Last week, local editor Melanie Graham announced that she would be leaving Newton Patch for an exciting new opportunity at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. While I was excited to hear that the fabulous Brooklyn Lowery would be stepping into the local editor’s virtual shoes, I can’t imagine working without Melanie -– and, as I can now share, I won’t have to. This will be my last column as the Newton Patch food writer and author of the “Newton in the Kitchen” column. Not to steal her thunder, but my move was actually planned long before Mel’s.  In fact, when I first started thinking about …

When Bernard’s closed its doors at the Mall at Chestnut Hill, a nearly audible cry of dismay arose from around Newton and Chestnut Hill. Longtime patrons of the popular Chinese restaurant wondered where they would dine locally for their favorite Asian dishes. During Patch's interview earlier this week, a customer came in to the restaurant (which had not yet opened for the day) and spoke to the gentleman manning the front desk. “So, are you really open now?” she inquired. When this was confirmed, she continued, “I’m so glad! When I went to the Mall (at Chestnut Hill) and saw that you had …

Since a long-forgotten inventive coffee drinker first added cubes to his caffeine to create iced coffee, aficionados have dealt with the same sad situation: as the ice melts, your iced coffee gets progressively more watery and less palatable. Edgar Zavala and Rumyana Gizdova, owners of New Breadsong Corner Bakery in Auburndale have come up with a simple yet extremely effective remedy for this dilemma: use frozen coffee for the cubes. “We just came up with the idea,” laughs Gizdova. “Instead of throwing the coffee away at night, we just freeze it in ice cube trays.” Zavala adds, “The coffee is…

  Passover “Bagels” (Makes 1 dozen) In my mother’s annual synagogue Passover column, “Leaven Can Wait,” she always referred to these as Mrs. Meyer’s bagels. Yes, the only thing they really have in common with bagels is the hole in the center and they aren’t that pretty to look at. But considering that these allow you to enjoy your usual schmear on something other than a piece of matzo, they are a pretty darn good Pesach substitute! They also taste really good with butter and/or jam. Ingredients: ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil 9 ounces water 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon salt 2 ½ cup matzo meal…

  Passover begins at sunset on Monday, March 25 and ends at sundown on April 2. In past Passover columns, Newton in the Kitchen has shared recipes for dinner and dessert as well as soup and sides. But the meal that seems to give folks the most trouble during the holiday-when-bread-is-forbidden is breakfast. So here are two tried-and-true recipes for dishes you can make for the first meal of the day, even if you are short on time. Matzo Brei Serves 4 There are many variations on this traditional Passover recipe- great also as a side dish- but this is the one I have been making for the past 30 …

  If you have driven by the new Walnut Grille in Newton Highlands, you may have noticed their sign that touts the restaurant as being a “vegetarian and vegan experience.”  And you may have asked yourself, “What exactly is a ‘vegetarian and vegan experience?’” According to Chef Shiva Kumar, one of five friends involved in the new venture, the answer is actually pretty simple. “So many vegetarian restaurants, restaurants in general, are just that --restaurants,” Kumar explains. “We wanted to attract people with more. When they come, they get the full experience- the food, the atmosphere, the …

One of the best parts of living in Newton is the incredible variety of international cuisine from which we can choose when dining out. We have Mexican, Italian, Thai, Mediterranean, Japanese, Chinese and Irish fare, among others, available within the city limits. But, according to their website, there is only one “taste of old Russia,” and that is Café St. Petersburg in Newton Centre. The restaurant is truly a hidden gem, tucked between the shops and restaurants of Union Street and the bustle of Beacon Street. A brick path leads to a set of stairs that gently slope towards the restaurant’s …

Marjorie Druker, owner of the New England Soup Factory in Newton and Brookline, is more than just the “soup lady.”  She is now also the “chicken lady,” since opening an addition to her Newton store late last year that features rotisserie chicken. Why chicken, you may ask? “When I was a little girl growing up, there was a rotisserie restaurant in Newton Centre called Cinders, and we’d walk up from our house to get a nice dinner,” Druker recalls. “Then I opened Boston Chicken in Newtonville, in 1985, I created the menus (with that restaurant in mind). People always felt I should do that on my …

Judy Chow, owner and chef at Daikanyama in Bloomingdale’s in the Mall at Chestnut Hill, had no trouble coming up with a name for her restaurants (her other location is in Lexington). She wanted a moniker that reflected the caliber of the towns where the restaurants were located but also reflected the elegant Japanese fare served within. So she named them after the Daikanyama neighborhood of Tokyo. “It’s like the Newbury Street of Tokyo,” Chow explains. “Very upscale, little shops and restaurants. It’s really nice, just like Chestnut Hill, like Newton.” In spite of the difficult economy, Chow …

There are two things you need to know about Tony Mirogiannis, owner of Newtonville’s Village Café: He is the proud doggie daddy of Goliath, a tough-on-the-outside, sweet-on-the-inside Pit Bull. The only thing Mirogiannis loves more than Goliath is giving his customers what he likes. “If I don’t like it when I make it, I don’t want to sell it,” Mirogiannis states emphatically. “I love what I make. I have fun with it.” When Mirogiannis bought the Village Café two and a half years ago, it was already a familiar locale to him. His parents, who had also owned Nick’s Pizza in Wellesley, had been …

