Featured

Malden Reads’ pop up serves up venue’s last dance

Have you ever heard of a pop-up restaurant? Well, Chef David Stein and the Malden Reads committee have. In fact, they recently pulled one off. The idea of a pop-up restaurant is to take an old, unused space and turn it into a spot to drink and dine, hang out and maybe even dance for one night only. David Stein, who has worked closely with Malden Reads for the past several years, conceived of the notion that Malden could experience this phenomenon for itself, and last Friday, April 17, the idea became a reality at the former location of My Honey Fitz on Pleasant Street. Over 90 guests turned up to enjoy a meal of chicken “Scarborough Fair,” vegetable lasagna, slow-roasted brisket and much more as they danced and dined to the music of Soulshine, Stein’s bluesy new band. To check out what it takes to set up a pop-up restaurant, watch this Neighborhood View exclusive video featuring reporter Kylie Garcia, David Stein and the Malden Reads committee.

Featured

J&R Restaurant and Bakery welcomes Malden Reads diners

Malden Reads is pleased to announce the fourth edition of the Malden Eats Community Dining series. We invite you to share a convivial meal, at the same time exploring themes related this year’s Malden Reads selection, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. You do not need to have read the book to attend. On Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m., join fellow Maldonians for an evening of Caribbean-themed food with authentic Haitian cuisine and tropical soft drinks at 188 Salem St. in Malden. Jean Jose, who opened J&R Restaurant and Bakery last December, says the cuisine will be pulled from their menu, so expect “sos kabrit,” or goat sauce and “cochon frites” or fried pork. For vegetarians, there’s stewed okra and malanga fritters. “Jean gained invaluable experience in the food industry working at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston for more than 25 years,” reports a City of Malden press release. Jose owns two other businesses in Malden including J&R Enterprises Convenience Store at 200 Salem St. and J&R Beauty Supply at 183 Salem […]

Featured

Malden Reads pop-up restaurant and music club

Just one night. That’s how long this restaurant and music club in downtown Malden will be open. Malden Reads is coordinating a “pop-up restaurant” as part of their 2015 One City, One Book program. On Friday, April 17 from 6:30 – 11:30 p.m., the former home of Fizz Ed and (previously) My Honey Fitz at 142 Pleasant St. will be transformed into a one night dinner venue with entertainment. The pop-up dinner will be coordinated and prepared by local chef David Stein, who will work with Malden’s own Heritage Truck Catering Company from Stock Pot Malden (previously Brother Trucker) to provide a dinner buffet from from 6:45-8:15 p.m. From 8:30-11:30 p.m., the venue will transform into a music club boasting roots rock, blues, funk and R&B from the local band Soulshine, also featuring David Stein and his wife Sue on vocals. Stein was inspired by the Malden Reads 2015 featured selection “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. In the book, there’s a scene with a temporary restaurant called POP-UP PIE, which plays a role […]

Featured

Mystic Station welcomes Malden Reads diners

Malden Reads is excited to announce the third edition of the Malden Eats Community Dining series.  We invite you to share a convivial meal, at the same time exploring themes related this year’s Malden Reads selection, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan.  You do not need to have read the book to attend. On Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m., join fellow Maldonians for an evening of fresh American comfort food served in a warm and welcoming atmosphere located at 139 Pleasant St. in Malden. According to a recent Phantom Gourmet segment, Mystic Station is a “neighborhood spot that’s part casual dining and part local watering hole.” Bryan and Nicole Palazzalo, one of two husband-wife teams featured in this year’s Malden Eats Community Dining series (the other is Jason and Shannon Ladd from Ferry Street Food & Drink), opened Mystic Station in Malden Square last April. Bryan runs the front of the restaurant while Nicole, known for her tasty Buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwich, manages the kitchen. Prepared especially for Malden Eats Community Dining series by Chef Palazzalo, the menu for the […]

Featured

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar Korean Cuisine welcomes Malden Reads diners

Malden Reads is excited to announce the second offering in the Malden Eats Community Dining series. We invite you to share a convivial meal, at the same time exploring themes related this year’s Malden Reads selection, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. You do not need to have read the book to attend. On Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m., join fellow Maldonians for an authentic Korean meal at Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar at 157 Pleasant St. in Malden. Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day at this completely refurbished restaurant space on Pleasant Street. Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar, located at the site of the former Massimo’s Restaurant, was opened last September by co-owners Tony Wong and Steven Wu. According to Wong, the two are excited to be part of downtown Malden’s thriving dining community. “We actually flipped the entire place,” he says. “Mayor Gary (Christenson) wanted to bring an Asian flair to the city and noticed that I used to have a Korean restaurant in Chinatown. I’m new to Malden but we wanted to work with the community.” Wong says there will be a curated, […]

