Castle Island Brewery Opens Friday (and More Updates)

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

Sunset Troubles

The parent company of Sunset Grill & Tap and Sunset Cantina has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the Boston Herald, although the owners expect both restaurants to remain open and are putting together a plan to pay back debts. Sunset Grill has been around since 1988, boasting a giant craft beer list and comfort food; Sunset Cantina opened in 2001. Both came under new ownership in 2014.

Old-Timey Restaurant Stalwarts

The Boston Globe’s Kara Baskin explores the world of restaurants that have been around forever, catering to regular customer bases while avoiding things like social media, publicists, chef egos, and more. “There’s no better place to work,” said a server at Jimmy’s Steer House in Arlington; she’s been there for 31 years. “The customers, the owners — we’re a little family.”

Non-Douchey Bars

Starting with the assumption that virtually all of Boston’s bar scene is “douchey,” GQ deigns to name “a few true hidden gems” in the area thanks to input from Backbar co-owner Sam Treadway. (Backbar — located behind “an unassuming door behind a hipster German wurst shop” — is itself one of those non-douchey hidden gems, per author Oset Babur.) Treadway’s picks include Eastern Standard, Hojoko, State Park, and more.

Beer Here

Castle Island Brewery is on the verge of opening its new taproom in Norwood, as previously reported. The official opening day is this Friday, June 16, notes Boston Magazine, and the weekend will be full of beer and snacks. (Look for the Chubby Chickpea on Friday, The Porch Southern Fare on Saturday, and Bora Barbecue on Sunday.)

One Thing You Should Eat Today

Mary Dumont’s new downtown restaurant, Cultivar, is full of beautifully plated dishes with lots of floral accents. There are plenty of highlights on the dinner menu, from crudo to pasta and beyond, but be sure to save room for dessert: Robert Gonzalez, formerly of Bistro du Midi, is serving up irresistible sweets. Try the chocolate passion fruit custard, which somehow toes the line between rich and light. It’s the perfect answer to the conundrum of whether to go in the chocolate direction or the fruit direction for dessert.

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