Openings: Mamaleh’s Delicatessen has opened in Cambridge (One Kendall Square). Several team members hail from the late, lamented Hungry Mother and its still-thriving sister restaurant, State Park. Enjoy a deli case rife with smoked fish and meat, hand-rolled bagels, and a soda fountain with egg creams and Eastern European beers. It’s open from 8 to 11 a.m. for breakfast, with a full menu available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nearby, Little Donkey will open on July 16 (505 Massachusetts Ave. at Norfolk Street), the latest from Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer, featuring global small plates at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Tom’s BaoBao has opened in Harvard Square (84 Winthrop St. at JFK Street). The fast-casual spot specializes in juicy Chinese bao, naturally, better known as steamed buns. They’re filled with pork, curry beef, and lobster, stuffed in an open kitchen by what Tom’s calls “baoists,’’ chefs who’ve undergone months-long training to perfect their craft. Tom’s is an offshoot of the popular Chinese chain GanQiShi.
Reopenings: The South End’s Aquitaine (569 Tremont St. at Union Park) has reopened for lunch and dinner after a petite hiatus. The ever-popular French bistro closed in February for renovations. Now it has a refreshed bar, a new private dining room, and a possible patio.
Closings: Somerville stalwart La Hacienda has shuttered (46 Medford St. at Ward Street). The red-sauce hangout opened in 1939. All is not lost: It will find new life as a catering company, according to a message on the restaurant’s voicemail.
Kendall Square’s Study at Ames (73 Ames St. at Main Street) has shuttered. “As of July 12, Study at Ames has closed for the foreseeable future following efforts to combat the chef shortage,’’ according to a rep for the restaurant. It had opened in June as a hybrid “super-restaurant’’ concept from owners Diana Kudayarova, Tse Wei Lim, and Sam Treadway, combining their casual Ames Street Deli with the more formal Study next door. Kudayarova and Lim also run Journeyman in Somerville, which remains open.
Libations: Concord’s Saltbox Kitchen is now home to the town’s only brewery (84 Commonwealth Ave. at Beharrell Street). Enjoy a rotating, seasonal selection of $7 pints on draft and in 32-ounce, to-go growlers. Inaugural beers include Saltbox Prophecy Farmhouse Ale, with a banana bread aroma, and Emerald Prophet Pale Ale, with a toasty flavor.
KARA BASKIN
Kara Baskin can be reached at kcbaskin@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.
