Centre Street, once known for mainly hosting banks, is now beginning to attract a variety of new restaurants to the main stretch of West Roxbury. Van Tang and Tu Vu, a married couple from Lexington, came before the West Roxbury Neighborhood Council yesterday evening at the Area E-5 Police Station to introduce their new restaurant Bánh Mi Ngon. Given that it was the only item on the agenda, it was a very short and light meeting. The establishment will be a take-out Vietnamese sandwich and appetizer shop located at 1759 Centre Street, near Christo’s Pizza. They were inspired by their friend Le, owner of Le’s Vietnamese Restaurant in Chestnut Hill’s Atrium Mall, to consider West Roxbury. Le has been in business for more than 15 ... Continue reading →

Gem Restaurant & Lounge, the latest project from Big Night Entertainment Group (Red Lantern, Shrine), bills itself as “a fusion of gastro-lounge and ultra exclusive supper club.” Although a dress code is not spelled out, the restaurant claims to have a very strict one: Entry will be denied, says its website, to anyone who does not meet “management dress satisfaction.” ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF Pressed crisp chicken. Will you be allowed in? Will your outfit make the cut? It’s time to find out. Climb a flight of stairs to a small, plush space decorated in the rococo style of a bordello catering to Francophiles who haven’t been to France in a few decades. High red velvet banquettes line the mosaic floor. Chairs and tables are ... Continue reading →

Gem Restaurant & Lounge, the latest project from Big Night Entertainment Group (Red Lantern, Shrine), bills itself as “a fusion of gastro-lounge and ultra exclusive supper club.” Although a dress code is not spelled out, the restaurant claims to have a very strict one: Entry will be denied, says its website, to anyone who does not meet “management dress satisfaction.” ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF Pressed crisp chicken. Will you be allowed in? Will your outfit make the cut? It’s time to find out. Climb a flight of stairs to a small, plush space decorated in the rococo style of a bordello catering to Francophiles who haven’t been to France in a few decades. High red velvet banquettes line the mosaic floor. Chairs and tables are ... Continue reading →

Last month, I spoke to several sophomore English classes at the John D. O�Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury. The students there are working on a food-writing project, for which they are composing culinary memoirs and reviews. (See some of their reviews here. They have pretty good taste in restaurants.) During the classes, teacher Ian Doreian and I had them taste different kinds of cheese and write descriptions of each. The two best descriptions would win a prize: attending a review dinner with me and their teacher. All of the students were amazing, but two descriptions clearly stood out, written by Brysen A. Greene and Gabriela Maldonado. The four of us shared a dinner at the Painted Burro, which I reviewed this week. ... Continue reading →

Not sure why we never went to Montreal and Quebec City in one long trip (though several visits to Montreal only). We ate extraordinarily well, beginning at Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins, which was very crowded when we arrived -- without a reservation. In Montreal, establishments cannot serve wine at the bar unless you're also eating and all of those spaces are reserved. We had walked three miles in the rain (though not uphill and backwards, only uphill) -- we kept thinking it would be on the next block, then the next block -- past other favorite spots like Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, where the smoked meats are stacked in the window (it's now owned by Celine Dion, her husband Rene Angelil and others; a ... Continue reading →

The Boston restaurant community is an uncommonly generous one. And when a friend is in need, everyone bands together to help out. This time, the guy in need is Vinny Sapochetti of Neptune Oyster (above). At the end of April, a car accident left him with a brain injury. His recovery is going to take some time. Colleagues, friends, and family are banding together to raise money to help pay his bills while he is out of work. To that end, a fund-raiser and auction take place Monday, May 28, at the Hotel Commonwealth from 5-10 p.m. (Find all the details here.) To understand the generosity of the restaurant community, just look at the long list of businesses stepping in to help: Neptune Oyster, Toro, ... Continue reading →

About Dishing What's cooking in the world of food. Contributors Sheryl Julian, the Globe's Food Editor, writes regularly for the Food section.Devra First is the Globe's food reporter and restaurant critic. Her reviews appear weekly in the Food section.Stephen Meuse writes and blogs about wine. His column, By the Glass, appears on the last Wednesday of the month in the Food section. Plonkapalooza, his review of 50 bottles $12 and under, comes out every fall. The Recipe Box Project: If you want to contribute a recipe to The Recipe Box Project, please write it below. Also tell us where you got it (package box, cookbook, mom, friend -- include the name). We're looking for the kinds of dishes that people grew up on, that were ... Continue reading →