Openings: Forage is poised to open in Cambridge’s old Ten Tables space (5 Craigie Circle at Craigie Street). Stan Hilbert, the former general manager at Ten Tables’ Jamaica Plain location, runs the 48-seat restaurant alongside chef Eric Cooper and bar manager Joe Choiniere, who also worked at Ten Tables in JP. Hilbert, originally from France, promises a “hyper-local’’ menu sourced from nearby farmers, foragers, and fishermen, plus a biodynamic wine list, small grower champagnes, and seasonal cocktails. Hilbert says he’s very excited about two dishes that he’s tinkered with for months — Vietnamese clay pot catfish and mushroom cassoulet made with mushroom and black walnut sausages. The restaurant serves dinner nightly; brunch will follow in a few months.
“Forage is lively, bright, open, and welcoming. Even though we’re in a half-basement, you get over that pretty quickly,’’ Hilbert says. “We gave it a little cosmetic uplift. We want people to consider this their home away from home.’’
There’s a new place to dine and drink in Allston. The Hopewell Bar and Kitchen has opened in the old Shanghai Social Club space (1277 Commonwealth Ave. at Spofford Road). On the menu: house-made potato chips, deviled eggs, chicken pot pie, and 40 types of whiskey.
Landmark North End dessert purveyor Mike’s Pastry will open at Somerville’s Assembly Row in 2017. This is the third location for the shop, with an original branch on Hanover Street and a newer outpost in Harvard Square. “Everything will be the same as North End and Harvard Square!’’ they write on Facebook. Which means, of course, long lines and plenty of cannoli. The Boston original opened in 1946. Mike’s joins fellow North End export Ernesto’s Pizza, which also has Assembly Row digs.
Closings: Playska, Cambridge’s first Balkan-inspired bakery and deli, has closed (243 Hampshire St. at Cambridge Street). Restaurateurs Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann made the decision after six months in business.
“We figured out that lunch, deli, and bakery are not who Tim and Bronwyn really are. The successes we have had are around our ability to work together, and the morning business with the night businesses were just too complicated, so we made a choice to close,’’ Tim Wiechmann says.
The husband-wife duo continues to run Somerville’s Bronwyn, focusing on Eastern Europe, and Cambridge’s T.W. Food, a cozy French-American spot.
Dinners: Union Square’s new Juliet (257 Washington St. at Webster Avenue) serves dinner from 5:30 until 10 Thursday through Saturday. Enjoy lobster bisque, tagliatelle Bolognese, cauliflower roti, and more at the six-seat counter. KARA BASKIN
Kara Baskin can be reached at kcbaskin@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.
