Cambridge May Get a New Hot Pot Shop

Mid-Cambridge could get a new, steaming bowl of Szechuan cuisine: Flame Hot Pot and Szechuan Restaurant is seeking a license to serve food at 1001 Mass. Ave.

The space, in between Harvard and Central squares, most recently housed a gluten-free bakery, Violette, which closed its brick-and-mortar shop last year but continues baking-to-order. Central Square previously had a hot pot restaurant, but Pu Pu Hot Pot rebranded in 2013 as Patty Chen's Dumpling Room.

If approved, manager Eddy Hsia, as his name is spelled in the company's state filings (the Cambridge agenda appears to have a typo), can open an 85-seat restaurant for the simmering specialty. At this time, Flame Hot Pot would not serve alcoholic beverages, but it could be open 11:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. daily.

Based on the business name, Flame could serve the popular Chonqing-style hot pot, which adds Szechuan pepper to the simmering broth for a spicy and numbing stew.

The hearing is slated for Tuesday evening, July 9.