Eat a Doughnut Burger Today, or Don’t (and More Updates)

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

Opening Alert

Three opening reminders for today:

• Boston’s second location of New York fast-casual chain Dig Inn opens today at 227 Washington St. in Downtown Crossing. The first location is in Copley Square, and the third location, slated to open in July, will be nearby — inside the Prudential Center. Dig Inn serves up customizable bowls that feature seasonal, local ingredients. The Downtown Crossing Dig Inn is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays (including today) and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends.
• Plus, Boston’s second location of another New York fast-casual chain, this one vegan, also opens today: By Chloe expands from the Seaport District to Fenway at 100 Van Ness St. We’ll have a little bit more on that later today, but here’s the background on By Chloe in Boston. It’s expanding to Providence next.
• Out in Tyngsboro, a New Hampshire-based restaurant called Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese opens a new location today at 440 Middlesex Rd. with tons of variations on macaroni & cheese (and more). The doors open at 11 a.m., and the first 50 customers get a small mac for free.

Historic Charlestown Space Becomes...Starbucks

In early 2016, Navy Yard Bistro owner John Moore posted in the Eater Boston forum to explain that while he had been “strongly pursuing a lease in the old Five Cents Saving Bank” in Charlestown’s Thompson Square, trying to open a “swanky sushi and wood fired burger bar with some Thai dishes,” the landlord reportedly decided to lease to a Starbucks instead. Alas, that Starbucks is now happening for real. Construction has begun at One Thompson Square, BostInno reports, and the ubiquitous coffee chain will open its new location there later this year.

Fake IDs Are Getting Too Good

Underage drinking violations aren’t just for the obvious student hotspots: In addition to student-filled T’s Pub, not-exactly-a-student-hangout Eastern Standard appeared before the licensing board yesterday. Each venue reportedly served an underage BU student a vodka drink, reports Universal Hub, and the board will decide today whether to take action against them. Eastern Standard fired the bartender in question — although a doorman reportedly had already okayed the student. And T’s Pub’s manager told the board that it’s getting harder to catch fake IDs; the freshman who was served had an ID that passed the ID scanner. The board could let the venues off with a warning or suspend their licenses for one or more days.

One Thing You Should Eat Today

Hard to choose just one dish to recommend at the excellent new addition to the North End, North Square Oyster. Since we’ve already sung the praises of the restaurant’s French onion soup and clam chowder in our soup map, let’s zero in on the lobster roll today. Get it hot with brown butter. (It’s also available cold with mayo, celery, and chives, but we’ll fight anyone who thinks that a cold mayo lobster roll is superior to a hot buttered one.) On a recent visit, the lobster roll was served with vinegar chips, but the current menu lists french fries as the side. Either way, this newbie is a worthy contender among Boston’s best lobster rolls, overflowing with giant chunks of lobster meat, served in a bun sturdy enough to hold everything together but soft enough to let the lobster keep the spotlight to itself.

Visit the One Thing You Should Eat Today archive >>>

One Thing You Should Maybe Not Eat Today If You Value Your Health...or Go Ahead Because YOLO

Here’s a terrifying and/or awesome Facebook post from Easy Pie in Braintree, which apparently serves doughnut burgers now (featuring Kane’s Donuts):

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