#turns out it was option number three. quickly closed the game and reopened it

[crazyw3irdo]

“the hardest part of being neurodivergent is not being taken seriously” “the hardest part is that the world was made for neurotypicals who don’t try to adjust to you”

nah the hardest part is spending more time agonizing over dialogue decisions in video games to try and figure out how your character is actually going to say the line (/j)

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Becoming

Halloween is Bee’s favorite holiday and while for most people it’s focused on becoming something new, transforming into fantasies, it is for others about becoming who they really are. 

Related to Silver Fox. Can be read alone. SingleDad!Cal+ Halloween + Cuteness.

Read Silver Fox Here. 

Enjoy my masterlist. 

Support me on Ko-Fi. 

********************

Anahera reads over the text several times, exits the text messaging app, reopens it and still shocks finds her when the text does not disappear. Halloween party on Saturday, 8pm You’re invited. Costume contest too! This isn’t a text message that she should’ve gotten--Anahera played on the school’s field hockey team but she wasn’t that popular to get a text message from Chelsea. Chelsea was on the school’s cheerleading team, up next for captain once the current senior graduated. They worked together once on a physics project and exchanged numbers only to talk about who would do what and to meet after school to run the lab. But that was pretty much the existent of their interactions, besides saying hi in passing in the hallways. 

But here Chelsea was texting Anahera about a Halloween party. Looking up from her phone, Anahera risks a quick glance to her father. He stands outside the car, phone pressed to his ear. A call came in right as Anahera walked up to the car. He paused long enough to greet her and ask how she was doing but he had to return to the call pretty quickly after that. Her practice ran long--mostly because their coach was getting on their case about two girls that got into a physical fight in school and thus were benched for two games. Her dad’s not the type to be overly strict about her going out. But he was a small bit of a worrier and liked to know the parents or at least have their numbers. 

Anahera turns back to her phone and pulled up Levi’s thread. Did you get an invite to a Halloween party on Saturday?

It’s only a couple of moments before Levi replies. Yeah. ‘rents already said yes. What about you?

Levi was the last child in a line of four, so it was never really a shock that their parents let them do pretty much anything as long as they could say who they were going with and what time they were going to be back home by. Anahera glances back out to the window and notices Calum nodding along to whatever is being said. When they catch eyes, Calum puffs up his cheeks and crosses his eyes just to get a laugh out of her. Anahera shakes her head with a small chuckle and sticks her tongue out in return before returning to her phone. 

Haven’t asked yet. Afraid he’s going to say no. 

Your dad’s not like that. Let him know you’re going with me. My curfew is midnight. Dan’s on dial too--just in case. 

Dan was nice, and even though he was the oldest of their siblings, he wasn’t big on partying. He was quiet, played video games mostly and occasionally went out. But as the only one with a car, he became the go to one for rides to and from places or as a quick line of defense. Anahera normally had a curfew around eleven. However, if she led the question with Levi’s plans and Dan being their ride, then her dad might be more flexible about extending the curfew. Anahera would also have to promise that her homework would be done Friday night because if she didn’t, Calum would certainly use that as a way to be hesitant. 

The only way to find out her answer is going to be just asking flat out. Leaning across the console, Anahera rolls down the window. The buzzing and whir catches Calum’s attention and he takes the phone from his ear. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll be off in five and get you some dinner. I know you’re probably starving after practice.”

“Thanks. Um, actually I wanted to ask you if I could go to this party on Saturday. It’s at Chelsea’s. Levi’s going and they have to be back home by 12.”

“Halloween party?” Calum asks. 

Anahear nods. “I’ll have all my homework done on Friday. I’m already done with one essay and I think there’s a math set packet Mr. M is handing out on Thursday to help as extra study material for the test on Monday. And Bee’s already reading over my college essay so when I get the edits it’ll be like super quick.”

Calum sighs, hearing the voice on the line droning on. “Levi’s going? And their parents know Chelsea’s parents or have their number?”

“I-I don’t know. I just know Levi got the approval to go. Please, Dad. I can ask Chelsea tomorrow about the number thing. But please can I go? Dan’s on speed dial in case we need a ride.”

