Newton in the Kitchen

A Fond Foodie Farewell

After two-and-a-half years as Newton Patch's food writer and freelancer, Wendy Schapiro is moving to warmer climates and back into the classroom

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 moving to the Los Angeles area, which I will be doing at the end of the month, Melanie was in middle school! I came east for college, and though I have …

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Newton in the Kitchen

Daikanyama Brings Tokyo to Chestnut Hill

Judy Chow, owner/chef of Daikanyama in the Mall at Chestnut Hill talks about why her restaurant is a perfect fit for its location in Bloomingdale's and what makes her happy (hint: it's all about people).

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 opened her first Daikanyama in Lexington in 2008. A year later, she had a conversation with her son about how she wanted to grow her business, and …

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New Retail Store Added to Chestnut Hill Square Lineup

The Route 9 development is slated to open in fall 2013.

Updated 1:15 p.m. with a statement from New England Development. Officials from New England Development announced this week that an upscale clothing and home decor store will be opening a location at the new Chestnut Hill Square in Newton. According to a report in the Boston Globe, Anthropologie will join the lineup at the Chestnut Hill Square site, which is located off Route 9. “Anthropologie will be a terrific addition to the other stores and restaurants at Chestnut Hill Square and we’re delighted that they chose our project as the best location in Chestnut Hill," Executive Vice President at New England Development Douglass Karp said in a statement issued to Newton Patch. Anthropologie currently has five shops in Massachusetts and …

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Workers 'Top Off' Wegmans Building at Chestnut Hill Square Development [PHOTOS]

The building -- which will house the Wegmans, Equinox gym, medical officies, a restaurant and retail shops -- received its final steel beam yesterday.

Crews hoisted the final steel beam on to the first Chestnut Hill Square building yesterday, marking a major construction milestone in the Route 9 development.  This first building, which is one of three that will be constructed on the site, will house a Wegmans supermarket, an Equinox fitness club, a Brio Tuscan Grille restaurant and specialty shops, according to a press release issued by New England Development.  Now that the final beam is in place for the 200,000-square-foot building, the structure's "skin" -- the glass and masonry -- will be added next.  In addition to the retail, restaurants and supermarket, this first building will also feature 60,000 square feet of "premier" medical office space. New England Development is expecting …

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Developers Announce Two New Restaurants Coming to Newton's Chestnut Hill Square

New England Development has added two "nationally acclaimed" restaurants to its lineup at Chestnut Hill Square, joining a Wegmans supermarket and an Equinox gym.

As construction continues to move along at the future Chestnut Hill Square site, the property owners announced today two new restaurants that will be joining the lineup at the Route 9 development.  Seasons 52 "fresh grill and wine bar" and BRIO Tuscan Grille will be opening up their first Massachusetts locations at Chestnut Hill Square, according to a press release from the site's owners, New England Development.  Both restaurants will be opening in fall 2013. “We are excited to bring Seasons 52 to the residents of New England for the first time. Chestnut Hill is an ideal setting for our guests – people who celebrate living well while enjoying upscale dining, shopping and entertainment,” Seasons 52 President Stephen Judge said in a press …

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Newton Macy's Could be the Site of New Movie Theatre

WS Development is proposing a plan to close the AMC Chestnut Hill and reopen a new theatre at the former Macy's site, which closed last year.

A Chestnut Hill development firm has some makeover plans for the Macy's on Route 9 in Newton.  Boston.com recently reported the now closed department store could soon be converted into a movie theatre.  According to the article, WS Development, the property's owners, have started removing asbestos from the former Macy's building and have plans to start construction as soon as next month.  The owners indicated that the new theatre would result in the closing of the AMC Chestnut Hill, which is a few doors down in the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center. WS Development would not disclose the new theatre company.  Macy's closed its Chestnut Hill store in early 2011 as part of the company's move to "prune underperforming locations while also opening …

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Chestnut Hill Square Developers Look to Newton for Partnership in State Program

The I-Cubed program would grant bonds for $15 million in infrastructure improvements around the site.

Developers of the proposed Chestnut Hill Square are looking for the city's cooperation in a state-funded program that would provide $15 million in infrastructure improvements to Route 9 and other nearby roadways. The Infrastructure Investment Incentive program, otherwise known as I-Cubed, involves the state issuing bonds to development projects that are eventually paid back through the sales and payroll taxes generated by the project. Representatives from the project's developer, New England Development, met with the Finance Committee Monday night to stress the importance of the bonds, and the need for the city's approval before moving forward with the application. "There is no way for us to do this project without having I-Cubed funding…

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Chestnut Hill Square Appeal Settled, Shopping Malls Agree to "Work Together"

An appeal filed against the Board of Aldermen's Chestnut Hill Square permit decision was settled earlier this week.

More than six months after its special permits were approved by the Board of Aldermen, the planned Chestnut Hill Square project recently passed a legal obstacle involving its future neighbors. Shortly after the Board of Aldermen gave the OK for the project's plans and permits in December, The Mall at Chestnut Hill and Atrium Mall filed an appeal against the decision. But earlier this week, that appeal was settled and a formal dismissal will be filed in the coming days, according to the malls' attorney Bill Shaevel.  "[The appeal] was mutually settled; all parties believe that they will work together to create a vibrant Chestnut Hill Shopping area," Shaevel said, noting that the appeal was settled Tuesday. According to the appeal, the board…

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Brookline, Newton Could See Showdown Over Route 9 Parking

Chestnut Hill Square still has a few hurdles, including a new legal dispute.

Although it may have appeared the battle was won last month with the Board of Aldermen approval, the Chestnut Hill Square project now faces a number of new obstacles. Among them is an emerging dispute over parking along Route 9 on either side of the Brookline-Newton border. Some Newton officials would like to see parking prohibited along the highway in order to ease congestion, while Brookline officials say the spaces are essential for pedestrian safety and the health of Brookline businesses. Parking is technically prohibited on state highways under state law, but enforcement is left up to local police departments and Brookline has declined to stop drivers from parking along much of Route 9. According to the state Department of …

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Aldermen Give Thumbs Up to Chestnut Hill Square

The full board gave its unanimous approval for the necessary special permits and zoning changes.

[Updated, 12/7/10] The long-debated Chestnut Hill Square project has passed yet another hurdle. Following last week's recommendation from the Land Use Committee, the full Board of Aldermen voted unanimously in favor tonight for the necessary re-zoning and special permits for the 11.32-acre site located at the former Omni Foods site off Route 9. Twenty members of the 24-person board were present.  "No project is ideal, but I think this is the best we're going to get," said Alderman Cheryl Lappin. The approval will rezone the area to a Business 4 space and will grant special permits for mixed-use developments.  Lappin gave her support for the New England Development project, citing the potential $15 million in improvements the project would …

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