By Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
The Japanese celebrate New Year’s on the same day as the West, although they don’t order Chinese food.
Celebrating the new year in Japan means paying special attention to the "first" time something is done in the new year. They often drive to the coast or climb a mountain so that they can see the first sunrise of the new year. They make their first trip of the year to a shrine or temple after midnight or the next day. They’ll have their first tea ceremony of the new year.
Haru Sushi’s assistant general manager Jay Yada recalled growing up in Hawaii with parents who respected the Japanese traditions, waking him up early no matter how much he had imbibed the night before, to take him to the local temple to wake up the gods by ringing a bell, so they could say a prayer for a good year, their children’s education, or a family member’s improved health. There, he’d pick up a lucky token for his car or his career. “I used to enjoy doing that,” he said, saying that he hasn’t found anywhere locally to participate in the temple ritual. “My mom still sends me trinkets.”
He also recalled that his family served a sort of Japanese tapas called osechiryori, where families share small portions of a roasted mochi soup, caviar marinated in sake, and other tidbits.
At Haru Sushi, the Japanese restaurant on Huntington Avenue that replaced Dick’s Last Resort a while ago, this modern Japanese restaurant chain is known for its ample portions and striking décor; this year they’ll introduce a New Year’s Eve four-course prix fixe menu with sake or wine.
“We still get people who pop their heads in here, looking for Dick’s,” said general manager Mike Slavin. He’ll also get a few customers feeling a bit underdressed for the chic décor, but Slavin insists that it’s a casual restaurant for everyone. “We’re actually catering to anyone who comes in.”
Gramercy Park Roll
Eight pieces
Japanese Short Grain Rice – they use Nomoto brand
Sushi rice vinegar
nori sheet
Crunchy tempura pieces – get tempura mix, and pour thin stream into a deep fryer, and fry until golden brown.
2 ounces superwhite escolar tuna
1 ounce tuna
1 ounce salmon
1 ounce yellow tail
fresh cilantro leaves
Lemon, rind removed and sliced thin enough so you can see through it
Yuzu tobiko – yellow flying-fish roe already infused with yuzu
pickled ginger slices
wasabi
Golden Passion sauce
Yuzu juice
white miso
sugar
ichimi red pepper powder
They didn’t have a recipe to give on this, but they said to just combine until you like how it tastes.
Spicy Mayo
Japanese mayonnaise (much egg-ier than American mayo, and worth buying but not crucial)
Korean hot pepper sauce
Tabasco
Guinea pepper paste
Again, combine to your taste. Despite the three hot sauces, this shouldn’t be so hot as to burn your mouth.
Slavin said they brought in Chef “Smoky” Zugui from a New York City branch of Haru Sushi to “roll out” the Boston restaurant last year. For New Year’s Eve, he’ll feature a prix fixe menu of Japanese selections, including the introduction of this NYC a favorite, sort of a citrusy rainbow roll. “The cilantro adds a lot of flavor,” says Yada.
Although the restaurant chain likes to guard its recipes, they offered hints on how to recreate this lemony, crunchy roll at home.
Start with a fresh batch of sushi rice; while it’s still warm, sprinkle in sushi rice vinegar to taste. Haru makes a six-cup batch with five liters of sushi vinegar, although you may want to make one liter of cooked rice to a 1 1/3 cup of sushi vinegar.
First you make an outside maki roll. Spread the rice thinly onto a clean surface, shaped to the size of the nori sheet; and place nori on top.
Top with crunchy pieces of tempura, some spicy mayo, and two ounces of super-white escolar tuna. By the way, you should always get the freshest fish possible, and you can ask for as small a portion as you’d like. Ask your trusted butcher for a good fishmonger; you can try Whole Foods, too.
By hand, roll it firmly into a sausage shape.
Line with the tuna, salmon, and yellow tail. Place plastic wrap on top, then take a bamboo sushi mat and press firmly to form the sushi into a tighter roll. Remove wrap and mat.
Top with cilantro and lemon slices; dab with golden passion sauce, and sprinkle with tobiko.
Slice with a long, extra sharp knife, and serve immediately with slices of ginger and a dab of wasabi. No soy sauce is needed for dipping.
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Close-knit community
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
In troubled times, some people seek solace in unsavory ways, but with this group, when the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.
The Greater Boston Knitting Guild has been meeting for 15 years, offering each other company and conversation while they create blankets, sweaters, hats, and other often-complicated pieces from just a ball of yarn. They’re not just making sweaters, though: they’re making connections.
Some have weaved their way into finding a job; others are transplants who knitted their brows until they figured out a way to make fast friends. Some have supported each other through surgeries and family losses.
At the very least, they support each others’ projects, with a rotating team of “doctors” to help unravel mistakes. They show off their creations or help beginners with their first strand.
Forget the stereotype of the knitwit dullard. This crowd is filled with accomplished, driven and creative people. Many are bloggers who research their patterns online, and use computer programs to design their pieces. Others can do the complicated math involved with many pieces. Many of them are successful business owners or at least are organized and resourceful types, perhaps because knitting organizes their minds. Or maybe it’s the other way around, but the point is, knitting is not just for cozy grandmas.
Busy hands
About 60 members came to the December meeting. As always, they meet the third Thursday of the month, to sit and knit. They chat and listen to speakers, but their hands are busy, busy, busy, pausing their projects only to eat their bagged lunches or to duck out early for some shopping, including at the nearby Newbury Yarns store, at 164 Newbury Street, where they can get a discount on purchases.
December’s guest speaker was knitting instructor and author Jackie Fee, sharing tips and stories with the appreciative crowd. Fee, who wore an Aram Isle pattern in an Irish-type sweater she adapted for indoor wear, is the author of "Sweater Workshop”.
"She's my mentor," said one of the group’s founders, Anita MacKinnon. "We can do anything without having to sew the seams."
During the meeting, MacKinnon knitted socks from a blue, yellow and dark green yarn. She wore her homemade Christmas knitted sweater, which has the words “fa la la la la la” written along the bottom. "My children think it's tacky," she said. In spite, she takes it with her when she visits her kids for the holidays. "I wear it a solid week, every year," she said.
The attendees also exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and held a cookie contest that was won by Jackie Fee's date balls. One knitter stood up to recommend supporting a New Orleans woman who sells yarn despite having to rebuild from the hurricane.
"These women all have interesting lives, and they take the day off to come here," said MacKinnon, who also does marketing for the College Club of Boston.
And the group also has men. Or, at least one. Board member and past president Bob Jaeger was the sole male in attendance at the December meeting, working on a wool cardigan for his wife as a Christmas present. He'll also be hosting the annual summer club retreat at his Best Western Cold Spring motel in Plymouth, where members will come and knit by the pool.
"He's a good teacher and a good knitter," said MacKinnon. "He has six kids, like I do." Jaeger added, "I knit all of them sweaters in unisex colors and styles."
Jaeger wore a decade-old gray Aran cable knit that he dug out of the attic. Most meeting attendees wore self-knitted sweaters, but it’s not a badge for entry.
"The name guild is misleading," said guild President Cheryl Mariolis, who wore her red oversize sweater made from brown sheep lambs pride bulky yarn, designed with a the help of the computer program Sweater Wizard. It sounds complicated, but actually knitting is just common sense and patience. "We don't require a level of expertise. This is really a network of people who love to knit," she added.
However, some are more creative and talented than others. Judy Dienstag of the North End held up a stunning sling purse she knitted from felted wool, which she shrunk on purpose to make a strong knit. She says people stop her on the street and ask to buy it. She also modeled a pretty Sausalito sweater jacket, lined with handmade wooden buttons from Zecca of Western Massachusetts.
For those who haven't knitted in a while, they can get tips at the club. "It's like riding a bicycle. The little motions are back, once you put the needles back in your hands, it's a muscle memory," said Jean Holtey, who owns In Stitches and The Threaded Needle in Weston. The group even provides lessons and a rotating "knitting doctor" to help out anyone with a snag.
The guild also helps out non-knitters, supporting The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Caps for Kids program and The Woman's Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for homeless and poor women and their children. Guild members have contributed hundreds of hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets, sweaters, hats, mittens, booties, and socks to these and other Boston organizations. The Guild’s community outreach coordinator, Elaine Cobucci, distributed 364 knit hats to children at Dana-Farber in November.
The guild has been meeting for about 15 years, starting with about a dozen knitters gathering at the old The Women's Educational and Industrial Union on Boylston Street. They outgrew the space and moved into the College Club of Boston, which was big enough to start inviting guest speakers that include historians, magazine editors, authors, and designers. They have speakers booked into the next year. Hitting the 200 member mark, with young and old traveling from as far away as Rhode Island and New Hampshire to attend, they had to move to a bigger space, and since the fall they now meet in the basement of Trinity Church.
The Economics and Mental Health of Yarn
Yes, knitting can be expensive. You can certainly buy a sweater off the rack for a lot cheaper than buying the yarn, but a homemade sweater can have a higher quality and design.
Holtey gives member discounts. Despite the economy, she has seen an increase of about 20-30 percent in customers since last year. Actually, she said, the economy probably boosted sales.
"You sort of don't save any money knitting, but it's very soothing and allows you to make economical gifts. It allows you to give something to someone. They're made with really nice yarn. If you've tried to buy it, it would be hundreds of dollars,” she said.
But Holtey added in this economy, many people turn to knitting to improve their mental health. It’s a pretty good secret: Knitting is the key to good mental health.
Knit, purl, lining up the rows, it all seems pretty simple. But all that math and counting, and then when you get into a groove and are just doing the repetitive motion that allows your mind to wander, it’s all about organization, about strengthening the mind muscle. Like other craftwork, there are connections between handiwork and cognitive ability, and dexterity and mental health. Books on yarn also include talks about neuroplasticity, beta or alpha or theta wave action in the brain.
"It's like meditating,” said Holtey. “The key is to get the beta waves going, which happens when you're knitting and you're in the zone."
Unfortunately, her left hand was bandaged temporarily, and she looked sad and a little itchy watching everyone else knit. "I'm moderately crazed right now," she said.
MacKinnon didn’t have a lot of time at the meeting to knit her socks, but otherwise, she knits everywhere – at the airport, on the train, watching TV – calling it a compulsion. "I knit and talk all the time," she said, but she also keeps a notepad nearby, because that’s when the ideas come. "You can really multi-task when you're knitting,” she said.
MacKinnon added the hobby is recession-proof precisely because it’s addictive and puts her in a happier mood. "When a lot is going on, people are coming back to knitting. When I had a really bad day, I knew my knitting and my needlepoint and my piano were home waiting for me," she said.
Back Bay Sun
In troubled times, some people seek solace in unsavory ways, but with this group, when the going gets tough, the tough get knitting.
The Greater Boston Knitting Guild has been meeting for 15 years, offering each other company and conversation while they create blankets, sweaters, hats, and other often-complicated pieces from just a ball of yarn. They’re not just making sweaters, though: they’re making connections.
Some have weaved their way into finding a job; others are transplants who knitted their brows until they figured out a way to make fast friends. Some have supported each other through surgeries and family losses.
At the very least, they support each others’ projects, with a rotating team of “doctors” to help unravel mistakes. They show off their creations or help beginners with their first strand.
Forget the stereotype of the knitwit dullard. This crowd is filled with accomplished, driven and creative people. Many are bloggers who research their patterns online, and use computer programs to design their pieces. Others can do the complicated math involved with many pieces. Many of them are successful business owners or at least are organized and resourceful types, perhaps because knitting organizes their minds. Or maybe it’s the other way around, but the point is, knitting is not just for cozy grandmas.
Busy hands
About 60 members came to the December meeting. As always, they meet the third Thursday of the month, to sit and knit. They chat and listen to speakers, but their hands are busy, busy, busy, pausing their projects only to eat their bagged lunches or to duck out early for some shopping, including at the nearby Newbury Yarns store, at 164 Newbury Street, where they can get a discount on purchases.
December’s guest speaker was knitting instructor and author Jackie Fee, sharing tips and stories with the appreciative crowd. Fee, who wore an Aram Isle pattern in an Irish-type sweater she adapted for indoor wear, is the author of "Sweater Workshop”.
"She's my mentor," said one of the group’s founders, Anita MacKinnon. "We can do anything without having to sew the seams."
During the meeting, MacKinnon knitted socks from a blue, yellow and dark green yarn. She wore her homemade Christmas knitted sweater, which has the words “fa la la la la la” written along the bottom. "My children think it's tacky," she said. In spite, she takes it with her when she visits her kids for the holidays. "I wear it a solid week, every year," she said.
The attendees also exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and held a cookie contest that was won by Jackie Fee's date balls. One knitter stood up to recommend supporting a New Orleans woman who sells yarn despite having to rebuild from the hurricane.
"These women all have interesting lives, and they take the day off to come here," said MacKinnon, who also does marketing for the College Club of Boston.
And the group also has men. Or, at least one. Board member and past president Bob Jaeger was the sole male in attendance at the December meeting, working on a wool cardigan for his wife as a Christmas present. He'll also be hosting the annual summer club retreat at his Best Western Cold Spring motel in Plymouth, where members will come and knit by the pool.
"He's a good teacher and a good knitter," said MacKinnon. "He has six kids, like I do." Jaeger added, "I knit all of them sweaters in unisex colors and styles."
Jaeger wore a decade-old gray Aran cable knit that he dug out of the attic. Most meeting attendees wore self-knitted sweaters, but it’s not a badge for entry.
"The name guild is misleading," said guild President Cheryl Mariolis, who wore her red oversize sweater made from brown sheep lambs pride bulky yarn, designed with a the help of the computer program Sweater Wizard. It sounds complicated, but actually knitting is just common sense and patience. "We don't require a level of expertise. This is really a network of people who love to knit," she added.
However, some are more creative and talented than others. Judy Dienstag of the North End held up a stunning sling purse she knitted from felted wool, which she shrunk on purpose to make a strong knit. She says people stop her on the street and ask to buy it. She also modeled a pretty Sausalito sweater jacket, lined with handmade wooden buttons from Zecca of Western Massachusetts.
For those who haven't knitted in a while, they can get tips at the club. "It's like riding a bicycle. The little motions are back, once you put the needles back in your hands, it's a muscle memory," said Jean Holtey, who owns In Stitches and The Threaded Needle in Weston. The group even provides lessons and a rotating "knitting doctor" to help out anyone with a snag.
The guild also helps out non-knitters, supporting The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Caps for Kids program and The Woman's Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for homeless and poor women and their children. Guild members have contributed hundreds of hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets, sweaters, hats, mittens, booties, and socks to these and other Boston organizations. The Guild’s community outreach coordinator, Elaine Cobucci, distributed 364 knit hats to children at Dana-Farber in November.
The guild has been meeting for about 15 years, starting with about a dozen knitters gathering at the old The Women's Educational and Industrial Union on Boylston Street. They outgrew the space and moved into the College Club of Boston, which was big enough to start inviting guest speakers that include historians, magazine editors, authors, and designers. They have speakers booked into the next year. Hitting the 200 member mark, with young and old traveling from as far away as Rhode Island and New Hampshire to attend, they had to move to a bigger space, and since the fall they now meet in the basement of Trinity Church.
The Economics and Mental Health of Yarn
Yes, knitting can be expensive. You can certainly buy a sweater off the rack for a lot cheaper than buying the yarn, but a homemade sweater can have a higher quality and design.
Holtey gives member discounts. Despite the economy, she has seen an increase of about 20-30 percent in customers since last year. Actually, she said, the economy probably boosted sales.
"You sort of don't save any money knitting, but it's very soothing and allows you to make economical gifts. It allows you to give something to someone. They're made with really nice yarn. If you've tried to buy it, it would be hundreds of dollars,” she said.
But Holtey added in this economy, many people turn to knitting to improve their mental health. It’s a pretty good secret: Knitting is the key to good mental health.
Knit, purl, lining up the rows, it all seems pretty simple. But all that math and counting, and then when you get into a groove and are just doing the repetitive motion that allows your mind to wander, it’s all about organization, about strengthening the mind muscle. Like other craftwork, there are connections between handiwork and cognitive ability, and dexterity and mental health. Books on yarn also include talks about neuroplasticity, beta or alpha or theta wave action in the brain.
"It's like meditating,” said Holtey. “The key is to get the beta waves going, which happens when you're knitting and you're in the zone."
Unfortunately, her left hand was bandaged temporarily, and she looked sad and a little itchy watching everyone else knit. "I'm moderately crazed right now," she said.
MacKinnon didn’t have a lot of time at the meeting to knit her socks, but otherwise, she knits everywhere – at the airport, on the train, watching TV – calling it a compulsion. "I knit and talk all the time," she said, but she also keeps a notepad nearby, because that’s when the ideas come. "You can really multi-task when you're knitting,” she said.
MacKinnon added the hobby is recession-proof precisely because it’s addictive and puts her in a happier mood. "When a lot is going on, people are coming back to knitting. When I had a really bad day, I knew my knitting and my needlepoint and my piano were home waiting for me," she said.
Time is running out to view 'Souvenir de Boston'; side on Axelle
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
Art lovers will only have until January 15 to view Michel Delacroix’s, “Souvenir de Boston,” a winter scene of the Boston Public Garden on display at the Four Seasons Hotel.
It is the second such painting that Delacroix had made of the garden. He had created an autumnal view of the Public Garden for a benefit Axelle Fine Arts Boston did for the Friends of the Public Garden in 2007. “The painting was in the window, and we had clients fighting over it,” recalled Amse Hammershaimb, Axelle’s senior art consultant.
Based on the success of that painting, Delacroix decided to do another one, a winter version, which is a 24-by-28 ½-inch acrylic on canvas.
The 91 Newbury St. gallery consultant decided to loan the painting to the hotel, partly because it was a natural since the Four Seasons is featured in it.
“It was so stunning, and it was in front of the Four Seasons,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better home for this painting.”
Hammershaimb sent a letter and an image of the painting to hotel general manager Bill Taylor, who called her the next day. “He said he loved the painting, and he’d love to have it in the lobby for the holidays,” she said.
Delacroix is a French master of the naïf tradition whose work has been featured in over 300 US solo exhibitions, as well as around the world. Delacroix was selected an Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and commissioned to paint three works.
The other reason why the gallery decided to loan it out was to try a little marketing creativity. The hotel used the painting for its Christmas card, and otherwise, the painting saw foot traffic the gallery may not have otherwise received.
“I do have to say that I believe that had our economic situation been a little more stable, this would not be only a loan,” said Virginia Lockwood, an administrator at Axelle. “We are, however, happy to have the exposure. This is a great way to reach both tourists and Boston natives that have yet to visit the gallery.”
Said Hammershaimb, “We’re thinking left and right on how to do the best we can in this economy.”
