😋🔥 Boston’s summer eats are FIRE

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🎃  We told you to expect Dunkin’ news on pumpkin spice lattes this week … But it turns out we should have told you to expect Dunkin’ news on pumpkin spiked lattes, which conveniently just dropped. But if they’re anything like Dunkin’s other spiked drinks … we’ll have to pass. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Incoming: Reduced MBTA fares

• An adorable ferry disruption

• Olympic heroes on late night TV

Up first…

TELEPHONE TAG

Last call for summer eats

The end of summer is nigh. Which means there are only a few weeks before oysters and Aperol spritzes go back into hibernation.

So for this edition of small biz telephone tag, we asked local restaurateurs where they go to get their quintessential summertime meal.

Here’s what they said:

🍣 Saltie Girl loves Sushi @ Temple Records and Somaek. “Summertime is a good opportunity to go out of your comfort zone,” said Kathy Sidell, owner of Saltie Girl. Her suggestion: Grab some “truly impeccably beautiful sushi” as your app at Sushi @ Temple Records (she said you can’t go wrong here). After, head upstairs to sister restaurant Somaek for some banchan, kimchi dwaeji mandu (pork and kimchi dumplings), and bibim guksu (spicy cold noodles). Then wash it all down with a somaek, a Korean cocktail of beer and soju. 

🍝 Somaek loves Bar Mezzana. For Somaek owner Jamie Bissonnette, a quintessential summer meal “involves something fresh, something probably outside.” So his pick is an assortment of coastal Italian food at Bar Mezzana. His perfect summer meal starts with a seat on the patio for some people-watching and some kind of spritz, followed by some crudo. And for the main event: one of their handmade pasta dishes. “There isn’t anywhere else I would want to go,” he said.

🍕 Bar Mezzana loves Brewer’s Fork. The quintessential summer meal for Bar Mezzana’s Colin Lynch is actually a summer tradition. He and his wife take the MBTA Ferry to Charlestown for a bite at the Brewer’s Fork. Their order is always the same: Start with their “phenomenal” oysters and burrata with salted honey, and then the Killa B pizza topped with salami and hot honey. And while the whole wine list is “killer,” Lynch will usually grab a hazy IPA. A nightcap at Pier 6 and a ferry ride home finish off the day. 

🦪 Brewer’s Fork loves Neptune Oyster. “When I'm enjoying the city in the summer,” said Kari Cooney, co-owner of Brewer’s Fork, “I always want just local fresh seafood.” And for Cooney, that means one place: Neptune Oyster. “You will have to wait in line, but it is completely worth it,” she said. But once she nabs a spot — her favorite place to sit is at the bar — Cooney’s ideal meal includes a bottle of rosé, followed by oysters (obv), littleneck clams, crudo, and a Neptune Burger to split.

QUICK QUESTION

😋 Which of these meals sound the best to you?

TOGETHER WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE TREASURY

Free money? In this economy?

🤑💰 Yes, it’s possible. No, there isn’t a catch. The Massachusetts State Treasury has billions of dollars in unclaimed property up for grabs — and some of it might belong to you. From forgotten savings accounts to a phone bill you might have accidentally overpaid, find out if you’re leaving money on the table by searching your name online today (it’s free and takes less than 30 seconds).

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚃 For some riders, riding the MBTA is about to get cheaper. In a major W for transit equity, the T just announced that applications for its income-eligible reduced fare program will launch Sept. 4. This is a massive expansion of its reduced fare program, which will slash fares in half across its buses, subway, commuter rail, and The RIDE. Currently, seniors, students, people with disabilities, Medicare card holders, and low-income riders between 18 and 25 qualify for reduced fare, but this new program will be open to low-income riders between 18 and 64 years old. You can find out if you’re eligible here. 

🤖 The newest tool in curbing Boston traffic: AI. Thanks to a newly announced partnership with Google’s Green Light initiative, Boston is working to minimize stop-and-go traffic across the city. Green Light analyzes traffic at specific intersections, then uses AI to suggest small tweaks (think: making a green light longer in one direction). And if you’ve driven through Fenway-Kenmore, Mission Hill, or JP lately, you might already be feeling the changes: At a few intersections in those areas, stop-and-go traffic has been reduced by up to 50%. Thanks, Google!

🇮🇹 Fisherman’s Feast organizers have some words for drunk teens. And they start with “get” and end with “out.” This year’s feast, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday, is increasing security measures with one clear objective: to keep underage drinkers away. Festival organizers claim that “droves” of “visibly drunk” teens wreaked havoc on the festival last year, so this year, they’re amping up security, including a bag search, a ban on outside liquids, and even required adult accompaniment for visitors under 21. 

⛴️  Before you go off about your delayed ferry, read this. It might be because of a baby whale! In a post on X, the T said the presence of a juvenile humpback whale in Boston Harbor might cause some minor delays with the agency’s ferry service through Thursday. And surprisingly, based on the responses, riders don’t seem to mind the adorable delay at all. In fact, some users were mostly curious as to how said whale can afford the rent around here. Now if only we could figure out how to pin T slow zones on a baby bunny.

ONE LAST THING

Olympic medalists 🤝 Late night TV

It’s clear that a few stars were born at this year’s Olympics. And lucky for us, two of them are from our own backyard. 

Following their stellar performances at this year’s games, “pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik and rugby star Ilona Maher each got a late night TV spot, and suffice to say, they killed it. 

Nedoroscik was his wonderful nerdy self, talking about his newfound fame and solving a rubix cube (in 15 seconds!), and Maher was … the opposite, cracking jokes and chatting about her new friendship with Jason Kelce, who wore a shirt with her face on it to the games. 

But both are guaranteed to make you smile and give you a hefty serving of New England pride.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

📺 Thanks for reading! Just FYI, we’re not gonna stop talking about the 2024 Olympics until … 2028.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Massachusetts State Treasury, for supporting local journalism and helping residents reclaim what’s rightfully theirs.

⚡ The results are in: It looks like B-Siders are feeling the heat. 74% of readers are seeing massive spikes in their electricity bills this summer. One reader said: “I almost threw up seeing last month’s bill 🥴.”

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