Bites Nearby

Bites Nearby: The Burrito Bowl at Chipotle Mexican Grill

The Burrito Bowl has a host of ingredients, from grilled meat and cilantro-lime rice to black beans and grilled vegetables.

If you're in the mood for a quick meal with a Mexican theme, you might try Chipolte's Mexican Grill, which has locations throughout the Greater Boston area including Watertown's Arsenal Mall. The Burrito Bowl is all the fixings in a large burrito, without the wrapping; instead it's served in a bowl. You get to decide at the long ordering counter what goes into the bowl, but the basics are a choice of grilled meat (chicken, pork or beef), cilantro-lime rice (white or brown), beans (black or pinto), salsa (hot, medium or mild) and a dozen or so add-ins, including sour cream, cheese, lettuce and grilled pepper and onions. It's substantial, fresh, well-seasoned and a bargain at under $7.  Chipolte's website also has a lot of information about …

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Upper Crust Pizzeria Files for Bankruptcy Protection

The chain of gourmet pizza restaurants, including a Watertown location, filed for bankruptcy and reportedly owes $3.4 million to creditors.

The Upper Crust Pizzeria chain has filed for bankruptcy protection after defaulting on millions of dollars in loans, according to the Boston Globe. The embattled gourmet pizza chain was ordered by the Federal Labor officials to pay overtime to employees, and has been accused of improper use of assests for personal use by executives, and recently shut down some locations, including the Waltham restaurant. The Boston-based company defaulted on a loan to TD Bank in September, and owes $3.4 million to creditors, according to the Globe story. The list of creditors to which chain reportedly owe money, according to documents filed in federal bankruptcy court, includes former attorney general Thomas F. Reilly of Watertown who is owed nearly $230,…

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Group Celebrates a Year of Supporting Watertown's 'Local' Businesses

Watertown Local First, which is one of similar groups across the U.S., held a first-anniversary celebration last week at the Mount Auburn Club.

Chances are you're not familiar with Watertown Local First ... yet. After all, the non-profit organization just celebrated its first anniversary last week, but the strength of the group keeps growing as more and more local merchants join forces. Watertown Local First hosted a party at the Mount Auburn Club on Oct. 4, which included a talk by a national speaker on the building of strong local economies. Watertown Local First (WLF) has grown to about 50 members in the past year, including long-standing local businesses, such as Direct Tire and Auto Service, Arax Market, Russo's, Surface Works, Uncommon Grounds, V.I.P. Auto Watertown Savings Bank, Maximo's and Arsenal Center for the Arts, as well as newcomers who have just put out their first…

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Paul Angiolillo

9:04 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

Barbara, Thanks for mentioning another similar local group, Sustainable Watertown, and also the decals on businesses who join Watertown Local First.   more ›

Bites Nearby

Bites Nearby: East Side Wings and Grill

The Blazin' Buffalo Wrap at this grill on Mt. Auburn Street is rich and spicy.

Heeding their slogan, "We're not just winging it," we tried one of the Wraps and Sandwiches: the Blazin' Buffalo Wrap at the East Side Wings and Grill. Like many of their wraps, it's built around grilled chicken tenders with various add-ins in a soft flour tortilla. The chicken tenders were well-spiced and plentiful, and were complemented well by the lettuce, tomato, red onion and blue cheese dressing. In fact, it could almost have made two meals, since the tortilla is hefty. If you like potatoes, we also recommend getting the thick homemade fries instead of chips, which cost a dollar more. (Total: $7.99.)  The restaurant, which is under new management, also serves dishes with pork, turkey, corned beef, steak and grilled vegetables. Co-…

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Watertown Local First Celebrates First Anniversary with Guest Speaker Michael Shuman

The group formed to support local businesses will celebrate its first year of existence at the Mount Auburn Club.

The following information was provided by Watertown Local First: Watertown Local First will celebrate its First Anniversary at the Mount Auburn Club, Oct. 4, 7-9 pm. The event will feature a revelatory presentation by Michael Shuman, an expert on local economies; light fare from various Watertown local independent culinary establishments; and networking opportunities for local independent businesses, town officials, interested residents and community leaders. Date: Thursday, October 4, 2012, 7:00 – 9:00 pm Location: The Mount Auburn Club, 57 Coolidge Ave., Watertown Parking: Plenty of free, on-site parking for the event Participation: Local business owners and staff, community leaders, Town of Watertown representatives, and people …

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Meet the New Owners of the Watertown Main Street Florist

Rubi and Joe Galui bought the florist shop in Watertown Square in July, and have made a few changes.

If you have not been into Watertown Main Street Florist recently, you will see it has had a bit of a remode to give it a bit more of a feminine touch. New owners Rubi and Joe Galui have made a few alterations after buying the store from Dave Greenberg. Greenberg, who besides his floral business was known for his effort to find a wife, moved to California to run a singles-oriented business, Galui said. Now Rubi is ready to put bring her own ideas to the shop. Recently, Watertown Patch interviewed Rubi about her store: Watertown Patch: When did you take over the Watertown Main Street Florist shop and do you have plans for the store? Rubi Galui: My husband and I took over the flower shop in early July of this year and I am just overflowing …

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Charlie Breitrose

9:23 am on Friday, September 21, 2012

Wow, sounds like Rubi came through!   more ›

Maximo's Takeout Celebrates First Birthday with Sandwich in Honor of the Perkins School

The East Watertown eatery will donate 5 percent of purchases to the school for the blind and visually impaired.

The following information was provided by Maximo's Takeout: Maximo’s Takeout is celebrating its first birthday with the launch of the “Perkins Panini”, in honor of local charity the Perkins School for the Blind. Owned by Phillip Zeller and his wife, Betsy, a program manager at Harvard Business School, Maximo’s Takeout opened in September 2011 and takes its name from the family’s two children, Max and Morgan. Every Monday, the restaurant donates 5 percent of the entire purchase for any customer who mentions Perkins School to benefit the school for the blind and visually impaired. The offer applies to individual or business catering orders. A restaurant family through and through, the couple met whilst working at the Cheesecake Factory in …

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Watertown-based Architect's Home Project Wins National Contest

A project in Tyringham earned Donald Giambastiani of Solomon+Bauer+Giamnastiani Architects Inc. the myMarvin Architect's Challenge award.

The following information was provided by Marvin: Marvin Windows and Doors has named Donald Giambastiani of Solomon+Bauer+Giambastiani Architects Inc. of Watertown one of its nine winners for the 2012 myMarvin Architect’s Challenge, an annual contest that honors the best in architecture in the United States and beyond. Entries are judged on solution-driven design, classical beauty, innovative use of windows and sustainability. Giambastiani’s project, Family Retreat, is located in Tyringham, Mass., in the valley of a remotely forested 500-acre site. The architect was able to complete the renovation without compromising the rustic character of the house and backdrop, which includes the remnants of a 19th century barn structure, while …

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