Coming soon: As we reported a couple of weeks ago, the team from Harvard Square tiki sensation Wusong Road will open an homage to 1990s theme dining at the CambridgeSide Mall (100 Cambridgeside Place) in the coming months.
immediately, it has a name: Gato Exotico will open late this year, reimagining the “energy of 1990s mall dining with a modern twist,” says a release. Owner Jason Doo told me to expect a “modernist Rainforest Café,” but without animatronics. Doo hung out at CambridgeSide as a high-schooler, so this is a return to his roots.
On the Mexican-leaning menu: mole negro from Oaxaca, cochinita pibil slow roasted in banana leaves from the Yucatán, and Tulum-style ceviche. Drinks tend tropical, with mezcal and tequila.
In Everett, drinkers can soon take out frustrations at Re: Bar (73 Norman St.), blending cocktails with ax-throwing, nerf games, and darts. It’s the up-to-date from the team behind the ever-popular Park-9 Dog Bar, a canine-friendly gathering space for pets and their owners with locations in Boston and Everett.
On Beacon Hill, Art Deco cocktail bar 89 Charles opens on Saturday, Sept. 20 (89 Charles St.). Bar Manager Dave Irwin (Zurito) serves classic cocktails; chef Matt McPherson (Cafe Iterum) prepares small plates like foie gras bratwurst and beef tartare.
Special events: The Fenway offers more than popcorn and Fenway franks. Taste the full breadth of wares on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Taste of the Fenway, with unlimited food and drink samples from lots of neighborhood restaurants: Bartaco, encendío Taqueria and Oyster Bar, MIDA, Nathalie Wine Bar, Saloniki, Standard Italian, and lots more. Visit Van Ness Street from 5 p.m.; tickets are $50 (kids under 10 are free). See the full lineup at www.tasteofthefenway.org.
Fund-raisers: Brunch empire The Friendly Toast partners with singer Noah Kahan’s The Busyhead Project to support mental health awareness this fall. Busyhead raises funds to boost mental health care access and reduce stigma.
All 14 Toast locations serve a fall specials menu with dishes and drinks inspired by Kahan’s lyrics and songs — Waffle Be Here Forever; Northern Attitude Breakfast — with $1 per dish donated to his charity through Sunday, Nov. 30.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.
About the Author