The happy result is that the painting was sold to former locals who now live in New York, and it increased foot traffic to both the gallery and the Four Seasons.
“It started as reaching out to the Four Seasons, but now it’s gaining exposure for the gallery,” said Hammershaimb. “It’s about thinking who might be interested in certain pieces. I definitely think we got people in here that we wouldn’t have received before. In turn, we have clients of Michel Delacroix that we’ve sent to the Fours Seasons as well. It’s a nice way for the Four Seasons to get exposure.”
back to top...
Spotlighting the Vose Galleries by Sandra Miller
A cheapskate on a date can skip the entrance fees at one of the local museums and just wander around the many art galleries along Newbury Street.
Sure, you can look at the Museum of Fine Arts or other museums, but sometimes you just want to browse artwork that’s a little more available.
“You can see a lot of great art, take a break from your shopping, see art in a great brownstone,” says Beth Vose, whose family owns Vose Galleries at 238 Newbury Street. “A lot of people spend a lot of time looking at the pieces. We were named a good date place by one of the local magazines.”
And maybe, just maybe, on a whim and a roomy credit card, you might just be able to afford one piece of art from Vose Galleries of Boston, who now feature a “Works Under $10,000” section.
Vose specializes in 18th, 19th and early 20th century American realist paintings and works on paper. They started the “budget” section to target those who love art but are scared off by some of the local galleries’ price points. It’s still high quality paintings, but it’s a 400-piece collection of “moderately priced” works by artists such as Ernest Albert, Thomas Allen, Joel Babb and Reynolds Beal.
Vose Galleries is a multi-generation gallery that opened in 1841, but they’re definitely in the 21st century, with a sophisticated website that includes search features, a “personal gallery” for your own browsing consideration, an e-newsletter, and e-mail alerts about newly added artworks for sale. “We’re doing a whole lot over the Internet,” says Vose.
Passed down through six generations from father to son- now daughters - Vose says it is the oldest family-owned art gallery in America, with paintings hanging in over 150 museums nationwide, and it claims to have the largest inventory of American realist paintings in New England.
In 2001, after a nearly 40-year hiatus, Vose Galleries opened a contemporary division, marking its return to handling the work of living artists.
“The Works Under $10,000 is fairly unusual because many galleries don’t like to put prices on a website,” says Vose. “We think it’s important. We may be reaching those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting us. Maybe they’re a beginning collector. Some people don’t realize we have works under $10,000.”
Back Bay Sun
Art lovers will only have until January 15 to view Michel Delacroix’s, “Souvenir de Boston,” a winter scene of the Boston Public Garden on display at the Four Seasons Hotel.
It is the second such painting that Delacroix had made of the garden. He had created an autumnal view of the Public Garden for a benefit Axelle Fine Arts Boston did for the Friends of the Public Garden in 2007. “The painting was in the window, and we had clients fighting over it,” recalled Amse Hammershaimb, Axelle’s senior art consultant.
Based on the success of that painting, Delacroix decided to do another one, a winter version, which is a 24-by-28 ½-inch acrylic on canvas.
The 91 Newbury St. gallery consultant decided to loan the painting to the hotel, partly because it was a natural since the Four Seasons is featured in it.
“It was so stunning, and it was in front of the Four Seasons,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine a better home for this painting.”
Hammershaimb sent a letter and an image of the painting to hotel general manager Bill Taylor, who called her the next day. “He said he loved the painting, and he’d love to have it in the lobby for the holidays,” she said.
Delacroix is a French master of the naïf tradition whose work has been featured in over 300 US solo exhibitions, as well as around the world. Delacroix was selected an Official Artist of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and commissioned to paint three works.
The other reason why the gallery decided to loan it out was to try a little marketing creativity. The hotel used the painting for its Christmas card, and otherwise, the painting saw foot traffic the gallery may not have otherwise received.
“I do have to say that I believe that had our economic situation been a little more stable, this would not be only a loan,” said Virginia Lockwood, an administrator at Axelle. “We are, however, happy to have the exposure. This is a great way to reach both tourists and Boston natives that have yet to visit the gallery.”
Said Hammershaimb, “We’re thinking left and right on how to do the best we can in this economy.”
The happy result is that the painting was sold to former locals who now live in New York, and it increased foot traffic to both the gallery and the Four Seasons.
“It started as reaching out to the Four Seasons, but now it’s gaining exposure for the gallery,” said Hammershaimb. “It’s about thinking who might be interested in certain pieces. I definitely think we got people in here that we wouldn’t have received before. In turn, we have clients of Michel Delacroix that we’ve sent to the Fours Seasons as well. It’s a nice way for the Four Seasons to get exposure.”
back to top...
Spotlighting the Vose Galleries by Sandra Miller
A cheapskate on a date can skip the entrance fees at one of the local museums and just wander around the many art galleries along Newbury Street.
Sure, you can look at the Museum of Fine Arts or other museums, but sometimes you just want to browse artwork that’s a little more available.
“You can see a lot of great art, take a break from your shopping, see art in a great brownstone,” says Beth Vose, whose family owns Vose Galleries at 238 Newbury Street. “A lot of people spend a lot of time looking at the pieces. We were named a good date place by one of the local magazines.”
And maybe, just maybe, on a whim and a roomy credit card, you might just be able to afford one piece of art from Vose Galleries of Boston, who now feature a “Works Under $10,000” section.
Vose specializes in 18th, 19th and early 20th century American realist paintings and works on paper. They started the “budget” section to target those who love art but are scared off by some of the local galleries’ price points. It’s still high quality paintings, but it’s a 400-piece collection of “moderately priced” works by artists such as Ernest Albert, Thomas Allen, Joel Babb and Reynolds Beal.
Vose Galleries is a multi-generation gallery that opened in 1841, but they’re definitely in the 21st century, with a sophisticated website that includes search features, a “personal gallery” for your own browsing consideration, an e-newsletter, and e-mail alerts about newly added artworks for sale. “We’re doing a whole lot over the Internet,” says Vose.
Passed down through six generations from father to son- now daughters - Vose says it is the oldest family-owned art gallery in America, with paintings hanging in over 150 museums nationwide, and it claims to have the largest inventory of American realist paintings in New England.
In 2001, after a nearly 40-year hiatus, Vose Galleries opened a contemporary division, marking its return to handling the work of living artists.
“The Works Under $10,000 is fairly unusual because many galleries don’t like to put prices on a website,” says Vose. “We think it’s important. We may be reaching those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable contacting us. Maybe they’re a beginning collector. Some people don’t realize we have works under $10,000.”
Friday, December 19, 2008
DaVinci's Chef Peppino shares recipe Tagliatelli with Shrimp
Cutline: Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Da Vinci Ristorante is Shingara Singh, better known as Chef Peppino. He is preparing his homemade tagliatelli, sautéing it with shrimp and cherry tomatoes.
By Sandra Miller
Shingara Singh, better known as Chef Peppino, was destined to be top chef. He grew up on a farm in India where he helped his father grow wheat, sugar cane, and vegetables, and his mother kept him out of the kitchen.
When he turned 16, he decided to join his brother, who was cooking in Germany, and lived with an Italian family in Hanover. This family owned an Italian restaurant, Leonardo Da Vinci, and within a month Singh moved from washing dishes to preparing food, and was christened Peppino. Discovering his passion for cooking, Peppino learned everything he could about traditional Italian cooking during his seven years there. At 23, he moved to Boston and was in the kitchen at The House of Blues in Cambridge, then became executive chef at La Campania in Waltham, where he developed a loyal following.
After 10 years, Chef Peppino and his longtime friend and Poland native Wioletta Zywina opened Da Vinci. A year later, the restaurant is apparently doing pretty good.
Shortly after opening, the restaurant received recognition from the distinguished James Beard Foundation as the “notable new restaurant in Boston.” Chef Peppino even has been invited to prepare lunch for members of the foundation at the prestigious James Beard House in February.
Despite the economy, DaVinci’s has had about 11 holiday parties this month, and reports busy weekends. During the week, they offer a three-course dinner for $29 on Mondays and Tuesdays, a $59 five-course dinner on Wednesdays, and are taking reservations for three-course and five-course New Year’s Eve tasting dinners. Says general manager Michael Wolfson, “We had a great December.”
Chef Peppino chooses to stick with mostly Italian recipes that are “clean-tasting,” and so he doesn’t offer much in cream sauces. The only heavy sauce, a gorgonzola on beef tenderloin, will be replaced in January with a lighter chianti sauce.
The pasta is cooked to order, adding to the freshness of the dishes. His divine Bolognese sauce cooks a minimum of five hours to add to the flavor – when Wolfson first started at DaVinci, it was only served as a special. “It was the best I’d ever tasted,” said Wolfson, a big Bolognese fan. “I insisted that they put it on the menu.” They did. He’s gained 30 pounds in the past year, although he insists he’s eating for three – his wife is six months pregnant, and he’s eating in sympathy for her. “It’s my duty,” he says.
Peppino just got in some black and white truffles from Costa’s in Charlestown, which he will be creating some specials around this week. For his winter menu, he’s working on some recipes surrounding mushrooms and baby turnips. Peppino also loves the gamier meats, such as rabbit, pheasant and quail, and serves a “two way duck” with crispy leg confit and grilled breast, finished with a dry apricot pear brandy sauce.
He also had me try two unusual sorbettis, one made from celery and lemon, which accompanies a beef carpaccio appetizer, another with basil, which he serves to special guests. They were different, but delicious. Over the summer, he served arugula sorbet, which he had to convince his customers to try. Peppino insisted, telling them, “Trust me.’” They did, and they loved it, he said.
For a more traditional dessert, he recommends the hot chocolate soufflé, which takes 20 minutes to make, so he tells customers to order ahead.
The food is delicious, thanks to Peppino’s long hours and dedication to making things from scratch. His day begins at 7am with a trip to the Chelsea fruit and vegetable market, then he makes his own sausage, bread, gnocchi and pasta. Part of the night he’s in the kitchen, and the second half, he’s out talking with the diners. “This place is my wife,” says Peppino, who is single. “I want to make my guests happy. So far, I’m doing good.”
His foccacia , a light and tasty onion-encrusted bread, is served with a chickpea spread that he seasons with mint for an extra depth, and his own basil-infused olive oil. His pasta is made to order, for extra sparkle.
He also doesn’t list the fish on the menu, since it depends on what’s fresh that day, and what tips he receives from his former Campania colleague Max Harvey, now at the Summer Shack. When DaVinci’s had a dinner party that ordered wanted halibut, Peppino went to the fish market that day and didn’t like the fish, so he convinced the dinner party that night to switch to sea bass. “They said, ‘We love a chef who picks his own fish!’” recalled Wolfson. “They were blown away by the striped bass.”
Peppino may work long hours, but he’s so bubbly and enthusiastic about his food, that his energy translates into his dishes.
“He has a passion,” says server Benni Nika. “He doesn’t do it for money. It’s a gift.” Nika makes a motion as if grinding pepper: “God seasoned him with a gift.”
Tagliatelli with Shrimp
Serves one
4 oz. Tagliatelli (or two ounces for lunch or appetizer portion)
8 each shrimp 16/20, cleaned
1 oz. fresh garlic, sliced thin
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ oz. butter, unsalted (he likes Cabot)
½ cup dry white wine, such as a chablis
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil (he prefers Il Moretto)
4-5 leaves parsley (chopped)
Pinch sea salt
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper – his is a mix of pink, black and white peppercorns.
This is such an easy recipe, taking just minutes to make once the ingredients are prepared. Made with fresh pasta, this recipe is light and bursting with flavor.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan. Add sliced garlic until lightly brown.
Add shrimp, 30 seconds on each side. Add butter and cherry tomatoes, and cook for one minute.
Meanwhile, place pasta in salted, boiling water for two minutes.
Add wine, parsley, salt and pepper to sauté pan and cook for two minutes.
Drain pasta and add to sauté pan, cooking for a minute.
Twirl the twirl the pasta in the sauce, and remove the pasta to the plate. Add the shrimp and tomatoes, and then pour the sauce over it all.
Top it with a drizzle of EVOO and microgreens.
“I want people to see the plate first, and then eat,” says Chef Peppino.
This dish was served with a 2006 Terradora di Paolo, Falanghina, a dry, oakless white wine. Their wine menu is heavy on the Italian, but a month ago they expanded to a more international range of wines.
Da Vinci Ristorante
162 Columbus Avenue near Park Square
617.350.0007
www.davinciboston.com.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Back Bay residents take part in Boston Ballet's 'Nutcracker'
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
The Boston Ballet’s 41st annual performance of The Nutcracker, selects 244 children, including 30 local dancers, to perform as dolls, cavalry, reinder, lambs, mice, and the role of Clara.
Fiona, 9, and Nicola Henderson, 11, of Marlborough Street, were soldiers this year. Veterans of the Boston Ballet School since they were 3 years old, their mom, Laura Henderson, first enrolled them “for coordination and posture. They decided they wanted to continue,” she said.
About five years ago, they tried out for “The Nutcracker,” and were thrilled when they were selected. “A lot try out, a lot make it, a lot don’t,” said Henderson. “It’s luck, height, how you fit into the costumes. It’s a great experience for kids to be a part of.”
They were soldiers last year, too, and before that, angels. Last week, the girls performed for the mayor, whose wife and granddaughter brought them flowers.
The rehearsals begin in October, on top of ballet classes. It’s six ballet days a week for the Henderson girls, whose 6-year-old sister plans to try out in two years. They don’t perform in all 35 shows, however. The child dancers are split into three groups, so each performs in about 12 shows.
“It’s a commitment on every parent’s part,” said Henderson, who socializes with the other Nutcracker parents, and serves on the Boston Ballet’s board of overseers. “It’s an honor for every parent. The first time is always special. This time, they know the drill. They love being in it. It’s such great exercise.”
For boy dancers, it’s a little more physical. “I have to keep fit, so I have to do push-ups and sit-ups and also run,” said Jefferson Payne, 13, of Taylor Street, who plays Fritz. “Before class, you have to stretch and be prepared. Every step in ballet class is another step you get better in. It’s very inspiring. I really love it.”
Jefferson has been with Boston Ballet for 10 years, and is in his sixth year with “The Nutcracker”. His debut was as a baby mouse, and he loved it, so he went on to being a party boy for two years, and has been Fritz for the past three years. “Each year, you learn something new,” he said. “There are other Fritzes you get inspired by. It’s actually really different than last year, even though I have the same part. You have different people performing, and different sub-casts. There are problems on stage that you have to fix.”
Jefferson is in eighth grade at the Josiah Quincy School, where he also performs in school productions. He also plays the piano and guitar and is learning how to tap dance and do flamenco.
“I really love expressing myself,” said Jefferson, who wants to be a professional dancer someday. “I love to perform and love showing the audience what I can do.”
He advises anyone, including boys interested in dancing, to try ballet. “It’s very good in that whatever happens, if you get let down, you learn to keep on trying and never give up. Someday your dream will come true,” he said.
The annual holiday tradition of Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker, this year back at the restored Opera House, runs through December 28. The Nutcracker, a classical ballet based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, follows the journey of young Clara, who receives a nutcracker as a gift at a Christmas Eve party. Her nutcracker is ultimately transformed into a handsome young prince, who leads her through an enchanted forest and on to the Palace of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy. Among the ballet’s most famous and memorable moments are a battle between toy soldiers and overgrown mice, a Christmas tree that grows to huge heights, the pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and a shimmering snow scene. It’s a must-see for many Boston families, and for many kids an introduction to the performing arts.
Tickets to “The Nutcracker” can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 617-931-2787, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or in person at Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5p.m.
Locke-Ober is offering free dessert to all children who dine with their families at the restaurant before or after a performance of the Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” this holiday season. To qualify, the child must be 15 and under, and must present their theater ticket stub. “I can still recall my first meal at Locke-Ober as a young child,” said chef Lydia Shire. “My eyes were wide as saucers and just in awe of this beautiful building.”
Back Bay Sun
The Boston Ballet’s 41st annual performance of The Nutcracker, selects 244 children, including 30 local dancers, to perform as dolls, cavalry, reinder, lambs, mice, and the role of Clara.
Fiona, 9, and Nicola Henderson, 11, of Marlborough Street, were soldiers this year. Veterans of the Boston Ballet School since they were 3 years old, their mom, Laura Henderson, first enrolled them “for coordination and posture. They decided they wanted to continue,” she said.
About five years ago, they tried out for “The Nutcracker,” and were thrilled when they were selected. “A lot try out, a lot make it, a lot don’t,” said Henderson. “It’s luck, height, how you fit into the costumes. It’s a great experience for kids to be a part of.”
They were soldiers last year, too, and before that, angels. Last week, the girls performed for the mayor, whose wife and granddaughter brought them flowers.
The rehearsals begin in October, on top of ballet classes. It’s six ballet days a week for the Henderson girls, whose 6-year-old sister plans to try out in two years. They don’t perform in all 35 shows, however. The child dancers are split into three groups, so each performs in about 12 shows.
“It’s a commitment on every parent’s part,” said Henderson, who socializes with the other Nutcracker parents, and serves on the Boston Ballet’s board of overseers. “It’s an honor for every parent. The first time is always special. This time, they know the drill. They love being in it. It’s such great exercise.”
For boy dancers, it’s a little more physical. “I have to keep fit, so I have to do push-ups and sit-ups and also run,” said Jefferson Payne, 13, of Taylor Street, who plays Fritz. “Before class, you have to stretch and be prepared. Every step in ballet class is another step you get better in. It’s very inspiring. I really love it.”
Jefferson has been with Boston Ballet for 10 years, and is in his sixth year with “The Nutcracker”. His debut was as a baby mouse, and he loved it, so he went on to being a party boy for two years, and has been Fritz for the past three years. “Each year, you learn something new,” he said. “There are other Fritzes you get inspired by. It’s actually really different than last year, even though I have the same part. You have different people performing, and different sub-casts. There are problems on stage that you have to fix.”
Jefferson is in eighth grade at the Josiah Quincy School, where he also performs in school productions. He also plays the piano and guitar and is learning how to tap dance and do flamenco.
“I really love expressing myself,” said Jefferson, who wants to be a professional dancer someday. “I love to perform and love showing the audience what I can do.”
He advises anyone, including boys interested in dancing, to try ballet. “It’s very good in that whatever happens, if you get let down, you learn to keep on trying and never give up. Someday your dream will come true,” he said.
