This lovely BoxART seems to have popped up out of nowhere in the last few weeks, or perhaps I just haven’t driven down Needham Street near the Avalon Apartments and McDonalds in a while! We love it.
The last side is still white so this is a Work-In-Progress. I wonder if the three other sides are completed. I like the way they look as is! How about you? Who is the artist?
I’d heard good things about the new Gastropub in Newtonville, Brewer’s Coalition, so we brought along our middle child in 5th grade who is our most adventurous eater to check it out. She enjoyed feeling like an only child.
Lunch at the Brewer’s Coalition
The hostess gave our daughter a child’s menu and a coloring sheet with a box of four crayons. Even though my daughter prefers to order off the adult menu, I always think that a kids’ menu means that children are welcome. My daughter had been feeling uneasy coming it; she viewed it as a restaurant for old people (but everyone seems old to her as she’s just 10-years-old).
My husband thought the decor was a little spartan but I liked it. The hard wooden chairs were uncomfortable to him but I sat on the upholstered booth side. I’ve heard that some restauranteurs deliberately pick uncomfortable chairs to hasten turnover.
Our waitress was very friendly and helpful and we ordered a lot of appetizers to try as much as possible.
The clam chowder came out first. It was rich with cream and we ate it so fast, I forgot to photograph it until it was nearly gone. Our daughter gave it a thumbs up. It’s definitely homemade; I hate it when restaurants serve canned clam chowder.
My daughter order the sliders and was pleased to find bacon nestled inside. I traded her for one and it was delicious. The buns were perfectly toasted and the hamburger meat was juicy.
My husband ordered the fish tacos. We dream of fish tacos having grown up in California. They are hard to find in Boston. Usually, we have to make our own. The fish was fried to a delicate crisp without being overdone. The sauce was creamy with a hint of spicy jerk seasoning. It was perfection! I also appreciate that the tortilla was warm. There’s nothing worse than a cold flour tortilla!
My husband always orders the fried calamari no matter where we go. It’s amazing that Thai, Vietnamese, and Italian restaurants all have a version of it on their menus. The batter was ethereally light but the timing was a tad off. It was lukewarm when it hit our table. Still, we enjoyed it.
I wanted to try the truffle fries after sampling amazing ones in Allston at Common Ground. Both descriptions were similar: truffle oil, thick hand cut potatoes, and Parmesan cheese. The truffle fries here were seasoned with fresh rosemary. I love rosemary but I would have preferred a different ratio: half the rosemary and double the cheese. The fries were a little overwhelmed by the profusion of rosemary. I think Common Ground has spoiled me forever in the truffle fry department.
The carousel horse is a nice addition. My husband sat with his back to it so I don’t think he even saw it. That may have influenced his “sparse decor” comment. The walls were lined with a collection of beer bottles that spanned the restaurant. My daughter was impressed by the sheer vastness of the collection.
Overall, we liked Brewer’s Coalition a lot! It’s a nice addition to the Newton Gastropub scene. Think The Local but with better parking. We’ll be back! I imagine that it must get very crowded at night!
Voting is Closed but Let’s Keep Watching and Voting!
Oops, I was too late to vote as well, but hopefully she will continue to the next round. Let’s keep watching and voting here on Facebook or here at ABC.com for future rounds. I’ll try to keep updating as well. Let’s support our hometown neighbor, Olympic Gold Medalist Gymnast Aly Raisman of Needham!
If you are new to Newton and want to know about the Newton tax override, I have a round up of links. This is only the second tax override to pass in Newton. The first was to renovate and build Newton’s High Schools. What does the override mean to Newton’s citizens and what next?
How Close Was It?
From Newton Patch: Newton Voters Pass $11.4M Override Package
The unofficial vote totals for the three questions:
Question 1
The first override question proposed would allow for an $8.4 million tax levy limit override to fund a list of projects, most of which will help with overcrowding and enrollment in the Newton Public Schools.
Yes: 9,649
No: 8,199
Question 2
Replace or renovate Angier Elementary School?
Yes: 9,904
No: 7,893
Question 3
Replace or renovate Cabot Elementary School?
Yes: 9,879
No: 7,919
What if You Can’t Afford Tax Increase?
From Village 14: Statement from Mayor Warren’s office on Newton overrides
When he announced the override package last fall, Mayor Warren also announced an expansion of tax assistance programs for eligible seniors and veterans. A staff person at City Hall has also been designated to help residents concerned about their ability to pay. If you are in need of assistance, you may call Meghan Kennedy at 617-796-1282
image from Village 14
50 New Teaching Positions Added to Newton Schools
From Newton Patch: Newton Superintendent: FY ’14 Budget Will Add More than 50 Teaching Positions
Of the more than 50 new positions slated in next year’s budget, 13.1 FTE (full-time equivalent) positions will be added on the elementary school level, 10.1 of which are for enrollment growth.
Three of those elementary school positions will be new, part-time assistant principals at the district’s three largest elementary schools: Countryside, Bowen and Memorial-Spaulding.
