😳🍳 Tatte has some competition ...

It’s Monday, Boston.

💜😭 Not to be mushy, but … We’re so emo over the HUNDREDS of B-Siders who showed up and showed OUT to our first-ever Best Day Ever festival on Saturday. Seeing you shop, stuff your face, and vibe out made our B-Side hearts so happy. Simply put: We couldn’t have done it without you. <3

🥳 And happy birthday to B-Sider Mike Sommerville. We gotta say, what an incredible name you have. Have an amazing day! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston gets a WNBA team?

• Mass.’ shelter crisis progress

• Dunkin’s marketing miss

Up first…

FOOD & DRINK

New month, new restaurants

We hope you’re hungry, B-Siders. Because it’s a new month, which you already know = new restaurant openings. Boston.com has the roadmap to this month’s best eats. 

Here’s what’s on the menu:

🍝 Capri, South End. The TikTok girlies are absolutely swarming this new Italian steakhouse by the folks behind Capo and Lincoln. And TBH, with these stunning videos circulating, we can’t blame them. Based on the reviews so far: The vibes are just as good IRL, and the portions are generous. As for the menu, which is full of trendy cocktails, classic pastas, and steak, the spaghetti all’aragosta, meatballs, and cucumber-y spritz are emerging as fan faves.

Things to try:

• Bread plate with salted honey

• Spaghetti all’aragosta with lobster and corn

• Rigatoni alla vodka

🍸 Lou’s, Harvard Square. If you’re looking for dinner and a show, you’ve got it. This sexy, retro space doubles as a live music venue (here’s the schedule). But don’t worry, with James Beard semifinalist Jason Bond at the helm, the menu looks to be just as legit. Eats range from a raw bar to steak frites to pasta, but Bond told Boston magazine he’s excited about the roasted chicken and house-made bread (made using his 20-year-old starter, Schmutzy). And the martini selection certainly doesn't hurt.

Things to try:

• Bam Bam cocktail with Aperol, cantaloupe, and elderflower

• House-made bread

• Lou’s linguine with clams

🥐 Daily Provisions, Harvard Square. This NYC-based all-day cafe chain is making its first foray into Greater Boston. And when we say all-day, we mean it. The cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the menu will take you from breakfast to brunch to dinner à la Tatte with coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads, roasted chicken, plus wine and cocktails. We’d personally start with their famous crullers (specifically, this month’s seasonal flavor, raspberry hibiscus) or a breakfast sammie.

Things to try:

• Any and all crullers

• “The Lovechild” breakfast sandwich

• Roasted chicken

🥟 Darling, Central Square. Change is the only consistent on the menu at this new moody dim sum and cocktail spot. Seriously, Darling’s goal is to have new cocktails every single day, alongside a menu of quirky, small dim sum-style plates. The drinks are giving ~cocktail bar~ with their specialty, house-made ingredients (see: “silky AF” clarified punch with red bean coconut amazake and taro foam), and the food menu is full of fun riffs on traditional dim sum items, like a “filet o’ fish” bao.

Things to try:

• Suan la chow show (spicy Sichuan-style wontons)

• Dr. Pepper pork ribs

• Shrimp toast on milk bread

🤤 Hungry for more? Check out Boston.com’s full roundup here.

QUICK QUESTION!

😋 Which of these new spots would you like us to try for B-Side Certified? 

TOGETHER WITH MFA BOSTON

Museum by day. Music venue by night. 

✨🎶 Come for the art, stay for a concert under the stars. Every Thursday night this summer, the MFA’s courtyard transforms into Boston’s coolest open-air music hang — with twinkling lights, leafy walls, and global sounds that go way beyond your usual playlist. Tickets are still available for Zar Electrik on August 14 (trancey electro with North African roots) and Salin on August 28 (a genre-defying drummer with serious style). Grab your tickets now and romanticize your summer nights properly.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏀 Boston might be getting a WNBA team after all. Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reportedly reached a $325 million deal to buy the Connecticut Sun and relocate it to Boston(!) by 2027. But despite green flags from fans, local politicians, and even WNBA players, the league itself (which has the final say) seems a little less enthusiastic. Apparently, they’d rather wait until its next official expansion (in 2033, mind you) to bring a team to Boston, but whether they’d actually block the sale is unclear. WNBA, if you’re reading this … please? 

