🤤🚃 You’ve never seen the T like this

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🍷 Remember that stunning Matria wine dinner on Aug. 21? Today’s the day to enter to win a free pair of tickets! The first course is ✨short rib arancini✨ by the way. If that’s not your sign to become a member and enter the giveaway here, we don't know what is!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Depressing homeownership data

• Look out for mosquitos!

• Your Revolutionary War era

Up first…

FOOD

The MBTA’s sleeper hits

Not to be dramatic, but … This might be our favorite MBTA food crawl yet. Often hiding in the Red Line’s shadow is the Mattapan Trolley, a light rail of bright orange street cars right off the Ashmont T stop serving Dorchester, Mattapan, and Milton. Never been on it? Consider this your sign.

Here’s what’s worth a trip: 

MILTON STOP

🍔 Bite into Boston’s top burger at Bred Gourmet. Boston magazine crowned it the best in 2021, but imo, they might still hold that title today. This no-frills Lower Mills restaurant is pumping out smoked patties piled high with toppings like pork belly, plantains, and pineapple. But hot take: Their Cousin Stizz fries, loaded with buttermilk fried chicken and drowned in chipotle and sweet chili sauce, are the stars of the show. 

👀 Sleeper hit: Try their take on sorrel, a refreshing Jamaican hibiscus tea packed with Caribbean spices. 

🍨 Cleanse your palate with a scoop from The Ice Creamsmith. From the newspaper clippings blanketing the walls to the neon cone in the front window, this is the textbook definition of “old-school scoop shop” (it’s been in biz for nearly 50 years). But stepping into a time machine is just half the fun. Their small-batch ice cream shines through a thoughtful list of flavors, from classic sweet cream to banana. It’s no shock this shop made the Globe’s best ice cream list.

🤤 Fun fact: They serve three special flavors every month. We tried their blueberry in July: Perfectly purple with flecks of real blueberries. Peruse August’s special flavors here.

CENTRAL AVE. STOP

🍪 Keep the sweet treat train going to Steel & Rye. Surprise! We’re in Milton! We lowkey forget Boston borders this ‘burb, but definitely won’t after trying the spelt chocolate chip cookie from this garage-turned-bakery-slash-restaurant. Our first taste of Steel & Rye was at the Copley Square farmers market via this unbelievably flaky chocolate croissant. But our cashier insisted this cookie was another winner: thin and crispy, with a slightly chewy center.

🍞 Fun fact: While *technically* considered a healthier species of wheat, all spelt really adds is a nutty, earthy note (the chocolate chips cancel out any health).  

MATTAPAN STOP

🌭 Grab the snappiest dog in town at Simco’s. Simply put: This place is a Boston institution. It’s been slinging comfort food staples on Blue Hill Avenue for nearly 100 years, evidenced by this perfectly snappy hot dog sandwiched between a butter-grilled roll that puts Fenway Franks to shame. 

🚘 Pro-tip: It’s walk-up service only, so prepare to man-handle your dog on the sidewalk (us).

🌭 Find room for jerk chicken at Blue Mountain Jamaican. We know you can do it! Crowned Boston’s best Jamaican food by Boston magazine, this spot is home to Caribbean classics that pack a flavorful punch. Their fall-off-the-bone oxtail has sweet, slightly pineapple-y notes, while the jerk chicken’s spice doesn’t overpower its smoky and complex flavor.

🍗 Bonus: You WILL have leftovers.

TOGETHER WITH DOORDASH, SCAMPO, EL BARCO, ROCHAMBEAU, AND SUMMER SHACK

These four restaurant menus are built different 

🍽️ ✨ Restaurant Week might be temporary — but the dishes? Still available. Still iconic. And, yes, still deliverable. If you’re worried about hitting every must-try Restaurant Week spot in only 10 days, here’s a better idea: just get your favorite meals delivered with DoorDash whenever you want. Rochambeau’s lamb, El Barco’s churros, Scampo’s ravioli, Summer Shack’s lobster rolls, and countless other items are still on the menu year-round. Order now on DoorDash and live like it’s Restaurant Week every week. 

QUICK QUESTION!

What’s your perfect kind of night?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

😭 This just in: Mass. housing data is still depressing AF! According to census data, Mass. has the fourth-lowest homeownership rate in the country for 25- to 34-year-olds at 34.2% as of 2023. And it’s WAY worse in Greater Boston: 17.8% in Boston, 14.8% in Somerville, and a truly tragic 7.9% in Cambridge. Compare all of that to the U.S. average of 41%, and you’ve got yourself a pretty grim picture. That said, it’s not exactly a surprise — homeownership rates in Mass. have been dropping since the ’70s. So … Iowa, anyone?

⚽ White Stadium reno opponents have a new battle tactic. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy just dropped a new $64.6 million alternative to Mayor Wu’s controversial $91 million+ White Stadium renovation plan. The pitch: Nix working with a private company (the NWSL’s Boston Legacy) in Franklin Park, and in doing so, save major $$$ by cutting pro-sports-level accommodations — which would solve two of its major gripes with Wu’s plan. That said, Wu’s made it clear she’s not into it, so don’t expect much to change.

🦟 It’s officially mosquito smacking szn. On Wednesday, the Boston Public Health Commission upped Boston’s risk level for West Nile Virus, which spreads through mosquito bites, to “high.” But … DON’T PANIC! There are no confirmed cases among Boston residents, only one in five people who get it experience mild symptoms, and way fewer get severe ones. That said, it’s not a bad idea to try and limit your mosquito exposure through repellent, long clothes, and curbing time outdoors between dusk and dawn — especially for immunocompromised folks and those over 50.

☃️ “New England winters are SO back!” — The Farmer’s Almanac, probably. Because according to its recently-dropped winter weather predictions, New England is in for a winter full of cold snaps and frequent snowstorms. If true, that would be a major change of pace from our recent era of winter flops. But before you start planning your snow days, remember: Farmer’s Almanac predications aren’t exactly … ~meteorologically sound~, so take it with a grain of salt. 

GIVEAWAY

Together with Al’s Block Party at Fenway

Enter to win two tickets for the Grand Slam Package - access to Big Al's Block Party + the game and Jersey collab. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on 8/14/25. 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

Your Revolutionary War era

Do you ever get stuck behind a tour group led by Paul Revere and think “I wish that were me”? Boy, do we have the job for you. 

The Lexington Minute Men have put out an ISO for a new batch of Revolutionary War reenactors to join their group as many of their current members are … well … getting old. Here’s a taste of what they do. 

The only requirements for the job? Be at least 18 years old, love history, be willing to go to (fake) battle, and … potentially drop up to $7,000 on hand-sewn clothing and historically-accurate muskets. Seriously. 

So if that sounds good to you, you can drop them an application here. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🇺🇸 Thanks for reading! IDK about historical reenactments, but we would like to try on those outfits.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, DoorDash, Scampo, El Barco, Rochambeau, and Summer Shack, for supporting local journalism and keeping Boston fed. 

🏘️ The results are in: 74% of B-Siders say economic uncertainty has impacted their housing choices. One reader said: “My grandma asked me what my ‘home buying timeline’ was recently and I burst out laughing because she had to be joking. She was joking, right?” Right …

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