News Bites: A Steak Frites Restaurant Has Arrived

Steak frites at Medium Rare, now open in Watertown. / Courtesy photo

Happy hectic mid-December: From holiday lunches to pop-up cocktail bars, there’s a lot going on right now—and that’s not even counting holiday shopping. (Still looking to buy gifts for your food-loving friends? Don’t miss our local gift guides: sauces, sweets, and other things to eat; kitchenware, restaurant merch, art, and more; and the best New England food and drink subscriptions.) Besides all things holiday season, regular restaurant-scene news keeps churning. We’re back with some updates for the week: openings, closings, and other food news you should know.You can catch up on past installments of our food news roundups here, and reach out via email with news that should be on our radar.

Jump to: Openings | Closings | In the Works | In Other News

Openings

For other recent openings, consult our guide, Where to Eat in Greater Boston for December 2024.

A loaf of sourdough from La Saison Bakery. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Popular Cambridge bakery La Saison—known for its excellent sourdough bread, croissants, chocolate cake, and more—has just expanded to Charlestown, and it’s looking pretty snazzy. Watch for some holiday specials on offer, including cookie packs and German stollen. 221 Main St., Charlestown, Boston, lasaison-bakery.com.
• Masons Steakhouse is set to open in the former Masonic Lodge in Quincy Center on December 22. It’s the latest project from restaurateur Jimmy Liang of the prolific JP Fuji Group, behind Fuji, a local mini-chain of Japanese restaurants, as well as several other concepts. The talented culinary team includes Branch Line and Trillium alum Michael Morway as executive chef and pastry-chef-to-watch Robert Gonzalez, an alum of Bistro du Midi, Cultivar, and more, who’s been wowing fans at JP Fuji Group’s Niveaux Pâtisserie the past few months. 1170 Hancock St., Quincy, masonssteakhouse.com.

Desserts at Medium Rare, now open in Watertown. / Courtesy photo

• Beef lovers, take note: It’s opening day for the first Massachusetts location of D.C.-based chain Medium Rare, which focuses almost entirely on steak frites via a prix fixe menu that includes salad and bread (not to mention complimentary seconds on fries and steak). Swing by for brunch for a slightly more expansive menu. 130 Arsenal Yards Blvd., Watertown, 202-237-1432, mediumrarerestaurant.com.

A spread of Naya dishes. / Courtesy photo

• Naya—a fast-casual chain based in New York serving Middle Eastern-inspired, customizable bowls, pita rollups, and such—has started its Boston expansion with the December opening of a downtown location. (Watertown and Back Bay will follow next year.) Bowls and rolls are $5 for the month of December. 95 Summer St., Downtown Boston, 617-945-8850, eatnaya.com.

PLNT Burger vegan burgers. / Courtesy photo

• Vegan fast-casual chain PLNT Burger, which has local outposts inside Whole Foods locations in the South End and Dedham, now has its first standalone Massachusetts location in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. On the menu: meat-free burgers, vegan takes on fish and chicken sandwiches, a variety of fries (including spiced sweet potato crinkles), and more. 297 Harvard St., Brookline, plntburger.com.

Russ & Mimi’s Foxy Loxy: lox, scallion-caper cream cheese, heirloom tomato, and dill on an Exodus everything bagel. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Neighborhood market Russ & Mimi’s is now open in Roslindale, with sandwiches, grab-and-go prepared foods, wine, fun snacks from near and far, produce, and more. Owner Kelly Walsh formerly co-owned Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, and other local restaurants. 16 Birch St., Roslindale, Boston, russandmimis.com.
• A former Darwin’s Ltd. location near MIT is now home to the Smoot Standard, a café, restaurant, and bar from restaurateur Alex Tannenbaum (Naco Taco, Lily P’s). (The name is a reference to the “smoot” measurement painted on the sidewalk of the Harvard Bridge. The smoot was created during an MIT fraternity pledge by one Oliver Smoot, who, in 1958, lay down again and again across the bridge as the fraternity brothers marked off each five-foot-seven-inch interval.) The Smoot Standard is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday to start—serving baked goods, bagel sandwiches, salads, coffee, etc.—with dinner and drinks coming soon. 313 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, smootstandard.com.

Suya Joint’s beef suya. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Love Nubian Square’s excellent West African restaurant Suya Joint? Tell your Rhode Island friends that it’s expanding to Providence, opening next week. 320 Westminster St., Providence, suyajoint.com.

Closings

• Bess’s Cafe, a cozy little Chinese restaurant in Brookline, has closed. It was known for its dumpling- and noodle-focused menu, but our favorite dishes were the scallion pancake wraps with fillings such as beef or crispy chicken. 224 Cypress St., Brookline.
• Asian fusion restaurant Koy, located near Faneuil Hall, will close on December 20 after a decade in business. “We’ve made the bittersweet decision not to renew our lease as we prepare to pivot and explore a new business concept,” the team posted on social media, noting that they will “focus only on bar catering services” after the closure. The restaurant’s wide-ranging menu made it a favorite near attractions such as the New England Aquarium, with everything from cheesesteak dumplings to sushi to Korean barbecue, plus creative cocktails. 16 North St., Downtown Boston, koyboston.com.