🏚️ Mass.’ shelter system crisis is no longer an emergency. That’s according to Gov. Maura Healey who, on Friday, closed the last of the state’s hotel shelters and officially ended the state of emergency she declared back in 2023. Since then, the number of families in the system has dropped from 7,500 to under 3,200 today due to Healey's sweeping reforms (think: overhauling Mass.’ right-to-shelter law, limiting caps and durations of shelter stays, and creating programs to help folks into permanent housing) and, likely, lower immigration overall under President Trump.

💸 Josh Kraft is NOT showing us the money. The mayoral candidate’s campaign announced it will not release Kraft’s full tax returns, despite some recent *encouragement* from Mayor Michelle Wu. Instead, the campaign opted to drop some select info in a summary from the firm filing his taxes. Spoiler: He earned $6.3 million in 2024, but it’s unclear where from. While sharing this info isn’t technically required, many politicians do it as a symbol of transparency, so withholding it raises some question marks, considering Kraft’s family biz.

🙋‍♀️ Wanna be a model? How about a movie star? Well, there are chances to do BOTH in Boston this month. On Aug. 13, Vivant Vintage on Newbury Street is collabing with Mad Talent Management to hold a unique open casting call for models, where a strip of photos from Vivant’s vintage photo booth will be your casting submission. Meanwhile, feature film rom-com “Ten Dates,” about a Boston transplant who’s dating to make the city feel less lonely (sound familiar?) is casting for a bunch of roles. It’ll shoot in late August.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🦪 Just say shuck it! Aug. 5 marks National Oyster Day, which is all the more reason to load up on $1 oysters around Boston and swing by Island Creek Oyster’s Seaport x Project Paulie pop-up.

🎶 Make Hump Day a VIBE. Grab a blanket and a snack, ‘cause we’re popping a squat on the Esplanade for the Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s FREE performance in the Hatch Shell on Aug. 7.

😋 Fill up on foodie happy hour. Did someone day $5 tapas? Tasca in Brighton definitely did with their $5 tapas deal from Aug. 4-6 from 4-6 p.m. 

🍦 Fill up your cup … with froyo! Sweet Frog in Quincy has “No Weigh Wednesdays” where you can pack your cup with all the froyo and toppings your little heart desires for just $6.50.

🏳️‍🌈 Cut to the chase! There’s a Skip the Small Talk speeddating event for LGBTQIA+ women on Aug. 7 where you dive right into the deep stuff to see if there’s a connection. 

🛍️ Shop (local) till you drop. The Brighton Bazaar’s Night Bazaar is back in action Aug. 7 where 100+ small businesses, food trucks, and yes, FREE Culture Pop, will grace you with their presence.

🍿 DIY your own dinner and a movie. PSA: There’s a movie night potluck (!) in JP on Aug. 8. The only requirement? Bring your favorite dish to share with the class.

💃 Shake off the week with T-Swizzle. There’s no party like a Taylor party, and lucky for you, Big Night Live is throwing THE Taylor Party Aug. 8 so you can dance through her iconic eras.

ONE LAST THING

Dunkin’s marketing miss

All any brand had to do this month was *not* mention genetics in its ads. But somehow, Dunkin’ managed to miss the mark.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that Sydney Sweeney’s ad for American Eagle caused an internet meltdown for its references to her “great jeans” slash “genes” (and if not, well, here ya go). 

But in what can only be described as very unfortunate timing, Dunkin’ has also hopped on the genetics-themed ad train with a spot for its Golden Hour Refresher starring “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Gavin Casalegno.

Dunkin’s video isn’t quite as on the nose as American Eagle’s. “Look, I didn’t ask to be the King of Summer, it just kinda happened. This tan? Genetics,” Casalegno says in the ad. But amid all the ~conversation~ online, it’s still causing a stir. Just check out the video’s comment section … if you dare.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👖 Thanks for reading! All we can say is … yikes.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, MFA Boston, for supporting local journalism and bringing culturally rich experiences to our city. 

😋 The results are in: 58% of B-Siders say the love a good Dine Out Boston deal. One reader said: “We tried [Smoke Shop BBQ] this winter and could've fed a village with the food we got!!” It’s true, they don’t play with those portions. 

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