The annual holiday tradition of Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker, this year back at the restored Opera House, runs through December 28. The Nutcracker, a classical ballet based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, follows the journey of young Clara, who receives a nutcracker as a gift at a Christmas Eve party. Her nutcracker is ultimately transformed into a handsome young prince, who leads her through an enchanted forest and on to the Palace of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy. Among the ballet’s most famous and memorable moments are a battle between toy soldiers and overgrown mice, a Christmas tree that grows to huge heights, the pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and a shimmering snow scene. It’s a must-see for many Boston families, and for many kids an introduction to the performing arts.
Tickets to “The Nutcracker” can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 617-931-2787, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or in person at Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5p.m.
Locke-Ober is offering free dessert to all children who dine with their families at the restaurant before or after a performance of the Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” this holiday season. To qualify, the child must be 15 and under, and must present their theater ticket stub. “I can still recall my first meal at Locke-Ober as a young child,” said chef Lydia Shire. “My eyes were wide as saucers and just in awe of this beautiful building.”
Public Health Commission eyes long-range smoking limitations
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun, Beacon Hill Times, Regional Review
Last week, the Boston Public Health Commission unanimously voted to shut down cigar bars in 10 years, banned cigarette sales at drugstores and on college campuses in the city and eliminated smoking at outdoor areas of restaurants and bars, rules that will go into effect in 60 days.
For cigar bars, it's not a huge hit. They have 10 years to find another livelihood, unless by then they're granted another 10-year extension. Boston has a handful of spots where patrons can enjoy a cigar or even a hookah, or tobacco pipe. Many opponents to the ban blame the hookah for drawing such attention, since it attracts youth primarily.
Since the vote on Thursday, it drew more attention, and perhaps more business, to the likes of Stanza del Sigari under Caffe Vittoria and Filippo Restaurant on Causeway, in the North End; Cigar Masters on Boylston Street, the one at the Bostonian Hotel; Tangierino in Charlestown, and Tufts Smoke Shop on Bennington Street in East Boston. Patrons can try a hookah at places like Tantric India Bistro on Stuart Street and Kashmir Indian Restaurant on Newbury Street.
Boston has six cigar bars and five hookah lounges, which are safe for years. However, no new such lounges will be permitted to open in the future.
City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina is a bit torn on the matter. He's a nonsmoker who was formerly a bartender, and he wishes the cigarette ban had occurred back then. "I love the strict no-smoking rules," he said.
But he also believes people have the right to choose where they work and whether to light up a cigar.
"The cigar bars we have right now should have been grandfathered in," he said. "When you're 21 years old, you make the decision to smoke. I'm a nonsmoker. I personally don't like smoking, but there are people who enjoy having a cigar. If smoke bothers you, you aren't going to work for the cigar bar."
As for the pharmacies losing the right to sell cigarettes, LaMattina said the real key is enforcement, not banning certain institutions from selling products. "The city loves to have strict tobacco laws, but the mission should be to make sure it's impossible for teenagers to have access. So you have special shops where they're carding people. On the smoking laws, Boston is taking the lead in Massachusetts," he said.
Many cigar and hookah bars closed shop when the cigarette ban occurred years ago. State disease trackers recently found that the four-year-old statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars seems to have helped to dramatically reduce deaths from heart attacks.
Pharmacy chains and tobacco companies had argued that smokers will just go outside the city to buy their tobacco, and will take some of their non-cigarette purchases with them. This law will affect about 75 pharmacies and a few campus convenience stores. Starting immediately, smoking won't be permitted on the patios of restaurants and bars that have outdoor service.
"Boston has taken another step that puts it in the forefront in the United States in protecting people against secondhand smoke," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an antismoking group based in Washington, D.C. "Boston rules are now as tough or tougher than [those in] any other city in the country."
Back Bay Sun, Beacon Hill Times, Regional Review
Last week, the Boston Public Health Commission unanimously voted to shut down cigar bars in 10 years, banned cigarette sales at drugstores and on college campuses in the city and eliminated smoking at outdoor areas of restaurants and bars, rules that will go into effect in 60 days.
For cigar bars, it's not a huge hit. They have 10 years to find another livelihood, unless by then they're granted another 10-year extension. Boston has a handful of spots where patrons can enjoy a cigar or even a hookah, or tobacco pipe. Many opponents to the ban blame the hookah for drawing such attention, since it attracts youth primarily.
Since the vote on Thursday, it drew more attention, and perhaps more business, to the likes of Stanza del Sigari under Caffe Vittoria and Filippo Restaurant on Causeway, in the North End; Cigar Masters on Boylston Street, the one at the Bostonian Hotel; Tangierino in Charlestown, and Tufts Smoke Shop on Bennington Street in East Boston. Patrons can try a hookah at places like Tantric India Bistro on Stuart Street and Kashmir Indian Restaurant on Newbury Street.
Boston has six cigar bars and five hookah lounges, which are safe for years. However, no new such lounges will be permitted to open in the future.
City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina is a bit torn on the matter. He's a nonsmoker who was formerly a bartender, and he wishes the cigarette ban had occurred back then. "I love the strict no-smoking rules," he said.
But he also believes people have the right to choose where they work and whether to light up a cigar.
"The cigar bars we have right now should have been grandfathered in," he said. "When you're 21 years old, you make the decision to smoke. I'm a nonsmoker. I personally don't like smoking, but there are people who enjoy having a cigar. If smoke bothers you, you aren't going to work for the cigar bar."
As for the pharmacies losing the right to sell cigarettes, LaMattina said the real key is enforcement, not banning certain institutions from selling products. "The city loves to have strict tobacco laws, but the mission should be to make sure it's impossible for teenagers to have access. So you have special shops where they're carding people. On the smoking laws, Boston is taking the lead in Massachusetts," he said.
Many cigar and hookah bars closed shop when the cigarette ban occurred years ago. State disease trackers recently found that the four-year-old statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars seems to have helped to dramatically reduce deaths from heart attacks.
Pharmacy chains and tobacco companies had argued that smokers will just go outside the city to buy their tobacco, and will take some of their non-cigarette purchases with them. This law will affect about 75 pharmacies and a few campus convenience stores. Starting immediately, smoking won't be permitted on the patios of restaurants and bars that have outdoor service.
"Boston has taken another step that puts it in the forefront in the United States in protecting people against secondhand smoke," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an antismoking group based in Washington, D.C. "Boston rules are now as tough or tougher than [those in] any other city in the country."
Atlantic Fish remains closed, but employees continue to work
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
Last month, an electrical short circuit sparked a fire that caused more than a million dollars in damages and shut down Atlantic Fish restaurant and Crate and Barrel on Boylston Street.
Crate and Barrel opened its doors on Black Friday, but so far, Atlantic Fish still has no opening date, said spokesperson Amy Daniels. “We’ve been hard at work getting the restaurant back in shape for mid-January,” she said.
However, Daniels noted that they were able to relocate the majority of the Atlantic Fish staff to other areas around the Back Bay Restaurant Group. Chef Tim Partridge is working at Abe & Louie’s. “One of our hostesses is working in the support center in payroll and marketing projects,” added Daniels. “We have our staff working all over so they can still collect pay around the holidays.”
In the meantime, holiday parties and other scheduled dinners were also relocated to the chain’s other area restaurants: Abe & Louie's, Atlantic Fish, Coach Grill, Bouchee, Papa Razzi, Joe's American Bar and Grill and Charley's.
“It was an unfortunate time of the year for this to happen, but like everything in life, Back Bay Restaurant Group has made the best of it, and we’ve really done a good job looking out for our employees,” she said.
And while they’re rebuilding the restaurant, Atlantic Fish owners decided that, design wise, “We decided not to change a thing.”
Back Bay Sun
Last month, an electrical short circuit sparked a fire that caused more than a million dollars in damages and shut down Atlantic Fish restaurant and Crate and Barrel on Boylston Street.
Crate and Barrel opened its doors on Black Friday, but so far, Atlantic Fish still has no opening date, said spokesperson Amy Daniels. “We’ve been hard at work getting the restaurant back in shape for mid-January,” she said.
However, Daniels noted that they were able to relocate the majority of the Atlantic Fish staff to other areas around the Back Bay Restaurant Group. Chef Tim Partridge is working at Abe & Louie’s. “One of our hostesses is working in the support center in payroll and marketing projects,” added Daniels. “We have our staff working all over so they can still collect pay around the holidays.”
In the meantime, holiday parties and other scheduled dinners were also relocated to the chain’s other area restaurants: Abe & Louie's, Atlantic Fish, Coach Grill, Bouchee, Papa Razzi, Joe's American Bar and Grill and Charley's.
“It was an unfortunate time of the year for this to happen, but like everything in life, Back Bay Restaurant Group has made the best of it, and we’ve really done a good job looking out for our employees,” she said.
And while they’re rebuilding the restaurant, Atlantic Fish owners decided that, design wise, “We decided not to change a thing.”
Warm thoughts, cold ideas
by Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
In this cold cruel world, which is going to get colder verrrrrrry soon, we all could use some reminders about how to stay warm in the next few months.
Warm your buns:
The private dining room at Bina Osteria has heated seats, despite being an indoor restaurant.
Stephanie’s on Newbury may be the place to lounge outside in the summer with an iced tea, but wintertime, lounge with a chicken pot pie for comfort food by the fire.
On a diet? Climb the stairs to Emerge’s fourth floor hearth. “It’s as attractive to many people as the spa,” says Emerge owner Joyce Hampers.
Of course, Emerge and almost every spa along Newbury Street and Boylston features sauna, hot rocks, and other heat treatments that go skin-deep. Also be sure to sign up your muscles for a little yoga at one of the many fine Back Bay studios.
Warm your soul:
Bring some canned food to your church’s food pantry, and ask how you can help other families hit hard by the economy.
Warm your heart:
o Whole Foods, at Cambridge Street and Symphony, have a number of items that give back: buying one FEED 100 bag provides food to a Rwandan child for 100 days.
Warm your brain: Head over to Borders in-between bar hopping. Perhaps a guide to the Bahamas will help you to think warm. Also try something heartwarming, such as former Bostonian Dolley Carlson’s happy little “Christmas Gifts from the Heart,” which overflows with thoughtful, joyful, heartfelt ideas for Christmas giving.
Warm your body: at home, wrap yourself in a luxury hotel robe from Frette (at the Mandarin Orientale), made of cotton velour with two two-side pockets. Best of Scotland Cashmere Outlet on Newbury Street will also insulate your wallet with dollars. Want to be warm but not bulky? Think layers at Patagonia, 346 Newbury Street, with Capilene and Wool Baselayers for toasty tops and bottoms. Top it with an Anthropologie bright red Idra Count-The-Stars Jacket, a cinched-waist wool melton jacket lined with polka dots and topped with a detachable hood.
$178.00
Warm Your Toes: Yes, there are always Uggs, but for style that meets warm AND comfy, try the boots with Nike Air soles at Cole Haan, at109 Newbury St. Don’t forget the socks. Nothing beats Smartwool socks, which can be picked up at Eastern Mountain Sports, 855 Boylston St.
A warm bed:
Down To Basics at 249 Newbury St. swears by “Our Very Best Siberian Down Comforter in a Swiss Batiste shell” featuring a Winter Diagon Patented Design.
Drink and Bowl:
Follow a round of bowling with the spiked Butterscotch Eggnog at Kings Lanes.
Warm liquids:
Check out Bauer Wines and spirits at 330 Newbury Street, for an 18-year-old Macallan Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, or a Warre’s Vintage Port. Feeling a bit pinched? Pop in Saturday for a free wine tasting.
Since childhood, we’ve known the magic that only hot cocoa can conjure. At Aroma, try a sake bottleful of Vosges “haut chocolate,” made from milk chocolate and vanilla bean. Its rich, thick liquid tastes like a candy bar, down to the tasty dregs at the bottom of your cup. Aroma manager Emily Fortin also recommends the white chocolate with lavender flowers and the red-fire ancho chile chocolate, although she prefers the unsweetened Perengotti dutched cocoa, to which she adds peppermint and sugar. Try to get in early, because the café has a lot of seats that get filled quickly.
Or travel up to the third floor and take home a box of Winter Spice Chai from Timeless Teas, which buys its black tea from Sri Lanka, where the business’ family is from.
Warm your dog: Oftentimes, a dog's natural coat just isn't enough to keep warm in Boston's below-zero temperatures. Pawsh Dog Boutique at 31 Gloucester Street carries fleece, shearling, and faux fur-trimmed hooded parkas to keep Fido toasty warm.
Back Bay Sun
In this cold cruel world, which is going to get colder verrrrrrry soon, we all could use some reminders about how to stay warm in the next few months.
Warm your buns:
The private dining room at Bina Osteria has heated seats, despite being an indoor restaurant.
Stephanie’s on Newbury may be the place to lounge outside in the summer with an iced tea, but wintertime, lounge with a chicken pot pie for comfort food by the fire.
On a diet? Climb the stairs to Emerge’s fourth floor hearth. “It’s as attractive to many people as the spa,” says Emerge owner Joyce Hampers.
Of course, Emerge and almost every spa along Newbury Street and Boylston features sauna, hot rocks, and other heat treatments that go skin-deep. Also be sure to sign up your muscles for a little yoga at one of the many fine Back Bay studios.
Warm your soul:
Bring some canned food to your church’s food pantry, and ask how you can help other families hit hard by the economy.
Warm your heart:
o Whole Foods, at Cambridge Street and Symphony, have a number of items that give back: buying one FEED 100 bag provides food to a Rwandan child for 100 days.
Warm your brain: Head over to Borders in-between bar hopping. Perhaps a guide to the Bahamas will help you to think warm. Also try something heartwarming, such as former Bostonian Dolley Carlson’s happy little “Christmas Gifts from the Heart,” which overflows with thoughtful, joyful, heartfelt ideas for Christmas giving.
Warm your body: at home, wrap yourself in a luxury hotel robe from Frette (at the Mandarin Orientale), made of cotton velour with two two-side pockets. Best of Scotland Cashmere Outlet on Newbury Street will also insulate your wallet with dollars. Want to be warm but not bulky? Think layers at Patagonia, 346 Newbury Street, with Capilene and Wool Baselayers for toasty tops and bottoms. Top it with an Anthropologie bright red Idra Count-The-Stars Jacket, a cinched-waist wool melton jacket lined with polka dots and topped with a detachable hood.
$178.00
Warm Your Toes: Yes, there are always Uggs, but for style that meets warm AND comfy, try the boots with Nike Air soles at Cole Haan, at109 Newbury St. Don’t forget the socks. Nothing beats Smartwool socks, which can be picked up at Eastern Mountain Sports, 855 Boylston St.
A warm bed:
Down To Basics at 249 Newbury St. swears by “Our Very Best Siberian Down Comforter in a Swiss Batiste shell” featuring a Winter Diagon Patented Design.
Drink and Bowl:
Follow a round of bowling with the spiked Butterscotch Eggnog at Kings Lanes.
Warm liquids:
Check out Bauer Wines and spirits at 330 Newbury Street, for an 18-year-old Macallan Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, or a Warre’s Vintage Port. Feeling a bit pinched? Pop in Saturday for a free wine tasting.
Since childhood, we’ve known the magic that only hot cocoa can conjure. At Aroma, try a sake bottleful of Vosges “haut chocolate,” made from milk chocolate and vanilla bean. Its rich, thick liquid tastes like a candy bar, down to the tasty dregs at the bottom of your cup. Aroma manager Emily Fortin also recommends the white chocolate with lavender flowers and the red-fire ancho chile chocolate, although she prefers the unsweetened Perengotti dutched cocoa, to which she adds peppermint and sugar. Try to get in early, because the café has a lot of seats that get filled quickly.
Or travel up to the third floor and take home a box of Winter Spice Chai from Timeless Teas, which buys its black tea from Sri Lanka, where the business’ family is from.
Warm your dog: Oftentimes, a dog's natural coat just isn't enough to keep warm in Boston's below-zero temperatures. Pawsh Dog Boutique at 31 Gloucester Street carries fleece, shearling, and faux fur-trimmed hooded parkas to keep Fido toasty warm.
Suburbanites cross paths with downtown residents
By Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Twelve homes in downtown boston opened their doors to show the rest of Boston and suburbanites that not only do poele live in Downtown Boston, they do it with style.
On Saturday, about 150 braved the cold to loop along Washington Street to Beach Street, Kingston and Avery Streets, Temple Place to Chauncy Street, to One Devonshire Place, to School Street. Residents were asked not to touch objects in the home, or to take photos; carriages and strollers weren’t allowed into the homes. Many of the homes closed off bedrooms and other rooms, but otherwise professional designers perk up the homes in holiday style, with candles lit, music playing, and snacks provided along many of the counters.
The event was run by the Downtown Crossing Partnership, to show some of the homes that 6,000 people live in. Tour participants paid $25 to tour homes, and to otherwise find that there’s no single-families, although some units like at the Edison qualify as duplexes, that home values – from lofts to Ritz-Carlton units -- range from $520,000 to $5 million. That residents can walk to work, or hop on all of the colors of the T. Their backyard is the Boston Common; Boylston Place is a stumble away. There’s theater and fresh Chinese food. There’s clothing shops and banks. There’s no supermarkets, but there’s specialty markets such as Bina Alimentary, Lamberts marketplace and Chinese markets and fruit stands. And that everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when the One Franklin Filene’s Basement project is completed. Developer John B. Hynes III just dropped 166 condos from its 38-story tower project, which stalled in November. Some of the storefronts temporarily house artists or are hidden behind dozens of pushcarts. Still, the downtown remains lively, and more tenants – retailers, Suffolk and Emerson universities, restaurants – continue to move in.
People on the self-guided tour not only gained entry into homes, they were reminded about how fun it can be to wander downtown on your day off. Many stopped to enjoy the "holiday village" on Summer Street, with a live petting zoo, a carousel, carolers, jazz bands, and Santa Claus photos. They warmed up mid-tour by getting some holiday shopping done, stopping for a coffee or a meal, taking notice of what’s playing at the theaters, and otherwise getting a sense about how convenient and interesting the area is, even if they can’t go to The Basement right now. After the tour, a party was held at the ArtMarket, a gallery set up in an empty storefront until the end of the month.
For a few, it was also an open house for potential buyers.
“I think people in the suburbs maybe left thinking that in the not-too-distant future, they might be telling their adult kids that it’s time to leave,” said Keller Williams Realty’s Diane Davidson, who was showing off the striking Edison loft in a boutique elevator building. She said a few curious peepers expressed some interest in moving downtown someday.
“You have to know people live here, but you don’t think about it,” says Pembroke resident and Newbury Street worker Michele Ouellette. “I get to live vicariously thorugh others.”
She took the tour with a friend, Tramaine Weekes of Randolph, who said, “I’m always trying to pick up ideas.”