Moldova Restaurant’s pork dumplings. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Best of Boston winner Moldova Restaurant will close on December 29, with owners Artur and Sandra Andronic citing “business conditions in 2024” leading to the loss of their lease. “It’s to focus on family and a healthy work/life balance,” they write. For almost a decade, the Newton restaurant has served comforting Eastern European food and wine—we loved the pork dumplings and the braised lamb with rosemary in particular—and had recently added live music and other events to the mix. 344 Watertown St., Newton, tastemoldova.com.

Fries at Saus. / Courtesy photo

• The original downtown location of Saus closes on December 22 after 13 years slinging poutine, burgers, hot dogs, and more. The casual shop has a vegetarian offshoot at Bow Market in Somerville’s Union Square, which is not closing. 33 Union St., Downtown Boston, sausboston.com.
• Mamaleh’s will close its Vegan Mamaleh’s pop-up, located in the restaurant group’s “Kibitz Corner” space in Cambridge, on December 29, after an eight-month run. Some vegan Mamaleh’s favorites will make it onto the menu at the restaurant’s other locations, though, and vegan items will be available by request for event bookings, as well as cakes and challah by special order. 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., Cambridge, mamalehs.com.
• One of the last relics of the Harvard Square of yore will close: Dive bar Whitneys will bid farewell to the neighborhood at the end of December, after over 70 years in business. Owner Dan McGuire, who took over the business six years ago, says the landlord is forcing Whitneys out with a claim of problems with daytime noise levels. A representative for the landlord says it’s because rent hasn’t been paid in over a year, but McGuire says the money has been held in escrow pending upgrades that the landlord promised, and did not deliver, as Cambridge Day reports. 37 JFK St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, whitneysofharvardsquare.com.

No. 9 Park decked out for its annual holiday lunch series. / Courtesy photo

• Reminders of pending closures that’ve already been announced: Cambridge Brewing Co. says goodbye to Kendall Square on December 20 after 35 years; here are some tips for squeezing in a last visit this week. Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park closes at the end of the year after 26 years. And Central Square cocktail bar Brick & Mortar will close in the coming weeks to become an Italian aperitivo bar from the same team. (Co-owner Gary Strack isn’t committing to a specific closing date just yet but recommends getting in before December ends if you want a last taste of your favorite Brick & Mortar cocktails.) Cambridge Brewing Co., 1 Kendall Sq., Kendall Square, Cambridge; No. 9 Park, 9 Park St. Pl., Beacon Hill, Boston; Brick & Mortar, 567 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge.

In the Works

A sweet potato sandwich at Flour. / Photo by Kristin Teig

• That funky little concession stand in the middle of Boston Common that previously housed an Earl of Sandwich? It’ll be home to a Flour Bakery next. This’ll be the 10^th location for Joanne Chang’s nearly 25-year-old bakery-and-café chain, and it will serve treats, sandwiches, salads, and more. No opening timeline has been announced yet. Boston Common, Downtown Boston, flourbakery.com.
• The revamp of the Lenox Hotel’s dining operations debuted last month with the opening of Irish pub Sweeney’s and cocktail lounge the Irving at Lenox. The third and final piece of the puzzle will arrive in March 2025, the hotel has announced: Juniper & Ivy will take over the space of the now-closed City Table, serving New England-inspired American cuisine. (There’ll also be a giant tree inside.) 61 Exeter St., Back Bay, Boston, lenoxhotel.com.
• How luxurious: Retail and restaurant chain Marky’s Caviar is coming to Brookline, reports Brookline.News, citing licensing documents filed with the city. This location will reportedly be both a retail shop and a café for enjoying caviar, Champagne, and more onsite. 420 Harvard St., Brookline, markys.com.

In Other News

• Younger drinkers in the U.S. are gravitating toward Guinness, The New York Times reports, despite its reputation as a drink favored by older Irish men and Irish pub goers. Cited in the piece is local restaurateur Oran McGonagle, whose downtown bar the Dubliner, a Best of Boston winner, reportedly sells more Guinness than any other spot in the city. 2 Center Plz., Downtown Boston, thedublinerboston.com.
• In other Boston booze news from the NYT, the publication looks at the history of the North End’s beloved pistachio martini and provides a recipe adapted from Caffé Vittoria. 290-296 Hanover St., North End, Boston, caffevittoria.com.

A cocktail at Birds of Paradise. / Photo by Ran Duan

• Wine Enthusiast has released a list of Boston’s “12 essential bars, according to industry pros.” Among the accolades: Somerville’s Backbar as “best overall bar,” Brookline’s Blossom Bar as “best cocktail bar” and its Brighton sibling Birds of Paradise as “most inventive bar,” Fenway’s Equal Measure (Eastern Standard sibling) as “best upscale bar,” and more.
• Museum of Ice Cream—a chain of venues with social media-friendly immersive rooms themed around ice cream—has arrived in Boston’s Seaport District with a pool full of sprinkles (ahem, jimmies), a cookie-themed living room, a hall of freezers with surprises behind each door, a Fenway Park-inspired carnival area, and more. There’s actual (unlimited!) ice cream to eat, too. Here’s a peek inside. 121 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston, museumoficecream.com.