Around Town

Historical Society Invites Public to “Dining Out Boston” Authors Talk and Slide Show

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The Historical Society of Watertown invites you to their March program:

Dining Out in Boston: A Culinary History
An Author’s Talk and Slide-show Lecture
Presented by James C. O’Connell

The event is on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 7 p.m at the Watertown Free Public Library’s Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room, 123 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472

The book Dining Out in Boston: A Culinary History (2016) is a comprehensive historical overview of the development of Boston’s restaurants. Boston has been one of America’s leading laboratories of urban culture, including restaurants, and its history provides valuable insights into American food ways. Dining Out in Boston explains how the city was a pioneer in elaborate hotel dining, oyster houses, French cuisine, ostentatious banquets, ice cream parlors, ethnic cooking, the colonial revival of traditional New England dishes, the “gourmet revolution,” student hangouts, and contemporary locavore and trendy foodie culture. Mr. O’Connell will talk about the food served at some of the historic restaurants covered in the book, which includes Julien’s Restorator (the city’s first restaurant), the Parker House, Durgin-Park, Union Oyster House, Locke-Ober, Café Marliave, Jacob Wirth, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Anthony’s Pier 4, Dini’s Sea Grill, Maison Robert, Bailey’s Ice Cream Shop, Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, and many long-forgotten eateries. Jim O’Connell is a planner for the Boston Regional Office of the National Park Service.

Entertainment

Watertown Chef to be Featured on Food Network Show This Week

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A Watertown chef showed off his cooking abilities on a Food Network show focusing on food to eat while watching football – just in time for the Super Bowl! 

Chef Mike Fucci traveled to California to be part of “Cutthroat Kitchen,” one of the network’s most popular shows, hosted by Alton Brown. The show will air Wednesday night at 8 p.m.

The name of the episode is “Fry-day Night Bites,” and Fucci and the other contestants had to make loaded nachos, fried chicken sandwiches, and an ice cream sandwich. “It sounds simple for a chef to make, but when you are bombarded with challenges it is not as easy as it sounds,” Fucci said. Fucci has been cooking in restaurants since he was a teen, starting when he worked working with his Uncle Mike. Now Fucci runs Chef Mike’s Kitchen, a catering business based in Watertown (see more at his website www.chefmikeskitchen.com).

Around Town

Final Watertown Farmers Market of the Year Has a Halloween Theme

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The final Watertown Farmers Market of the season will feature a Halloween theme, complete with a cauldron full of treats. “Come in costume or as you are. We’ll have little toys for the little ones (non-candy) among the vendors and a special cauldron where adults can draw among a collection of tricks and treats,” Farmers Market organizers said. This week’s featured guests and music are:

Chocolats Passion, fine boxed chocolates

Jennifer Lee’s Gluten Free Bakery

Performance by Kali Stoddard-Imari

The Watertown Farmers Market runs from 2-6 p.m. from June to October, rain or shine on Arsenal Street, at Kingsbury Ave., in the Arsenal on the Charles. Payment options:

All vendors accept cash & tokens, some accept credit cards. Purchase tokens at the Manager’s booth with credit, debit or SNAP.

Around Town

Watertown Community Gardens Hosts Annual Real Meal Pot Luck

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Celebrate the season of harvest at a special potluck dinner. Bring something you grew, something made from local produce, or a family recipe. Watertown Community Gardens and Church of the Good Shepherd invite all lovers of real food, real community, and pleasant Sunday evenings to enjoy this event! Kids especially welcome – craft table for them. No sign up: Just show up!

Food

Summer’s Over, but the Watertown Farmers Market Isn’t – See What’s There

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The summer break might be over but you’ll still find a broad variety of the season’s harvest at the Watertown Farmers Market. Local farms and specialty producers continue to gather every Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. through until the end of October. On the front green of the Arsenal on the Charles, right on Arsenal Street in front of Arsenal Center for the Arts, the space is an exceptional place to enjoy the live music, grab a quick snack, and shop for delicious foods to bring home. Among the market’s offerings are farm-fresh vegetables from Kitchen Garden Farm, Paraveda Farm and The Farm School. Apex Orchards have several different varieties of apples.

Entertainment

Vegetarian Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival Coming to Watertown

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Food Truck Festivals of America is pleased to announce the Vegetarian Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival, coming to The Arsenal Project in Watertown (485 Arsenal St.) on Saturday, Sept. 10 from noon-6 p.m. (VIP hour from 11 a.m.-noon). The festival will feature 15+ food trucks and 30+ of the region’s best craft beers. Food and 12oz craft beers will be available for purchase from Noon-6 PM (11 am- Noon VIP). From 3-6 p.m. unlimited beer sampling will be available for an additional fee where attendees are able to sample 2 oz. craft beers. The trucks will be serving up a variety of vegetarian favorites, including Asian fusion, salads, falafel, hummus, and other Mediterranean specialties, soft serve treats, warm hand pies, and much more.

Around Town

Take a Culinary, Historical and Shopping Tour of East Watertown

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Explore the rich history, culture and cuisine of Watertown’s Coolidge Square in a special tour presented by Live Well Watertown and the Watertown Recreation Department.  

The tour of the East End/Coolidge Square Shopping Area will be on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 6-7:30 p.m.

Leading the tours will be an expert on Watertown history and someone who has taught classes in healthy cooking. Audrey Jones Childs is Vice President of the Historical Society of Watertown, a third generation East End resident, and a History of Watertown Lecturer. Ilana Hardesty has taught healthy cooking programs in Greater Boston for many years and is now enrolled as a student in the Gastronomy program at Boston University.

Business

Hip Coffee Bar Chain Appears to be Opening a Watertown Location

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Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee, which also has coffee bars in Los Angeles and New York, appears to be headed for Watertown. The craft coffeemakers have been advertising job openings on Sprudge.com. The openings were first reported on Eater Boston last week. The company is seeking a “retail educator,” a retail store manager, and a sales executive. No word on where Intelligentsia would be located.