Cambridge Brewing Company Says Goodbye; a Rice Krispies Treats Suite Says Hello

Grab your favorite breakfast sandwich and settle in: Some food news bites to kick off this rainy week. From openings to closings to miscellaneous fun, here’s what you need to know in the Greater Boston food world for the week of August 19.

PRB Boulangerie at Time Out Market Boston. / Photo by Eleven Seven Media/PAHCREATIVE

Openings

• Westborough’s Black Rose European Bakery debuted a new location on Boston’s Newbury Street over the weekend, serving sweet treats (macarons, cake pops, and more); savory items like sandwiches and French-style meat pies; and fruity bubble tea and smoothies. Get all the details here, and peek inside here. 303 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, 781-490-9001, theblackrosebakery.com.
• More bakery news: PRB Boulangerie—from the team behind Petit Robert Bistro, Batifol, and Marseille—brought its cookie croissants (weekends only), fresh baguettes, and a variety of other French treats to Time Out Market Boston last month. This month, PRB expanded into a second stall and added sweet and savory crêpes to the mix. 401 Park Dr., Fenway, Boston, timeoutmarket.com/boston.
• At downtown food hall High Street Place, restaurateur Tiffani Faison has converted her Dive Bar space to Charming Gardener, featuring salad and grain bowls alongside a few snacks (like crispy sesame sweet potatoes with hot honey and ranch) and wraps (like chicken Caesar). (Seafood lovers can still order from the Dive Bar menu at a kiosk next to Charming Gardener.) 100 High St., Downtown Boston, highstreetplace.com.
• In other bowl news, Isla Oasis is now open in Everett for your açai bowl cravings, plus smoothies, sandwiches, and more. We’ve got our eye on the quartet of cake-inspired smoothies, including strawberry shortcake and tres leches. 69 Vale St. (Mason building), Everett, 617-544-6533, islaoasis.online.
• ShōChū Co. at Ruckus is a collab between the Shōjō and Mimi’s Chūka Diner teams, currently popping up at Shojo’s sibling/neighbor Ruckus with Japanese-style teishoku (set) lunches. Rolling out around late August or early September, there’ll be chūka-inspired (Chinese food cooked in a Japanese style) dinners, too. “The inspiration behind the project was a desire to bring chūka flavors to Chinatown as well as ‘reverse chūka,’ i.e. Chinese-inflected Japanese dishes,” Mimi’s cofounder Ted Woo tells Boston. (Meanwhile, the Mimi’s opening in Somerville is getting closer.) 5 Tyler St., Chinatown, Boston, shochuco.com.

Cambridge Brewing Company. / Courtesy photo

Closings

• You have four months to say goodbye: Cambridge Brewing Company has announced that it will close on December 20 after 35 years in business. The Kendall Square brewpub has long been a community favorite for its varied beer styles and active events calendar, from Barleywine Fest to Sour Fest. 1 Kendall Sq., Bldg. 100, Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-494-1994, cambridgebrewingcompany.com.
• Another longtime business has closed after a similar timespan: Dolce Vita, in Boston’s North End, shuttered earlier this month. It was known for the hospitality of ever-present owner Franco Graceffa, a Sicily native who moved to the States in the 1970s and opened the restaurant with his wife, Caroline Marie Ciarlone, in 1990. 221 Hanover St., North End, Boston.
• DW French, chef and restaurateur Douglass Williams’ French brasserie in the Fenway, closed over the weekend after just 10 months, to be replaced by a fourth location of sibling Italian spot Mida. Its well-done takes on familiar French fare, from steak frites to onion soup, will be missed. 1391 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston.
• And after nine months, another well-received newcomer has unfortunately closed: Good Company, a cocktail bar from industry vet Seth Freidus. The “farm-to-glass” spot showcased unique drinks that featured seasonal, local produce, such as a tequila-based drink with roasted bell pepper, mole negro, lime, and Empirical Ayuuk, an earthy, smoky spirit. 100 Hood Park Dr., Charlestown, Boston.

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

In the Works

• Best of Boston bakery La Saison—a Cambridge favorite for croissants, sourdough bread, cake, and more—is expanding to Charlestown, taking over the Zume’s Coffee House space. “We can’t wait to be part of another friendly, welcoming neighborhood as a local bakery, connecting and building communities through taste together,” the team announced on social media, promising to open “soon.” 221 Main St., Charlestown, Boston, lasaison-bakery.com.
• This one’s a long way off but brush up on your mini golf skills: UK-based Swingers has announced that it’s coming to Back Bay around fall 2025. In addition to mini golf courses inspired by 1920s English country golf clubs, the venue will have cocktail bars, street food, and an arcade. 777 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston, swingers.club.

Grill 23’s special Valrhona chocolate cake, available this week only. / Courtesy photo

Things to Do This Week

See also: our general Things to Do guide for music, comedy, art, and lots more

• Best of Boston steakhouse Grill 23 & Bar is fancying things up even more than usual this week, offering a special menu August 19 through 25. For $250 a person, try a four-course feast that highlights caviar, king crab, and, of course, steak. 161 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-542-2255, grill23.com.
• Take yourself out for a late-summer solo date and enjoy clambake for one at Puritan Oyster Bar, currently available on Sundays. 1164 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge, puritancambridge.com/oysterbar.
• Elderflower doenjang cinnamon rolls and banana milk cake slices, anyone? Korean-American bakery Nine Winters—known for fantastic cookies, among other treats—is popping up at Somerville’s Mushroom Shop on August 24. Pre-order here. 433 Medford St., Somerville, ninewinters.com.
• The wildly popular Tree House Brewing Company has expanded a lot in recent years, so it’s no longer the challenge it once was to get your hands on, say, a can of Julius or Haze. Still, its locations (Charlton, Tewksbury, Deerfield) are a hike from Boston, so take advantage of Thursdays in August: Tree House is popping up at the Prudential Center’s South Garden from 3 p.m. to dusk. Look for a rotating selection of Tree House brews, plus nonalcoholic seltzers and live music. 800 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston, treehousebrew.com.

The Rice Krispies Treats Re-Treat Suite at Red Jacket Beach Resort. / Photo by Rice Krispies Treats

Fun Stuff

• Roller skating season is underway in Kendall Square: Rollerama—which offers free roller skating (and rentals) and a variety of events all summer—recently added a wine and beer garden and concessions. Buencies, a collaboration between Buenas and Gracie’s Ice Cream, serves up creative hot dogs, ice cream, and more, while rotating food trucks round out the menu. Somerville wine bar Rebel Rebel has curated a wine selection for the outdoor venue, and for beer, local breweries such as Lamplighter and Remnant are featured. Broadway at Third St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, kendallcommon.com.
• Love Rice Krispies Treats? South Yarmouth’s Red Jacket Beach Resort—a good place to stay during peak hydrangea season—has teamed up with the brand to decorate a suite with all things Rice Krispies. Your stay is free, but you’ll have to be the first to book it at noon on August 19 (for an August 27-29 stay) or August 23 (for an August 30-September 1 stay). Amenities include decorated bunk beds with a slide into a ball pit, other over-the-top décor, and, of course, plenty of Rice Krispies Treats—with a DIY topping bar. 1 S. Shore Dr., South Yarmouth, 800-227-3263, redjacketresorts.com.
• It may still be August, but the fall pumpkin watch has begun: Night Shift Brewing has released its Pumpkin Piescraper pumpkin pie ale for the season, brewed with pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla beans, and milk sugar. Find it at Night Shift locations; it’ll also be available at stores and on select draft lines. Multiple locations in Everett, Boston, and beyond, nightshiftbrewing.com.