Calum holds her gaze, mouth twisting up. Bee had asked what Calum and Anahera had planned to do for Halloween. Normally, the two of them dressed up and handed out candy to the kids in the neighborhood that came by trick or treating on the day of Halloween and during the weekends, sometimes they went to haunted houses or Anahera hung out with Levi in her room, watching scary movies until ungodly hours in the morning. Anahera’s eagerness to go the party didn’t strick Calum was strange. She’s settled into her junior year, her birthday passing in September. However, Calum did start to miss things from before. Like the way Anahera always wanted to hang out with him and how they always had plans for Halloween. But things were changing. She was growing up and Calum was going to have to grow with that too. 

He nods. “Yeah, you can go. But,” he starts interrupting the squeal from Anahera, “the edits your college admission essay need to be done before you leave on Saturday. You’re not struggling in math too much, and I trust you with whatever you need to make sure you get a good grade on that test on Monday.” Anahera wants to apply early decision to a couple schools and the rest are regular decisions. Bee advised that it would be easier for her to finish the essays early and that way the only thing to stress about come the summer and start of senior year were getting the letters of recommendations. Though the essays that Anahera were drafting for college apps right now were samples/examples. Anahera wanted to have a bank of a couple different kinds that wouldn’t need too much extra work to fit to the questions before being submitted. 

Though Calum suggested that she not worry that not much closer until time, Anahera insisted that she wanted some practice and considering that the beginning of the semester wasn’t that congested with work, it worked out well. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Anahera exclaims crawling over the console and hugging Calum through the open window of the car. 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Love you.” He knows he’s clinging a little too long but he doesn’t want to forget the way Anahera squeezed in her hugs. It was a trait she had since she was little and Calum’s not sure where she got it from. However, there was nothing like a hug from her--even when she was small and she sensed something was wrong, she would run up to him with her favorite toy at the time in her hand and squeeze him tight in a hug. She would always tell him not to be sad because she would always have hugs for him. 

“Love you too!” Anahera replies easily. 

Calum gets off the work call soon after that and climbs into the driver seat, or at least he attempts to. Anahera hasn’t left the driver side seat since getting the okay for her venture to the party. “Ma’am. I know you’re getting closer to that license but I think I’m still in charge of driving for just a little bit longer.”

Anahera laughs. “Oh c’mon, Pops. You know I can handle this no problem.” She over dramatizes taking a sharp turn, hands passing over each other and lightly brushing the cover of the steering wheel. She hasn’t tested yet but they get out early on the weekends for practice and Calum keeps encouraging her to test. It’s yet to happen, but he’s hopeful. 

“Maybe on Sunday you go for a spin. But it ain’t Sunday yet.”

Anahera looks to Calum with her brows raised. “Promise?”

“Promise.” They hook pinkies and she climbs back into the passenger seat. “Subs?”

“Oh, you know exactly what I was thinking. But that might just be that you’re my dad.”

“Maybe,” Calum laughs, “maybe.” 

Anahera relays the news to Levi about her approval to go to the party. Any costume ideas? I’m a giant nothing. Levi asks. Anahera thinks about usual superheroes, the sexy costumes. But those wouldn’t work out too well. 

Couples costumes? Or too lame? 

I love you, Ana. But I am not going in some dumb het. normative costume. 

Anahera snickers at the text. I didn’t mean like couple couple costume. But like matching/same universe or something. 

Oh, oh, hmm, that could work.

Stranger Things--Scoops Ahoy Steve and Robin? That message comes through at the same time that Levi suggest pirates. Oh, pirates could be cool? We’d have to get to the mall to shop possibly. but I promised to have homework done before Friday. 

“Wanna eat inside or get it to go?” 

Ana looks up and sees that the car is parked outside their favorite Italian place. Anahera shrugs and unbuckles. “It’s everyone else’s problem if I stink, not mine.”

Calum laughs. “That’s why there was the option to not kill everyone with your funk.” He locks the doors, taking a quick glance at the parking lot. He doesn’t spot Bee’s car. He know she doesn’t take too many hours at the restaurant during the week, but occasionally she takes a few or she comes in when they need more help. He wasn’t sure if she was working both jobs or not. But given the number of cars in the parking lot, he can’t really get a good look around. 

