to close. We have been discussing the amount owed and the payment plan. Right now we are, per their suggestion, filing abatements for certain months and running around.

It has been amazing to have so many people say and write nice things about the store, its workers and our ice cream…We just want to get this settled and reopen.” (more…)

Everyone here at Chowder was dismayed (devastated?) to learn via Bostonist that beloved Cambridge ice cream parlor Toscanini’s had been shuttered this morning—seized by the Commonwealth for nonpayment of taxes. It was bad enough to lose the Harvard Square location in 2006. Could this be the end of the micro-sundae?

We’re (cautiously) happy to report that there may be reason for hope: Owner Gus Rancantore tells us that he’s hoping to have this matter sorted out very quickly, possibly within days. Though he didn’t get into details, he indicated that he’s spent the day running around, sorting through red tape. (more…)

Last week, at a Chef’s Collaboriative lunch meeting, I sampled two fantastic new cheeses from Massachusetts. The first, from Fiore di Nonno in Lexington, is a cow’s milk burrata, a fresh mozzarella “purse” filled with fresh cream.

How to best convey the pleasure of eating burrata…of biting through that tender exterior and releasing a pool of creamy goodness? Go to the 0:55 mark of this video for a good illustration. Or at least, that’s how I felt. (more…)

Every morning, my whole street smells like chicken. Starting around 7 a.m, the poultry aroma flows through the neighborhood, taunting us all. It’s infuriating.

The problem is not any bias I have against chicken. I love it. It’s just that that as soon as the scent hits my nostrils, I can’t eat cold cereal. I want my breakfast fried and in a 10-piece bucket.

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Now that last week’s warm weather has given way to snow-covered streets, we’re back to craving carbs. Forget eating healthier in ‘08: we want Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.

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For a mid-week dinner rendezvous with a friend last week, I suggested La Verdad, the Ken Oringer taqueria I had heard so much about but had never gotten around to trying.

“Oh. You want Mexican tonight?” my friend asked, batting her eyelashes innocently enough. “You mean, like Taco Bell?”

Oh, the humanity! (more…)

Sushi is a staff favorite here at Chowder. We don’t care if it’s prepared in a fancy high-end restaurant or a tiny storefront; as long as the fish is fresh we’re there. But as a former resident of Brookline’s Washington Square, I was depressed to hear that another high-end sushi place may be heading for the long-vacant space that was formerly the B&D Deli.

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Earlier this week, I enjoyed a terrific lunch hosted by Garden at the Cellar and sponsored by the Chef’s Collaborative. If you haven’t heard of the CC, it’s a national (Boston-based) organization that promotes sustainable cuisine by connecting chefs with local farms, hosting educational workshops, etc. If you haven’t heard of Garden at the Cellar, it’s a great spot in Cambridge’s Central Square for delicious, affordable, seasonal fare. Its chef, Will Gilson, is a young talent to watch.

The idea for the event was to bring together chefs, farmers, purveyors, and assorted hangers-on to talk about the challenges of local/seasonal eating in our short-season climate. About 40 people showed up, including chefs Tony Maws (Craigie Street), Michael Leviton (Lumiere and the soon-to-open Persephone), Tim Weichmann (T.W. Food), Rebecca Newell (Beehive), and Carolyn Johnson (Rialto), among others.

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Dining out as often as we do, it goes without saying that we do the dew a little more often than we should. A dirty martini, a good glass of vino, a nip of limoncello to finish the meal… There’s little we Chowder bloggers won’t imbibe.

An offer of free cocktails, then, is like my own personal Bat Signal. But last night, I found myself opting out of the Beija rum launch at fact-checker favorite Eastern Standard. (more…)

My wife and I live in Somerville and when we’re exhausted from a long work week, we don’t want to fight through the North End to get some overpriced Italian comfort food. So it was with much anticipation that we watched signs go up late last summer announcing that Pescatore, a seafood restaurant, was coming to the neighborhood.

The location didn’t look promising: It’s on a weird intersection where Broadway, Boston Avenue, and quietly residential Rogers Avenue meet. And from Broadway, it looks more like a takeout place. But go around the side to the dining room entrance, and you’ll find a hidden treasure. (more…)