Michael’s Deli Celebrates 45 Years in the Corned Beef Business With Bubbles

Welcome to a.m. Intel, your bite-sized roundup of Boston’s food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.

Brookline’s go-to New York deli is turning 45 years old this week. Michael’s Deli, known for stellar corned beef (the deli goes through 400 to 500 pounds of it, according to JewishBoston.com) and flaky knishes, is celebrating with the bubbly — a 77-cent Dr. Brown’s soda with each sandwich purchase from April 5 through April 10 to match the year it opened, 1977. (256 Harvard Street, Brookline)

How to eat like Julia Child

Natalie Gale rounds up Julia Child’s favorite restaurants in Cambridge, where she lived with her husband 40 years. From Union Oyster House to Harvest (Table 102 in the main dining room’s back corner is still dubbed “Julia’s Corner”) to the original Legal Sea Foods, there are plenty of restaurants around town with first-hand stories about the towering culinary icon.

Tawakal Halal and Bintimani’s kick off fundraising efforts

Standout Somali cafe, Tawakal Halal, is kicking off fundraising efforts with aims of opening a new location. This bright, family-run cafe near the airport (389 Maverick Street, Boston) opened in its current location in 2019 after a seven-year hiatus. Owner and chef Yahya Noor grew up in Barawa, a port town on Somalia’s southern coast.

Meanwhile, a pillar of Boston’s West African dining scene is moving on to Providence, Rhode Island, after being evicted during the pandemic at its Boston location. Bintimani’s, warmly embraced by the Providence dining scene, is hoping to open a new cafe there with the help of a GoFundMe set up to help the West African eatery cover a $229K gap in its finances. (326 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island)

Swissbakers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Swissbakers, once a fast-expanding bakery chain with several locations sprinkled throughout the Boston area, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its two remaining locations in Allston and Reading, Boston Business Journal reports. Swissbakers was founded as a farmers market stall by Helene and Thomas Stohr in 1998. It opened its first retail storefront in 2006, with several more following. By 2019, it had shuttered all its locations, only reopening two after citing expanding too fast. The small local business specializes in pretzels, breads, and other baked goods, such as chocoweggli, which is a chewy, buttery roll spiked with chunks of chocolate.

A new tenant is in place for the iconic Ye Olde Cottage space

Weston Provisions is hoping to breathe new life into the former Ye Olde Cottage space (403 Boston Post Road, Weston) with cheese, sandwiches, and grocery items. Ye Olde Cottage shuttered in June 2021 with 70 years of business under its belt.

A car slammed into an open Lawrence restaurant

The driver of a BMW allegedly lost control this week and slammed into Terra Luna restaurant on Essex Street late Sunday night while the restaurant was open, sending three people to the hospital, Boston 25 reports. The restaurant owner hopes to have repairs finished in order to reopen by tomorrow. (225 Essex Street #1, Lawrence)

Expansions for a sushi shop and a coffee lounge

Jamaica Plain’s Tori Japan is bringing sushi and teriyaki to a busy section of Boston when it expands with a second location in the former Teriyaki House space (1110 Boylston Street, Boston) in the Back Bay, according to BostonRestaurants.com. Teriyaki House closed last March.

It looks like Tradesman is opening a new coffee shop and lounge on the ground floor of 100 Federal Street, a 41-story office building in Boston’s Financial District, according to the @ConciergeBoston Twitter account. Known for coffee, booze, and flavored croissants like Boston cream pie, the Boston-born coffee hub currently operates a location at Northeastern University Financial District Campus (58 Batterymarch Street). The new Tradesman location is not yet listed on 100 Federal Street’s website or the Trademan’s website.