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

April 21, 2015 kyliegailgarcia 0

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.

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J&R Restaurant and Bakery welcomes Malden Reads diners

April 13, 2015 neighbormedia 0

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 […]

Arts

Poetry and visual art collide for ‘Lines Connecting Lines’ exhibit

April 7, 2015 kyliegailgarcia 0

What happens when you hand an artist a poem and ask them to make a visual representation of it? “Lines Connecting Lines,” the new art exhibit at MATV, ventures to find out. Officially launched March 26, the exhibit will run through the end of April. It features the work of local poets paired with artistic interpretations made by local visual artists. “This is very inspiring because you ask 10 artists a question and you come up with 10 different answers, like anybody else. It’s the way you render it and the way that you want to visualize it,” poet and visual artist, Jason Parris Fitz-Gerald shared. Curated by Lisa L. Sears and partially funded by the Malden Cultural Council, the purpose of the exhibit is to encourage art in the Malden community. What they may not have expected is the many connections, old and new, that the exhibit has sparked. Check out the video below to find out who reconnected with an old childhood friend and hear other serendipitous stories resulting from this community art project.

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Malden Reads pop-up restaurant and music club

April 1, 2015 neighbormedia 0

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

March 25, 2015 neighbormedia 0

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

Family Homelessness: A view beyond stereotypes

March 24, 2015 azanzirsa 6

For many the concept of homelessness is so far removed from their reality that it’s hard to comprehend. For the families who are part of the Housing Families State House photographic exhibit, it was their everyday reality. Housing Families Inc. of Malden provides safe, temporary shelter and quality affordable housing to homeless and at-risk families. According to the On Solid Ground Coalition, there are 4,800 families in Massachusetts that are living in motels and shelters each night. Another 4,200 families are living in doubled up and unstable situations. They’re behind on their rent or move multiple times per year.  On Solid Ground is a cross-sector group of more than 30 partners committed to a research-based approach to increasing housing stability and economic mobility. All of the families participating in the Housing Families State House Exhibit “Family Homelessness: A View Beyond Stereotypes” have had the misfortune of struggling with housing instability. They have first-hand experience of being forced to sleep in bus stations, cars, abandoned houses and other unsafe places not meant for human habitation before being admitted […]

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‘Elder Lobby Day’ advocates for home care for seniors

March 10, 2015 azanzirsa 0

“Home Care First” was the chant heard in the halls of the Massachusetts State House as a coalition of advocacy groups stood in solidarity urging state lawmakers to restore funding to services that keep elderly citizens at home. Massachusetts faces an estimated $1.5 billion deficit in the 2016 fiscal year’s budget. Since the budget cannot be officially approved with this deficit, some painful cuts necessitate the balancing of the budget. Advocacy groups for older Americans such as Mass Senior Action Group, AARP Massachusetts, Mystic Valley Elder Services and Mass Home Care made it clear that significant cost savings had already been made by providing home-based care services to elder citizens as opposed to putting them in extremely expensive nursing facilities. Community care programs like home care have reduced nursing facility costs by $853 million in 2015 compared to costs in 2000 – all due to 34 percent reduction in the number of patient days in institutions. There are an estimated 10,000 empty nursing facility beds today because of community alternatives. The per capita use of nursing […]

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IN VIEW: ‘Live on Tape’ show with MATV’s Ron Cox

March 7, 2015 kyliegailgarcia 0

On the first Monday of each month, Ron Cox and crew can be found hard at work preparing to shoot yet another live episode of his show, “Live on Tape,” which airs on Malden Access television. They bustle around between MATV’s Studio A, the control room and Cox’s office. Guests and topics are often quickly scratched off the running order and replaced, according to Director Suzanne Ress who has worked on the show for the past three years. “Part of the intro is ‘Ready or not, here we come,’ sort of verbiage because ready or not, we go live at seven and whatever’s happening is live,” says Ress. Loosely based on Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and David Letterman, “Live on Tape” is one of the longest-running productions still being shot and aired at MATV. “I was one of the first producers doing a show at MATV when we first opened,” recalls Cox. “It was 1989. We came together to come up with the idea for the show, but it took us about six months to […]

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

March 5, 2015 neighbormedia 0

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, […]