🤤🥐 This new bakery is gonna be BIG

Happy Friday, Boston!

🥹 Need a dose of Boston hopecore? How about this WILD Red Sox walk-off homer over the Green Monster that sent Fenway into a stupor on Friday. Seriously, we haven’t seen the ballpark this lit in YEARS. Let’s just say … the kids eating free at the 99 are STUFFED. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Heat wave watch!

• Turn up on a Tuesday

• A BCC office romance

Up first…

FOOD & DRINK

New bites, who dis?

Much like the weather this summer, Boston’s new restaurant scene is HOT. And Boston.com and Boston magazine have the roadmaps for this month’s BEST openings.

Here’s what’s worth a bite:

🌮 Taqueria Jalisco, Eastie. True story: We haven’t stopped dreaming about Taqueria Jalisco’s cheesy, smoky, birria tacos since we tried them on our Blue Line food crawl. And they’re now bringing their talents to a second location in Orient Heights with some all-new menu items. Think: Tres leches pancakes, horchata lattes, and a full bar to enjoy a marg flight with your tacos. It’s open now!

Things to try: 

• Birria tacos (duh!)

• Tres leches pancakes

• Al pastor fries

🥐 Nine Winters, Neighborhood Nine. Traditional American bakery fare + nostalgic Korean flavors = what you’ll find at this new Cambridge bakery and coffee shop that’s been all over our FYP. Instead of the usual lattes and croissants, a Nine Winters breakfast might include a gochujang citrus sticky bun and a “Jimjilbang” coffee (a rosemary syrup-spiked redeye). And don’t miss the small selection of lunch options and milk bread doughnuts on Saturdays.

Things to try:

• Peanut butter chili crisp cookies

• Curry oatmeal

• Gochujang citrus sticky buns

🥟 China Pearl, Chinatown. This dim sum spot was one of the oldest and most iconic in Boston before it closed its doors in 2020. But five years of renovations later, it’s SO back. Expect the same traditional dim sum rolling cart service with endless shu mai, pork buns, and steamed dumplings you know and love, but with a completely refreshed look and feel. That said, you can only peruse the menu IRL.

Things to try: 

• Steamed pork and shrimp shu mai

• Steamed egg custard buns

• Spare ribs with black bean sauce

🔥 TooHot, Harvard Square. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. The same principle applies to Harvard Square’s new Sichuan spot. From the folks behind Noah’s Kitchen in Brookline, the menu applies traditional Sichuan techniques to a variety of Asian cuisines and dishes, from the “crown jewel” mapo stone pot tofu to classic fried dumplings. Is oatmeal as hot as you can handle? There are plenty of less spicy items that promise to be packed with flavor.

Things to try: 

• Mapo stone pot tofu

• Golden braised pork roll

• Hot and sour edamame

QUICK QUESTION!

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

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🥵 Prepare for a sticky, icky, no-good, very hot week. We’re officially on ~*heat wave watch*~ as temps on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are flirting with breaking 90 (but could feel more like 100 with the humidity — ugh!). Really, this entire week is giving frizzy hair nightmare vibes, with possible thunderstorms, showers, and spicy temps all in the mix. You already know the drill: Follow the city’s tips on staying cool, and check the schedules for our favorite outdoor pools around Boston.

🏥 Big news: Beacon Hill is looking into allowing abortions after 24 weeks. With the professional judgement of a doctor, that is. Current law allows women to end pregnancies up to 24 weeks’ gestation, but after that, it can only happen if necessary to preserve the life of the mother or if there's a grave fetal diagnosis. However, there are sometimes gray areas with who gets to decide what constitutes a grave fetal diagnosis, leading some local women to travel out-of-state to get the procedure.

🚘 Local drivers are really living up to the “Masshole” name. In a surprise to absolutely no one, Boston snagged the No. 1 spot on Allstate’s list of the most collision-prone cities in the U.S. Get this: Boston drivers get into a crash about once every three years. For context, the average U.S. driver experiences a collision every 10.5 (!) years. However, while the report focused only on collisions, when it comes to injuries and deaths, Mass. is still one of the safest states for drivers. Translation: You might get into a fender bender, but you probably won’t die. 

🍎 Get those food scraps stinkin’ up your trash a new home. “Project Oscar,” a.k.a., these big, green, city-run compost bins, have officially expanded to Beacon Hill, the Fenway, and the West End. The program has collected over 100,000 (!) pounds of scraps this year, which are then turned into compost and sold to local farmers (aw!). Things like food scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags are fair game to dump, but double check this list if you’re unsure. There are now 20 compost bins around the city, so find the closest one to you here.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🧶 Craft your little heart out at the movies. You can whip out your crafts TONIGHT while watching “Marie Antoinette” on the big screen at Gather Here’s craft movie night at the Brattle. Don’t worry, the lights will be halfway up.

🏀 See the Sun rise in Boston. You could be a clown like Gia and drop $150 for a nosebleed seat to watch the Sun vs. Fever WNBA at TD Garden on July 15, OR you could watch it for free with other fans at Drawdown Brewing’s epic watch party.

🍷 Turn up on a Tuesday. Rebel Rebel is hosting a Txakoli Fest (that’s a Basque white wine) on July 15 with a raw bar from Island Creek Oysters, a porròn for wine shots (IYKYK), and a DJ spinning all night. Tickets are $5.

🎥 Watch a movie under the stars. You’ve got two options on July 16: “Good Burger” is at the Speedway with drinks and food for purchase, or “Moana 2” is at the Boston Harbor Shipyard. 

🏋️ Say goodbye to your $40 barre class. Barre3 is putting on a FREE 45-minute signature bodyweight class on the Greenway on July 16. 

✍️ Get real at Lovestruck. Mother-Daughter duo Teri and Ella Macduff are dropping their new guided journal “Let’s Get Real,” and they’re celebrating at Lovestruck Books on July 17. A ticket gets you deep convos, a Q&A, cupcakes, journaling, and free swag.  

📀 Have a party in the ICA. The museum’s first vinyl night of the summer kicks off July 18 with  vinyl DJs spinning soul, disco, and house, natural wine, and best of all, FREE admission.

🏓 Dink n’ drink with fellow B-Siders. We’re teaming up with Club Volo to host a summer pickleball social July 19. Play (or learn to play) pickleball, chat with new pals, and hit up the club’s new bar. Members get a free drink and swag. Grab tickets here!

ONE LAST THING

A BCC office romance

Imagine this: Your work colleague you’ve been crushing on sends you an email finally asking you on a date. You of course show it to your bestie, only to have them point out … you were BCC’d. Ouch. 

Do you, A. Go on the date to confront them? Or B. Ask around the office to see who else got the note? Those are the burning questions in the Globe’s “Love Letters” advice column this week.

Columnist Meredith Goldstein’s advice: Just ask why you were BCC’d. Maybe there’s a good (or interesting) reason. While Meredith would personally opt for sending individual messages to potential office lovers, maybe this person likes a little *chaos.*

And hey, if you’re feeling messy, you could ask around to see if anyone else got this message. But that’s not Meredith’s first choice. It’s the office, after all.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

😬 Thanks for reading! You gotta admit, the guy’s got game. Not very good game. But game nonetheless.

🍵 The results are in: And boy, do we have some matcha haters on our hands! 40% of B-Siders think the green drink tastes like grass. In fact, one hater had some fightin’ words for the stans: “matcha lovers have to be suffering from some sort of mind virus.”

🪩 🎶 Don't forget to grab your tickets to Best Day Ever, our Aug. 2 food, music, and shopping bash at Artists for Humanity!

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