Weekes and Ouelette looked around the two-bedroom at Avery Place inside the Ritz Carlton, and asked questions about the unit’s ebonized flooring and unusual country-flair kitchen décor. Interior designer Alexandra Slote, who was watching the unit for the owner, was happy to answer.
“I thought this would be a good way to meet potential clients,” said Slote. “It was a little stressful -- I only had a week to pull this together.” Slote, whose client, a 31-year-old headhunter wanted a hip yet traditional home, quickly, pulled together a clean look from pieces she got at the Design Center. “She wanted a young, hip vibe, but she’s very traditional.”
Slote was a little nervous about watching the unit while strangers tromped around, but felt comfortable with the amount of security provided by the Ritz. She had placed a bow across the entrance of one bedroom, and closed off a second bedroom by placing a chair in front, but she was still surprised when peole insisted on trying to get in anyway.
“They’re trying to attract potential buyers to Downtown Crossing Area, to tell them, ‘You can live here.”
Proceeds from the tour paid for the event’s materials, and otherwise go back into the operating expenses for the nonprofit Downtown Crossing Partnership.
“We’ve been planning this since September,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership’s Kathleen Styger. “The biggest thing is getting the units, making sure you have enough different places.”
Like the first such tour in May, 12 homes opened their doors, but only two are repeats.
“It was fun,” said Mary Ann Ponti, who had shown her Washington Street loft last May to about 150 visitors. “I had two helpers, and I would chat with people. A lot of women came in from the suburbs. Mostly people made comments like ‘I can’t believe people live here, you must be happy living in the middle of everything.’”
Beacon Hill Times
Twelve homes in downtown boston opened their doors to show the rest of Boston and suburbanites that not only do poele live in Downtown Boston, they do it with style.
On Saturday, about 150 braved the cold to loop along Washington Street to Beach Street, Kingston and Avery Streets, Temple Place to Chauncy Street, to One Devonshire Place, to School Street. Residents were asked not to touch objects in the home, or to take photos; carriages and strollers weren’t allowed into the homes. Many of the homes closed off bedrooms and other rooms, but otherwise professional designers perk up the homes in holiday style, with candles lit, music playing, and snacks provided along many of the counters.
The event was run by the Downtown Crossing Partnership, to show some of the homes that 6,000 people live in. Tour participants paid $25 to tour homes, and to otherwise find that there’s no single-families, although some units like at the Edison qualify as duplexes, that home values – from lofts to Ritz-Carlton units -- range from $520,000 to $5 million. That residents can walk to work, or hop on all of the colors of the T. Their backyard is the Boston Common; Boylston Place is a stumble away. There’s theater and fresh Chinese food. There’s clothing shops and banks. There’s no supermarkets, but there’s specialty markets such as Bina Alimentary, Lamberts marketplace and Chinese markets and fruit stands. And that everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when the One Franklin Filene’s Basement project is completed. Developer John B. Hynes III just dropped 166 condos from its 38-story tower project, which stalled in November. Some of the storefronts temporarily house artists or are hidden behind dozens of pushcarts. Still, the downtown remains lively, and more tenants – retailers, Suffolk and Emerson universities, restaurants – continue to move in.
People on the self-guided tour not only gained entry into homes, they were reminded about how fun it can be to wander downtown on your day off. Many stopped to enjoy the "holiday village" on Summer Street, with a live petting zoo, a carousel, carolers, jazz bands, and Santa Claus photos. They warmed up mid-tour by getting some holiday shopping done, stopping for a coffee or a meal, taking notice of what’s playing at the theaters, and otherwise getting a sense about how convenient and interesting the area is, even if they can’t go to The Basement right now. After the tour, a party was held at the ArtMarket, a gallery set up in an empty storefront until the end of the month.
For a few, it was also an open house for potential buyers.
“I think people in the suburbs maybe left thinking that in the not-too-distant future, they might be telling their adult kids that it’s time to leave,” said Keller Williams Realty’s Diane Davidson, who was showing off the striking Edison loft in a boutique elevator building. She said a few curious peepers expressed some interest in moving downtown someday.
“You have to know people live here, but you don’t think about it,” says Pembroke resident and Newbury Street worker Michele Ouellette. “I get to live vicariously thorugh others.”
She took the tour with a friend, Tramaine Weekes of Randolph, who said, “I’m always trying to pick up ideas.”
Weekes and Ouelette looked around the two-bedroom at Avery Place inside the Ritz Carlton, and asked questions about the unit’s ebonized flooring and unusual country-flair kitchen décor. Interior designer Alexandra Slote, who was watching the unit for the owner, was happy to answer.
“I thought this would be a good way to meet potential clients,” said Slote. “It was a little stressful -- I only had a week to pull this together.” Slote, whose client, a 31-year-old headhunter wanted a hip yet traditional home, quickly, pulled together a clean look from pieces she got at the Design Center. “She wanted a young, hip vibe, but she’s very traditional.”
Slote was a little nervous about watching the unit while strangers tromped around, but felt comfortable with the amount of security provided by the Ritz. She had placed a bow across the entrance of one bedroom, and closed off a second bedroom by placing a chair in front, but she was still surprised when peole insisted on trying to get in anyway.
“They’re trying to attract potential buyers to Downtown Crossing Area, to tell them, ‘You can live here.”
Proceeds from the tour paid for the event’s materials, and otherwise go back into the operating expenses for the nonprofit Downtown Crossing Partnership.
“We’ve been planning this since September,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership’s Kathleen Styger. “The biggest thing is getting the units, making sure you have enough different places.”
Like the first such tour in May, 12 homes opened their doors, but only two are repeats.
“It was fun,” said Mary Ann Ponti, who had shown her Washington Street loft last May to about 150 visitors. “I had two helpers, and I would chat with people. A lot of women came in from the suburbs. Mostly people made comments like ‘I can’t believe people live here, you must be happy living in the middle of everything.’”
Suburbanites cross paths with downtown residents
By Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Twelve homes in downtown boston opened their doors to show the rest of Boston and suburbanites that not only do poele live in Downtown Boston, they do it with style.
On Saturday, about 150 braved the cold to loop along Washington Street to Beach Street, Kingston and Avery Streets, Temple Place to Chauncy Street, to One Devonshire Place, to School Street. Residents were asked not to touch objects in the home, or to take photos; carriages and strollers weren’t allowed into the homes. Many of the homes closed off bedrooms and other rooms, but otherwise professional designers perk up the homes in holiday style, with candles lit, music playing, and snacks provided along many of the counters.
The event was run by the Downtown Crossing Partnership, to show some of the homes that 6,000 people live in. Tour participants paid $25 to tour homes, and to otherwise find that there’s no single-families, although some units like at the Edison qualify as duplexes, that home values – from lofts to Ritz-Carlton units -- range from $520,000 to $5 million. That residents can walk to work, or hop on all of the colors of the T. Their backyard is the Boston Common; Boylston Place is a stumble away. There’s theater and fresh Chinese food. There’s clothing shops and banks. There’s no supermarkets, but there’s specialty markets such as Bina Alimentary, Lamberts marketplace and Chinese markets and fruit stands. And that everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when the One Franklin Filene’s Basement project is completed. Developer John B. Hynes III just dropped 166 condos from its 38-story tower project, which stalled in November. Some of the storefronts temporarily house artists or are hidden behind dozens of pushcarts. Still, the downtown remains lively, and more tenants – retailers, Suffolk and Emerson universities, restaurants – continue to move in.
People on the self-guided tour not only gained entry into homes, they were reminded about how fun it can be to wander downtown on your day off. Many stopped to enjoy the "holiday village" on Summer Street, with a live petting zoo, a carousel, carolers, jazz bands, and Santa Claus photos. They warmed up mid-tour by getting some holiday shopping done, stopping for a coffee or a meal, taking notice of what’s playing at the theaters, and otherwise getting a sense about how convenient and interesting the area is, even if they can’t go to The Basement right now. After the tour, a party was held at the ArtMarket, a gallery set up in an empty storefront until the end of the month.
For a few, it was also an open house for potential buyers.
“I think people in the suburbs maybe left thinking that in the not-too-distant future, they might be telling their adult kids that it’s time to leave,” said Keller Williams Realty’s Diane Davidson, who was showing off the striking Edison loft in a boutique elevator building. She said a few curious peepers expressed some interest in moving downtown someday.
“You have to know people live here, but you don’t think about it,” says Pembroke resident and Newbury Street worker Michele Ouellette. “I get to live vicariously thorugh others.”
She took the tour with a friend, Tramaine Weekes of Randolph, who said, “I’m always trying to pick up ideas.”
Weekes and Ouelette looked around the two-bedroom at Avery Place inside the Ritz Carlton, and asked questions about the unit’s ebonized flooring and unusual country-flair kitchen décor. Interior designer Alexandra Slote, who was watching the unit for the owner, was happy to answer.
“I thought this would be a good way to meet potential clients,” said Slote. “It was a little stressful -- I only had a week to pull this together.” Slote, whose client, a 31-year-old headhunter wanted a hip yet traditional home, quickly, pulled together a clean look from pieces she got at the Design Center. “She wanted a young, hip vibe, but she’s very traditional.”
Slote was a little nervous about watching the unit while strangers tromped around, but felt comfortable with the amount of security provided by the Ritz. She had placed a bow across the entrance of one bedroom, and closed off a second bedroom by placing a chair in front, but she was still surprised when peole insisted on trying to get in anyway.
“They’re trying to attract potential buyers to Downtown Crossing Area, to tell them, ‘You can live here.”
Proceeds from the tour paid for the event’s materials, and otherwise go back into the operating expenses for the nonprofit Downtown Crossing Partnership.
“We’ve been planning this since September,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership’s Kathleen Styger. “The biggest thing is getting the units, making sure you have enough different places.”
Like the first such tour in May, 12 homes opened their doors, but only two are repeats.
“It was fun,” said Mary Ann Ponti, who had shown her Washington Street loft last May to about 150 visitors. “I had two helpers, and I would chat with people. A lot of women came in from the suburbs. Mostly people made comments like ‘I can’t believe people live here, you must be happy living in the middle of everything.’”
Beacon Hill Times
Twelve homes in downtown boston opened their doors to show the rest of Boston and suburbanites that not only do poele live in Downtown Boston, they do it with style.
On Saturday, about 150 braved the cold to loop along Washington Street to Beach Street, Kingston and Avery Streets, Temple Place to Chauncy Street, to One Devonshire Place, to School Street. Residents were asked not to touch objects in the home, or to take photos; carriages and strollers weren’t allowed into the homes. Many of the homes closed off bedrooms and other rooms, but otherwise professional designers perk up the homes in holiday style, with candles lit, music playing, and snacks provided along many of the counters.
The event was run by the Downtown Crossing Partnership, to show some of the homes that 6,000 people live in. Tour participants paid $25 to tour homes, and to otherwise find that there’s no single-families, although some units like at the Edison qualify as duplexes, that home values – from lofts to Ritz-Carlton units -- range from $520,000 to $5 million. That residents can walk to work, or hop on all of the colors of the T. Their backyard is the Boston Common; Boylston Place is a stumble away. There’s theater and fresh Chinese food. There’s clothing shops and banks. There’s no supermarkets, but there’s specialty markets such as Bina Alimentary, Lamberts marketplace and Chinese markets and fruit stands. And that everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when the One Franklin Filene’s Basement project is completed. Developer John B. Hynes III just dropped 166 condos from its 38-story tower project, which stalled in November. Some of the storefronts temporarily house artists or are hidden behind dozens of pushcarts. Still, the downtown remains lively, and more tenants – retailers, Suffolk and Emerson universities, restaurants – continue to move in.
People on the self-guided tour not only gained entry into homes, they were reminded about how fun it can be to wander downtown on your day off. Many stopped to enjoy the "holiday village" on Summer Street, with a live petting zoo, a carousel, carolers, jazz bands, and Santa Claus photos. They warmed up mid-tour by getting some holiday shopping done, stopping for a coffee or a meal, taking notice of what’s playing at the theaters, and otherwise getting a sense about how convenient and interesting the area is, even if they can’t go to The Basement right now. After the tour, a party was held at the ArtMarket, a gallery set up in an empty storefront until the end of the month.
For a few, it was also an open house for potential buyers.
“I think people in the suburbs maybe left thinking that in the not-too-distant future, they might be telling their adult kids that it’s time to leave,” said Keller Williams Realty’s Diane Davidson, who was showing off the striking Edison loft in a boutique elevator building. She said a few curious peepers expressed some interest in moving downtown someday.
“You have to know people live here, but you don’t think about it,” says Pembroke resident and Newbury Street worker Michele Ouellette. “I get to live vicariously thorugh others.”
She took the tour with a friend, Tramaine Weekes of Randolph, who said, “I’m always trying to pick up ideas.”
Weekes and Ouelette looked around the two-bedroom at Avery Place inside the Ritz Carlton, and asked questions about the unit’s ebonized flooring and unusual country-flair kitchen décor. Interior designer Alexandra Slote, who was watching the unit for the owner, was happy to answer.
“I thought this would be a good way to meet potential clients,” said Slote. “It was a little stressful -- I only had a week to pull this together.” Slote, whose client, a 31-year-old headhunter wanted a hip yet traditional home, quickly, pulled together a clean look from pieces she got at the Design Center. “She wanted a young, hip vibe, but she’s very traditional.”
Slote was a little nervous about watching the unit while strangers tromped around, but felt comfortable with the amount of security provided by the Ritz. She had placed a bow across the entrance of one bedroom, and closed off a second bedroom by placing a chair in front, but she was still surprised when peole insisted on trying to get in anyway.
“They’re trying to attract potential buyers to Downtown Crossing Area, to tell them, ‘You can live here.”
Proceeds from the tour paid for the event’s materials, and otherwise go back into the operating expenses for the nonprofit Downtown Crossing Partnership.
“We’ve been planning this since September,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership’s Kathleen Styger. “The biggest thing is getting the units, making sure you have enough different places.”
Like the first such tour in May, 12 homes opened their doors, but only two are repeats.
“It was fun,” said Mary Ann Ponti, who had shown her Washington Street loft last May to about 150 visitors. “I had two helpers, and I would chat with people. A lot of women came in from the suburbs. Mostly people made comments like ‘I can’t believe people live here, you must be happy living in the middle of everything.’”
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Suffolk law students help Chelsea homeowners
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by Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Chelsea Record
A family of four, from a woman in her late 50s to her granddaughter, lived in an apartment without heat, hot water, or cooking gas. They did have rats. The house was under foreclosure, so the bank wasn’t too responsive when notified of these conditions. In fact, they were trying to evict the family.
A group of Suffolk law students came to the rescue. Within short order, they helped the family obtain a temporary restraining order ordering the bank, Aurora Loan Services, to rectify these conditions.
“It was a struggle even after getting the court order, but we were able to do that for the tenant in a relatively short period of time,” says Bill Berman, an associate clinical law professor who runs the Housing & Consumer Protection Clinic in Chelsea. “We are still representing her. She was a Section 8 tenant, so the bank shouldn't have even been entitled to bring an eviction against her. We got it dismissed. They moved out on her own accord and are pursuing their claims against them.”
Because of subprime mortgages, property owners no longer able to afford their payments are losing the properties to the bank, creating a domino effect of suffering among tenants, families, and whole communities.
Hundreds of area tenants living in foreclosed properties are being forced out of their homes by the banks buying up the homes. What many don’t know is that they don’t have to move, at least not immediately, say legal advocates.
Thanks to a group of Suffolk University law students, victims of foreclosure are learning about their rights. “Many banks don’t want the liability of maintaining a landlord tenant relationship so they try to get them out as early as possible,” says Sara Louis, a third year law student at Suffolk who has helped in two major foreclosure cases. “We help people fill out paperwork, so they can preserve their rights, but we don’t actually represent all the people who come in. We’re just helping people know what their rights are, which is a big thing. A lot of tenants don’t know what their rights are.”
Suffolk University rents their clinic at 350 Broadway, as run by Prof. Steven Callahan and staffed by office coordinator Ana Vaquerano, who can speak Spanish. The city also employs high school students to give out Suffolk legal clinic cards. “We are very supportive of what the Suffolk legal clinic is doing,” says Chelsea Housing Director Carol Martinez. “We’ve worked with Suffolk’s legal clinic many times over the years. They get the messag out that residents don’t have to pack up and leave.”
Berman says, “I don't think there is one case where we haven't had some such successful outcome for the tenant. Sometimes they get more time, sometimes they get money to help for their move, that they didn't realize they were otherwise entitled to.”
Berman’s clinic this year runs until students graduate in the spring. He launched the clinic last spring, when he began noticing an uptick in foreclosures last fall. “We decided to organize a group of Suffolk students to canvass, trying to reach tenants in foreclosed properties to inform them of their rights before they were scared out of their home,” he said. “We began in earnest in the fall. We now a have a significant group of students canvassing in Chelsea and the city of Boston – Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Dorchester and South Boston.”
The students get leads from a Harvard student clinic’s website, from Banker and Tradesman, and by handing out fliers. The students get assigned properties that are in their neighborhood to canvass. Suffolk also houses a free legal clinic each Friday in Chelsea, an eight-student office targeting housing and consumer protection, with another 40 students doing canvassing.
While not directly associated with the city, Suffolk is working with Chelsea officials, with the hopes of gaining canvassing expertise and some contacts that will help ease the students’ outreach. “People from the local community who could go out with the students and work with them in meeting the tenants,” says Berman. “It would be a way to make the tenants more comfortable when someone is banging on the door and provide assistance.”
Although some students speak Spanish, language is a barrier; so is general mistrust. “There is some hesitance in the beginning, but if they have a member of the community with them and able to explain themselves a little bit, reassure that they are doing something other than trying to help them with free services, they have had some success.”
The Suffolk clinic is staffed by an office coordinator, Ana Vaquerano, who can speak Spanish. “Our clinic is a real, very significant resource in the city of Chelsea. Ana is an extremely knowledgeable person who is extremely involved in the community. She’s a great resource.”
Students received 303 certification in order to help out people who otherwise couldn’t afford a lawyer. Suffolk’s clinic is open Fridays in Chelsea, where they help people with paperwork.
The students get cases from walk-ins to their Chelsea clinic, as well as by sending letters to those receiving eviction notices. “We get a list from Chelsea district court and send letters to tell them about our clinic, about their rights, and how we can help them with filling out paperwork, can come every Friday morning at Chelsea,” says Louis.
“The housing clinic appealed to me, especially with what’s going on with the foreclosures and evictions,” said Louis, who hails from Westchester, Pa.; her father is an attorney, too. Louis also works with cases dealing with housing, battered women, and family and juvenile justice.
