Muggsy About Town

A fond farewell to Nick Kacoyanis, the former owner of the beloved Captain’s Quarters (now known as the Black Cow Tap & Grill)…Nick was known as a caring owner to his help, customers, and community friends…old school…old school – if one of his employees was in dire need of a ride to Boston for medical, family, or personal reasons, he would simply say, “Hop in my car and I’ll give you a ride.”…and, he did, he was that kind of boss – leaving his post as restaurant owner, simply being a good person…one of a kind…we will miss him

…this column was stunned to note the recent The Daily (except Sundays) News scoop about Haley’s and Abraham’s Bagels partnering to combine the funky old-fashioned summer Haley’s fare (lobster rolls to ice cream) with famed bagels…we, of course, wish all good fortune upon Mike Roy and Linda Garcia, two of the best restaurant people ever to hit NBPT…still, isn’t this rather ancient news that was reported in the media this past summer?…we’ll have to ask Mr. Good B. Eating.

…we have been wondering how Jimmy Rogers, our own Todd English, who made his name running Our Fair Port’s Michael Harborside, has been doing with his new adventure, Tuscan Kitchen in Salem, NH in partnership with food legend Joe Faro…thus far the just-opened venture has received mixed (mostly positive) reviews…a ¼-page ad for NYE in The Boston Globe’s North edition made a dramatic statement that Mr. Rogers is ready to take his place in the new neighborhood of destination restaurants…we wish him all the best success

…do not expect to see either Connor’s Corner ( a wine bistro on Prince Place) or Enzo (an Italian ristorante going into the former River Merrimac Bar & Grille @ The Tannery’s spot too soon…build outs and permits take a bit of time, plus does anyone really want to open a dining spot in February…Ceia, the new Portuguese/Italian-flavored dining address could do such with its high profile location, ready-to-use facility (kitchen had hardly been used by former owner) and established community ties and credit

…watch for a major gap to take place in a Market Square retail spot to happen soon…of course, this will start off the usual January – March downtown shuffle of stores relocating (leases are designed to make sure no one leaves until after the holidays), but this one is a shocker

…of course, this column couldn’t have happier when we noticed the “Leased” sign in the front window of the long-empty O’Brien State Street Building…this news is bound to enliven this too long dormant downtown block to exciting proportions…once Connor’s Cellar opens, coupled with the fabled Screening Room, Port Tavern, Taffy’s, and a bevy of eclectic shops filling out the menu this will be a most important part of downtown NBPT.

…we bumped into one Dawn McCandless at the Post Office recently…she was probably sending off a package of money to Switzerland given her success with her two Agavé Mexican Bistro Restaurants in Newburyport and Portsmouth, NH…Dawn was her usually bursting-with-energy self bragging about her two kids, her two restaurants, and her two or three other businesses…this columnist was exhausted just listening to her…delightfully so.

…the first snow storm of the season just before Christmas brought but a few customers in as cars were slipping and sliding in multiple accidents…the front door of a local restaurant kicks open…a small child exclaims, “Look Mommy! That man has no socks on! Doesn’t he know it’s snowing out?”…this columnist chuckled as he knew that The Great Linguini also recognized as one Joseph Pignato (the “g” in his name is silent although he rarely is) of Joseph’s Winter Street Café fame had arrived almost directly from the hospital with no socks after surviving yet another operation with multiple Slice & Dice staples…no longer will his dream of pitching for the Red Sox come true…of course, to hear him tell the story, he checked himself into the hospital bringing along with his chef’s knives and using one he corrected a major shoulder injury while looking at a mirror behind him…by the time his appointed surgical team arrived he was checking himself out of the hospital and had written himself a Rx for a martini at CVS…no, CVS did not honor it, but it remains on its bulletin board to this day.

…The Daily News has aced a great columnist in John (Yanni) Lagoulis…this 91-year-old scribe (from the fabled Lagoulis Family) is delighting readers with Newburyport’s past with an exacting recall and colorful history…he may be indeed be the best writer connected with our Paper of Record.