Dining with the Stars
New About The News
India Food Move
Fowle Ball
The Range Lighthouse (located just beyond the Starboard Galley restaurant and The Newburyport Art Association) is experiencing one or more dining parties per day and/or night per year since joining such barter groups as Living Social and Groupon. Plus it enjoys the patronage of non-coupon hungry souls looking for a romantic dining experience… an amazing accomplishment…a hefty portion of the $ take goes to The Lighthouse Preservation Society, a worthy cause…the menu is provided by the aforementioned Starboard Galley…yes, a great amount of its diners (especially at night) are wedding proposals…reportedly, the “yes” vote is close to 100%.
…This columnist bumped into retired The (Newburyport) Daily News’ legendary honcho Victor Tine and his always animated better- half Carolyn Tolosko who had just returned from a one-week New York City sojourn…yes, they are Living The Dream… last issue our publisher included the Newburyport Starting Over 30-minute film documentary within our column…how fascinating it was to watch the beginning of the redevelopment of downtown NBPT 35 years ago…the film and interviews of the movers and shakers is extraordinary and a must watch…Victor gave a low-key chuckle…everything about Victor has always been low-key especially his voice…he said he had seen the film many a time for quite a few years. He noted that other “wannabe” cities made the holy visit to Our Fair Port to learn our magic and find a way to help their burbs preserve history and architecture, build rail trails, and create a vibe not found in their hometowns…Mr. Tine knew the flick’s dialogue word-for-word…the poor bastard…it must have been like water torture…for the rest of us the filmdoc remains one of the best redeployment we’ll ever see.
…speaking of The (almost) Daily News we noticed its Police Logs mentioned a summons issued at at Al-Bums, unfortunately this is a a LONG departed Market Square music store… so how is it that this just happened?…we emailed a high-ranking TDN’s exec asking him what was his paper of record thinking… his response was “Al-Bums is in Union Square, don’t you know?”
…Not only is Agavé Mexican Bistro expanding next door while celebrating its 10th anniversary…it also celebrating its founder Dawn McCandless’s xx birthday…celebrate, Magic Woman!
…Watch for Andaman Thai Restaurant to change hands…the new owners are expected to keep the award-winning (Boston magazine, Zagat, etc.) quality and reputation that their Boston Brown Sugar and Cambridge The Similans restaurants have enjoyed starting in 1996.
…Meanwhile, Mr. India restaurant is on the move to the old BluWater Café/Europa Green Street site, a recent secret not very well kept…this column wishes Mister the best…the location is a bit of a challenge with limited parking being the most formidable…but his legions of followers suggest that Mr. is going to do just fine.
…It’s about one half-year away, but this columnist is saying that when the leases for Fowle’s News and Fowle’s Luncheonette run out in May each will close its doors…we hear a new deal to bring in one restaurant to fill both spaces (and more) is a done deal signed, sealed, and delivered…whatever, this restaurant may be it must have rather deep pockets as we are talking millions of dollars to rehab and bring up to code the spaces…no amount of protesting is going stop a new restaurant to debut in this prime downtown location…mark down the date you read this and let’s revisit it to see if we are right… but, we highly doubt that Fowle’s art deco signage and neon will be tampered with.
…RIP Bernie Coughlin who was joined at the hip with Plum Island…he was advertised as a plumber, but he was also talented enough to work at the famed MIT Lincoln Laboratory…he was PI through and through, a constant personality at seemingly every Island event and celebration…the island has lost yet another iconoclastic character.
…a hearty recovery to the Mayor of the Fair Street Neighborhood, Gloria Poirier…whose recent surgery had slowed her down for a day or two…rumor still has it that she will be dancing on Dancing with the Stars…anyone knowing Gloria does not doubt so!
…This humble journalist was flattered to be invited to the annual New Year’s Day bacchanalia feast of friends and neighbors at “The Gobbi Estate”…the dining room table groaned under the weight of enough desert enticements alone, never mind the mountains of ethnic foods…the guests were certainly ethnic, talented in their chosen fields, and a lot represented a strong sense of neighborhood…
Happy B’ Days: Richard Simkins (Grog), Park Lunch (Newburyport & The Rest of The World)