She recalls one 73-year old woman who had lived in her Chelsea apartment for 33 years, and was facing eviction. The landlord had lost the three-family, which was bought by a bank in a foreclosure sale. In the end the students helped negotiate a settlement last month. “We ended up getting an agreement for more time, and got her some money in order for her to move. She has to move out Feb. 1.”
The key was settling before having to present the court case, says Louis.
Louis also worked with an East Boston resident, where the mother had paid a deposit on a place that later was discovered to have lead paint. She wanted her money back, but the landlord refused. She was awarded money, but all she has is a writ of attachment; she’s having trouble collecting. Louis worked with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to give the woman additional money “for what she had to go through,” said Louis.
Suffolk’s worked directly with about a couple dozen tenants so far, says Berman. “The efforts we have with canvassing is to reach people before they are in court, and expand with more people,” says Berman.
With practice comes knowledge. “We are becoming more and more familiar with these types of cases and the types of issues that come up. Unfortunately we are seeing more and more of them. I think the reality is the trend is continuing to increase. We are planning to be there and to offer our assistance.”
Says Berman, “There are challenges with these kinds of cases. Sometimes the decisionmakers are located out of state and far away and it's difficult to get their attention, even if the lawyers are local. It's a challenge sometime to get a large entity focused on the needs of individuals ... sometimes they don't see themselves as responsible.”
Berman doesn’t blame the banks so much. “I think the way the banks didn't realize that they would be in this position, that they weren't planning to be major landlords because of this kind of crisis. When they take ownership of a property, they need to focus their attention.”
“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve what we're doing and to collaborate with others,” say Berman. The students are working with Harvard’s legal aid bureau, Greater Boston Legal Services, Chelsea Human Services, and City Life. “It’s a unique program,” says Berman. “Harvard is doing a similar program, but Suffolk is organizing students to do this pro bono in canvassing around the city.”
City Life’s "No one leaves campaign" blockaded the evictions of Jamaica Plain homeowners in foreclosure. “There are definitely other people doing the lawyer for the day program,” says Louis. “This is just another resource for people.”
“I just think it’s so beneficial to see the good you do and how grateful people are for the time you’re taking to help them,” says Louis. “It’s just opened my eyes to the conditions people have to live in. It’s just an eye opening experience.”
Sidebar: The Chelsea Housing Market
Unlike in many areas of the state, where investors bought properties, rented them out, and tried to flip them for more money, in Chelsea much of the housing stock is owner-occupied, with many units rented to fellow family members. So when people talk about the foreclosure crisis, it’s not just a few people who have to leave because they obtained mortgages they couldn’t afford. These are multi-family homes that has renters that need to move on. There are renters who never missed a payment but who are being thrown out by impatient banks. It’s not just a “tsk-tsk” moment among the better off. This is about an entire community imploding.
“We have to figure out how to bring new families in or try to keep the ones who live here,” says Chelsea Housing Director Carol Martinez. “This has a very destabilizing effect on Chelsea families. It affects how kids do in school, it affects everything.”
To maintain a vital Chelsea, it’s all about keeping families here.
“I’ve walked through a lot of two- families that were sad … it was like walking through a ghost town. The people who lived in them took care of them, they were their homes. They left toys behind, swing sets in the back yard. It’s sad.”
Martinez welcomes Suffolk’s help, which complements her own efforts to stabilize an entire community.
“A significant amount of residents are at risk of being foreclosed upon. Losing owners and tenants, and have the property go through the cycle is not healthy for our neighborhoods. We’d like to keep tenants and property owners in the property as much as we can.”
Her office has been watching the slow rise of foreclosures, and so she’s been assembling some resources.
The City of Chelsea is slowly rolling out a Distressed Housing Initiative, which has a goal to keep tenants in the building they’re in. The Chelsea Restoration Corporation, funded through the city of Chelsea, has run a foreclosure prevention counseling program, at 154 Pearl St. “If you have trouble paying your mortgage, you call them,” says Martinez.
And Chelsea Neighborhood Developers develops affordable and mixed-income housing, one of more than 200 member organizations nationwide that make up NeighborWorks America. “They have been doing a lot of work in partnerships to keep track of the properties and map them out, figure out who lived in there, who the foreclosure entities are,” says Martinez.
“The Chelsea neighborhood developers are looking to go after and buy some of the more distressed properties and try to get them before the owners and tenants have moved out,” says Martinez. “It’s actually been pretty successful. I think they bought three buildings. A lot of them they can’t get to if they are foreclosed upon. I think they’ve been able to get one that is still occupied. They’re trying but it’s a very labor intensive program to deal with.”
Stepping in and helping people from losing their homes is tough – first, housing advocates have to find the tenants and landlords who are in trouble, before the banks finish foreclosing upon the property. Because of language barriers, cultural differences, depression and mistrust, many victims are reluctant to turn to others for help.
Also, the layers of bureaucracy involved with banks, loans and real estate professionals is extensive. “We’re really, really, really only now beginning to have enough resources and staffing to really start making a difference,” says Martinez. “Investors are finally figuring out it’s better to work out a deal with the owners, and that they’ll make more money, than to foreclose.”
“It’s a really big mess,” says Martinez. “But the mess we have in Massachusetts is nothing compared to other states. Florida is just a disaster.” There, whole gated communities are closed. Developers there overbuilt. “We’re lucky we didn’t have enough land to do that,” says Martinez.
The bulk of the subprime loans went to homeowners in the Midwest, something our state avoided largely due to our strong economy, she notes. In 1995, a three-family went for $300,000; today you can buy one for $150,000, more if it’s in great condition. “These are nice values compared to the depressed Midwest,” she says. “I think it’s still solid here. It’s not catastrophic.”
“Sometimes we don’t get the building until it’s too late. It’s so traumatic, that it’s hard to get them in. They’re in shock,” says Martinez. “I think the word is getting out and people are starting to come in more to foreclosure prevention initiative and to the Suffolk clinic.”
To help ease the crisis, money is starting to come in from state and federal government. Governor Deval Patrick recently visited Chelsea to announce a $20 million loan fund, available to community organizations to purchase foreclosed-upon properties.
And in more good news to help stem the loss of Chelsea families, the Patrick Administration’s Department of Housing and Community Development submitted its plan to distribute $43.4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help Massachusetts communities stabilize neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures.
While the bulk of the funds will go toward Boston, Brockton, Springfield and Worcester; Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Framingham, Barnstable, Plymouth and Marlboro can also apply for $6.8 million direct assistance for eligible projects. Chelsea, along with Revere, Everett, Methuen, Weymouth, Chicopee, Leominster, Quincy, Milford, Randolph, Attleboro, Yarmouth, Wareham, Salem, Billerica, Fall River, Saugus, Dracut, Somerville, Peabody, Taunton, Holyoke, Stoughton, Falmouth and Marshfield will also be eligible for community assistance.
Under HUD’s timeline, it expects to notify the state of whether the plan is acceptable by January 15, 2009; funds would then be available in February.
by Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Chelsea Record
A family of four, from a woman in her late 50s to her granddaughter, lived in an apartment without heat, hot water, or cooking gas. They did have rats. The house was under foreclosure, so the bank wasn’t too responsive when notified of these conditions. In fact, they were trying to evict the family.
A group of Suffolk law students came to the rescue. Within short order, they helped the family obtain a temporary restraining order ordering the bank, Aurora Loan Services, to rectify these conditions.
“It was a struggle even after getting the court order, but we were able to do that for the tenant in a relatively short period of time,” says Bill Berman, an associate clinical law professor who runs the Housing & Consumer Protection Clinic in Chelsea. “We are still representing her. She was a Section 8 tenant, so the bank shouldn't have even been entitled to bring an eviction against her. We got it dismissed. They moved out on her own accord and are pursuing their claims against them.”
Because of subprime mortgages, property owners no longer able to afford their payments are losing the properties to the bank, creating a domino effect of suffering among tenants, families, and whole communities.
Hundreds of area tenants living in foreclosed properties are being forced out of their homes by the banks buying up the homes. What many don’t know is that they don’t have to move, at least not immediately, say legal advocates.
Thanks to a group of Suffolk University law students, victims of foreclosure are learning about their rights. “Many banks don’t want the liability of maintaining a landlord tenant relationship so they try to get them out as early as possible,” says Sara Louis, a third year law student at Suffolk who has helped in two major foreclosure cases. “We help people fill out paperwork, so they can preserve their rights, but we don’t actually represent all the people who come in. We’re just helping people know what their rights are, which is a big thing. A lot of tenants don’t know what their rights are.”
Suffolk University rents their clinic at 350 Broadway, as run by Prof. Steven Callahan and staffed by office coordinator Ana Vaquerano, who can speak Spanish. The city also employs high school students to give out Suffolk legal clinic cards. “We are very supportive of what the Suffolk legal clinic is doing,” says Chelsea Housing Director Carol Martinez. “We’ve worked with Suffolk’s legal clinic many times over the years. They get the messag out that residents don’t have to pack up and leave.”
Berman says, “I don't think there is one case where we haven't had some such successful outcome for the tenant. Sometimes they get more time, sometimes they get money to help for their move, that they didn't realize they were otherwise entitled to.”
Berman’s clinic this year runs until students graduate in the spring. He launched the clinic last spring, when he began noticing an uptick in foreclosures last fall. “We decided to organize a group of Suffolk students to canvass, trying to reach tenants in foreclosed properties to inform them of their rights before they were scared out of their home,” he said. “We began in earnest in the fall. We now a have a significant group of students canvassing in Chelsea and the city of Boston – Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Dorchester and South Boston.”
The students get leads from a Harvard student clinic’s website, from Banker and Tradesman, and by handing out fliers. The students get assigned properties that are in their neighborhood to canvass. Suffolk also houses a free legal clinic each Friday in Chelsea, an eight-student office targeting housing and consumer protection, with another 40 students doing canvassing.
While not directly associated with the city, Suffolk is working with Chelsea officials, with the hopes of gaining canvassing expertise and some contacts that will help ease the students’ outreach. “People from the local community who could go out with the students and work with them in meeting the tenants,” says Berman. “It would be a way to make the tenants more comfortable when someone is banging on the door and provide assistance.”
Although some students speak Spanish, language is a barrier; so is general mistrust. “There is some hesitance in the beginning, but if they have a member of the community with them and able to explain themselves a little bit, reassure that they are doing something other than trying to help them with free services, they have had some success.”
The Suffolk clinic is staffed by an office coordinator, Ana Vaquerano, who can speak Spanish. “Our clinic is a real, very significant resource in the city of Chelsea. Ana is an extremely knowledgeable person who is extremely involved in the community. She’s a great resource.”
Students received 303 certification in order to help out people who otherwise couldn’t afford a lawyer. Suffolk’s clinic is open Fridays in Chelsea, where they help people with paperwork.
The students get cases from walk-ins to their Chelsea clinic, as well as by sending letters to those receiving eviction notices. “We get a list from Chelsea district court and send letters to tell them about our clinic, about their rights, and how we can help them with filling out paperwork, can come every Friday morning at Chelsea,” says Louis.
“The housing clinic appealed to me, especially with what’s going on with the foreclosures and evictions,” said Louis, who hails from Westchester, Pa.; her father is an attorney, too. Louis also works with cases dealing with housing, battered women, and family and juvenile justice.
She recalls one 73-year old woman who had lived in her Chelsea apartment for 33 years, and was facing eviction. The landlord had lost the three-family, which was bought by a bank in a foreclosure sale. In the end the students helped negotiate a settlement last month. “We ended up getting an agreement for more time, and got her some money in order for her to move. She has to move out Feb. 1.”
The key was settling before having to present the court case, says Louis.
Louis also worked with an East Boston resident, where the mother had paid a deposit on a place that later was discovered to have lead paint. She wanted her money back, but the landlord refused. She was awarded money, but all she has is a writ of attachment; she’s having trouble collecting. Louis worked with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to give the woman additional money “for what she had to go through,” said Louis.
Suffolk’s worked directly with about a couple dozen tenants so far, says Berman. “The efforts we have with canvassing is to reach people before they are in court, and expand with more people,” says Berman.
With practice comes knowledge. “We are becoming more and more familiar with these types of cases and the types of issues that come up. Unfortunately we are seeing more and more of them. I think the reality is the trend is continuing to increase. We are planning to be there and to offer our assistance.”
Says Berman, “There are challenges with these kinds of cases. Sometimes the decisionmakers are located out of state and far away and it's difficult to get their attention, even if the lawyers are local. It's a challenge sometime to get a large entity focused on the needs of individuals ... sometimes they don't see themselves as responsible.”
Berman doesn’t blame the banks so much. “I think the way the banks didn't realize that they would be in this position, that they weren't planning to be major landlords because of this kind of crisis. When they take ownership of a property, they need to focus their attention.”
“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve what we're doing and to collaborate with others,” say Berman. The students are working with Harvard’s legal aid bureau, Greater Boston Legal Services, Chelsea Human Services, and City Life. “It’s a unique program,” says Berman. “Harvard is doing a similar program, but Suffolk is organizing students to do this pro bono in canvassing around the city.”
City Life’s "No one leaves campaign" blockaded the evictions of Jamaica Plain homeowners in foreclosure. “There are definitely other people doing the lawyer for the day program,” says Louis. “This is just another resource for people.”
“I just think it’s so beneficial to see the good you do and how grateful people are for the time you’re taking to help them,” says Louis. “It’s just opened my eyes to the conditions people have to live in. It’s just an eye opening experience.”
Sidebar: The Chelsea Housing Market
Unlike in many areas of the state, where investors bought properties, rented them out, and tried to flip them for more money, in Chelsea much of the housing stock is owner-occupied, with many units rented to fellow family members. So when people talk about the foreclosure crisis, it’s not just a few people who have to leave because they obtained mortgages they couldn’t afford. These are multi-family homes that has renters that need to move on. There are renters who never missed a payment but who are being thrown out by impatient banks. It’s not just a “tsk-tsk” moment among the better off. This is about an entire community imploding.
“We have to figure out how to bring new families in or try to keep the ones who live here,” says Chelsea Housing Director Carol Martinez. “This has a very destabilizing effect on Chelsea families. It affects how kids do in school, it affects everything.”
To maintain a vital Chelsea, it’s all about keeping families here.
“I’ve walked through a lot of two- families that were sad … it was like walking through a ghost town. The people who lived in them took care of them, they were their homes. They left toys behind, swing sets in the back yard. It’s sad.”
Martinez welcomes Suffolk’s help, which complements her own efforts to stabilize an entire community.
“A significant amount of residents are at risk of being foreclosed upon. Losing owners and tenants, and have the property go through the cycle is not healthy for our neighborhoods. We’d like to keep tenants and property owners in the property as much as we can.”
Her office has been watching the slow rise of foreclosures, and so she’s been assembling some resources.
The City of Chelsea is slowly rolling out a Distressed Housing Initiative, which has a goal to keep tenants in the building they’re in. The Chelsea Restoration Corporation, funded through the city of Chelsea, has run a foreclosure prevention counseling program, at 154 Pearl St. “If you have trouble paying your mortgage, you call them,” says Martinez.
And Chelsea Neighborhood Developers develops affordable and mixed-income housing, one of more than 200 member organizations nationwide that make up NeighborWorks America. “They have been doing a lot of work in partnerships to keep track of the properties and map them out, figure out who lived in there, who the foreclosure entities are,” says Martinez.
“The Chelsea neighborhood developers are looking to go after and buy some of the more distressed properties and try to get them before the owners and tenants have moved out,” says Martinez. “It’s actually been pretty successful. I think they bought three buildings. A lot of them they can’t get to if they are foreclosed upon. I think they’ve been able to get one that is still occupied. They’re trying but it’s a very labor intensive program to deal with.”
Stepping in and helping people from losing their homes is tough – first, housing advocates have to find the tenants and landlords who are in trouble, before the banks finish foreclosing upon the property. Because of language barriers, cultural differences, depression and mistrust, many victims are reluctant to turn to others for help.
Also, the layers of bureaucracy involved with banks, loans and real estate professionals is extensive. “We’re really, really, really only now beginning to have enough resources and staffing to really start making a difference,” says Martinez. “Investors are finally figuring out it’s better to work out a deal with the owners, and that they’ll make more money, than to foreclose.”
“It’s a really big mess,” says Martinez. “But the mess we have in Massachusetts is nothing compared to other states. Florida is just a disaster.” There, whole gated communities are closed. Developers there overbuilt. “We’re lucky we didn’t have enough land to do that,” says Martinez.
The bulk of the subprime loans went to homeowners in the Midwest, something our state avoided largely due to our strong economy, she notes. In 1995, a three-family went for $300,000; today you can buy one for $150,000, more if it’s in great condition. “These are nice values compared to the depressed Midwest,” she says. “I think it’s still solid here. It’s not catastrophic.”
“Sometimes we don’t get the building until it’s too late. It’s so traumatic, that it’s hard to get them in. They’re in shock,” says Martinez. “I think the word is getting out and people are starting to come in more to foreclosure prevention initiative and to the Suffolk clinic.”
To help ease the crisis, money is starting to come in from state and federal government. Governor Deval Patrick recently visited Chelsea to announce a $20 million loan fund, available to community organizations to purchase foreclosed-upon properties.
And in more good news to help stem the loss of Chelsea families, the Patrick Administration’s Department of Housing and Community Development submitted its plan to distribute $43.4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help Massachusetts communities stabilize neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures.
While the bulk of the funds will go toward Boston, Brockton, Springfield and Worcester; Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Framingham, Barnstable, Plymouth and Marlboro can also apply for $6.8 million direct assistance for eligible projects. Chelsea, along with Revere, Everett, Methuen, Weymouth, Chicopee, Leominster, Quincy, Milford, Randolph, Attleboro, Yarmouth, Wareham, Salem, Billerica, Fall River, Saugus, Dracut, Somerville, Peabody, Taunton, Holyoke, Stoughton, Falmouth and Marshfield will also be eligible for community assistance.
Under HUD’s timeline, it expects to notify the state of whether the plan is acceptable by January 15, 2009; funds would then be available in February.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Bina Osteria opens at Ritz Carlton
by Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Babak and Azita Bina-Seibel are opening a restaurant during a recession. Worried? Nah. They’re used to working austerely.
Located in the North Tower of The Ritz Carlton Residences in Downtown Crossing neighborhood, the new Bina Osteria serves refined contemporary Italian cuisine.
The latest culinary venture from Babak and Azita Bina, the brother-sister team behind Lala Rokh and Bin 26 Enoteca, Babak says they’ve figured out how to make things work during a downturn.
“Having been doing this for 30 years, you kind of basically learn to adapt and learn to plan,” says Babak. “You don’t wait until the economy goes south to stay limber and effective in the cost of operation. We made this decision to be limber in the late ’80s, when things were really rough economically in town. At that point we decided to get into the restaurant business, rather than high-end fine dining.”