The elementary assistant principal positions are a new venture for the Newton Public Schools, but according to Fleishman, they are a common practice in Newton’s “peer districts.” Fleishman added that the part-time assistant principals will be full-time staffers who split their time between the assistant principal job and a teaching position.
Other additions include:
More than 11 new positions at the middle schools
More than 11 new positions at the high schools
3.5 FTE for English Language Learners
One new HR position to handle increase in hires as well as new, expanded background checks for teachers
The 50 added positions in fiscal 2014 represent an approximate 3 percent increase to the district’s overall staff, which will total 1,924.6 positions in fiscal 2014.
Almost 30 years ago, Matt Stasior met Sal Litvak at Harvard the first week freshman year. They became fast friends as they rowed crew for 3 ½ years. After Harvard, Matt went to Bain and Company to work with Mitt Romney and Sal went to law school. After law school, Sal moved to LA to get his Masters in at the prestigious UCLA Film School. Matt was helping Microsoft Corporation grow from $200 million in sales to $4 billion.
It was then they formed a production company called Windfall Pictures. Matt co produced multiple short films of Sal’s including a Henry the VIII drama and a fun, slap stick, action short called Dick and Slick. Matt also starred in the film as Richard Head, which won the prestigious UCLA highest honors at the UCLA’s showcase event. It was then Sal, Sal’s wife Nina and Matt came together to start a Lincoln project.
After multiple revisions and excellent feedback from the studios, the project was turned down. Steven Spielberg had just announced in 2002 that he was going to do a Lincoln film.. This shut the project down, for then. Sal went on to write and direct When Do We Eatand Matt produced Love Lies Bleeding, a Jack the Ripper mystery starring Malcolm McDowell.
Years later as Spielberg was wrapping up the filming of Lincoln, Sal and Nina resurrected the project with a new twist. The background of each scene would all be actual background from the 1860s. When you watch the movie, you are actually watching where Lincoln ACTUALLY was, not a set to look like where he was. Sal invented an new cinematic style called CineCollage. First, the performances were filmed on a green screen stage. Then he used high resolution, glass-plate photographs from the Library of Congress to create the 3D environments our characters inhabit. This is the type of genius Matt saw in Sal 20 years ago.
Based on a true story. When Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes) is elected President, he brings only one friend to Washington: his banjo-playing, joke-telling former law partner and confidant, Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco). Lamon is also handy with a gun, and when the first assassination attempt occurs in 1861, Lamon appoints himself the President’s bodyguard.
From this unique perspective, Lamon witnesses every aspect of Lincoln’s fiery trial as Commander-in-Chief, from the constant military and political pressure, to the personal losses of friends and family members. Lamon soothes Lincoln’s tormented soul, saves him from repeated attempts on his life, and introduces him at the Gettysburg Address.
Lamon is not present on that fateful night at Ford’s Theater in 1865 because Lincoln sends him on a mission, yet it is Lamon who redefines that tragic event in a surprising and uplifting manner.
This visually unique film features sets created from actual Civil War photographs, using a new process called CineCollage, invented by director Salvador Litvak (When Do We Eat?). The film stars Penelope Ann Miller as Mary Todd Lincoln, Bruce Davison as William H. Seward, Creed Bratton as Senator Charles Sumner, Josh Stamberg as Salmon P. Chase and Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Mrs. Elizabeth Keckly.
Please visit Saving Lincoln to see the excellent reviews and where the next VIP Screening will be.
I saw this BoxART near the Boston Public Library on my way into Back Bay Boston. It’s so perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Did you spot any 4-leaf clovers? Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
If you are looking for any activities, decorations or food ideas, please check out my St. Patrick’s Day Pinterest board where I have been collecting ideas for months.
Midwinter Coffeehouse returns just in time for early spring on April 6, 2013, at the First Unitarian Society in Newton for a fun evening of live folk and acoustic music.
Doors open at 6:30 PM music starts at 7:00 PM.
This year’s show will feature award winning singer/songwriter Oen Kennedy, emcee Eric Moore, Rob Siegel, Barb Cassidy, and other Day community members and friends.
Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for sale along with light refreshments.
Profits benefit the F.A. Day Middle School.
Tickets are $20 in advance at Tickets or $25 at the door if available (Adults over 21 only, please). Doors open at 6:30, music starts at 7. For more information please email midwintercoffee@gmail.com.
Today is Newton Blackout Day. No screens for kids! That means me too, I suppose …
Now that it’s over, I have to say that as a parent I LOVED IT! The kids do not get homework for Blackout Day and they are charged with making a concerted effort to stay off screens. My 2nd grader made special play date arrangements with his good friend Sam to cope with their loss of screens. They came up with a plan:
Trampoline
Legos
Board game Clue
More Trampoline
It worked and now we must get our own game of Clue too! After the play date, the nice weather made it an outside day for my kids and the boys across the street.
I had no idea that is was a national event. What did you and your kids do for Blackout Day? Please share your ideas and maybe we can stay off screens more this year!
I stayed off screens too … and now I am 200 emails behind. Sigh!
