New Artscience Chef Is Coming Out of the Gate With Sea Urchin Panna Cotta and More

Welcome back to AM Intel, a round-up of mini news bites to kick off the day.

What Happened Last Week?

Catch up on last week’s most-read stories, including details on a fun-sounding Japanese snack shop (and eventual izakaya) opening in Provincetown this summer, a map of where to eat the best French food around Boston, an inside look into a brand new Korean-Japanese restaurant in Allston, and more.

And from our national big sister, Eater.com: An explainer on the many types of shave ice, perfect for a scorcher like today. Following the news that Mario Batali is under criminal investigation due to allegations of sexual misconduct, three of his Las Vegas restaurants, all over a decade old, are now set to close. (Here in Boston, Batali is — or soon to be was — connected to Eataly and Babbo; he is in the process of divesting from all of his restaurants.) Behold, a deep dive on kombucha. And is it relaxing or stressful to watch a glass master make neon signage?

Opening Alert

Life is a never-ending parade of new Caffè Nero locations, and the latest one opened near Boston’s Symphony Hall, at 114 New Edgerly Rd., over the weekend. There’s also one in the works at Center Plaza in Downtown Boston.

That’s a Lot of Ice Cream

For the Globe, Kara Baskin and Devra First took on the burdensome task of tasting all 29 flavors of Toscanini’s ice cream available on a recent day and ranking them from best to worst. The winner: salty caramel, which Baskin described as “a dreamy, sugar-spun tango of salty and sweet.” The ever-popular B3 flavor (brown sugar, brownies, brown butter) came in at a respectable seventh place — “basically an inverted brownie sundae from heaven,” according to First.

Chef Shuffles

A couple recent changes over at Artscience Culture Lab & Cafe in Cambridge’s Kendall Square: For one, Benjamin Lacy has joined the team as executive chef. He’s an alum of restaurants such as En Boca and Ten Tables in Cambridge, as well as Sel de la Terre in Natick and Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro in Foxborough. A few options from his new menu: sea urchin panna cotta (kaffir lime, huitlacoche, corn sprouts, and puffed amaranth), tagliolini (oyster beurre noisette, black truffle, trout roe, and Parmigiano Reggiano), and rabbit (wild artichoke barigoule, morels, ramps, and sauce chasseur.

But in other news, Artscience’s longtime pastry chef Giselle Miller — watch her dessert-making at Artscience in action in the video below — has recently moved over to Barbara Lynch’s Menton in Fort Point.

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