They started with Lala Rokh on Beacon Hill, then about four years ago they began planning for this Osteria/Alimenti concept. They found their location two years ago, just as they were opening Bin 26, which turned into a success.
“We are confident it will be very glitzy and glamorous, but it will still be very much a neighborhood restaurant you can go to everyday, not a specialty occasion due to the cost factor.”
He didn’t spare much in the design of the space. Excited about working from scratch, rather than adapting an existing space like with his other restaurants. The architect, office dA, designed a modern version of a Tuscan grand hall, in a space twice as large as his other restaurants.
With a dramatic 24-foot high ceiling anchored by sand-blasted columns connecting inverted umbrella-shaped fiberglass vault elements, and sunny floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
“It’s very exciting to have a clean palette to work with,” he gushed.
A curtained private 12-seat dining room off to the side of the 120-seat restaurant and features heated seats “so your tush will be nice and warm” says Babak. In warmer weather, they’ll have a 60-plus seat outdoor patio.
A 44-seat handmade Terrazzo bar, made up of recycled glass, granite, marble and mother of pearl for a little sparkle, features at the end a communal table for eating at the bar. A nearby lounge has comfy couches with tiny tables made up of recycled railroad ties.
The restaurant is to the left of the bar, the Bina Alimentary market to the right is behind an optical-illusion of a glass wall.
For those with no time for Bina Osteria, you can pickup their house-made pastas, sauces, soups, and pastries – including homemade marshmallows with lavender. The shop can deliver cases of wine and gourmet food to guests.
The Alimentary has a wide selection of wines, tea, deli items, oils, sauces, olives and high-end balsamic vinegar, among other gourmet treats, imported from Italy and France. They also own a few humanely raised Iowa hogs, which will be butchered “nose to tail” and sent to them when ready; the exclusive La Quercia farm only caters to 20 chefs, including Mario Batali. At the counter are helpful food reference books.
“The gourmet food shop, Alimentary, is based on the local grocer concept, before supermarkets came around,” he said. Having another way to garner income from foodies doesn’t hurt in this economy, either.
The store’s full alcohol license will allow boutique wines as offered in the restaurant. Unlike the Bin 26 restaurant, however, “We probably won’t have Thunderbird and Boone Farm.”
The bigger space also gives them even more room to play. “We have been dabbling with making our own wines in Italy and France,” he says.
The wine menu states that it is made up of “Old-World wines produced by those who intend to maintain the true expression of the land that they grow their grapes from.” Most bottles averaged a reasonable $30-$40. The beers on tap include micro brews such as from Buzzards Bay, and bottled beers from around the world.
“There’s a definite formula to putting together the wine list,” said general manager Don Bailey. “We wanted to give an example of high quality, responsible farming, sustainable fishing. We chose locals to support our economy as well as local ecology. We even used recycled paper.”
Food offerings for the grocery will include as many items picked from local farms as possible, they promise.
“These are not going to be things you can find in Whole Foods. They do an excellent product, but these are handpicked, and hand-grown,” says Bina. “We want to support local farmers. We’re constantly tasting things. We have to go up to a sheep farm in New Bedford to try some goat cheese.”
Many grocery items will be handmade, including sorbets, gelati, jams, wines, pate, salami, cured meats, and ravioli.
“We’ll be dabbling a lot more than we have. We’re expanding our wings and getting some elbow room, to create what we really love,” says Bina. “I shouldn’t be paid for what we’re doing.”
Sidebar: lunch at Bina Osteria
By Sandra Miller
For lunch, the restaurant was bright with sun that streamed in from the large windows looking onto Washington Street.
While you can just order one item, splurging for the full four courses is a wonderful afternoon splurge.
Say yes to the bread, from Clear Flour Bakery in Brookline. It’s served warm, a chewy center surrounded by a crisp crust, with a tiny dish of light and highly rendered pork fat, and several pinches of Maine sea salt.
A salad of lambs lettuce comes with mashed roasted sunchokes and a sprinkling of hazelnuts and crushed pink peppercorns for a savory and satisfying light meal.
For the salad, the especially helpful waiter, Tyrone Scaobi, matched it with a rich and bright 2007 Soave Classico Garganega and Trebbiano blend.
For the primi, ribbons of melt-in-your-mouth parpadelle held rich buffalo di Vermont meatballs, made of buffalo and pork belly with basil and bits of carrot, swimming in San Marzano tomato sauce and grated cheese. Tyrone matched it with a 2005 Teroldego Rotaliano, a rich and ancient variety whose structure was able to support the gaminess of the meatballs.
For a secondi, or main entrée, the organic herb roasted chicken breast came highly recommended by Jamel, another super-helpful waiter. So tender you could cut it with a fork, the skin was crispy and tasty. It came with an acorn squash puree that was smooth and flavorful, especially so with a well of dark chicken jus; and buttery brussel sprouts. Tyrone recommended a glass of Riesling from the Pfalz region, Durkheimer Nonnengarten Kabinet by Darting.
The desserts, by Paola Fioravanti and team, are less confections than ingredients presented on a plate, to be mixed together or enjoyed separately.
The selections included an Anjou pear and Marcona almond tart of tiny orbs of tart fruit with pear sorbet and chai tea consommé, with a black salt sprinkle and topped by a tuille of chai tea.
A deconstructed tiramisu was more like an espresso sundae, with chocolate gelato over coffee streusel with jellied espresso, topped by a slice of glassy sugar.
The Moscato d’asti mousse with orange sorbet, 1000-flower honey cream and sumac meringue is vegan and light.
All go perfectly with the smooth house special roast coffee with a dash of milk chocolate.
Many of the ingredients for these recipes are also available in Bina Alimentary, from the honey to the gelato to the meatballs and parpadelle.
The restaurant is open seven days from afternoon until midnight, and weekend brunch.
Beacon Hill Times
Babak and Azita Bina-Seibel are opening a restaurant during a recession. Worried? Nah. They’re used to working austerely.
Located in the North Tower of The Ritz Carlton Residences in Downtown Crossing neighborhood, the new Bina Osteria serves refined contemporary Italian cuisine.
The latest culinary venture from Babak and Azita Bina, the brother-sister team behind Lala Rokh and Bin 26 Enoteca, Babak says they’ve figured out how to make things work during a downturn.
“Having been doing this for 30 years, you kind of basically learn to adapt and learn to plan,” says Babak. “You don’t wait until the economy goes south to stay limber and effective in the cost of operation. We made this decision to be limber in the late ’80s, when things were really rough economically in town. At that point we decided to get into the restaurant business, rather than high-end fine dining.”
They started with Lala Rokh on Beacon Hill, then about four years ago they began planning for this Osteria/Alimenti concept. They found their location two years ago, just as they were opening Bin 26, which turned into a success.
“We are confident it will be very glitzy and glamorous, but it will still be very much a neighborhood restaurant you can go to everyday, not a specialty occasion due to the cost factor.”
He didn’t spare much in the design of the space. Excited about working from scratch, rather than adapting an existing space like with his other restaurants. The architect, office dA, designed a modern version of a Tuscan grand hall, in a space twice as large as his other restaurants.
With a dramatic 24-foot high ceiling anchored by sand-blasted columns connecting inverted umbrella-shaped fiberglass vault elements, and sunny floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
“It’s very exciting to have a clean palette to work with,” he gushed.
A curtained private 12-seat dining room off to the side of the 120-seat restaurant and features heated seats “so your tush will be nice and warm” says Babak. In warmer weather, they’ll have a 60-plus seat outdoor patio.
A 44-seat handmade Terrazzo bar, made up of recycled glass, granite, marble and mother of pearl for a little sparkle, features at the end a communal table for eating at the bar. A nearby lounge has comfy couches with tiny tables made up of recycled railroad ties.
The restaurant is to the left of the bar, the Bina Alimentary market to the right is behind an optical-illusion of a glass wall.
For those with no time for Bina Osteria, you can pickup their house-made pastas, sauces, soups, and pastries – including homemade marshmallows with lavender. The shop can deliver cases of wine and gourmet food to guests.
The Alimentary has a wide selection of wines, tea, deli items, oils, sauces, olives and high-end balsamic vinegar, among other gourmet treats, imported from Italy and France. They also own a few humanely raised Iowa hogs, which will be butchered “nose to tail” and sent to them when ready; the exclusive La Quercia farm only caters to 20 chefs, including Mario Batali. At the counter are helpful food reference books.
“The gourmet food shop, Alimentary, is based on the local grocer concept, before supermarkets came around,” he said. Having another way to garner income from foodies doesn’t hurt in this economy, either.
The store’s full alcohol license will allow boutique wines as offered in the restaurant. Unlike the Bin 26 restaurant, however, “We probably won’t have Thunderbird and Boone Farm.”
The bigger space also gives them even more room to play. “We have been dabbling with making our own wines in Italy and France,” he says.
The wine menu states that it is made up of “Old-World wines produced by those who intend to maintain the true expression of the land that they grow their grapes from.” Most bottles averaged a reasonable $30-$40. The beers on tap include micro brews such as from Buzzards Bay, and bottled beers from around the world.
“There’s a definite formula to putting together the wine list,” said general manager Don Bailey. “We wanted to give an example of high quality, responsible farming, sustainable fishing. We chose locals to support our economy as well as local ecology. We even used recycled paper.”
Food offerings for the grocery will include as many items picked from local farms as possible, they promise.
“These are not going to be things you can find in Whole Foods. They do an excellent product, but these are handpicked, and hand-grown,” says Bina. “We want to support local farmers. We’re constantly tasting things. We have to go up to a sheep farm in New Bedford to try some goat cheese.”
Many grocery items will be handmade, including sorbets, gelati, jams, wines, pate, salami, cured meats, and ravioli.
“We’ll be dabbling a lot more than we have. We’re expanding our wings and getting some elbow room, to create what we really love,” says Bina. “I shouldn’t be paid for what we’re doing.”
Sidebar: lunch at Bina Osteria
By Sandra Miller
For lunch, the restaurant was bright with sun that streamed in from the large windows looking onto Washington Street.
While you can just order one item, splurging for the full four courses is a wonderful afternoon splurge.
Say yes to the bread, from Clear Flour Bakery in Brookline. It’s served warm, a chewy center surrounded by a crisp crust, with a tiny dish of light and highly rendered pork fat, and several pinches of Maine sea salt.
A salad of lambs lettuce comes with mashed roasted sunchokes and a sprinkling of hazelnuts and crushed pink peppercorns for a savory and satisfying light meal.
For the salad, the especially helpful waiter, Tyrone Scaobi, matched it with a rich and bright 2007 Soave Classico Garganega and Trebbiano blend.
For the primi, ribbons of melt-in-your-mouth parpadelle held rich buffalo di Vermont meatballs, made of buffalo and pork belly with basil and bits of carrot, swimming in San Marzano tomato sauce and grated cheese. Tyrone matched it with a 2005 Teroldego Rotaliano, a rich and ancient variety whose structure was able to support the gaminess of the meatballs.
For a secondi, or main entrée, the organic herb roasted chicken breast came highly recommended by Jamel, another super-helpful waiter. So tender you could cut it with a fork, the skin was crispy and tasty. It came with an acorn squash puree that was smooth and flavorful, especially so with a well of dark chicken jus; and buttery brussel sprouts. Tyrone recommended a glass of Riesling from the Pfalz region, Durkheimer Nonnengarten Kabinet by Darting.
The desserts, by Paola Fioravanti and team, are less confections than ingredients presented on a plate, to be mixed together or enjoyed separately.
The selections included an Anjou pear and Marcona almond tart of tiny orbs of tart fruit with pear sorbet and chai tea consommé, with a black salt sprinkle and topped by a tuille of chai tea.
A deconstructed tiramisu was more like an espresso sundae, with chocolate gelato over coffee streusel with jellied espresso, topped by a slice of glassy sugar.
The Moscato d’asti mousse with orange sorbet, 1000-flower honey cream and sumac meringue is vegan and light.
All go perfectly with the smooth house special roast coffee with a dash of milk chocolate.
Many of the ingredients for these recipes are also available in Bina Alimentary, from the honey to the gelato to the meatballs and parpadelle.
The restaurant is open seven days from afternoon until midnight, and weekend brunch.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Billie (Lambert) Lawrence, 74
By Cathy Boudreau and Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
Not too soon after she said her goodbyes to her friends and fellow Beacon Hill activists, the fiery activist Billie Lawrence was gone.
Billie Rose (Lambert) Lawrence, 74, had just decided to scale back her work with the Suffolk University Task Force due to her battle with terminal cancer, when she died Nov. 26.
Most people knew her as a community activist, although she was also an educator, editor, and television personality.
“Billie was a tireless and fearless advocate for upper Beacon Hill,” said Representative Martha M. Walz. “She asked the hard questions and would insist on answers, even when developers and others didn’t want to give them. I admired her tenacity, and I will miss her.”
Born in Huntington, West Virginia, she moved with her family to Erlanger, Kentucky, when she a young girl. Lawrence was a child prodigy, playing Mozart at the age of five.
Lawrence was actively involved since she was a little girl, she told our reporter recently. “If I didn’t like the answer, I would try to do something about it.” An anti-war activist during World War II, she ran a training program for those trying to avoid the draft. She also worked to preserve Kentucky’s Red River Gorge from development.
She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a BA in Education, with a focus on psycho-linguistics.
In the 1950s, “Billie Savely” starred as Miss Nancy Lee, of “Jellybean Acres," a children’s educational television show in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she also wrote TV and radio jingles. In the 1960’s while teaching at a Cincinnati inner city school, she became frustrated because police routinely removed her students for theft. In response, she decided to teach her students the importance of earning their own money and helped them produce and sell a successful Appalachian cookbook. Years later many of her students cited this as a major turning point in their lives.
From a young age, Billie was involved in many social and charitable organizations. She was the first president of the Junior Board for Crippled Children in Cincinnati.
Lawrence moved to Indiana as a contract designer for MAC’s Family Restaurants, supervising the design and construction of interiors for 16 steak houses and 27 hamburger restaurants, as well as handling press and public relations. Billie returned to TV/film/attractions in the 1970s when she moved to Key Biscayne, Florida, and handled public relations for Miami Seaquarium, home of “Flipper” and “Salty the Sea Lion.”
Coming to Boston 27 years ago to receive treatment at Mass General, she fell in love with Boston and stayed.
She was a faculty assistant at the Harvard Business School, where she also did editing and wrote speeches, moved onto the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the JFK School of Government, where she handled logistics for international speakers and guests in areas of Arms Control, the Aspen Institution, National Science Foundation and the Science Fellows Program.
She became the building manager and system designer for 30 offices at the JFK School of Government. After leaving Harvard, she worked for The Beacon Group as a manuscript editor for a variety of authors, as well as working privately for more than 20 clients.
In 1982, Lawrence joined the Massachusetts Teachers Association, for 15 years in the Human Resources Division until three days prior to her death. “Billie was a very unique and a very special person,” said MTA President Anne Wass. “She touched many lives in the MTA. She always brought humor and a colorful flair to MTA gathering. She will be deeply missed.”
As a local activist, Lawrence fought against what she called “hit and run development.” Lawrence was a force to be reckoned with, since her activism was not about her; it was for those whose voices could not heard, for maintaining the character of the city she grew to love, and for her commitment that Boston “shouldn’t just look like anyplace. We took our beautiful old City Hall and put a chain steakhouse in it. We have faceless buildings going up all over the place.”
She founded the Upper Beacon Hill Civic Association to direct attention to Suffolk’s 20 Somerset Street project, helping to scale back the number of dorms originally proposed.
"I really feel a sense of personal loss with Billie's passing,” said John Nucci, Vice President for External Affairs at Suffolk University. “We could sometimes disagree on certain things, but at the end of the day, we'd sit and talk about life and family like best of friends. Those were special moments for me. She was a fighter, often with a loud bark, sometimes a painful bite, but always with a heart of gold and the best interests of her neighbors in mind."
She battled liquor licenses on the Hill, protected limited-income elderly residents from being pushed out of the neighborhood, and most recently opposed a proposed restaurant on Boston Common.
She was also interested in the significance of her own apartment building, formerly the historic Hotel Bellevue, and the home, at times, of John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, and his grandson, President John F. Kennedy.
In 1999, Lawrence planned and hosted the 100th anniversary celebration of the Hotel. The reception was held on the rooftop overlooking the State House and Boston Commons, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy was the keynote speaker.
You could find Ms. Lawrence most nights at 5:15, next door to her condo, at Fifteen Beacon’s Moo restaurant—one martini, shaken 50 times, and one cup of black coffee, surrounded by friends and, most often, talking politics and current affairs.
In lieu of a memorial service, last night a celebration of Lawrence’s life was held at her old watering hole. In her honor, Mooo created a signature Martini in her honor. “Billie was a like a member of our family,” said Mooo Restaurant General Manager Alexa Demarco. “We have her signature martini on our drink list called the Billie Lawrence Martini.” All the proceeds will be donated to Billie’s favorite charity, the Autism Society of American-Massachusetts Chapter, said DeMarco, who added, “She will be deeply missed, and it was an honor for all of us to be part of this unique’s person’s life.”
Billie is survived by four children: Sandra (Shane) Nickell of Barbourville, KY; Suzanne (Dacre) Hancock of Wakefield, MA; Jay (Lea) Savely of Andover, MA; Stephanie Lind of Mariemont, OH; a brother Leslie Lambert, of Erlanger, KY; sisters Judith (Thomas) Hodge of Florence, KY and Donna (Arnold) Lively of Cocoa Beach, FL; eight grandchildren; and many more friends and admirers. Lawrence was an active member of the Women’s City Club of Boston and the Boston Atheneum. She was a member of King’s Chapel, and belonged to a group of weekly bridge players.
Donations in her memory can be made to Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts, 1420 Providence Highway, Norwood, MA 02062 or The Autism Society of America-Massachusetts Chapter, c/o Autism Services Association, 47 Walnut Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.
Beacon Hill Times
Not too soon after she said her goodbyes to her friends and fellow Beacon Hill activists, the fiery activist Billie Lawrence was gone.
Billie Rose (Lambert) Lawrence, 74, had just decided to scale back her work with the Suffolk University Task Force due to her battle with terminal cancer, when she died Nov. 26.
Most people knew her as a community activist, although she was also an educator, editor, and television personality.
“Billie was a tireless and fearless advocate for upper Beacon Hill,” said Representative Martha M. Walz. “She asked the hard questions and would insist on answers, even when developers and others didn’t want to give them. I admired her tenacity, and I will miss her.”