Featured

MALDEN’S CHEFS: Ferry Street Food & Drink cycles with the seasons

When you see an old English Raleigh three-speed with a basket of flowers on the handlebars and chalkboard that reads  “Open” you’ll know you’ve arrived at Ferry Street Food & Drink. Pull the large wooden door open and you will find a room filled with warm, amber light reflecting off of golden wooden panels and an old map of Texas, birthplace of Jason Ladd, head chef and co-owner. Ladd recalls, “I discovered cooking as a deep love when I was a very young lad, my teen years, and stuck with it ever since.”  Ladd was influenced by the Tex-Mex cooking of his homeland that you can taste in his signature dish, pork meatballs with cheddar grits in barbecue sauce.  He uses a combination of cumin, cayenne, and ground chile peppers and is ever refining his barbecue sauce. In his travels and work, he was influenced by the tastes of many places.  The southwest, French creole and cajun is expressed in the jambalaya, and in the Louisiana cajun dish, shrimp and grits.  House-made linguine with milk […]

Featured

Ferry Street Food & Drink kicks off Malden Reads dinners

Malden Eats, in collaboration with Malden Reads, is excited to announce the return of the Malden Eats Community Dinner series. We invite you to share a convivial meal, at the same time exploring themes related this year’s Malden Reads selection, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. You do not need to have read the book to attend. On Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m., join fellow Maldonians for a fun and relaxing meal at Ferry Street Food & Drink located 118 Ferry St. in Malden.   Enjoy the fine food and drink from this “gastro pub,” which refers to a bar and restaurant that specializes in high-end beer and food. The atmosphere is warm and boasts a local tavern-like vibe. Shannon and Jason Ladd opened this neighborhood hot spot last May. The duo met in culinary school at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. Chef Jason is originally from Texas and the menu has elements from his home state, including BBQ pork meatball appetizer served over cheddar grits.   Shannon, originally from upstate New York, says the menu for the Tuesday, March 3 dinner will be a garden […]

Food

Haunted Malden: Ghost hunter’s guide to local haunts

Historical haunts in Malden? It’s a no-brainer. As Halloween creeps around the corner, Neighborhood View coordinator and “Ghosts of Boston: Haunts of the Hub” author Sam Baltrusis left no gravestone unturned in search of Malden’s most haunted. The city boasts a bone-chilling assortment of ghostly hot spots rumored to be stomping grounds for spirits … and not one of those El Diablo concoctions at Ferry Street Food & Drink. Speaking of the new restaurant formerly occupied by watering holes like Jimmy O’Keefe’s, the Shamrock Inn and No 9 Ale House, Ferry Street Food & Drink (118 Ferry St.) made headlines last summer about a resident ghost rumored to still claim his bar stool in the afterlife. According to lore, the left-behind ghost looked like John Candy’s “Uncle Buck” character. The spirit supposedly slipped and died in the basement when the space was Jimmy O’Keefe’s. Shannon Ladd, Ferry Street’s co-owner, claims she recently had a close encounter with the Uncle Buck ghost. “Your timing is impeccable because (not) until last night, we have had that hair […]

Food

Anatomy of a Chinese Garden – Yan and Maggie’s Malden garden

My journey into this Chinese garden began when I pushed the doorbell of the modern duplex home with the small “hut” in the front yard. Many times I have been intrigued as I have walked by structures that appear to be huts from another time, another place, completely covered in climbing vines with hanging fruit that I have never seen, in the front yards of modern day homes. Maggie is a very warm, generous woman. In an afternoon she introduced me to the family food garden. Later, I met her mother, Yan, who greeted me in the hot sun holding an umbrella with a beaming, open hearted smile. We communicated in smiles. Yan is the gardener and Maggie spends summers from college working together with her. They are from Canton, southeast China and have lived in Malden since 1998. Maggie showed me the backyard where every bit of land is used in this lush, beautiful garden that feeds more than 15 family members and friends. Six-foot tree branches hold up long rows of beans of […]

Events

Multicultural Day at Malden High

In partnership with Stock Pot Malden, a new local company that promotes multicultural food entrepreneurs, the Malden High School Multicultural Club put on a beautiful display of diversity and community in their food and music festival this April. This third annual event was attended by Mayor Gary Christenson, Congresswoman Katherine Clark and State Senator-elect Jason Lewis. The guests, who came in impressive numbers, were able to enjoy performances by local artists and MHS students which included an African dance medley, a self-choreographed dance which mixed Asian and Western music, and traditional Mexican dancing in costume. This was followed by an elaborate buffet of foods from around the world prepared by local chefs in competition for various prizes. Stock Pot Malden recently opened its newly renovated commissary kitchen on Pearl Street. For more information visit www.stockpotmalden.com Councillor Neil Kinnon, Emily Gouillart of Stockpot Malden and Mayor Gary Christenson. Photo from www.cityofmalden.org Click HERE to see a preview of Malden High’s Multicultural Day to be featured in full on MATV.