Inside is crowded. Though most people seem to be getting orders to go, lined up at the counter as compared to the pretty empty dining area. Calum and Anahera stand the podium to be seated for a couple moments. Anahera is buried in her phone while Calum glances around. He spies Bee at the counter, handing over a stack of three pizza boxes to a man. The woman he’s with comes up and takes the bag Bee hands over. “Just two?” a voice close by cuts in. A younger guy who Calum hasn’t seen before stands in front of them. 

Calum turns with a nod. “Yes, just two.”

“Booth or table?” the young man asks. 

“Booth,” Anahera returns with a smile and follows behind as they’re escorted to the booth. Calum throws one last glance back to the counter. Bee happens to glance up and throws a small wave which Calum returns. 

“Can I start you all out with something to drink?” the young man asks, pen in hand. 

“Water,” Calum answers, slipping the sunglasses up into his hair and Anahera replies with the same. 

The young man nods. “Lemon on the side okay?” With nods all the way around, he starts over to the drink mission. 

Anahera turns directly to the sub and sandwiches section of the menu. “See your boo,” Ana teases glancing up for a moment. 

Calum shakes his head, cheeks heating for a split second at the tease. He and Bee have been dating for a little seven months. Anahera wasn’t shocked after discovering the hickies that fated day but she never fails to say that she’s the thing that brought them together.  “Yeah, I saw her,” Calum returns. “So about this party? You and Levi know what your costumes are going to be? Like going in something matching or separate?”

“We’re thinking about something matching. They suggested pirates or something but I don’t think I have anything in my closet that could work and I would ask to go shopping on Saturday before the party but I wasn’t sure how that was going to go over.”

“Hmm, if you needed to borrow anything from me, you could. Or if Levi wanted too, they could as well. And it comes down too, I could take y’all Friday after school.That would give you Saturday morning to work too and then get ready. Or whatever works better.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll let them know.” Anahera works her fingers over the screen, the keys highlighting for a second before dropping back down to their normal size. “And thanks. For offering to take Levi and offering your closet.”

Calum knows Levi’s parents haven’t super well to their coming out and using they/them pronouns. However, Levi’s siblings have defended them and Anahera too. He wishes he could do a lot more. He’s tried to help as much as he can, being there for Levi when they need someone but he knows it’s not always the same--it’s not like having their actual parents being supportive. “Of course. You two have been friends since elementary school. Almost feels like a second child at this point--Levi’s family at this point.”

“You’re pretty awesome, Dad.”

“I can only ever do my best, sweetheart. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but your best is still pretty great.” She’s quick to return to her phone no doubt relaying everything to Levi. The waiter returns with their waters and runs down the specials for the day. Anahera orders her turkey panini with salad and fries. Calum overs the Philly cheese steak with just fries. 

“Hey guys,” Bee says as she stops by their table. The dinner rush has slowed for the time being. 

Calum tugs on her wrist and she falls into the side of the booth, his bumping against his side. His arm slides around her waist in a quick hug. “Shocked to see you here. Not even a Thursday, so you can’t tell me close to the weekend.”

“Terence’s books were more expensive this semester--so I’m trying to play catch up right now.”

“More expensive?” Calum questions, twisting in the booth to look up at her. Bee gives Anahera a quick hug before turning to stand at the edge of the table. “Why don’t you sit?”

“Boss is here today. Don’t want him complaining. And Terence signed up for an extra class, said he was going to be a class short if he didn’t fully load up his schedule. And it’s cheaper to do it now than it is to take the one class during the summer. I budgeted for right around 250 for books but the extra class was in English and it ran just under an additional 200 dollars just for that class.”

“Another 200 hundred?” Calum gaps. “You’re telling me you spent over 400 dollars in textbooks?”

“Just about 400 dollars. He’s looking for scholarships to help with textbooks. But with basketball it’s not like he can pick up a job. I need him focusing on his grade to keep the scholarship that he does have. The refund should help recover costs some but most of that I’m giving right back to Terence in installments.” 

