Upper Crust: New Owner Says Restaurant 'Will Be Run Better'

The new owners of Watertown's Upper Crust say the product is the same, but the management is entirely different.

It's new management and new faces for Watertown's Upper Crust, as it reopened this month under new management after being closed for several months. The firm UC Acquisitions purchased the property in January along with locations in Wellesley, Boston's South End and Lexington during an auction after its previous owners filed for bankruptcy last year. The troubled pizza chain's former owner, Jordan Tobins, was accused of several labor issues including failing to pay employees their wages, allegedly relying on undocumented workers for labor, and using company money for personal use.  Despite reports from some media outlets that the former owner Tobins was connected to the new ownership, Shawn Shenefield, Director of Operations at UC …

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Can Watertown Become a Gourmet Destination?

A town famous for diners and pubs now has a handful of gourmet and upscale restaurants. Are more on the way?

  In a town known for its diners and pubs some eateries that attract foodies from near and far have popped up, but is Watertown ready to become a gourmet destination? This question was floated in a recent Boston Globe article about Tim Maslow, the chef that transformed Strip T's from a sandwich place to a hip and modern restaurant. He has been nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard "Rising Star Chef of the Year." Many people head to Watertown to go to one of several diners for some good old comfort food. The town's night life centers around bars and pubs around town.  Along with Strip T's, Red Lentil has become a destination for lovers of vegetarian food and Kareem's Restaurant recently opened and is serving up Middle Eastern fare…

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Upper Crust Pizzeria Reopens in Watertown

After closing for a few months, the gourmet pizza place on Main Street is back.

  The Upper Crust Pizzeria in Watertown closed its doors in November, but instead of a permanent shuttering it turns out to be a temporary hiatus. The gourmet pizza restaurant in Watertown Square reopened last week, according to a piece on the food blog Boston Restaurant Talk. A posting on the Upper Crust Facebook page announced the reopening of the Watertown location:  Doors at our Watertown location open under new ownership at 11 a.m. today for delivery and take-out. Beginning Thursday, March 21, we will be serving lunch and dinner in the restaurant. Call now: (617) 923-6060 Watertown's location of Upper Crust shut down along with several others during the chain's legal and financial difficulties. The Watertown locale, however, was …

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Burger King Offers 55-Cent Burgers for the Whopper's 55th Anniversary

To celebrate, BK is offering a special deal.

Burger King is telling you can have it your way for 55 cents today through Sunday at Burger Kings nationwide.   In honor of the 55th anniversary of the iconic Whopper, Burger King is offering a deal through Dec. 9: get an Original Whopper for just 55 cents, when you purchase any Whopper, including the new Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper or the spicy Angry Whopper, available for a limited-time-only. Locally, there's a Burger King in the Arsenal Mall. “Burger King is very excited to celebrate this amazing milestone with the Whopper lovers who have helped make it an American icon,” said Flavia Faugeres, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer, Burger King Worldwide in a statement. “For 55 years it’s been a fan favorite, …

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Watertown's Upper Crust Closed for Now, Possibly for Good

The pizzeria chain has closed several locations, and the future is uncertain.

The Upper Crust in Watertown has closed its doors, and it is not clear whether it is just temporary or permanent. The Boston Globe reports that several locations of the pizzeria chain have shut down, temporarily at least.  The Globe called the Upper Crust on Main Street in Watertown and an employee said that the restaurant was closed and that the company is undergoing reorganization and "we are closed for at least next couple of days." Upper Crust has been facing financial difficulties, and in September the company defaulted on a TD Bank loan. Company officials filed for bankruptcy protection. The company's troubles also include a U.S. Department of Labor ruling that they owed employees back overtime pay.

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Watertown's Strip T's Restaurant Named to Boston Magazine's Top 50

The restaurant has made a name for itself, in part for it's hot and spicy dishes on its menu.

Boston Magazine honored Watertown's Strip T's restaurant by naming it one of the Top 50 restaurants in and around The Hub. The restaurant, run by chef Tim Maslow, has caught the attention of diners and critics from around Boston. Boston Magazine noted some of the spicy offerings on the Strip T's menu: Watertown’s own Strip-T’s was included in this year’s list. This storefront restaurant has made a name for itself as one of the hottest restaurants around, literally! Try their spicy charred romaine salad topped with oxtail and chili vinaigrette or the wings with moxie sauce that has everyone buzzing. There’s no better choice if you want exceptional service and ingenious dishes.   See more about the Boston Magazine Top 50 on the magazine's …

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Licensing Board Raises Questions About a Storage Shed at Donohue's Bar and Grill

The investigation of the patio area did not turn up any violations, but board members believe the restaurant should have gotten permission to put up the shed.

An investigation of the patio at Donohue's Bar and Grill did not turn up violations of hours or use of a outdoor bar, but the Licensing Board had questions Thursday night about a wooden storage shed erected in the patio. The Licensing Board had requested an investigation of Donohue's patio after receiving reports that the area was being used after the allowed hours and that a bar was set up at on the patio. The initial request came in July, and at their September meeting board members learned the investigation still had not taken place.  Watertown Police Sgt. Thomas Grady said Thursday that an investigation had been conducted and no violations were found. While there was no bar, he did find a wooden structure used for storage. Reading from…

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MarkSindone

9:24 am on Monday, April 8, 2013

Neighbors must not have been pleased with the noise coming from the patio if it was truly open afterhours. I think it is rather rude of the business owner to keep persisting to use the patio until 11pm. For the neighbors to complain about it to the police, that should give him a hint that doing business on the patio would cause a disturbance of peace. It is best to leave it for storage purposes …   more ›

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: O-Sha

The newest restaurant in Watertown is a Thai-Japanese establishment on Arsenal Street.

O-Sha on Arsenal Street doesn't look like much on the outside, but then neither do some of the best eateries in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood. Given that its three chefs come from other good restaurants in the region (see below), it's worth a visit to this new Asian eatery, for either lunch or dinner. Its menu has the now-familiar, highly popular Thai and Japanese dishes: curries, noodle dishes (including pad thai), sushi and maki rolls, miso soup, appetizers, jasmine rice and desserts like black-sesame ice cream and Thai blueberry custard. Suggested dish: Forgoing the extensive menu of sushi and maki plates, we went for one of three lunch specials (11 a.m.-3 p.m.): basil chicken ($7.50). It was plentiful and fragrant, the vegetables (…

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Watertown Restaurant Honored for its Wine List

Not Your Average Joe's received the highest grade for the quality and price of its wine offerings.

Grades are out and Not Your Average Joe's received an A+ for its wine offerings. The restaurant chain, which has a spot in Watertown Square, received the honor from Winemetrics, a group that provides information about wine distribution in the U.S. maket. The Winemetric graders said Joe's earned the grade for having “the most value-driven, user-friendly, accessible wine list of any chain Winemetrics has encountered.”  The graders noted the restaurant offers 37 wines, and 31 are available by the glass as well as by the bottle.  “We couldn’t be more pleased,” notes Steve Silverstein, Not Your Average Joe’sFounder and CEO. “Guess it was well worth the hard work of tasting all those wines!” The restaurant charges much less than other chains for…

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