Meatballs Are Coming, Crispellis Are Going, and More Updates

Coming Soon

Keep an eye out for a few imminent openings: The Gate Bar & Restaurant (3171 Washington St., Jamaica Plain) — from Paul Byrne, former co-owner of the now-shuttered James’s Gate — has been documenting its process on Facebook, and it’s getting very close to the finish line. The latest update: The Gate will be serving desserts from Third Cliff Bakery, a business that operates out of Dorchester’s CommonWealth Kitchen and has a seasonal baked goods trike on the Greenway.

Meanwhile, in South Boston, Boston Nightlife Ventures’ long-in-the-works Certified Meatball Company (429 W. Broadway) is finally on the road to opening, sharing a video over the weekend of its giant retractable skylight and under-construction space. The project was first announced back in April 2015, slated to open somewhere in Somerville’s Davis Square, but plans changed, and later it was heading for a summer 2016 — and now 2017 — opening in Southie.

And in East Cambridge, Concord’s Haute Coffee (1 Canal Park) is days away; keep an eye on Facebook for updates and for a sneak peek inside the space.

Goodbye for Now, Crispellis

Italian Kitchen (91 Common St., Lawrence) closed over the weekend after almost sixty years; the business specialized in arancini (rice balls) and crispellis (small pieces of fried dough stuffed with ingredients such as an anchovy or fresh ricotta). Crispellis are hard to find elsewhere in the US, although the adjacent business to Italian Kitchen, North End Deli, may take up the mantle. On the final day of business, customers in the long line discussed rumors that owners Peter and Ruth Messina sold the crispelli recipe for $85,000, although Peter called the rumor “a lot of bull,” according to the Globe.

Six-Year-Old Spots Tenoch’s Missing Cash

A young boy saw a bag on the ground in Arlington that contained $2,000 in cash and deposit slips from the Tenoch restaurant and truck group. He and his father turned in the bag and received Outstanding Citizen Awards from the Arlington Police Department (and gifts from Tenoch).

One Thing You Should Eat Today

Spring’s ups and downs continue, and after a beautiful Saturday and a not-as-beautiful Sunday, today’s staying on the chilly, gray side, which means it’ll be a perfect night for a hearty bowl of pasta. Enter Gran Gusto (90 Sherman St., Cambridge), an excellent Italian restaurant hidden inside of an office building in an otherwise residential neighborhood sandwiched between Cambridge’s Porter Square and Fresh Pond. If you’ve heard of it, you know it quietly serves up some of the best pizza in town, but don’t skip the pasta. The One Thing You Should Eat Today is the paccheri (wide, smooth tubes of pasta) with tender short rib ragù, pictured above. If you eat a second thing, make it the restaurant’s signature chitarra alla “sciuè sciuè,” mixed up tableside in a giant cheese wheel. Throw in a diavola pizza, too, for good measure.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

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