Firm with Ties to Ousted Original Upper Crust Pizzeria Owner Wins Bid for Watertown Store

Wednesday's bankruptcy auction was only of store leases and equipment, not of the Upper Crust franchise rights.

  When Wednesday's auction of the embattled Upper Crust Pizzeria chain was done yesterday, and the smoke (somewhat) cleared, a company with ties to the pizzeria's founder, Jordan Tobins, reportedly had won control of the Watertown store site. The Boston Globe reports that a Ditmars Ltd.  affiliate— a private equity firm connected to Tobins — submitted the high bid of $75,000 for the Main Street location. That offer, says the Globe report, is only for the store lease and restaurant equipment, not rights to use the Upper Crust name. The same company also won bids for the Lexington, Wellesley and South End store sites. The attorney representing immigrant workers said to have cheated of vast amounts of overtime pay won the bid for the Harvard …

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Strip T's Owners Planning to Open New Location - See Where the New Restaurant Will Go

Father and son owners, Paul and Tim Maslow, plan to open a new location of their popular Watertown-based restaurant.

Watertown's Strip T's restaurant has attracted a lot of fans and attention from Boston area food critics, and now father and son co-owners Paul and Tim Maslow plan to bring their innovative fare to more people by opening a new location in Brookline. The website Eater Boston reported that Paul, the father, and his son and chef Tim will be opening early next year. "Details at this point are few, but it will be in Brookline's Washington Square with 70 seats and a tentative opening timeframe of this March. Stay tuned for more details," the report reads. Where exactly the restaurant would go is not certain, but Eater reports it may have a different name - Ribelle, which is Italian for rebel. To see the rest of the post from Eater Boston, click …

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Spooky Good Recipes for Halloween

Not sure how to trick your little ghosts and ghouls into eating a real meal on Halloween night? Here are some recipes that are sure to be a treat (and won't take too much time or effort) - for you and your hungry hobgoblins!

On Halloween night, many parents struggle with getting their kids to eat something besides sweets while fulfilling their own adult responsibilities and having fun themselves. All of the recipes that follow can easily be completely prepared or fully prepped either before trick-or-treating or while answering the door and handing out goodies. Alternately, most of these recipes are simple enough to allow for little helpers to assist in the preparation while they wait for it to get dark enough to go out.  Ingredients: Directions: Green Goo Dip (Arugula-Basil Pesto) Ingredients: Directions   This recipe comes from the website “Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke.” Ingredients: Directions: Note: These can be baking while you are doing the stovetop …

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Meet the Couple Behind Watertown's Newest Wine and Beer Store

Rich and Nada Sobhani opened Arsenal Wine & Spirits recently and offer fine wines, craft beers and a selection of spirits.

Rich and Nada Sobhani took half of the old convenience store on Arsenal Street and turned it into a small shop filled with fine wine, craft beer and a wide selection of Spirits. The couple, which hails from West Roxbury, recently opened Arsenal Wine & Spirits and neighbors quickly discovered the store, Rich said. Nada said people stop in and often stay a while to chat about wine, beer or just what's new. Nada has a passion for wine, while Rich's specialty is whiskey - Scotch whiskeys are his favorite. While they come from the finance industry, Nada comes from a family with roots in the local food business. Her family runs Sabra Grill, a Middle Eastern eatery in Harvard Square. The couple takes pride in knowing about all their offerings, …

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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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Bites Nearby

Bites Nearby: Lena's

The Chicken Margherita Sub at Lena's is one of many subs and pizzas at this 65-year-old eatery on Main Street.

We tried one of Lena's specialty subs – the Chicken Margherita. The chicken was nicely grilled and the add-ins fresh and fragrant: tomatoes, mozarella, basil leaves, and olive oil. And the bun was well-toasted, although the option of multi-grain bread would have added a richer texture. It was a satisfying meal and comes in either medium ($6.60) or large ($8.60). Lena's prides itself on having won a "best sandwich shop" in Waltham award several years running (from Market Surveys of America). They also serve many kinds of pizzas, calzones, panini, wraps and pasta dinners. Pizzas, their other specialty, come in either small ($11), large ($15) or Sicilian (thick crust and square: $18). The vibe: A small yet bright room, facing onto bustling …

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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's China Rainbow Keeps its Classic Look, but Adds a New Spirit

Town resident Richard Brackett has joined long-time owner Tammy Young to breathe new life into Watertown's first Chinese restaurant.

China Rainbow has a new face behind the bar, but Watertown’s original Chinese restaurant will continue to provide the same favorites that diners have enjoyed for 40 years. Town-native Richard Brackett joined China Rainbow founder Tammy Young earlier this year and has given the old-school Chinese restaurant a tune up. When he first arrived in March Brackett said China Rainbow fans worried that Young had left, but he reassures them she’s still there. “When I first started, I thought about making a T-shirt saying ‘Tammy is still here,’ and ‘She taught me how to make Mai Tais,’ on the back,” Brackett said. The restaurant does not need to be totally remodeled, Brackett said, just slightly tweaked. “This is the same as it was – it is 1972 in …

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Kelly Cronin

4:19 pm on Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I was @ China Rainbow recently for the first time.... the Watertown Belmont Chamber held an event there. We had such a nice time! The food was delicious and plentiful and the staff could not have been more pleasant and accommodating...   more ›

Bites Nearby

Bites Nearby: Thin-Crust Pizza at The Gaff

The steak-and-more pizza at The Gaff is a complex mix of flavors.

The steak pizza at The Gaff, a friendly, pub-like bar at 467 Moody St., is excellent. One of two kinds of pizza (the other is a vegetarian "margarita" one), its crispy, wafer-thin crust is covered with tangy gorgonzolla and mozarella cheeses, bits of hearty, marinated steak, sweet caramelized onions, and a homemade pesto. At $9 for a 10-inch pizza, it's a bargain.  The Gaff is best known for its 70 kinds of beers, including many craft ones, and mixed drinks. But it also has a good food menu, including small plates, like the pizza, appetizers and salads. "(The Gaff) started with a burger, a hotdog and some sandwiches," says head chef Dana Hansen, a life-long Walthamite, who came from the Tuscan Grill down the block about two years ago. He …

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Bites Nearby

Bites Nearby: Panera Bread

This bakery-cafe, with 16 sites in the Boston area, is known for its homemade breads -- and wireless Internet.

  An offshoot of Au Bon Pain in the 1990s, Panera Bread has carved out its own niche throughout the U.S., with more than 1,500 cafe-bakeries in 41 states. Two local franchises are at 321 Arsenal St. in Watertown and 1100 Lexington St. in Waltham. All their bread is baked fresh on the premises. They specialize in sandwiches, often with chicken or turkey, various kinds of dressings, and herbs and spices, salads and soups, as well as continental breakfasts, such as pastries and souffles. Suggested dish: One of their most-popular offerings is "Pick 2": a half-sandwich and a half-salad or cup of soup. The price for it ranges from $6.99 to $8.99, depending on the kind of sandwich and salad. We chose the Sierra turkey sandwich with chicken cobb …

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