“But I think there’s a need to balance quality of life with our businesses. The only thing I objected to was the hours of operation they were seeking. Originally, 3 a.m. was suggested, and we said that would be a disaster for us and for you, too.”

I’m a fairly close neighbor to this property. From my perspective, any business serving food and not alcohol is going to be fixing rather than creating the nightly mini-disasters that tend to roam the neighborhood at those hours.

Berkeley said that at times, he has grown weary of the number of late-night businesses that have sprung up along Harvard Avenue, a significant change from the full-service business district he new [sic] as a child.

“At the licensing board hearing, they always ask, ‘is there a public need,’ but if you look at the law, it says there has to be a public need, but it also should be in the common good. I always feel that that doesn’t get equal footing with consumer demand,” said Berkeley.

I don’t think this block of Harvard Ave is in a position to be making nostalgia-based arguments against prospective non-bar tenants, particularly a local chain like Kelly’s who have a fairly solid reputation. And I certainly don’t think empty storefronts can be viewed as a public need or a common good.

Some of the comments on this post of HM’s from back in 2008 imply these attitudes from the ACA aren’t new, or specific to Kelly’s.

This sounds good. And any late-night competitor to Redneck’s is a friend of mine.

Azama Grill will be opening on Harvard Avenue (between Cambridge Street and Brighton Avenue), bringing to the neighborhood a place to get halal food seven days a week–and late into the night, as their doors will remain open until 3:00 AM. In addition to kabobs, the menu at Azama Grill will include such dishes as tabouli, hoummous, falafel, baba ghanouj, shawarma, and Egyptian BBQ.

Relatedly, I was over at the MIT Hummus Experience earlier this week for a make your own hummus class. Fun stuff, they’re doing another next week, with a taste-off on the 28th (I believe – their website looks a little out of date).

Utterly critical info from Sophie on Fish Market, currently #1 on my to try list. Critical for the borderline alcoholics amongst us, at any rate.

FYI to all the sushi fans out there – Fish Market does not have their liquor license yet, so no sake or Japanese beer They do, however, offer some delicious looking red bean ice cream, which I will definitely have to try next time.

Yelp feedback on the place is high (4 stars out of 50 reviews) and the decor looks stylish.

Blue Asia Cafe will be opening on Brighton Avenue just east of the Harvard Avenue intersection, taking over the space that was formerly home to L.A.B., which closed recently after being in business since early 2007. The restaurant looks to be a self-service lunch and dinner dining spot that includes Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean fare, with menu items including herbal ginseng chicken soup, homemade dumplings, chilled seaweed with garlic, sweet sausage over rice, beef bulgogi, eel bibimbab, rice bowls, and ramen noodles. Prices look to be under $10 for nearly all dishes.

Their (garish!) website w/ menu is here.

They’re giving away free fishy tacos this Thursday at Dorado Tacos & Cemitas, just down the way in Brookline at 401 Harvard. Why? Because you, their customer, are appreciated. It’s nice, that. Between 4-8pm.

It looks like that whole thing about Kelly’s coming to Allston is really going to happen after all. I’m not of the beef eating persuasion and despite some (really quite serious) concerns about the Grasshopper/Kelly’s karmic gradient being weaponized, I’m extremely glad to see this tenant come in. Stay open until 2 – hell, 3, anything to sop up the collective blood alcohol levels of the neighborhood (with bonus of boosting levels of pre-athersclerotic lesions in neighborhood arteries, providing gainful and indefinite employment for vascular surgeons worldwide).

Best quote from the Herald interview with 2nd generation CEO Brian McCarthy.

McCarthy did some “research” on his plan’s viability by spending weekday nights in April through July having a few beers at Boston bars and quizzing college students about where they go to eat.

The best research is always done in bars. This is fact.

(thanks HM).

The photo of pizza I used before for the Piece o’ Pie post, that was completely bogus, from someplace in LA. Lingbo though, has real pictures up. I stopped by last week but it turns out they’re closed on Mondays. Anyway, point being: their “parm” is made from walnuts and yeast. And remind me again why can vegans eat yeast again? Yahoo Answers comes through.

a lot of vegan still eat bread coz most only dont eat any ANIMAL products i no im ok with eating yeast. but i do no some vegans that wont eat yeast because its a bacteria or something that alive. btu i doesnt feel in the same way that animals and humans do which i why i dont mind it.

Ok!

Alright. For some good news for a change, here’s Denise Taylor’s more or less positive review of the new Piece o’ Pie vegan pizzaria.

Meanwhile, organic toppings such as broccoli, leaf spinach, roasted garlic, and mushrooms pop with flavor. And the two cheese choices do the trick. Vegan Gourmet’s gooey, light, soy-based mozzarella is mild and melts well. Daiya’s new tapioca-based mozzarella lives up to all the hype. It really does stretch, brown, and satisfy in a way close to real cheese.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with cheering for him. Possibly something wrong with going to Uno’s at Comm & Harvard for free appetizers during the game, gastronomically-speaking (conditional on wearing Sox/Phillies gear & I’m guessing having to buy some number of weak beers).