🍪😋 There’s a new sweet treat in town

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🥧 Eat good. Do good. Just in time for giving season, if you donate $35 to Pie in the Sky, you’ll provide a week's worth of fresh meals to our neighbors with chronic illnesses. Plus, you’ll get a homemade Thanksgiving pie. Now that’s a pretty sweet deal. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The Question 3 results are in

• Drama at Boston polling sites

• A mini care package

Up first…

RESTAURANTS

Smoothies, seafood, and shepherd’s pie

If there’s ever been a time to treat yourself, it’s now. And just in the nick of time, Boston.com dropped its list of new restaurants to try this November. 

Here’s what’s worth a bite:

🍪 Levain Bakery, Seaport. Levain is an NYC cookie institution that’s found plenty of success at its Newbury Street shop (it’s Gia’s go-to after-work sweet treat). Now, a second Boston location will open on Nov. 18 in the Seaport. If you haven’t heard, Levain’s cookies are pretty iconic, somehow achieving a scone-like shape with a crispy exterior and super gooey inside. The bakery also serves freshly made bread, pastries, and coffee drinks. 

Things to try: 

• Chocolate chip walnut cookie 

• Oatmeal raisin cookie 

• Dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie 

🐟 Kaia, South End. What do Boston and the Greek isles have in common? Seafood. Well, at least that’s the thread that inspired Kaia, a new Greek restaurant from the folks behind Bar Vlaha and Hecate. The concept pays homage to present classical Aegean dishes in their “purest form,” and the menu is, unsurprisingly, very seafood-heavy. There’s caviar service (starting at $28), a daily rotating whole fish, plus a meticulously curated wine list. The full menu is TBD, but we can expect an opening day soon.

🇮🇪 McGonagle’s Pub & Restaurant, Dorchester. Dorchester has some major Irish roots, but, according to restaurateur Oran McGonagle, it’s been missing a classic Irish pub ... until now. McGonagle’s will strive to be a neighborhood haunt with a modern twist, serving up traditional Irish dishes like shepherd’s pie and fried fish, “proper pints” (including Guinness, obv), and … pizza! Because why not. There will also be a stage for weekly live music. It’s expected to open in early November, and the full menu is still under wraps.

🥕 Pink Carrot, Chestnut Hill. If you hate cooking but love a healthy meal, the folks behind Pink Carrot hear ya. That’s why they’re expanding to a third Greater Boston location in Chestnut Hill. The spot was created around the idea that food is meant to be good, and good for you, so think smoothies, salads, wraps, and grain bowls. Not to mention all-day breakfast and espresso drinks. While the food and drink can be easily taken to-go, there’s also a cozy space for dining in. 

Things to try:

• Pineapple colada smoothie 

• Breakfast burrito with broccoli, peppers, and spicy aioli

• Pesto power bowl with chicken, toasted almonds, and kale

👀 Hungry for more? Check out the full list here.

QUICK QUESTION

😋 Which of these spots would you most like our two cents on?

TOGETHER WITH THE ROSE ART MUSEUM

Your homework this week: Go see “Home Work.”

🖼️ 🏛 Don’t worry, you won’t be graded. But you will leave inspired. Check out “Home Work” by millennial artist Hugh Hayden. His exhibit at the Rose Art Museum on Brandeis University’s campus showcases sculptures that confront masculinity, accessibility, and the complex reality of the “American dream” in modern society. Highlights? Exhibition sections “The Uncanny Home” and “Skeletons in the Closet” serve up some serious thought-provokers on identity and culture. Admission is free, plan your visit today! 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚗 The results are in for Question 3. And it’s a YES. Translation: Mass. voters decided that rideshare workers should be able to unionize and collectively bargain with companies like Uber and Lyft. With 95% of precincts reporting, the measure passed 54% to 46%, a slimmer margin than some pre-election polls indicated, but still a decisive victory. Q3 will join Q1 (auditing the legislature) and Q2 (eliminating the MCAS as a high school grad requirement) in the yes camp, while Q4 (legalizing psychedelics) and Q5 (raising the tipped minimum wage) ended up as no’s. 

🗳️ Surprise: Trump performed better than people expected in Mass. Although Mass. was solidly blue in Tuesday’s election, Trump gained significant ground across the Commonwealth in a trend that mirrored a lot of the country. Overall, he secured 36% of the state’s votes, up 4% from 2020. According to this map, his strongest performances were in western and southeastern Mass., but he improved his performance close to home, too, with Boston, Malden, Everett, and Chelsea all seeing a 5%+ shift in Trump voting since 2020.

🤷 There was some drama at Boston polling sites. Namely, some precincts ran out of ballots. No joke. On Tuesday afternoon, due to “strong turnout,” the city had to dispatch police to replenish the supply of ballots, leaving voters to basically wait it out. Officials urged folks to wait in line until the ballots were delivered, but poll workers were told to take the phone numbers of those who decided to leave. Though the city apologized and Mass. launched an investigation, they got some pretty hefty criticism for the blip, and for not pushing to extend poll site hours.

🥇 Breaking news: Mass. incumbents won. A lot. In fact, every single congressional incumbent in Mass. held onto their seats. Perhaps more unsurprisingly, many of the races were uncontested, and all of them were Democrats. Here in Boston, that means that Rep. Stephen Lynch is back for his 13th term in the House after taking home over 70% of the vote. Meanwhile, on Beacon Hill, for only the second time in a presidential election year since 1984, three GOP candidates flipped state legislative seats.

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

This week’s secret dish sponsored by The Fenway Foodies Club

Feeling bougie (and adventurous)? Try the off-menu Tuna Rib at Hojoko, available for 48-hour pre-order. This epic dish features the tuna spine, served with scallions, ponzu, nori, and all the fixings for DIY hand rolls. Bring your friends because at $75, it’s perfect for sharing. And that’s not all, to discover all The Fenway Foodies Club latest dining deals and secrets, sign up for their newsletter or check out their blog.

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a $100 gift card to Legal Sea Foods!

One lucky winner is about to enjoy a boat load of the best New England seafood, for FREE! That’s right, we’re giving away a $100 gift card to Legal Sea Foods. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on 11/8. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

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

ONE LAST THING

A mini B-Side care package

Yesterday, we asked you all how you were doing post-election. And you really let us know: Just 7% of you told us you were “good,” and a whopping 70% said you’re “a complete wreck.” So we’re dropping in with a few coping strategies, and hopefully, a little distraction. 

Experts agree that giving yourself space to feel your emotions while trying to avoid the spiral of “what-ifs” or hypothetical situations is key. Staying offline, touching grass, and seeing people you love are also top tips. And BTW, the Globe’s latest installment of “No Stupid Questions” is all about finding mental health support. 

And if you’re just looking for something to block the noise: We’ll personally be listening to this incredible podcast episode of “Normal Gossip,” binging “Slow Horses” on Apple TV+ and the latest episodes of the “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” (it’s called range), and making this chai sugar cookie recipe Taylor Swift posted on Tumblr 10 years ago. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💌 Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Rose Art Museum, for supporting local journalism and bringing free art that sparks conversation to the community.

🥲 The results are in: We already covered the numbers, but one reader said: “I should have taken the rest of the week off.”

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