Buyers Save 114-Year-Old Boston Bar From Closing | Eat Mass

MASSACHUSETTS — Welcome to Eat Mass, Patch's weekly round up of food and restaurant news in Massachusetts. Scroll down for more, including:

• Latest restaurant openings and closings.
• Thursday is the first day of National Ice Cream Month.
• A state lawmaker is warning Massachusetts residents can expect a "severe" egg shortage and higher prices for eggs when a new law goes into effect January 1.
• The Cape Cod restaurant community is mourning the death of restaurateur William Zammer, the owner of the Flying Bridge, Red Horse Inn, Tugs Boats and several other popular restaurants.
• And the best hot dog in Massachusetts is served by.....

This Week's Top Story: Buyers Save Red Hat

Jake Nicholson and Keith Gleason, formerly of Finn McCool's, Bushwood Cocktail Club, and Delta Haus have agreed to purchase the famed Red Hat.

Earlier this week it was confirmed that the century old watering hole would be shutting down, but patrons might not have to be shut out for too long, as the two have plans to reopen the institution this fall.

No further details are immediately available, but Gleason says they aim to re-establish the bar as a Beacon Hill destination, while holding onto its rich history in the ever-evolving, post-Covid bar landscape of Boston.

Read the full story.

Restaurant Openings, Closings

• Beverly: Late-night tacos are coming at long last to Rantoul Street in Beverly. Nacho Tacos, which had originally planned to open at the start of the pandemic, had a soft opening on Wednesday.
• Boston: The Boston Licensing Board was scheduled to vote Thursday on granting a food-serving license to Good Food Markets, which will include a grocery store, community room and 24-seat cafe at 2565 Washington Street. The space was previously occupied by Bartlett Yard. Also before the board on Thursday: Foodies will once again try to secure a license to sell beer and wine at its South Boston store.
• Cambridge (Central Square): After a year of uncertainty for restaurants and nightclubs around Boston, The Middle East in Cambridge reopened last weekend.
• Malden: A chain of bakery-cafés recently opened a new location in Malden Center. Tous le Jours, located across from the MBTA station, offers a wide range of baked goods, light meals and coffee.
• Newton: When the Panera Bread —a popular meeting place in Newton Centre for a decade— closed for good in December 2020, it left an empty storefront and lamenting customers. Six months later, construction is underway and a sign indicates that local chain Tatte Bakery, which is owned by Panera, is set to move in.
• Newton (Chestnut Hill): A small chain of Mexican restaurants closed its last greater Boston location. Besito said it has permanently closed its location at The Shops at Chestnut Hill, according to Boston Restaurant Talk.
• Somerville (Assembly Row): Shake Shack will open its newest location at Assembly Row on Monday, July 5. It will be the burger chain's ninth location in Massachusetts.

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Gordon Ramsay Chooses Boston For New Restaurant Concept

Gordon Ramsay, the celebrity chef known as much for his temper as for his cuisine, is opening a new restaurant in Back Bay.

Ramsay’s Kitchen, which will take over the 7,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Bar Boulud in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, is scheduled to open by the end of the year. The 180-seat restaurant is the first to open under Ramsay's newest dining concept and will employ 160 people.

"I absolutely love the energy of Boston and consider it a premier dining destination in the country," Ramsay said in a statement. "This will be my first ever Ramsay’s Kitchen and I couldn’t be more excited to open it inside the Mandarin Oriental, in the heart of Boston’s vibrant Back Bay neighborhood."

Read the full story.

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Check, Please

Thursday is the first day of National Ice Cream Month. In addition to dedicating July to celebrate America's favorite desert, President Ronald Reagan also declared the third Sunday of July "National Ice Cream Day" in 1984. A look at some ice cream-related stats, courtesy of the U.S. Census:

• In Massachusetts, there were 42 ice cream manufacturers employing 662 people in 2019.
• The total payroll for those Massachusetts ice cream makers was $25.2 million in 2019.
• Americans eat an average of 23 gallons of ice cream per year.
• Ice cream is an $11 billion industry in the U.S., and employs 26,000 people with wages of $1.6 billion.
• American ice cream producers made 1.4 billion gallons in 2017.
• The majority of U.S. ice cream makers are family owned and have been in business for more than 50 years.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Eat With Your Eyes

More Massachusetts Food News

Beacon Hill food fight: A state lawmaker is warning Massachusetts residents can expect a "severe" egg shortage and higher prices for eggs when a new law goes into effect January 1. The problem, according to state Senator Jason Lewis, a Democrat from Winchester, is Massachusetts farms produce just a fraction of the eggs purchased in the state. Most out-of-state producers will not comply with the new law, meaning most will not be able to import eggs to Massachusetts under the current version of the law. Lewis supported the measure when it was on the 2016 ballot. He has filed an amendment exempting out-of-state producers from the rules.

Beloved Cape restaurateur dies: The Cape Cod restaurant community is mourning the death of restaurateur William Zammer, the owner of the Flying Bridge, Red Horse Inn, Tugs Boats and several other popular restaurants throughout the region. Zammer, 75, died Friday, and friends and colleagues remembered him as a caring man, who worked relentlessly to make life better for his employees, friends and the Cape Cod community at large. "He was bigger than life," said Tyler Hayes, the general manager of the Flying Bridge in Falmouth for the last 25 years. "He took care of his staff like they were his family. He taught us all how to do things the correct way. He was more like a father figure."

Quick bites: The Phantom Gourmet Food Festival is returning this year. The event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Sept. 25 in Waltham. Advance tickets are on sale....Hood Ice Cream is teaming up with fellow Boston brand Wahlburgers to offer a free Hood Mini Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwich with a purchase of any Kids Meal and purchase a special Hood Ice Cream sandwich Milkshake at participating Wahlburgers locations in July.

That's A Mouthful

"Casey's 10-stool dining car has been serving customers since 1922 and people still come today to experience a slice of history and to try the famous steamed hot dogs. Locals and visitors alike love the spot and recommend the consistently-good hot dog."

• United Kingdom-based site loveFOOD, which said Casey's Diner in Natick serves the best hot dog in Massachusetts.

Upcoming Food Events

The Fourth of July holiday weekend may affect the following schedule. Check with organizers before heading to any of the events listed here.

Thursday, July 1:

• Farmers Markets: Falmouth, Foxborough, Harwich, Melrose, Milton, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Yarmouth

Friday, July 2:

• Farmers Markets: Osterville, Quincy

Saturday, July 3:

• Farmers Markets: Andover, Braintree, Marblehead, Newton, Orleans, Provincetown, Wakefield, Waltham

Sunday, July 4:

• "Spark Me Up" Boston: Taking place from 8 p.m. to midnight on Moxy
  Boston Downtown’s 24th floor rooftop lounge, guests at Bar Moxy's "Spark Me Up" celebration will be treated to amazing views of the city skyline and fireworks display happening right outside it's doorstep on Boston Common. Alongside the best views in the city, the ticketed event will feature a menu of classic Americana fare, drinks, tunes from DJ Brek One, and fun giveaways from High Noon. Tickets and more information..
• Farmers Markets: Acton-Boxborough, Canton, Needham, North Andover, Swampscott, Weymouth, Wilmington

Monday, July 5:

• Farmers Markets: Beverly, Billerica, Truro

Tuesday, July 6:

• Farmers Markets: Chatham, Lexington, Newton, Sandwich

Wednesday, July 7:

• Farmers Markets: Arlington, Brewster, Dedham, Scituate, Wellfleet

Dave Copeland is Patch's regional editor for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).