And now the weekly word from our gourmand pisan, Eater Boston.
HUB-WIDE—Mayor Menino has joined the effort to attract Bravo's cooking themed TV show Top Chef to Boston. Eater has a statement from the mayor, but we wonder if Boston will go as far as Texas, which ponied up hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the show to film there. Bravo is considering shooting here or in Portland, OR, which caused Portland's mayor to thrown down the gauntlet in our direction.
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BROOKLINE—What was once Finale will now become Hops N Scotch Bar and Grill, a new restaurant by the owners of the nearby Coolidge Corner Wine and Spirits. Not a bad business model: spend four years finding out what the neighborhood likes to drink while selling it to them, then create cozy digs with a full bar.
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EAST BOSTON—The beloved Australian meat pie shop KO Catering and Pies gives Eater the exclusive on its planned expansion for the new KO Pub and Pies coming to the East Boston waterfront. Owner Sam Jackson says it will be a great place to stop for "a beer and a bucket of prawns."
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NORTH END—Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods America, paid a visit to Boston in his most recent episode. Zimmern hit up several spots in the North End, slurping street-side Italian ice, gelato and sorbetto at Caffe Paradiso and cannoli at Maria's Pastry Shop. And what visit to Boston would be complete without being fed urchin and foie gras powder with parsnip milk foam by chef Ken Oringer in the kitchen of Clio?