Balani On Moody Offers New Apps Happy Hour, Live Music

WALTHAM, MA — There's a new live music venue in Waltham. After about eight months on Moody Street perfecting its hospitality, Balani is ready to expand its waistband a bit. As the space grows, the space is introducing live music.

Starting Sunday, June 9 the restaurant will host its inaugural musician. The Sarah Levecque Band, described as "a smokey bluesy folk tune." The plan is to continue offering musicians from all types of backgrounds at least once a month, with the aim of growing that.

The other new addition? The restaurant is also offering some Happy Hour deals and is rewarding folks who use the Tick Tock Trolley and take public transportation with free apps Tuesday through Thursday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Another deal? Half priced apps, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays for anyone who stops by before 7 p.m.

The happy hour deal for those who bring in a photo of themselves using the trolley or public transportation is a way to highlight more environmentally friendly ways to get to the restaurant. It's also a way to highlight that the free trolley is a resource for customers. You can park at one of the municipal lots, and hop the trolley and get to the Moody Street restaurant sans hastle.

Owner Dave Becker has two other restaurants in the Greater Boston area. He opened Juniper in Wellesley in 2014 following success with Sweet Basil in Needham. Although Sweet Basil is decidedly an Italian restaurant and Juniper is Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, both focus on sustainability and local sourcing.

Chef Tim Fichera said over the past few months the restaurant started out with a loose focus, complete with burger and chickpea fries and also roasted Chinese eggplant to prove it.

"At the beginning we had a loose focus, we were doing everything. But we found what lot of people were gravitating toward was the Asian food we were doing," said Fichera, who used to work for Blue Ginger in Boston. Manager Max used to work at a sushi restaurant.

One of the more popular items on the menu? The stir-fry, with homemade noodles, cabbage, oyster mushroom, spicy chilies, cashew and a soft cooked egg (on the menu for $20).

And one of Fichera's favorite items to make? The sleeper hit, he says, is the sea scallop crudo appetizer with sushi grade scallops, charred grapefruit, cilantro, smoked sea salt, and pickled onion (on the menu for $14).

"I like assembling the scallops crudo, it's real pretty," he said.

Fichera said he's having fun taking familiar Asian Pacific flavors and giving them a twist. That's how the pork belly Rangoon came about, and the old-school pineapple upside down cake.

The menu has attracted the attention of local celebrities, too. Billy Costa of Dining Playbook recently made a visit to the space recently:

And it turned into an episode on Dining Playbook:

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New Restaurant: Balani Just Opened On Moody Street In Waltham

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Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).