Table Talk Online + This Week's Edible Events

photo by Melissa Ostrow

We’ve got two openings to announce this week: one near and one far. The first is El Centro, opening on Shawmut Avenue later this week. As we reported in this month’s issue, the traditional — and tiny — Mexican cafe brings the food of Sonora to the South End. Owner Allan Rodriguez designed the menu and with it, shows off the flavors of his home state. Look for starters like queso fundido (oven-melted cheese served with soft tortillas), flautas de pollo, and sopes (corn-dough tartlets topped with goodies like refried beans and chorizo or chicken) or dig into heartier fare like chicken in mole sauce and carne asada al carbon (charcoal-grilled steak). The room has just enough space for a small lounge area plus a dozen or so tables and the copper-topped bar, along with a cinema-themed mural painted by South End artist Henry Funches III (pictured).

Further afield, chef Will Gilson heads to the Cape to open Adrian’s Restaurant in Truro. After announcing his departure from Garden at the Cellar last week, Gilson and his partner Aaron Cohen are on the road to stage a summer-long pop-up at this long-running eatery. A release from the duo explains the menu:

Chef Gilson created a menu featuring a sea to table and farm to table style we’re calling Farm to Cape. “The menu I put together was inspired by Adrian’s past menus, and the Cape Cod region in general,” says Chef Gilson, “I added a bit of farm to table, as well, so people who visited would know it was me.” The menu will feature treats from Adrian’s wood oven and seafood charcuterie.

Adrian’s Restaurant reopens for the season this Thursday, May 26 (adriansrestaurant.com).

This Week’s Edible Events
5/23 – Blind Tasting at Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro
The weekly wine-and-dine series goes undercover as you taste and guess your way through a selection of four wines (hint: they’ve been poured at previous BHHB wine dinners). (7 pm, $55. 25 Charles St., Boston. For reservations, call 617-723-7575.)

5/26 – Couture Cupcakes at the BCAE
Dress up your mini-cake decorating skills with this one-night class with cake decorator Suzi Parks. (6-9 pm, $50 for non members, $45 for members. 122 Arlington St., Boston. Register online.)

5/26-28 – Farm to Table at Church
Church shows off its new farm-to-table approach by inviting farmers to the restaurant for a weekend of dinners. The series kicks off with Allandale Farms and will be held every other weekend this summer. (69 Kilmarnock St., Boston. For more information on this week’s dinners, call 617-236-7600.)