Eric Cormier, owner of the new Po’ Boy sandwich shop on Crafts Street, admits he sort of did things backwards in opening his first restaurant in Everett. But he got it right before he came to Newtonville. “I ran it very, very well,” Cormier says of the restaurant he opened in 2009. “The name ‘po’ boys’ was brought to my attention, and I opened it up without really knowing about the history of the name. But then I came to really find out about it, went down there to New Orleans, and when I came here (to Newton), my focal point was making it the real deal, a real po’ boy. And I’m just taking it…

Believe it or not, there are a whopping 18 restaurants in Newton that serve brunch on Saturdays and/or Sundays. And that tally doesn’t even include the restaurants that serve breakfast or brunch every day of the week. Maybe the Garden City should consider changing its nickname to the Brunch City. Here is a list of the Newton restaurants that serve brunch, their brunch hours, and a menu highlight. We are also including whether or not they will be serving brunch on Tuesday, Jan. 1, since New Year’s Day is a popular time to go out and enjoy a late midmorning/early afternoon meal while you …

Three days after Sycamore quietly opened its doors -- and following months of anticipation and buzz -- Zach Lieberman says that he isn’t nearly as nervous as he thought he’d be in his first gig as a general manager. That could be because, for a young man, Lieberman has an impressive amount of experience. Raised in Lexington, Lieberman dropped out of high school at 16 and quickly found a job as an expediter (making sure food came out of the kitchen and to the diners correctly and quickly) at Lexx, a then-new restaurant in his hometown. From there he moved onto Craigie Street Bistro and then to…

The word metropolitan can mean “characteristic of a metropolis in accepting and combining a wide variety of people and ideas.” So it’s no wonder Kathy Sidell chose to name the restaurants in her “collection” (she prefers this term to “chain”) with variations on Metropolitan Club. The group includes the original on Route 9 in Chestnut Hill, MET Bar and Grill outposts at The Natick Collection and at Legacy Place in Dedham, MET Back Bay, and the newest member, MET on Main in Nantucket. But as diverse as the locations of the restaurants are, they all reflect Sidell’s upbringing on Baldpate Hill …

Wendyfully Easy Latkes  (Makes 12 large latkes) I shared my ‘basic’ version of this recipe two years ago, but I have come to realize that not everyone needs quite so many latkes. So here is a scaled-down version of the recipe – but you can always go back to the original if you like! Ingredients: 1 package of Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns (see note for alternative) ¼  tsp. baking soda 1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped 1 tsp salt 1/4-cup all-purpose flour 2 large or extra-large eggs, beaten  canola oil for frying Directions: In a large mixing bowl, toss baking soda with shredded …

What do you do to add to nearly 27 years of success in your two Newton Irish pubs/restaurants? If you are the O’Hara brothers, you expand your Newton Highlands location, O’Hara’s, and start serving Sunday brunch. “Basically, this just gives people more opportunity to be here,” laughs Karl. “We open at 10 a.m. so you can get in early.” John and Karl O’Hara have spent most of their lives in the restaurant business. Their father, Curt, was the longtime manager at Finnerty’s in Wayland. Both boys worked in the legendary restaurant (where, ironically, the O’Hara brothers and Dunn-Gaherins owner, …

Newton is one of only a handful of Eastern Massachusetts communities that has a winter farmers’ market, allowing us to get locally sourced produce and foodstuffs in a fashion usually reserved for the warmer months. This week, Newton in the Kitchen will introduce you to the merchants who are new to the Newton Farmers’ Market. It is worthwhile to note that these vendors comprise only about half of the total number of merchants who are selling their wares at the Hyde Community Center every Tuesday from 1:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. from now until mid-June. Merchant:  A Summer Place Farm (Rehoboth, MA) …

Thanksgiving is next Thursday, Nove. 22, and though many local retail stores are already spotlighting their Christmas merchandise you still have to get through Turkey Day. But fear not- Patch has you covered! Here are some recipes from Newton chefs that will help make you look like a pro when you serve holiday dinner to your family. Michael Leviton’s Fall Fruit Compote Jennifer DeLeonardis, General Manager of Lumiere, says, “In lieu of the traditional cranberry sauce (yes, even the one that mom used to make), Michael likes this Fall Fruit Compote.” Leviton is the chef/owner at Lumiere in West…

  If you were going to open a new restaurant, would you choose a spot just a mile and a half away from your already wildly successful (but very different) dining destination?  If you were Jeff Fournier of 51 Lincoln, and now Waban Kitchen, that is exactly what you’d do. And you’d have a darn good reason for doing it too: the short commute makes for an easier balance between work life and home life. “My philosophy of entrepreneurship and being a chef has morphed over the last few years,” Fournier explains. “When I started thinking about starting a family (Jeff and his wife, Kate, are expecting…

You might think that Geoff Janowski would attribute the tremendous success of Blue Ribbon BBQ to his keen business acumen. Or his many years of being a chef in a variety of local venues. But no- Janowski says that someone else should be given a good share of the credit: his older brother, Chris. “It was really Chris’ idea to bring this barbecue concept to Boston,” says Janowski. “He had the dream; he had the vision.” Ten years ago when Chris left Massachusetts and Blue Ribbon and moved back to Virginia (where he’d gone to college), he still had a strong hand in running the business from afar…