North End Restaurant Debuts Sub-Filled Lunches

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

New Lunch Alert

A new lunch option to check out: Tony & Elaine’s, a fairly new Italian restaurant at 111 North Washington St. in Boston’s North End, pays homage to classic red-sauce joints. It’s now serving lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (dine in and takeout), with subs (like the Italian grinder, pictured above), salads, and pasta.

In other lunch news, over in Somerville, Filipino-American restaurant Tanám (located at Bow Market in Union Square) has been testing out lunch service starting at noon on some weekend days. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s Instagram account for updates, or swing by to see if the restaurant is open and serving up dishes like bao and noodles. If not, there’s plenty more at Bow Market to eat and drink.

The Return of Asta’s “Distractions”

Back Bay restaurant Asta — known for its elaborate tasting menu-only dinners — is back at it with some of its recurring events (or self-proclaimed “distractions”). Savage Matcha, for one, will be returning for the second half of June on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; stay tuned for exact hours. In the past, Savage Matcha has included, in addition to matcha, some sweet treats, such as caraway cornmeal cookies and quince and rose pâtes de fruits.

But sooner than that, Asta’s Fried Chicken & Biscuit event is back from noon to 2 p.m. every Saturday in April, as well as the same hours on Marathon Monday. Yet to be seen: whether a recent Dutch baby event will make a comeback.

In Other News...

• One of Boston’s best new restaurants, Chickadee — whose chef and co-owner John daSilva was Eater Boston’s Chef of the Year for 2018 — has brought one of Boston’s best pastry chefs onboard. Stay tuned for new desserts that blend New England fare with Mediterranean flavors from Kate Holowchik (The Townshend, Capo), who is known for playful, intricate creations.
• There is a giant white bull in front of Oliveira’s Brazilian Steakhouse on Broadway in Everett, and not everyone is happy about it (or its anatomical correctness).
• This surfboard is made from used styrofoam Dunkin’ cups.
• Pastry King, a new play being performed this month and next down in Dallas, Texas, takes place in Boston’s North End, where a husband and wife open a pastry shop that serves the best cannoli in town. But “odd and terrible things” begin to happen to them once they meet their neighbor the Pastry King. It’s a play about “blame, the strength of relationships, and the perfect ricotta recipe.” Spread the word to your Texan friends, who can also attend some cannoli pop-ups.

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