The Meal Plan: Your Day-by-Day Guide to What to Eat and Drink in Boston This Week
Overwhelmed by the question, "What should I eat tonight?" Consult our weekly look at new restaurant openings, clever takeout packages, and more.
It’s ironic (don’t you think) that with so many of our pandemic-era dining options limited, we’re somehow even more overwhelmed by the question, “What should I eat tonight?” Allow our Meal Plan series to come to the rescue: When you’re tired of takeout from the same ol’ corner spot, or too exhausted to cook for yourself yet again, consult this weekly lineup of day-to-day dining suggestions and explore hot openings, new menus, innovative delivery concepts, and more. Here are our picks for the week of January 11, 2021.
Photo by Fiya Chicken via Yelp
Monday: Light up your taste buds with spicy, double-fried sandwiches (and ramen corndogs) from Fiya Chicken.
Cut through the chill of January in Boston by heading over to Fiya Chicken, a new Korean fried chicken joint that just opened in Allston. You’ll find kimchi and buttermilk-brined sandwiches, twice-fried wings and tenders tossed with garlic or cider honey sauces, and sides of French Fries dusted with nori seaweed. There are also a few creative corn dogs, fried in super-crunch pancake batter, including one covered in a crunchy shell of ramen noodles.
1024 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-208-8659, fiyachicken.com.
Tuesday: Turn your Taco Tuesday into a mezcal tasting with Catalyst Restaurant.
Table the tequila for the moment, and get acquainted with its similarly agave-distilled relative, mezcal. Three samples of the smokier spirit, accompanied by margarita-making kits, will be paired with meat or veggie tacos for a special take-home package and virtual tasting on Tuesday. Grab a ticket here, then pick up your supplies from Catalyst restaurant in Cambridge, then head home to log on for a guided experience.
300 Technology Square, Cambridge, 617-576-3000, catalystrestaurant.com.
Wednesday: Explore chifa cuisine at Charlestown’s all-new Peruvian Taste Restaurant.
There’s a change over in Charlestown: The space that formerly belonged to Charlestown Cafe now belongs to Peruvian Taste Restaurant. It’s a morning-through-night destination that offers both American and Peruvian breakfast fare—including traditional tamales and waffles topped with lucuma ice cream—as well as lunch and dinner plates of ceviche, chicharrón, and more. In addition, though, part of the menu is devoted specifically to Peruvian-Chinese cuisine, or chifa, making it a place to find some particularly tempting fusion spins on lo mein, wontons, and more.
78 Arlington Ave., Charlestown, 617-242-5100, peruvian-taste-restaurant.com.
Photo courtesy of Clover
Thursday: Hunker down hungry with a “Snowed-In Box” of cozy comfort fare from Clover.
You never know what New England weather will bring, so it certainly won’t hurt to plan ahead with a “Snowed-In Box” from Clover, a vegetarian fast-casual chain. Available for delivery or pickup every Thursday in January and February, the kits are stocked with ready-to-heat comfort foods that are perfect for settling in with a movie marathon or taking to a cozy cabin for a weekend escape. Think shakshuka-inspired breakfast bowls, winter veggie stews, mac ‘n’ cheese, and maple Fluff sandwiches, among other tasty morsels that will keep you well-fed during a nor’easter—or any night, for that matter.
1075 Cambridge St., Cambridge, cloverfoodlab.com; additional locations.
Friday: Raise a toast to the launch of the Boston Wine Fest, a two-month series of special tastings and dinners.
We’re still not able to clink glasses in its crowded ballrooms, but the Boston Harbor Hotel is going forward with a modified version of its annual Boston Wine Fest, a celebration of bottles from around the world. The lineup of physically distanced wine-paired dinners and tastings kicks off on Friday, January 15 with a “Battle of the Cabernets” accompanied by dishes from acclaimed chef Daniel Bruce; other upcoming experiences, which run all the way through March 27, will be hosted by vintners from around the world, highlighting more varieties than you can shake a stemmed glass at. For the full lineup, head here.
70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, 617-856-7708, bostonwinefestival.net.
Joanne Chang. / Photo by Kristin Teig
Saturday: Get your Flour fix during the bakery’s town-hopping road trip.
James Beard award-winning pastry chef Joanne Chang is taking her fabulous Flour bakery on the road for a handful of van-based pop-up appearances that kick off this weekend. Head here to place orders for build-your-own sandwich kits, pastries (like her signature sticky buns), and more, then swing by one of several suburban stops to get a taste of the beloved Boston cafe even when you’re stuck in the work-from-home era. On Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan 16., the Flour van will motor over to Oddfellow Ice Cream Co. at the Street in Chestnut Hill; other upcoming appearances will take place at Hop Yo, a frozen yogurt shop in Hopkinton, Legacy Place in Dedham, and the Tannery Marketplace in Newburyport.
Photo courtesy of Forage
Sunday: Cut over to the Blue Steel Pizza pop-up at Forage restaurant to grab Roman-style pies—and ice cream sandwiches.
If current events have you stress-eating—well, you’re not alone. Since pizza and ice cream is exactly the kind of pairing that allays our anxieties, what better time to check out Blue Steel Pizza, a pop-up taking over Forage restaurant in Cambridge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The focaccia-like Roman-style pizzas are available by the full and half pan, topped with saag paneer cheese, bratwurst, scallion, and more; pistachio honey ice cream sandwiches are available for a sweet finish, too. Head here to place orders (day-of only) and select a time for pickup.
5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, 617-576-5444, foragecambridge.com.
