Better Harbor Islands Food, a Boozy Weekend, and More Updates to Start the Day

Places to Go, Things to Eat

A couple big events on the horizon: This year’s Thirst Boston cocktail festival is this weekend, April 28 through 30, with plenty of educational opportunities during the days and parties at night. Consult the schedule here and buy tickets here, starting at $25 for some of the individual events and running up to $165 for a package that includes multiple seminars on Saturday and Sunday and a variety of parties.

In other event news, music festival Boston Calling has announced the food lineup for its spring 2017 installment, which is taking place at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston from May 26 through May 28. On the general admission menu: tacos from El Pelon, Nutella arancini from the Arancini Bros, dairy-free ice cream from FoMu, rice burgers from Riceburg, the Green Muenster sandwich from Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, queso mac and cheese from The Smoke Shop, and lots more from these vendors and others. VIP ticket holders will have access to even more food, including poke from Love Art Sushi and beef sliders from Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Those who shell out $999 for a three-day platinum pass will get even more food; each day features a different guest chef on the “platinum sky deck.” Michael Scelfo (Alden & Harlow, Waypoint) is the Friday chef, Steve “Nookie” Postal (Commonwealth) is Saturday, and Will Gilson (Puritan & Co.) is Sunday. Buy tickets here.

Chilmark’s Dry Spell Continues

Chilmark, a small town on Martha’s Vineyard, continues to be a dry town. For the second year in a row, voters decided not to allow restaurants with 50 or more seats to apply for a beer and wine license, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Restaurants such as Chilmark Tavern do offer BYOB, but selling booze remains out of reach.

Controversial Chicken Sandwich Alert

Chick-fil-A is under construction in Dedham, and this will be its closest location to Boston since late mayor Thomas Menino vowed to keep it out of the city after the company’s president made statements against gay marriage, notes Universal Hub. (Northeastern didn’t want it either.) The new Chick-fil-A is down the street from a forthcoming Hooters. There are a number of Chick-fil-A locations in Massachusetts already, including in Framingham, Burlington, Peabody, and Westborough.

Barbara and the Harbor Islands

Barbara Lynch recently announced her intention to transfer ownership of her restaurant group, Barbara Lynch Gruppo, to her employees in order to focus on a couple non-restaurant ventures: opening a bank for women and working on her dehydrated vegetable line. At the Cherry Bombe Jubilee conference in New York earlier this month, she noted that she doesn’t want to open another restaurant or create another menu. “How many times can I create a new menu?” she said. “It’s like creating a new opera.”

But she’s not quite done yet. Yesterday, she announced a partnership with Boston Harbor Cruises called Salt Water Inc., which will result in new dining options on BHC boats, on Georges and Spectacle islands, and at the Boston Harbor Islands Welcome Center on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Longtime Barbara Lynch Gruppo alum Stephen Oxaal, who was also chef de cuisine at Branch Line in Watertown, is “at the helm” of Salt Water Inc., per the announcement, so it’s not clear exactly how hands-on Lynch will be in this new venture.

One Thing You Should Eat Today

Pizza. It’s another rainy day, and you deserve a pizza, particularly one covered with enormous, mildly spicy pepperonis. Head to Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant in South Boston (425 W. Broadway) for the four-slice pepperoni pizza with fontina and marina ($12) — four giant, floppy, ultra-thin slices. It’s the perfect antidote to a gray day.

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