Born in Huntington, West Virginia, she moved with her family to Erlanger, Kentucky, when she a young girl. Lawrence was a child prodigy, playing Mozart at the age of five.
Lawrence was actively involved since she was a little girl, she told our reporter recently. “If I didn’t like the answer, I would try to do something about it.” An anti-war activist during World War II, she ran a training program for those trying to avoid the draft. She also worked to preserve Kentucky’s Red River Gorge from development.
She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a BA in Education, with a focus on psycho-linguistics.
In the 1950s, “Billie Savely” starred as Miss Nancy Lee, of “Jellybean Acres," a children’s educational television show in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she also wrote TV and radio jingles. In the 1960’s while teaching at a Cincinnati inner city school, she became frustrated because police routinely removed her students for theft. In response, she decided to teach her students the importance of earning their own money and helped them produce and sell a successful Appalachian cookbook. Years later many of her students cited this as a major turning point in their lives.
From a young age, Billie was involved in many social and charitable organizations. She was the first president of the Junior Board for Crippled Children in Cincinnati.
Lawrence moved to Indiana as a contract designer for MAC’s Family Restaurants, supervising the design and construction of interiors for 16 steak houses and 27 hamburger restaurants, as well as handling press and public relations. Billie returned to TV/film/attractions in the 1970s when she moved to Key Biscayne, Florida, and handled public relations for Miami Seaquarium, home of “Flipper” and “Salty the Sea Lion.”
Coming to Boston 27 years ago to receive treatment at Mass General, she fell in love with Boston and stayed.
She was a faculty assistant at the Harvard Business School, where she also did editing and wrote speeches, moved onto the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the JFK School of Government, where she handled logistics for international speakers and guests in areas of Arms Control, the Aspen Institution, National Science Foundation and the Science Fellows Program.
She became the building manager and system designer for 30 offices at the JFK School of Government. After leaving Harvard, she worked for The Beacon Group as a manuscript editor for a variety of authors, as well as working privately for more than 20 clients.
In 1982, Lawrence joined the Massachusetts Teachers Association, for 15 years in the Human Resources Division until three days prior to her death. “Billie was a very unique and a very special person,” said MTA President Anne Wass. “She touched many lives in the MTA. She always brought humor and a colorful flair to MTA gathering. She will be deeply missed.”
As a local activist, Lawrence fought against what she called “hit and run development.” Lawrence was a force to be reckoned with, since her activism was not about her; it was for those whose voices could not heard, for maintaining the character of the city she grew to love, and for her commitment that Boston “shouldn’t just look like anyplace. We took our beautiful old City Hall and put a chain steakhouse in it. We have faceless buildings going up all over the place.”
She founded the Upper Beacon Hill Civic Association to direct attention to Suffolk’s 20 Somerset Street project, helping to scale back the number of dorms originally proposed.
"I really feel a sense of personal loss with Billie's passing,” said John Nucci, Vice President for External Affairs at Suffolk University. “We could sometimes disagree on certain things, but at the end of the day, we'd sit and talk about life and family like best of friends. Those were special moments for me. She was a fighter, often with a loud bark, sometimes a painful bite, but always with a heart of gold and the best interests of her neighbors in mind."
She battled liquor licenses on the Hill, protected limited-income elderly residents from being pushed out of the neighborhood, and most recently opposed a proposed restaurant on Boston Common.
She was also interested in the significance of her own apartment building, formerly the historic Hotel Bellevue, and the home, at times, of John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, and his grandson, President John F. Kennedy.
In 1999, Lawrence planned and hosted the 100th anniversary celebration of the Hotel. The reception was held on the rooftop overlooking the State House and Boston Commons, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy was the keynote speaker.
You could find Ms. Lawrence most nights at 5:15, next door to her condo, at Fifteen Beacon’s Moo restaurant—one martini, shaken 50 times, and one cup of black coffee, surrounded by friends and, most often, talking politics and current affairs.
In lieu of a memorial service, last night a celebration of Lawrence’s life was held at her old watering hole. In her honor, Mooo created a signature Martini in her honor. “Billie was a like a member of our family,” said Mooo Restaurant General Manager Alexa Demarco. “We have her signature martini on our drink list called the Billie Lawrence Martini.” All the proceeds will be donated to Billie’s favorite charity, the Autism Society of American-Massachusetts Chapter, said DeMarco, who added, “She will be deeply missed, and it was an honor for all of us to be part of this unique’s person’s life.”
Billie is survived by four children: Sandra (Shane) Nickell of Barbourville, KY; Suzanne (Dacre) Hancock of Wakefield, MA; Jay (Lea) Savely of Andover, MA; Stephanie Lind of Mariemont, OH; a brother Leslie Lambert, of Erlanger, KY; sisters Judith (Thomas) Hodge of Florence, KY and Donna (Arnold) Lively of Cocoa Beach, FL; eight grandchildren; and many more friends and admirers. Lawrence was an active member of the Women’s City Club of Boston and the Boston Atheneum. She was a member of King’s Chapel, and belonged to a group of weekly bridge players.
Donations in her memory can be made to Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts, 1420 Providence Highway, Norwood, MA 02062 or The Autism Society of America-Massachusetts Chapter, c/o Autism Services Association, 47 Walnut Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Black Friday in Back Bay
By Sandra MIller
While many watched anxiously as to whether shoppers would complete their shopping the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday in Boston is a more genteel affair. While our suburban friends dealt with snarled traffic, Bostonians simply walked to their stores.
Yes, there were crowds at the likes of Filene’s Basement and shoppers wielding bargains from the major chains, while others simply walked the malls, Newbury Street, and other shopping districts in the city to get some ideas.
It’s not about how much Back Bay businesses made on Friday, though.
“We’re predicting local retail will be stronger than expected,” said Alexander Cooper, the Back Bay Association’s (BBA) director of membership and marketing. “Back Bay has always been a destination for those looking for world-class luxury brands and independent boutiques.”
The BBA is working on a “shop locally” marketing campaign to remind the neighborhood to support their local merchants.
According to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year. Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend, up 7.2 percent over last year's $347.55. The NRF credited pent-up demand on electronics and clothing, plus bargains on the season's hottest items, and predicted that holiday sales aren’t expected to continue at this pace.
For savvy shoppers, retail insiders say the real bargains on Black Friday are at publicly traded companies who are under pressure to improve upon last year's sales. Smaller boutiques, along with large, privately owned companies such as Crate and Barrel, don't offer Black Friday discounts because they can look at profits for the quarter, not a day.
The Boylston Street Crate and Barrel, closed from a recent fire, opened Friday for business, with only its furniture line unavailable for anything other than online orders. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, said Crate and Barrel spokespersonVicki Lang, who confirmed \there were no special “doorbuster” sales. “We’re just happy to have the doors open,” said Lang.
Lux Bond and Green on Boylston Street didn’t have discounts, but hosted celebrity stylist Steve London, national jewelry stylist for the John Hardy brand, who offered fashion tips and introduced new pieces. Customers were also treated to a free light lunch and refreshments.
Macy’s, among other stores, reported light lines in the morning, while Filene’s Basement on Newbury Street was crowded. Some may have been scared off by threats of rain, but shoppers going to the boutiques on Friday appeared a little more leisurely, assembling their ideas and just enjoying the day.
While during the day sales seemed light, one resident said most of his friends were spending that day driving out to the malls to grab big ticket items such as TVs at the Big Boxes, and would be shopping at the smaller stores throughout December.
“I’m kind of a procrastinator,” said Bruce Edgehill of Commonwealth Avenue, who was wandering Newbury Street, bagless, poking around the stores and burning off some Thanksgiving turkey. “I’ll buy some things online, but I like to pick up cute things that I can see and touch, things that are unique.” He said he’d do a lot of his shopping locally.
While a few boutiques around town have shut their doors, others continue to open. Gucci opened its new store at the Mandarin Oriental, in a spacious 6750 square-foot spot.
Nationwide,, many celebrated “Buy Nothing Day,” sponsored by AdBusters, meant to identify ways to reduce overall consumption habits. StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization supported by National Public Radio and others, suggested using November 28 as the day to record someone you know to talk about their lives. "This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives -- it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood," reads its web site. "By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.”
Others were saving themselves for yesterday’s “Cyber Monday,” surfing at home or at work for virtual coupons, special offer codes and e-mail alerts. The term was coined in 2005 for the Monday following Thanksgiving, which the National Retail Federation said is when "consumers have flooded Web sites on Cyber Monday and come to expect robust promotions and specials that day."
While many watched anxiously as to whether shoppers would complete their shopping the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday in Boston is a more genteel affair. While our suburban friends dealt with snarled traffic, Bostonians simply walked to their stores.
Yes, there were crowds at the likes of Filene’s Basement and shoppers wielding bargains from the major chains, while others simply walked the malls, Newbury Street, and other shopping districts in the city to get some ideas.
It’s not about how much Back Bay businesses made on Friday, though.
“We’re predicting local retail will be stronger than expected,” said Alexander Cooper, the Back Bay Association’s (BBA) director of membership and marketing. “Back Bay has always been a destination for those looking for world-class luxury brands and independent boutiques.”
The BBA is working on a “shop locally” marketing campaign to remind the neighborhood to support their local merchants.
According to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year. Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend, up 7.2 percent over last year's $347.55. The NRF credited pent-up demand on electronics and clothing, plus bargains on the season's hottest items, and predicted that holiday sales aren’t expected to continue at this pace.
For savvy shoppers, retail insiders say the real bargains on Black Friday are at publicly traded companies who are under pressure to improve upon last year's sales. Smaller boutiques, along with large, privately owned companies such as Crate and Barrel, don't offer Black Friday discounts because they can look at profits for the quarter, not a day.
The Boylston Street Crate and Barrel, closed from a recent fire, opened Friday for business, with only its furniture line unavailable for anything other than online orders. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, said Crate and Barrel spokespersonVicki Lang, who confirmed \there were no special “doorbuster” sales. “We’re just happy to have the doors open,” said Lang.
Lux Bond and Green on Boylston Street didn’t have discounts, but hosted celebrity stylist Steve London, national jewelry stylist for the John Hardy brand, who offered fashion tips and introduced new pieces. Customers were also treated to a free light lunch and refreshments.
Macy’s, among other stores, reported light lines in the morning, while Filene’s Basement on Newbury Street was crowded. Some may have been scared off by threats of rain, but shoppers going to the boutiques on Friday appeared a little more leisurely, assembling their ideas and just enjoying the day.
While during the day sales seemed light, one resident said most of his friends were spending that day driving out to the malls to grab big ticket items such as TVs at the Big Boxes, and would be shopping at the smaller stores throughout December.
“I’m kind of a procrastinator,” said Bruce Edgehill of Commonwealth Avenue, who was wandering Newbury Street, bagless, poking around the stores and burning off some Thanksgiving turkey. “I’ll buy some things online, but I like to pick up cute things that I can see and touch, things that are unique.” He said he’d do a lot of his shopping locally.
While a few boutiques around town have shut their doors, others continue to open. Gucci opened its new store at the Mandarin Oriental, in a spacious 6750 square-foot spot.
Nationwide,, many celebrated “Buy Nothing Day,” sponsored by AdBusters, meant to identify ways to reduce overall consumption habits. StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization supported by National Public Radio and others, suggested using November 28 as the day to record someone you know to talk about their lives. "This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives -- it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood," reads its web site. "By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.”
Others were saving themselves for yesterday’s “Cyber Monday,” surfing at home or at work for virtual coupons, special offer codes and e-mail alerts. The term was coined in 2005 for the Monday following Thanksgiving, which the National Retail Federation said is when "consumers have flooded Web sites on Cyber Monday and come to expect robust promotions and specials that day."
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Modern to get Suffolk-style facelift
By Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
City and Suffolk University officials and students crowded into a tent set up Friday to celebrate the official start of the $42 million redevelopment of Washington Street’s historic Modern Theatre.
In what is heralded by many as another key in the revitalization of Downtown Crossing, the Modern will enjoy the renovation of its façade, with its decrepit interior filled with a new LEED-certified, 184-seat black box theater, gallery space, and 12-story, 200-bed dorm.
The façade of the historic building will be taken apart stone by stone and sent to a masonry restoration expert before the remainder of the structure is torn down. When the residence hall/theater opens in fall 2010, it will be a completely new building with a fully restored face. Architects worked with Suffolk to design a building that will meet students’ needs, be environmentally sustainable and preserve the historic landmark. Menino also noted that the project will pursue green design and sustainability; The Modern project will use building materials recycled from a construction site.
“This is going to be a preservation project above all,” said Suffolk’s external affairs Vice President John Nucci. “This building was built with a keen awareness of sustainability.”
The Modern was built in 1876 to house two storefronts and furniture and carpet showrooms and storage. It was renovated in 1913 to accommodate the first Boston movie house, and later became a performing arts center. The last attempt to restore the building was made in the late 1970s, and has been vacant for nearly 20 years. The 4,266 square foot parcel is bounded by Washington, West, Mason and Avery Streets.
“The inside of it is really bad,” said Jane Forrestall, a member of several area task forces, including for Suffolk. “It’s was going to take someone very innovative to pull it off. I am very excited about this.”
VHB consultant Darlene Winn took little over a year to help Suffolk with the permits, a relatively easy process for this project since it didn’t involve any parking, transportation issues or aesthetics issues, she says. “Community groups will have an opportunity to use the theater. They went to the public early to figure it out. This was an easy one, since it’s a win-win for the city.”
Area residents and community activists noted that with Suffolk students comes more foot traffic downtown, along with increased security that will boost area safety.
The university’s police force will staff the building 24/7. Students living in the residence hall in the new building at the Modern and the one in the 10 West Street building will use one main entrance on West Street where a security desk will be located.
“Suffolk has a wonderful security force,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership president Rosemary Sansone, who is Suffolk’s former public affairs director. “The visibility of their officers and their vehicles is just a welcome addition to the neighborhood.”
The community asked Suffolk to explore the possibility of redeveloping the Modern after supporting their plans to purchase and develop the adjacent 10 West Street property.
MaryAnn Ponti, a Downtown Crossing Partnership member and a member of the Suffolk Task Force as well as a Washington Street resident, is also looking forward to “more culture and diversity.” Ponti has watched the area undergo a slow but steady revitalization that started with the Ritz Carlton, and the addition of hotels, a high-rise apartment, the Filenes project, and other developments. “In between it all there’s been a reawaking of the ladder streets. There’s more to come.”
Menino cited the project as key in the revitalization of downtown. “A lot of those so-called professional people say that Downtown neighborhood is dead… but the best things are to come,” said Menino, saying that the Filene’s building project will “be on again soon.”
“Soon we will be back to watching a movie at the theater,” said Menino. “You’ll see in the next couple years that Downtown Crossing will be the place to be for shopping and entertainment. We continue to have faith.”
“It is exciting to be part of the rebirth of the Downtown Crossing area,” said Sargent. “Restoring the handsome façade of the Modern Theatre will help with the continuing revitalization of Washington Street, and the new residence hall will allow more of our students to take advantage of a full residential college experience.”
Suffolk’s push for more housing is part of Menino’s emphasis on Boston universities housing their students, in order to free up apartments around Beacon Hill and other neighborhoods for families.
Suffolk president David Sargent oversaw the addition of Suffolk’s first dorm halls in the 1990s, a new law school and library, campuses in Madrid and Senegal, and soon, its 20 Somerset building.
“It is particularly sweet to (benefit the economy) and benefit our home city,” he said. Among other benefits, the project will create 120 construction jobs in a time where other area projects have slowed or even halted due to the economy.
The Modern is the last of the three Landmark theatres in this area targeted for preservation by Mayor Thomas Menino. The Opera House opened in 2004 following a $31 million restoration, and the Paramount Theatre is under construction for Emerson College, which plans a new theatre, classroom, restaurant and dorm space for the school.
Beacon Hill Times
City and Suffolk University officials and students crowded into a tent set up Friday to celebrate the official start of the $42 million redevelopment of Washington Street’s historic Modern Theatre.
In what is heralded by many as another key in the revitalization of Downtown Crossing, the Modern will enjoy the renovation of its façade, with its decrepit interior filled with a new LEED-certified, 184-seat black box theater, gallery space, and 12-story, 200-bed dorm.
The façade of the historic building will be taken apart stone by stone and sent to a masonry restoration expert before the remainder of the structure is torn down. When the residence hall/theater opens in fall 2010, it will be a completely new building with a fully restored face. Architects worked with Suffolk to design a building that will meet students’ needs, be environmentally sustainable and preserve the historic landmark. Menino also noted that the project will pursue green design and sustainability; The Modern project will use building materials recycled from a construction site.
“This is going to be a preservation project above all,” said Suffolk’s external affairs Vice President John Nucci. “This building was built with a keen awareness of sustainability.”
The Modern was built in 1876 to house two storefronts and furniture and carpet showrooms and storage. It was renovated in 1913 to accommodate the first Boston movie house, and later became a performing arts center. The last attempt to restore the building was made in the late 1970s, and has been vacant for nearly 20 years. The 4,266 square foot parcel is bounded by Washington, West, Mason and Avery Streets.
“The inside of it is really bad,” said Jane Forrestall, a member of several area task forces, including for Suffolk. “It’s was going to take someone very innovative to pull it off. I am very excited about this.”
VHB consultant Darlene Winn took little over a year to help Suffolk with the permits, a relatively easy process for this project since it didn’t involve any parking, transportation issues or aesthetics issues, she says. “Community groups will have an opportunity to use the theater. They went to the public early to figure it out. This was an easy one, since it’s a win-win for the city.”
Area residents and community activists noted that with Suffolk students comes more foot traffic downtown, along with increased security that will boost area safety.
The university’s police force will staff the building 24/7. Students living in the residence hall in the new building at the Modern and the one in the 10 West Street building will use one main entrance on West Street where a security desk will be located.
“Suffolk has a wonderful security force,” said Downtown Crossing Partnership president Rosemary Sansone, who is Suffolk’s former public affairs director. “The visibility of their officers and their vehicles is just a welcome addition to the neighborhood.”
The community asked Suffolk to explore the possibility of redeveloping the Modern after supporting their plans to purchase and develop the adjacent 10 West Street property.
MaryAnn Ponti, a Downtown Crossing Partnership member and a member of the Suffolk Task Force as well as a Washington Street resident, is also looking forward to “more culture and diversity.” Ponti has watched the area undergo a slow but steady revitalization that started with the Ritz Carlton, and the addition of hotels, a high-rise apartment, the Filenes project, and other developments. “In between it all there’s been a reawaking of the ladder streets. There’s more to come.”
Menino cited the project as key in the revitalization of downtown. “A lot of those so-called professional people say that Downtown neighborhood is dead… but the best things are to come,” said Menino, saying that the Filene’s building project will “be on again soon.”
