October Calls for ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Doughnuts (and More Updates)

Welcome back to Morning Briefing, an almost-daily round-up of mini news bites to kick off the day.

Feed Me, Seymour

Start getting into the Halloween spirit a little early with some blood orange-flavored mean green mothers from outer space. These Little Shop of Horrors-inspired Audrey II doughnuts — created by the Speakeasy Donuts crew on the North Shore — are available in boxes of six for $25, with pick-ups available on Wednesday mornings (October 4, 11, and 25) at Little Italy Pizzeria (294 Cabot St., Beverly). Follow these instructions to place an order.

Opening Alert

Downtown Boston is getting two new casual dining options today: Barracuda on the Fly, a Key West-inspired little sibling to Barracuda Tavern, and Grainmaker, which features rice bowls, tacos, and banh mi. Barracuda on the Fly is located at 55 Bromfield St. in Downtown Crossing, formerly home to Pedro’s Tacos; Grainmaker is nearby at 91 Summer St. Outside of the city, Jack’s Coal Fired Pizza is opening tonight at 2 Wall St. in Burlington, serving both coal-fired and wood-fired pizzas, as well as wings, pasta, and more.

The Shutter

Noodles & Company — a fast-casual chain featuring noodle-based dishes that attempt to mimic classics of Italy, Thailand, Korea, and beyond — has closed all of its New England locations (except for four in Connecticut). Now-shuttered Massachusetts locations included Burlington, Medford, Westwood, and more.

So Much Pasta

Speaking of noodles, The Improper Bostonian’s latest issue is carbo-loaded with a variety of pasta features, including a look at nine different pasta shapes around town (such as Posto’s gnocchi and Coppa’s cavatelli) and an exploration of three pasta dishes that feature unusual ingredients (such as Cultivar’s tomato leaf bucatini).

Make Dumplings at Home

WBUR has a segment on Myers + Chang’s Joanne Chang, who is celebrating the restaurant’s 10th anniversary and the release of a new cookbook, Myers + Chang at Home, written with the restaurant’s executive chef and partner Karen Akunowicz. WBUR provides the recipe for Mama Chang’s pork and chive dumplings, a signature dish at the South End restaurant.

Got a news tip for the Eater Boston team? Email boston@eater.com.