Plans for Mystic Brewery to Open New Facility in Malden Have Fallen Through

Early last year, it was reported that a local brewery was planning to expand to a new space that could include a taproom, cheese counter, and an outdoor area complete with food trucks. Now we have learned that this won't be happening after all.

According to a post from Eater Boston, plans for Mystic Brewery in Chelsea to move to Malden have fallen through, with the business apparently deciding to remain at its current space on Williams Street instead. In February of 2018, it looked like the brewery might be relocating to a new, larger facility on Charles Street in Malden, with the current space possibly being used for a new project from the people behind the business.

Mystic Brewery was established in 2011, with its taproom opening a couple of years later.

The address for Mystic Brewery is 174 Williams Street, Chelsea, MA, 02150. Its website can be found at https://ift.tt/2BzOk2N

[Earlier Article]
Mystic Brewery Plans to Open New Facility in Malden; Beer Hall, Cheese Counter, Outdoor Seating Planned for the Space

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Good Places to Get Beer in the Boston Area]

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Mr. Chen Chinese Cuisine in Natick Has Closed

A Chinese restaurant hidden away in a strip mall in the western suburbs of Boston has shut down.

According to a source, Mr. Chen Chinese Cuisine in Natick is no longer in operation, with a call placed to the W Central Street eatery indicating that its phone is now out of service while a check on its website shows that it has been taken down. It is not known why the restaurant may have closed nor is it known what might go into the space; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.

Mr. Chen Chinese Cuisine first opened in 2016, offering mostly Chinese-American fare including lo mein, egg foo young, moo shi, fried rice, chow mein, and more.

The address for this now-closed Chinese restaurant in Natick was: Mr. Chen Chinese Cuisine, 179 W Central Street, Natick, MA, 01760.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Food Items from Asian Restaurants in the Boston Area]

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First Bite: Wing's Lab

Food parks are designed to be a melting pot of different cuisines and dishes. Most would have the crowd favorites burgers, tempura, noodles, milk tea or shakes, butterfly squid and so on. One more thing food parks have in common is wings. These good ol' snack is often paired with beer for that chill night cap. But there's this wings place in Poblacion that made wing pairing its expertise.

Hello, Wing's Lab.

Wing's Lab is a new player in the competitive world of wings but it has established a pretty solid unique selling proposition by simply focusing and celebrating this messy dish. 

With six flavors to choose from--Filipino, American, Korean, Thai, Italian and Brazilian, all these can be paired with rice, fries or nachos depending on your mood. 

Since we were a group of 12, we had Wings N' Nachos set with 12 pieces of wings and Nachos topped with Beef (PHP699). For wings flavors, we got American (with Jack Daniels sauce) and Korean (with sweet and spicy sauce).

I was hoping that they'd be more "experimental" with the flavors to live up with the name "lab" but the flavors were quite ordinary. There wasn't anything distinct to make me crave for it. 

I didn't get to try the nachos after R gave me the look of disapproval. But I'm not sure if it could have been better if we ate it right away instead of letting it wait while everyone takes a shot of this massive tray. 

Wing's Lab got its juices right though as all were thirst quenching and perfect to save us from melting in this humid weather. We got to try Blue Lemonade, Cucumber Lemonade and Melon with Milk (PHP60 per pouch) in cute but could be messy plastic pouches. 

My favorite is Cucumber Lemonade as it seemed to be the healthiest out of the three drinks. 

I just hope that they'd change the packaging though as the base of the pouch could be a bit wobbly and could easily spill the juice.

Though I couldn't picture myself grabbing more of its wings or nachos, I'd definitely swing by for some of its bright colored drinks if I find myself in Pobstacion. 

Wing's Lab is located at 2nd Floor, Pobstacion Food Park, B. Valdez Street, Poblacion, Makati City. 

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Levain Bakery May Be Coming to Boston

An iconic New York City bakery that is known for its extra-large cookies could be expanding to the Boston area.

Eater is reporting (via Grub Street) that Levain Bakery is looking to expand beyond New York, with Boston being "under consideration" along with Washington, DC, and Chicago. The bakery is known for its six-ounce cookies that have been featured in a number of books and on TV, including a chocolate chip cookie throwdown with Bobby Flay in which the celebrity chef lost to owners Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald.

Levain Bakery started out on the Upper West Side in 1996 and currently has three locations in Manhattan and one on Long Island, with a new Manhattan location coming to the Upper East Side this week and a Noho outlet coming this fall.

The website for Levain Bakery can be found at https://ift.tt/2gxSnRL

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Battle Brewing Between Zuma Boston in the Back Bay and Zuma Tex-Mex Grill at Faneuil Hall

A naming dispute between two Boston restaurants appears to be heating up.

According to an article in The Boston Globe, the owners of Zuma Tex-Mex Grill at Faneuil Hall filed a lawsuit last month against Zuma Boston, a high-end Japanese restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in the Back Bay, and a Superior Court judge has subsequently ruled in favor of the Tex-Mex spot. The post reports that Judge Brian A. Davis says "B.B. Kitchen [which owns Zuma Tex-Mex Grill] is a small, single location business that already is suffering from significant marketplace confusion and likely will continue to suffer so long as [UK-based parent company] Azumi operates its Zuma Boston under the Zuma name....Azumi, on the other hand, is an international operation with approximately $200 million in annual revenues." Davis says that Azumi will have to cease and desist all use of the Zuma name, including in everything from social media posts to signs and marketing/ads, while workers cannot tell customers that the restaurant is called Zuma.

The Globe mentions that Zuma Tex-Mex Grill claims the right to use the name based on an license agreement that Azumi entered with B.B. Kitchen in 2008 where the former would not open any locations of Zuma in New England. The Back Bay location of Zuma debuted in late May.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[Note: Please join the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook Group Page to get more info on dining spots and also chat with others about Boston-area restaurants.]

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Kashish in Belmont Has Closed; Jamaica Jeff's to Open in Space

An restaurant in the western suburbs that was a longtime favorite for Indian food has closed, and a new dining spot that focuses on barbecue and Jamaican/Caribbean fare is moving in.

According to an article in the Belmont Citizen-Herald and Wicked Local, Kashish on Leonard Street in Belmont Center is no longer in business, and Jamaican Jeff's will be opening in its space. The post indicates that the owner of the upcoming restaurant is Jeffrey Lasseter, a U.S. diplomat who has lived in Jamaica and Barbados; the plans are for the restaurant to offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner while also serving Jamaican and Caribbean coffee along with tropical-themed cocktails.

Kashish was a dining spot that our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) featured as an under-the-radar place for Indian food. The review can be found here:

https://hiddenboston.com/Kashish.html

The address for the now-closed Kashish (and upcoming Jamaica Jeff's) is 61 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA, 02478.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Mulligans Near Haymarket Square in Boston Has Apparently Closed

It looks like a sandwich shop in downtown Boston has very quietly shut its doors.

According to Brian M. from Noodle Lab, Mulligans near Haymarket Square is locked up and dark, with a neighboring business confirming that the Canal Street eatery is indeed closed for good. It is not known what might happen to the space, though we are told that this part of Canal Street will be going through changes and will apparently become pedestrian-only soon.

Mulligans was known in part for its breakfast dishes along with its soups, salads, and sandwiches at lunchtime.

The address for the now-closed Mulligans was 83 Canal Street, Boston, MA, 02114.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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