👀🌮 Here's something to taco ‘bout

It’s Monday, Boston.

🚇 POP QUIZ! Downtown Crossing has been dethroned as the busiest MBTA station for the last two years, according to T data. Sooo … which station is now in the top spot? We’ll Venmo $5 to the first person who answers correctly. Check your answer here (no cheating!).

👀 What’s on tap today:

• It’s time for round two

• Teacher and nurse appreciation freebies

• A very (very, very) long performance

Up first…

RESTAURANTS

Get a mouthful of May

Time to fire up your Resy app. Boston.com just dropped its list of exciting May restaurant openings, and we’re already hungry. 

From Mexican favorites, to bougie Italian, to rotisserie chicken, here’s what’s on the menu: 

🌮 Los Alebrijes, Eastie. “Alebrijes” colloquially refers to colorful Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures, and the neon interior of this new family-owned spot certainly lives up to its namesake. Thankfully, the food is equally capturing diners’ attention, specifically the famous shrimp aguachile (a Mexican-style ceviche), pozole (a traditional Mexican meat stew), and the obvious side of fresh guac. Bonus: It’s already open. Take a peek inside here. 

🍽️ Things to try:

• Shrimp aguachile

• Pozole

• Cajeta-stuffed churros

🍗 Amber Road, Downtown. Rotisserie chicken with a side of ~vibes~ is on the menu at Amber Road, a new spot from the folks behind Tradesman and Urban Wild, who are positioning it as “the place to be.” The kitchen is equipped with a signature rotisserie and wheel crank oven, which will be pumping out some highly anticipated rotisserie lemon pepper chicken. But if chicken isn't your thing, the menu features flavors from around the globe — perfect for every palate.

🍽️ Things to try:

• Rotisserie lemon pepper chicken

• Asian mini tuna tacos

• Bacon jam and raclette cheese 

🍝 La Padrona, Back Bay. The folks behind this new Italian spot in the swanky Raffles Hotel traversed Italy top to boot to craft this menu. Expect traditional Italian dishes and ingredients fused with New England flavors (perfect example: the lobster and uni risotto). The atmosphere is like a gilded Italian villa, complete with a grand staircase. Fair warning: The Raffles Hotel is LUXE (think: $1,000+ a night) and so are its other restaurants, so maybe save your visit for a special occasion. 

🍽️ Things to try:

• Cacio e pepe focaccia

• Sardinian flatbread with wild herb honey and peppers

• Fazzoletti with milk-braised rabbit, roasted sunchokes, and fennel

🇲🇽 Toca Chida, Assembly Row. Translating to “play cool,” chef Chris Damian is aiming for that energy with a casual menu highlighting Latin American favorites with playful twists (see: beef birria empanadas, lobster tacos, and of course, housemade guac prepared tableside). You can pair your order with an agave-based drink from the rotating bar program featuring seasonal ingredients. 

🍽️ Things to try:

• Beef birria empanadas

• Tuna nachos

• “Ay, Papi” cocktail with mezcal and mole bitters

👀 Want more? You can scope out Boston.com’s full list of new restaurant openings here. 

QUICK QUESTION

😋 Which restaurant do you want us to review? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏆 The B’s and the C’s are heading to round two. But not without making us sweat a little. After coming dangerously close to blowing their 3-1 lead in round one against the Maple Leafs, the Bruins took home the W in Game 7, thanks to this sick goal from David Pastrnak. The B’s will be moving onto round two against the Panthers — who, famously, knocked us out in Game 7 last year — tonight at 8 p.m. And the Celtics managed to send the Heat packing 4-1 in round one, and will face off against the Cavs on Tuesday night for round two, albeit down one Porzingis.

🚗 Your Uber driver is missing out on major benefits. That’s according to state auditor Diana DiZoglio, who recently released a report saying that bigwig rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft have avoided paying more than $266 million into the state’s workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and paid family leave programs over the past 10 years because drivers are classified as independent contractors, not employees. This news comes as the rideshare ballot question debate heats up, with rideshare companies pushing to keep drivers as independent contractors and some drivers fighting for the right to unionize. 

🍄 To decriminalize shrooms or not to decriminalize shrooms? That is the (potential ballot) question. You’ve probably heard about the push to decriminalize some psychedelic substances, but now there’s a new committee that’s ready to give it a big thumbs down. The committee, chaired by an MGH doctor, recognizes the value of using the substances in therapeutic settings, but opposes the petition on the grounds that its passage would allow folks to grow significant amounts of psychedelics at home, which they say may lead to more unregulated selling. 

☕ Teachers, nurses: We appreciate you, but … TBH, our appreciation pales in comparison to the freebies offered by Dunkin’, Aroma Joe’s, and View Boston for Nurse and Teacher Appreciation Week. Nurses, today you can grab a free medium coffee at Dunkin’, or a free 24-ounce drink from Aroma Joe’s. Teachers, you can grab the Aroma Joe’s deal on Tuesday. Plus, View Boston is offering a discounted rate of $15 tickets for teachers and nurses alike through Friday. You deserve it.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🧶 Gab the night away with fellow yappers. Trident is hosting a “stitch and bitch” event Tuesday (yes, really), where all you gotta bring is your latest knitting or crochet project, your mouth, and something to talk about.

🚶 Spend Wednesday night strolling the South End. Over 60 local businesses will be out and about from 4 to 8 p.m. for this year’s South End Spring Stroll, offering food, pop-ups, discounts, and more.

💐 Skip the Mother’s Day bouquet. And make your own! On Thursday, the Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library is hosting a class on Ikebana, a 600-year-old Japanese flower art form whose name loosely means "making flowers come alive."

🤝 Network with new lady friends. The Boston Young Professionals Association is bringing together a crew of like-minded ladies for a night of networking on Tuesday. Bonus: There will be apps, drinks, and gift bags. 

🖼️ Spend a night at the museum. Good news: The MFA is staying open until 1 a.m. Saturday morning as part of its Late Nites series with a DJ, art-making activities, and more. Bad news: Ben Stiller won’t be there. 

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock three bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

ONE LAST THING

A very long performance

Doing literally anything for 24 hours straight is hard to comprehend for an average person. But Berklee sophomore Keefer Glenshaw is definitely not an average person.

That’s why this weekend, he decided to play improvisational cello … for 24 hours … straight. And if that sounds like the stuff of a Guinness World Record, you’d be (almost) right. The world record for longest time playing the cello is 26 hours, but the record title isn’t what interests Glenshaw. He’d rather focus on the mindfulness that comes with such a demanding task, and of course, the music itself. 

And as of Sunday evening, he completed the task, somehow sounding just as good at hour 24 as he did in hour one. Watch his performance here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🎻 Thanks for reading! Thanks for tuning in for another installment of: “college students accomplish more by age 20 than you probably ever will.” 

🏡 The results are in: B-Siders basically told Gia she has bad taste, with over 80% of respondents saying they’d rather live in Tom Brady’s Back Bay condo than Steve Belichick’s Dover mansion. One reader said: “You can have that McMansion, I want cosmopolitan luxury!” Deal.

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