Calum nods, knowing about how Bee likes to put money into Terrence’s account. She does it so that Terrence can take care of anything that comes up in case of emergency, but she know sometimes the team goes out for dinners and other things. He’s got to be a kid in college while still in college. What Calum didn’t realize is just how much Terrence didn’t know about what Bee did behind the scenes for him. Terrence came home for the summer, well before summer conditioning and they hung out, and Terrence knew Bee worked her ass off to help him but she hadn’t pulled the veil back to reveal just how much she busted ass to make his games, keep him afloat and never stressing about money. 

Calum respected that and never discussed money in front of Terrence. But part of him did want Terrence to know just how much Bee was working so that textbooks were the least of his worries. “You know I’m here, for anything,” Calum offers, wrapping his fingers around hers. 

Bee nods. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But get ready, you’re next,” she teases, laughing before glancing over to Anahera. “Once I get home I can send you my suggestions. They’re on my laptop and I didn’t bring it with me to this job.”

“Don’t worry, Bee. I appreciate you just taking the time to read over it.”

“Of course.” The bell above the door chimes and Bee turns, greeting the family that just entered letting them know she’ll be right over in a moment. “Alright, duty calls. Enjoy your dinner.”

Bee squeezes Calum’s hand and then turns on her heels to go to the podium. “How are we tonight? Besides just a smidge hungry?” Bee jokes, grabbing menus. The group laughs just a little bit before following Bee to a booth about three down from Calum and Anahera. 

“You think Bee would take me and Levi shopping?”

Calum perks up at the question. Anahera and Bee get along well but Bee’s careful about suggesting that she and Anahera spend time together. As Calum knows and understands, Bee doesn’t want to come across as being pushing or trying too hard but she doesn’t want to seem like she doesn’t care. They’ve gotten manicures together or gone out just for ice cream--it’s always been small things. However, Anahera seems to enjoy that time together. 

“Ask, can’t hurt. If her schedule allows, I think she’d be happy to take you and Levi,” Calum answers. He bites down on the corner of his lip to contain a small portion of his smile. Bee’s been the one to schedule most of their activities together or at least initiate them. But seeing Anahera take the lead on this one is a good sign. 

“Oh, you’re right. She might be working. I don’t want to make her feel bad if she’s working?” Anahera enjoys the time she’s spent with Bee. When they got the gel manicures, it was fun. Bee picked out Anahera’s color and they were able to sit next to each other as they talked about watching True Crime documentaries and Ana told her all about the new music she had been listening too. Bee was cool about all the jokes Anahera made, and once their colors cured under the UV lights, Anahera spent nearly thirty minutes sitting outside the shop just showing Bee all the videos and memes that she had saved recently. 

Bee felt like her dad’s girlfriend, but she also felt like someone that cared about Anahera too. It was a nice feeling to have another girl to talk about things that just got it. And whatever Anahera didn’t want to go back to Calum, didn’t get back to him. Anahera mentioned to Bee before Calum about Levi and what was happening at home for them. Anahera begged Bee not to say anything to her dad. Not that she thought Calum wouldn’t be understanding but because Anahera just didn’t want to out her best friend to someone they weren’t ready to be out too. However,  when Anahera needed someone to talk to about Levi, Bee was gracious and patient and promised not to breathe a word to Calum. So when Levi came over for the first time to come out, while Bee and Calum were  fixing dinner, Bee’s reaction was like she had heard the news for the first time. Calum was shocked but grateful to know and the change was immediate, though a little bumpy at first. Anahera called Bee later that night to thank her for being supportive of her best friend. 

Also in terms of pirate costuming, as much as Anahera adores her dad, she knew only Bee would get her vision for her costume and be able to help her. Also Bee could also help Levi put together their costume so that the two of them matched but still kept a distinct air to the both of them.

Bee passes their table right after they get their orders with a tray full of drinks for the table that she has. However on the second pass by, Anahera manages to snag her attention. “Do you work Saturday morning?”

Bee ponders for a moment. “I work here starting at 2. What’s up?”

“I got invited to this Halloween party and Levi and I want to go as pirates. But we both need a few things to help with our outfits. Would you mind taking us and helping us out?”

The grin that breaks across Bee’s face is so big Calum’s sure her cheeks are going to split right there on the spot. “Yeah, I’d love to. Mall opens at 9. How does 10 sound? Would that time work for them as well?”

“I can ask.”

“Text me whatever works best, okay. I’ll pick you up first and then we’ll swing and get Levi.”