“Soon we will be back to watching a movie at the theater,” said Menino. “You’ll see in the next couple years that Downtown Crossing will be the place to be for shopping and entertainment. We continue to have faith.”
“It is exciting to be part of the rebirth of the Downtown Crossing area,” said Sargent. “Restoring the handsome façade of the Modern Theatre will help with the continuing revitalization of Washington Street, and the new residence hall will allow more of our students to take advantage of a full residential college experience.”
Suffolk’s push for more housing is part of Menino’s emphasis on Boston universities housing their students, in order to free up apartments around Beacon Hill and other neighborhoods for families.
Suffolk president David Sargent oversaw the addition of Suffolk’s first dorm halls in the 1990s, a new law school and library, campuses in Madrid and Senegal, and soon, its 20 Somerset building.
“It is particularly sweet to (benefit the economy) and benefit our home city,” he said. Among other benefits, the project will create 120 construction jobs in a time where other area projects have slowed or even halted due to the economy.
The Modern is the last of the three Landmark theatres in this area targeted for preservation by Mayor Thomas Menino. The Opera House opened in 2004 following a $31 million restoration, and the Paramount Theatre is under construction for Emerson College, which plans a new theatre, classroom, restaurant and dorm space for the school.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Designer Apple's flavor is singularly unique
by Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
When you’re the daughter of a famous interior designer, the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
May Appleton “Apple” Parish Bartlett lives in a flat overlooking the Charles with her golden doodle Billy, along with collections of carved wooden animals, a half-dozen antique bird cages, wooden nods to her name -- apples and pears -- and other touches unique to her taste, a sort of Shabby Chic meets folk art.
“I don’t care what people think,” says Bartlett, who also sells “pure whimsy” at her Maine store, Apple’s, as well as her decoupage artworks. But she knows her mother would approve of her home decor, the same way she approved of her former Back Bay apartment.
“She would have loved it,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett is the daughter of Sister Parish, the legendary American interior decorator, who is known as the Martha Stewart of the Upper Class. The former Dorothy May Kinnicutt was born into a patrician New York family in 1910, and during the Depression put her design ability to work, her “American country” style inspired by the family’s Maine summer house. Her firm, Parish-Hadley, was filled with a client list that eventually included the Rockefellers, Astors, and Whitneys, and transformed Jackie Kennedy’s White House into American elegance.
With her daughter, Susan Bartlett Crater, Apple Parish Bartlett wrote a biography about her mother, “Sister: The Life of Legendary American Interior Designer Mrs. Henry Parish II.” Bartlett recently regaled attendees at a recent book night at the Beacon Hill Civic Association with tales of her mother’s flair and the drama that surrounded her.
“What seems important to me is permanence, comfort, and a look of continuity in the design and decoration of a house,” said Sister Parish. Among the things she believed in was: buy the best bed you can afford; invest in a quality sofa; and start a collection of items that you love. She fell in love with painted French furniture, and enjoyed creating a homey undecorated look.
Apple’s home is filled with collections of items she picked up at flea markets and antiques stores. Like her mother, she doesn’t believe in throwing out things to follow the latest trend every couple of years. “The influence my mother has on me, it’s subconscious,” she said. “She really just wanted people to be comfortable. Every house should be a happy one.”
Along her bedroom wall she has a dozen framed paintings, some of which she describes as “crappy,” but that’s the charm, she said. “It makes it more interesting.”
Some of her walls are lined with intricately designed and oftentimes fun wallpaper designed by her daughter, Susan Crater, who launched Sister Parish Design in New York.
Her home is a steady accumulation of loved things, some which she inherited from her mother, others that she picked up along the way at flea markets. Some items she’ll repaint or refinish, others, like the ancient coffee table, is peeling gesso paint, but she loves the look.
To some, the look may be “cluttered,” she admitted, but her home is clean. “I’ve never seen an apartment as goofy looking as this.” She then added, “I do what I do, which makes me really happy.”
Beacon Hill Times
When you’re the daughter of a famous interior designer, the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
May Appleton “Apple” Parish Bartlett lives in a flat overlooking the Charles with her golden doodle Billy, along with collections of carved wooden animals, a half-dozen antique bird cages, wooden nods to her name -- apples and pears -- and other touches unique to her taste, a sort of Shabby Chic meets folk art.
“I don’t care what people think,” says Bartlett, who also sells “pure whimsy” at her Maine store, Apple’s, as well as her decoupage artworks. But she knows her mother would approve of her home decor, the same way she approved of her former Back Bay apartment.
“She would have loved it,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett is the daughter of Sister Parish, the legendary American interior decorator, who is known as the Martha Stewart of the Upper Class. The former Dorothy May Kinnicutt was born into a patrician New York family in 1910, and during the Depression put her design ability to work, her “American country” style inspired by the family’s Maine summer house. Her firm, Parish-Hadley, was filled with a client list that eventually included the Rockefellers, Astors, and Whitneys, and transformed Jackie Kennedy’s White House into American elegance.
With her daughter, Susan Bartlett Crater, Apple Parish Bartlett wrote a biography about her mother, “Sister: The Life of Legendary American Interior Designer Mrs. Henry Parish II.” Bartlett recently regaled attendees at a recent book night at the Beacon Hill Civic Association with tales of her mother’s flair and the drama that surrounded her.
“What seems important to me is permanence, comfort, and a look of continuity in the design and decoration of a house,” said Sister Parish. Among the things she believed in was: buy the best bed you can afford; invest in a quality sofa; and start a collection of items that you love. She fell in love with painted French furniture, and enjoyed creating a homey undecorated look.
Apple’s home is filled with collections of items she picked up at flea markets and antiques stores. Like her mother, she doesn’t believe in throwing out things to follow the latest trend every couple of years. “The influence my mother has on me, it’s subconscious,” she said. “She really just wanted people to be comfortable. Every house should be a happy one.”
Along her bedroom wall she has a dozen framed paintings, some of which she describes as “crappy,” but that’s the charm, she said. “It makes it more interesting.”
Some of her walls are lined with intricately designed and oftentimes fun wallpaper designed by her daughter, Susan Crater, who launched Sister Parish Design in New York.
Her home is a steady accumulation of loved things, some which she inherited from her mother, others that she picked up along the way at flea markets. Some items she’ll repaint or refinish, others, like the ancient coffee table, is peeling gesso paint, but she loves the look.
To some, the look may be “cluttered,” she admitted, but her home is clean. “I’ve never seen an apartment as goofy looking as this.” She then added, “I do what I do, which makes me really happy.”
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sonsie is the Apple of the Back Bay’s Eye
By Sandra Miller
Back Bay Sun
The Thanksgiving table is filled with lots of high-maintenance dishes. Here’s an easy but decorative salad for the Turkey Table, as well as year round.
Sonsie’s Stacked Apple Spinach Salad is easy to make and looks fabulous, with slices of apple alternating with spinach leaves, and sprinkled with walnuts, blue cheese, oil and vinegar, and and grilled pepper bacon. It’s quick to make, and perfect for the Thanksgiving table.
The salad is on Sonsie’s executive chef Bill Poirier’s new apple-tizer menu, which features five items made with their seasonal ingredient, apples. “It’s kind of like Iron Chef,” he says. In the summer, they did the same with crab, and in the spring it was asparagus.
The French onion soup is made with apple cider, apple brandy, and some julienned apples sharing the bowl with carmelized onions. It’s sweet mixed with the topper of gruyere on toast, hearty yet bright. Another appetizer features four sea scallops browned in a buerre blanc/apple cider sauce, paired with granny smith sliced and spiced with cinnamon, clove and curry. The smoked shrimp is brined in apple cider, and paired with with a vanilla bean and endive salad. And even the pork cheeks are seared and braised in pork stock and cider for three hours until tender.
Poirier learned how to cook from his Italian grandmother, and later at Johnson and Wales; he was one of the famous alumni chefs, along with Gordon Hamersley, Jasper White, and Lydia Shire at the Bostonian Hotel’s Seasons. He’s also cooked in Providence, Washington DC, Florida, and Tokyo, until opening Sonsie with Lyons Group’s Patrick Lyons and CEO Ed Sparks 15 years ago.
He’s still making local favorite steak au poive and spicy thai stirfry noodles, but he and his crew area always looking to keep things fresh by offering a mix of comfort items and more complex offerings. “Over the years, the customer base have changed,” says Poirier. People are more educated. We have to keep pace.” He says the prices are lower than a high-end restaurant, suiting its café atmosphere they describe as “relaxed yet sophisticated.”
He loves that Sonsie has become the neighborhood spot for Back Bay. “We get foodies, Berklee students, tourists, and repeat customers. I try to keep them coming back. I want them to find something on the menu that will make them happy.”
Sonsie will also be working to make Thanksgiving happy for locals. They’ll be open on Thanksgiving; the day before, they’re making dinner for the nearby firehouse crew.
Stacked Apple Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pepper Bacon
Ingredients
(for each serving -- adjust for your number of guests)
1 small apple, core removed but unpeeled (preferably a red apple for drama – Cortland, mac, fuji) (You can also use a pear.)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tb toasted walnut halves (toss with olive oil and salt, place on cookie sheet in 350-degree oven until golden throughout)
3 Tb crumbled blue cheese (high quality, such as Great Hill from Marion, Mass, or gorgonzola or Roquefort)
1 Tb julienne red onion
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar, (chef first reduced cider, and blended with more cider for more punch)
salt and pepper to taste
2 strips pepper bacon, grilled. (If you can’t find peppered bacon, buy whole double-smoked or cobb-smoked bacon, slice it yourself and add pepper. Grill, not fry, bacon.)
Method:
Thinly slice apples to 1/8 “ thickness horizontally. Keep together to retain apple shape. (Chef used a mandolin, but a sharp French knife will work.)
Arrange, alternately layering apple with spinach leaves, to reform the apple stack.
Sprinkle salad with remaining ingredients.
“It’s such a simple salad,” says Poirier. “The freshness of the ingredients will shine through.” He suggested such variations as using Asian fruit with soy dressing, and adding grilled shrimp or scallops. “Simple can go in any direction.”
Poirier says this recipe gets pretty popular. “We sell so many of these it’s off the hook. Once one or two goes out (into the restaurant), others see it and we get a run on them.”
Back Bay Sun
The Thanksgiving table is filled with lots of high-maintenance dishes. Here’s an easy but decorative salad for the Turkey Table, as well as year round.
Sonsie’s Stacked Apple Spinach Salad is easy to make and looks fabulous, with slices of apple alternating with spinach leaves, and sprinkled with walnuts, blue cheese, oil and vinegar, and and grilled pepper bacon. It’s quick to make, and perfect for the Thanksgiving table.
The salad is on Sonsie’s executive chef Bill Poirier’s new apple-tizer menu, which features five items made with their seasonal ingredient, apples. “It’s kind of like Iron Chef,” he says. In the summer, they did the same with crab, and in the spring it was asparagus.
The French onion soup is made with apple cider, apple brandy, and some julienned apples sharing the bowl with carmelized onions. It’s sweet mixed with the topper of gruyere on toast, hearty yet bright. Another appetizer features four sea scallops browned in a buerre blanc/apple cider sauce, paired with granny smith sliced and spiced with cinnamon, clove and curry. The smoked shrimp is brined in apple cider, and paired with with a vanilla bean and endive salad. And even the pork cheeks are seared and braised in pork stock and cider for three hours until tender.
Poirier learned how to cook from his Italian grandmother, and later at Johnson and Wales; he was one of the famous alumni chefs, along with Gordon Hamersley, Jasper White, and Lydia Shire at the Bostonian Hotel’s Seasons. He’s also cooked in Providence, Washington DC, Florida, and Tokyo, until opening Sonsie with Lyons Group’s Patrick Lyons and CEO Ed Sparks 15 years ago.
He’s still making local favorite steak au poive and spicy thai stirfry noodles, but he and his crew area always looking to keep things fresh by offering a mix of comfort items and more complex offerings. “Over the years, the customer base have changed,” says Poirier. People are more educated. We have to keep pace.” He says the prices are lower than a high-end restaurant, suiting its café atmosphere they describe as “relaxed yet sophisticated.”
He loves that Sonsie has become the neighborhood spot for Back Bay. “We get foodies, Berklee students, tourists, and repeat customers. I try to keep them coming back. I want them to find something on the menu that will make them happy.”
Sonsie will also be working to make Thanksgiving happy for locals. They’ll be open on Thanksgiving; the day before, they’re making dinner for the nearby firehouse crew.
Stacked Apple Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pepper Bacon
Ingredients
(for each serving -- adjust for your number of guests)
1 small apple, core removed but unpeeled (preferably a red apple for drama – Cortland, mac, fuji) (You can also use a pear.)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tb toasted walnut halves (toss with olive oil and salt, place on cookie sheet in 350-degree oven until golden throughout)
3 Tb crumbled blue cheese (high quality, such as Great Hill from Marion, Mass, or gorgonzola or Roquefort)
1 Tb julienne red onion
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar, (chef first reduced cider, and blended with more cider for more punch)
salt and pepper to taste
2 strips pepper bacon, grilled. (If you can’t find peppered bacon, buy whole double-smoked or cobb-smoked bacon, slice it yourself and add pepper. Grill, not fry, bacon.)
Method:
Thinly slice apples to 1/8 “ thickness horizontally. Keep together to retain apple shape. (Chef used a mandolin, but a sharp French knife will work.)
Arrange, alternately layering apple with spinach leaves, to reform the apple stack.
Sprinkle salad with remaining ingredients.
“It’s such a simple salad,” says Poirier. “The freshness of the ingredients will shine through.” He suggested such variations as using Asian fruit with soy dressing, and adding grilled shrimp or scallops. “Simple can go in any direction.”
Poirier says this recipe gets pretty popular. “We sell so many of these it’s off the hook. Once one or two goes out (into the restaurant), others see it and we get a run on them.”
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Councilor Ross among those who helped ensure integrity of presidential election
by Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times/Back Bay Sun
Councilor Michael Ross recently returned from Florida, where he joined a volunteer crew of lawyers nationwide who arrived armed to protect voters rights at the polls. His efforts were part of a huge outpouring from all levels of Democrats who turned out at key states to keep things clean.
“We wanted to make sure that 2004 and 2000 didn’t happen again,” he said, referring to the Voter Protection program.
Actually, nothing out of sorts happened, he said. Instead, he answered several questions from young voters who had no idea how the process worked, from his Northwest Miami spot in a largely Jamaican community.
“There was a first-time voter, 19 years old, who clearly was not aware of how to or even where to vote,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Walk through the doors, you’ll be fine.’ “ Concerned about the strict regulations many states have enacted to match voter registrations to voter identifications, Ross became impatient. “Look, the people who want to defraud the election system will be able to defraud if they want to. When you put up barriers to voting, you hurt first-time voters, you make it harder for people who want to vote. There’s a lot of people who are underhoused or lost their home or are transient, or college students. A lot of people who had moved were discouraged from the polls.”
Ross was happy to be part of the process, but he was also aware of his role in a strong democracy.
“I felt like I was a part of history,” he said. “Most of all it was an opportunity to watch a swing state that was previously Republican the last couple of elections to watch that state become a Democratic state.”
An early Obama supporter, Ross was in awe of the huge organizational fete. “It was great. If the Obama administration is run half as good as the way they executed his campaign, they will be great,” he said.
Ross noted thousands of others lawyers were organized via numerous conference calls. “Hundred went to Florida, doing what I was doing,” he said, noting strong organizer Cheryl Cronin, a Back Bay resident who recruited Ross.
He noticed a lot of other Massachusetts volunteers in Florida and around the country, including many of his constituents. “They knew their vote was far more useful and their work was far more useful outside of Massachusetts, in a swing state,” he said.
As for his friends on the John McCain side, he said, “I don’t think the Republicans were impressed, and they had come to terms with the way Obama conducted himself with dignity, and how he ran a good campaign.”
Ross is pretty active as a Democrat, traveling to the primaries to cast his vote at the Democratic Convention, and otherwise campaigning for Obama.
“It’s a great experience every four years,” he said, noting that the past few years weren’t great for Democrats. “I was glad to be able to say I voted for Barack Obama in January 2007. … when he spoke at the convention in 2000, I had an opportunity to meet him. I felt up front and close to a historic moment.”
Beacon Hill Times/Back Bay Sun
Councilor Michael Ross recently returned from Florida, where he joined a volunteer crew of lawyers nationwide who arrived armed to protect voters rights at the polls. His efforts were part of a huge outpouring from all levels of Democrats who turned out at key states to keep things clean.
“We wanted to make sure that 2004 and 2000 didn’t happen again,” he said, referring to the Voter Protection program.
Actually, nothing out of sorts happened, he said. Instead, he answered several questions from young voters who had no idea how the process worked, from his Northwest Miami spot in a largely Jamaican community.
“There was a first-time voter, 19 years old, who clearly was not aware of how to or even where to vote,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Walk through the doors, you’ll be fine.’ “ Concerned about the strict regulations many states have enacted to match voter registrations to voter identifications, Ross became impatient. “Look, the people who want to defraud the election system will be able to defraud if they want to. When you put up barriers to voting, you hurt first-time voters, you make it harder for people who want to vote. There’s a lot of people who are underhoused or lost their home or are transient, or college students. A lot of people who had moved were discouraged from the polls.”
Ross was happy to be part of the process, but he was also aware of his role in a strong democracy.
“I felt like I was a part of history,” he said. “Most of all it was an opportunity to watch a swing state that was previously Republican the last couple of elections to watch that state become a Democratic state.”
An early Obama supporter, Ross was in awe of the huge organizational fete. “It was great. If the Obama administration is run half as good as the way they executed his campaign, they will be great,” he said.
Ross noted thousands of others lawyers were organized via numerous conference calls. “Hundred went to Florida, doing what I was doing,” he said, noting strong organizer Cheryl Cronin, a Back Bay resident who recruited Ross.
He noticed a lot of other Massachusetts volunteers in Florida and around the country, including many of his constituents. “They knew their vote was far more useful and their work was far more useful outside of Massachusetts, in a swing state,” he said.
As for his friends on the John McCain side, he said, “I don’t think the Republicans were impressed, and they had come to terms with the way Obama conducted himself with dignity, and how he ran a good campaign.”
Ross is pretty active as a Democrat, traveling to the primaries to cast his vote at the Democratic Convention, and otherwise campaigning for Obama.
“It’s a great experience every four years,” he said, noting that the past few years weren’t great for Democrats. “I was glad to be able to say I voted for Barack Obama in January 2007. … when he spoke at the convention in 2000, I had an opportunity to meet him. I felt up front and close to a historic moment.”
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