🐱☕ A cat café in Boston?!

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

🦈 Here’s a nice way to start your hump day: Researchers got an adorable (or terrifying, depending how you look at it) underwater clip of a great white shark off the coast of Scituate. Look, it’s smiling at the camera!

🎄 Also … are you an Allston Christmas pro? We want to chat with you for our move-in series! If you’re interested, reply to this email and let us know how to get in touch. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston’s gaping pay gaps

• Gabby Thomas goes for gold

• Pageant queen 🤝 DunkQueen

Up first…

RESTAURANTS

New bites around Boston

New month = new restaurant openings. And if you need a roadmap, Boston.com’s list of August openings won’t steer you wrong. 

Here’s what’s on the menu:

🐱 A Sanctuary Cafe, Beacon Hill. OK, food might not be the main attraction at Boston’s new (and only) cat café. Go for the cat cuddles and bookstore, but stay for the coffee and tea drinks from MEM Tea and Atomic Coffee, and the impressive-looking pastry case full of croissants and macarons from French Press. The café is open now (see the menu here), with the kitty room soon to follow. 

Things to try:

• Spicy chai latte

• Cat-themed macarons 

• Mini croissants 

🥃 Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant, Brookline. A rebrand of the classic Brookline bar Hops N Scotch, Esmai’s is hard to define. Is it a brunch spot with souflèe pancakes and croissant breakfast sandwiches? Is it a lunch and dinner locale with globally inspired dishes like bánh mi and Japanese hamburgers? Is it a bar with a killer cocktail, wine, and beer list? The answer is yes … to all three. It’s officially open, so check out the menus here.

Things to try:

• Matcha souffle pancakes

• Loco Moco (Japanese hamburger)

• Crème brûlée espresso martini

🥩 Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House, Chinatown/Leather District. If you think all-you-can-eat wagyu beef is too bougie for you, think again! Mikiya is a Japanese shabu shabu-style restaurant (hot pot with thinly sliced meat and vegetables) that’s both casual and special occasion-worthy. The new Boston locale is set to open in mid-August, so expect all the regular hot pot fixings plus the option for different wagyu cuts, depending on your price tier. A non-member 90-minute slot starts at $55.

Things to try:

• Japanese A5 wagyu brisket

• Sweet shrimp sashimi

• Kurobuta pork

🌱 PLNT Burger, Brookline. Meat or no meat, everyone loves a good smashburger. And PLNT’s burgers are on a mission to taste good and make you feel good.The up-and-coming chain is trying to redefine fast-casual dining in a more sustainable way, offering 100% vegan options and keeping its eco-footprint top-of-mind with every meal. But don’t get it twisted, their menu options will have you feeling like you’re in a classic burger joint. Check them out here.

Items to try:

• DBL PLNT burger

• Sweet potato crinkles 

• Oatasty shake

QUICK QUESTION

😋 Which of these spots would you most want us to try out?

TOGETHER WITH THE JFK LIBRARY 

Night at the (JFK) museum 

🎶🎷 At night the exhibits come alive…with music. The JFK Library will be open to the public on Aug. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of its latest “Late Nights at the JFK Library” event celebrating jazz’s role in the civil rights movement. Check out special artifacts, dive into jazz and civil rights history with Larry Tye, and groove to live tunes from local musicians with a drink or bite to eat in hand. Registration isn’t required (but is recommended), so make sure you secure your spot now!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

😳 Boston’s racial and gender pay gaps are … gaping. Mayor Michelle Wu may have kept her campaign promise of hiring more people of color in city government, but women and workers of color have yet to crack into the city’s top pay scale. According to a Boston Globe analysis, among the top 100 highest-paid city employees last year, only four were women and 69 were white. Wu’s response? Many high-wage earners have been with the city for a while or moved their way up, so it might take time before we see a big demographic shift.

🏡 Mass.’ newest law aims to tackle high housing costs. Gov. Maura Healey just signed a gigundo $5.16 billion housing bond bill loaded with policies to work on the fact that it costs an arm and a leg to live here. Some highlights include: Legalizing accessory dwelling units (think: in-law apartments) and boosting programs that support first-time homebuyers. And while the bill doesn’t get rid of pesky broker fees, some renters do benefit. Under the law, tenants can petition to seal their eviction records in some circumstances. 

🥇 Gabby Thomas ran it back (literally!). The star track and fielder executed a near flawless race in the 200m finals to take home her first Olympic gold medal on Tuesday (she nabbed a silver and a bronze in Tokyo), cementing her status as one of the fastest women in the world. The Northampton native and former Harvard track star pulled off a time of 21.83, just .25 seconds ahead of silver medalist Julien Alfred — the same one who upset Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m earlier this week, if you’re keeping score. These New England athletes just can’t miss.

🍺 We’ve got good and bad food and bev news. Let’s start with the bad: The beloved King & I Thai restaurant in Beacon Hill shuttered its doors this weekend after being in business since 1983. But … you can pour one out for them at Southie watering hole L Street Tavern, which just made USA Today’s list of the 27 best bars in America in 2024 (yes, it’s the bar from “Good Will Hunting”). And to keep the good news train moving, Somervillians can now enjoy Mamaleh’s newest locale at Boynton Yards. Some of the best pastrami around if you ask us!

GIVEAWAY

Together with the Connecticut Sun

Enter to win 4 complimentary tickets to the Connecticut Sun vs. Los Angeles Sparks game at TD Garden on Aug. 20. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Aug. 9. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

ONE LAST THING

Pageant queen 🤝 DunkQueen

If you had to represent Massachusetts in one outfit, what would you pick? A Patriots sweatshirt, gym shorts, and sneakers? A giant black parka, leggings, and Uggs? 

No matter your pick, we can confidently say that it wouldn’t be as iconic as the one Miss Massachusetts Melissa Sapini chose at this year’s Miss USA pageant. When Sapini was tasked with gracing the stage in a Mass.-themed costume, she did what any true Masshole would do: She went full Dunkin’. 

Her DunKings-inspired outfit included knee-high neon pink boots, an orange swimsuit, and the pièce de résistance: a giant inflatable donut with “DUNKQUEEN” written on it. And while we can’t say for sure if it contributed to her top 10 finish overall … we’d personally put our money on it.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍩 Thanks for reading! Idk about you, but I just found my Halloween costume.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the JFK Library Foundation, for supporting local journalism and offering Bostonians (and tourists) a unique place to relax, learn, and enjoy. 

📦 The results are in: 47% of B-Siders have moved on Sept. 1 before, but aren’t doing so this year. And a special shoutout to the dozens of you who wrote in to advocate for non-Sept. 1 leases. One reader said: “not my first rodeo but desperately hoping it's my last 😭.”

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].