La Bodega’s Kickstarter Success, Outdoor Winter Dining, and More Updates to Start the Week

Kickstartin’

Forthcoming Watertown restaurant La Bodega (by the owners of the now-defunct Salts, Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo) has just cleared a major pre-opening hurdle — a successful Kickstarter campaign, which ended last night with a little more than the requested $40,000 raised to help with the buildout. When La Bodega (21 Nichols Ave., Watertown) opens, diners will find cuisine with Uruguayan, Spanish, and Basque influences. There will be plenty of wood-fired and grilled dishes, and a favorite Salts dish, a whole roasted duck, will be making a comeback.

Cookie Expansion

Salem’s Goodnight Fatty late-night cookie pop-up is getting its own kitchen space, which will allow for “a more aggressive pop-up schedule” and some other “awesome top secret plans.” Stay tuned for more.

Weekday Lunch Alert

Ruka (505 Washington St., Downtown Crossing, Boston) is now serving up lunch every weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with dishes such as a daily-changing bento box, makimono rolls, crunchy salmon tacos, and more. And beginning today, Oak + Rowan (321 A St., Fort Point, Boston) is also serving weekday lunch (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), featuring salads, tartines, entrees, and ice cream (and ice cream sandwiches). Can’t stay? Order an “on the fly” lunchbox for pick-up — an ever-changing sandwich, salad, and cookie combo. Both restaurants are on the current Heatmap.

Winter Dining Al Fresco

Rooftop igloos come to Boston later this week, as previously reported, but that’s not the only cozy outdoor drinking spot to check out this winter. Boston Harbor Hotel (70 Rowes Wharf, Waterfront, Boston) has launched Fireside Lounge on Rowes Wharf with four outdoor fire pits (each has seating for six) and a menu of warm cocktails, cheese and chocolate fondues, and s’mores. The outdoor lounge is open from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but it’s closed when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chef Shuffles

It’s all in the family at Townsman (120 Kingston St., Downtown Boston): Chef/owner Matt Jennings’ wife Kate is now onboard as pastry chef. The culinary duo ran acclaimed Providence restaurant Farmstead for a decade before closing it to move back to Boston and open Townsman a few years ago. Since the move, Kate has been focused on raising the couple’s two young sons, but now that the family has settled in, she’s ready to get back into the restaurant kitchen. Keep an eye out for her new desserts, such as a tahini “chipwich” with malted chocolate ice cream, toasted sesame, and honey whip.

Townsman opening pastry chef Meghan Thompson recently departed for SRV in the South End.

Booze News

Today, the Boston Licensing Board starts taking BYOB applications for restaurants that don’t already have liquor licenses, have fewer than 30 seats, and are located in underserved neighborhoods, reports Universal Hub. Restaurants in neighborhoods that already have plenty of liquor licenses are excluded — North End, South End, Chinatown, Fenway, Back Bay, and more.

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