Seasonal Shutters, Weekend Openings, and More Updates to Start the Week (and Year)

Seasonal Shutters

‘Tis the season to check restaurants’ social media streams before heading out — there are some temporary winter closures going on. Gracie’s Ice Cream (22 Union Sq., Somerville), for example, is closed until January 19. Then, through “March-ish,” it’ll only be open Thursday through Sunday. Meanwhile, classic Southie hot dog stand Sullivan’s (2080 William J. Day Blvd., South Boston) is closed until February 25, and the Mei Mei food truck is off the road for the winter, as are the Roxy’s Grilled Cheese trucks. Other seasonal closures include Louie’s Ice Cream (193 Broadway, Somerville), The Clam Box (789 Quincy Shore Dr., Quincy) — reopening March 3, and Tony’s Clam Shop (861 Quincy Shore Dr., Quincy). Dorchester’s The Ice Creamsmith (2295 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester) is basically closed for the season but opens up most Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to sell ice cream quarts and hot fudge half-pints and pints.

Beer Here

Commune Kitchen (203A Broadway, Arlington) is now serving beer and cider, and wine is set to arrive tomorrow. The casual spot opened in June 2016, serving up pizza, poutine, tartines, and more. Bread is a focus thanks to co-owner Justin Demers’ experience at Clear Four.

Too Much Beer Here

The Boston Globe analyzed data from January 2012 through September 2016 to pull together a look at where people convicted of operating under the influence had their last drink before their arrest. A few venues at Patriot Place in Foxborough come in near or at the top of the list: Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, Gillette Stadium itself, and Bar Louie. Boston proper venues on the list are Fenway Park, House of Blues, and TD Garden.

ICYMI

A few restaurants opened up over the weekend: Philadelphia-based City Tap House opened at 10 Boston Wharf Rd. (where Fort Point meets the Seaport District) with wood-fired pizzas, comfort food, and a giant beer list; Bistro Duet is now serving up modern French cuisine in the former Flora space in Arlington (190 Massachusetts Ave.); East Coast Grill, now under the same ownership as Highland Kitchen, was grandly reborn (1271 Cambridge St., Cambridge); and a new location of Saloniki opened with fast-casual Greek (181 Massachusetts Ave.)

Meanwhile, in Maine

Briana and Andrew Volk, owners of excellent Portland cocktail destination Portland Hunt and Alpine Club, have opened Little Giant, a general store, in Portland’s West End (81 Clark St.) (Ian and Kate Malin are also partners in Little Giant.) In May, they’ll open a restaurant by the same name around the corner (211 Danforth St.) The store provides “everything from pantry essentials to host gifts to dry goods,” per Little Giant’s Facebook page, and the restaurant “will serve classic Continental cuisine with a bar program focused on assessable, forward-thinking drinks”

And in Vermont

Cara Chigazola-Tobin, formerly chef de cuisine at Oleana in Cambridge, has moved up to Vermont and is working on opening her own place, Honey Road, which will feature Mediterranean mezze. She is currently accepting donations to help get things up and running; donors will get rewards at various levels, such as invitations to pre-opening events, a house account above the amount donated, and more. Keep an eye on social media (Instagram, Twitter) for news of pop-ups and other updates.

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