What to Eat (and Drink) This Weekend
Looking for Halloween dining events this weekend? We’ve got you covered over here.
A selection of Sam Jackson’s KO Pies. / Photo by Ruby Wallace-Ewing for “A Chef’s Guide to Easting Well in Southie“
Australian Meat Pies
It was seven long years ago that chef Sam Jackson brought real Australian meat pies to Boston. Thank the man by visiting either of his two locations this weekend, which both have anniversary sales going on. Pick up seven frozen pies—think of the last-minute dinner joy you could have—for $35, or nab $10 gift cards for only $7 and share the wealth. The Southie shop always has classic beef, curried vegetable, sausage roll, and more pies; while Saturday’s 65-and-sunny forecast makes for another “pearler of a day” at the East Boston Shipyard location, which has an expanded bar menu, corn hole, and more. Cheers, mates.
87 A St., South Boston, 617-269-4500; Boston Harbor Shipyard, 256 Marginal St., Building 16, East Boston, 617-418-5234, kocateringandpies.com.
Cafe Sushi has pumpkin sake on the menu this fall . / Photo provided
Pumpkin Sake
This fall specialty at Harvard Square’s hidden-ish sushi gem is anything but basic. Mindy Imura, wife of chef Seizi Imura, makes pumpkin sake annually at Cafe Sushi. It begins with a Japanese sake the restaurant serves warm, blended with a house-made fresh pumpkin purée, subtly spiced with a touch of added brown sugar. “Pumpkin’s got that earthy flavor, and sake lends itself toward that as well,” Imura says. “It’s not overly sweet, and it’s best enjoyed warm.” Craving even more seasonal sake? Small-batch, Mass.-made Dovetail’s fall rice wine Kōyō, made with maple water, is back in the market, as well.
Cafe Sushi, 1105 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge, 617-492-0434, cafesushicambridge.com.
Pastry chef Sarah Murphy makes English muffins as Vinal Bakery, which pops up at Longfellows this weekend. / Photo by Jon Olszewski
Vinal Bakery’s English Muffins, Herb & Leek Scones, and More
Haven’t found yourself near Porter Square some Tuesday or Wednesday morning to give the pop-up Vinal Bakery a try? Baker Sarah Murphy is straying from home base—her employer, Bagelsaurus—this Sunday and bringing a selection of her English muffins, and other treats to Longfellows Coffee. The host is using Murphy’s muffins for its pesto-slicked breakfast sandwiches, there will be herb and leek scones, gluten-free choices, and more. Bonus: Longfellows is the first place carrying Union Square Donuts’ new minis.
Vinal Bakery Pop Up, Sunday, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Longfellows and Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, Cambridge, Facebook.
Devil’s Purse Brewing Handline Kolsch. / Photo by Tim Oxton / Night Shift Brewing
Devil’s Purse Beer
There are many Halloween-friendly beers coming out this weekend—Dorchester Brewing’s Lenore, a kettle-soured Irish stout named for Edgar Allen Poe’s mistress; an orange-and-black, candied can collab from Aeronaut and Finback, and a pair from Down the Road; Night Shift beers from the crypt. But Devil’s Purse is a new, year-round offering in Boston. It’s not actually named for Satan’s handbag, but for the colloquial name for the skate egg cases left on Cape Cod beaches. This Hallo-weekend, we’ll allow it. Devil’s Purse Handline Kolsch, Surfman’s Check ESB, and small-batch offerings like Intertidal Oyster Stout are now in Boston, care of Night Shift Distributing. Look for them at bars and retail stores near you.
Plates from Boston magazine’s Top New Restaurants 2017. / PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOAN TRINH
18-Hour Ramen, the Les Sablons Cocktail, and More Flora-Forward Fare
So many delicious new restaurants, so few meals in the day. How many of our top 25 debuts have you visited yet? Make hay this weekend, and pop into a few—like Ruckus, for long-simmering noodle soups; Les Sablons, for Jackson Cannon’s tight new cocktail list; Cultivar, which grows greenery on its patio, and more. It’s a great time to dine in Boston.