Anahera nods and turns back to her salad just as Bee turns back and continues down to the kitchen. “So I’m getting the boot I guess.”

“I guess you can come too. Do you and Bee have plans?”

“Bee asked if we had plans. I told her our normal plans are using dressing up and doing a little decorating to hand out candy or you watching movies with Levi but now that’s different. So I’m not even sure.”

“Just remember, I’m coming back home at midnight sharp.” Once or twice, Anahera’s caught the embarrassing glimpse of a kiss getting pretty heavy. That’s enough, she doesn’t want to see anything more than that. 

Calum gapes for a moment around the sip of his water. “Missy, who’s the parent here?” Anahera goes quiet, shoveling the last bite of her salad into her mouth. “That’s what I thought.” With their dinner finish and check paid, Calum and Anahera slip out from the booth. They both say goodbye to Bee before leaving. Anahera promises to text Bee the second she gets a time that works well before 2. 

It’s only later in the night, after Calum gets a text from Bee that she got home safely that he calls her. She doesn’t answer immediately. However about 20 minutes later, his phone rings from her. “Hey,” he says settling into the pillows. Tammy’s curled up on his lap. The click of paws outside the door alerts Calum that Anahera’s moving around the house and Jake’s following right behind her. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. The restaurant was crazy when I walked in but the rest of the night calmed down. How was your day?”

“Nothing too grand until I surprisingly ran into you,” he chuckles softly into the receiver. “I just want to say thank you for agreeing to take Anahera and Levi shopping. That-that means a lot to me.”

“No need to thank you, Cal baby. But you’re so welcome. I love Ana and Levi. I’d do whatever I could for them.”

“No, I do need to thank you. I know you’re working hard to cover what you had to spend on Terrence’s books but you taking the time to spend with my daughter and her best friend--it says a lot more about your character than anything.”

“Thank you, Calum. That means a lot.”

“Of course.”

“With Anahera and Levi going to the party, are you just going to hang out on Halloween?”

“I guess. I don’t know. Unless of course you’d like to spend some time together after work if you’re not too tired of course.”

“I’m only working a 5 hours shift. I picked up part of someone else’s shift. So if you wanted to do something after 7, we can. Your neighborhood’s plenty active right? Like you hand out candy and what not?”

“Yeah, there’s enough kids that come out. Would you want to dress up? I totally get if you don’t want to, with work and everything.”

“I would love to dress up! Halloween’s my favorite. But once Terrence got too old to trick-or-treat, I kinda didn’t have much reason to do a lot. The apartment complex does like a small thing for the kids, but nothing like the neighborhood I was in before Terrence and I moved.”

“Might I crash the shopping party on Saturday? I know depending on how long it takes you might have to duck out before things finish but while they shop for their costumes you and I can plan something too.”

“Sure, you can crash the shopping party. Do you decorate?”

“Used to when Anahera was younger. Not a lot much inside. It’s more outside decoration for the kiddos as they come up to the door.”

“Well I look forward to a fairly spooped out house. Trick or treating starts around 6 so I’ll miss the first hour but after my shift ends, would it be okay if I just came directly to your place and changed? What time is the party for Anahera and Levi?”

“Yeah, sure you can come straight to my place. Their party starts at 8 and Levi’s brother Dan is dropping them off at the party and dropping them Ana back off afterwards. Or at least I need to make sure that’s the plan. Even if I have to drop her off, if you come to my place, trick or treaters can still get their candy fill while I drop her off.”

“Okay, cool. Thank you.” A yawn cuts off the last little bit of the sentence. “God, sorry.”

“It’s been a long day. I get it. Get some rest, babe.”

“Wait, I gotta email Anahera. Stay on the line with me until I finish that. Then I can go night-night.”

Calum chuckles at the repetitive phrase. It reminds of when Anahera was younger. He’t tuck her in at night with a kiss to her forehead and a sweet bid of “Night-night. Sweet dreams,” without fail. And it appears that even though children might grow out of the phrase, parents never do. “Okay, I’ll stay on until you do that. Do you have any costume ideas?”

“Something witchy. Or vampires. Or we can go with something with a bit more gore. I think I have some special effects makeup left in that kit.”

“I know you said Halloween is for favorite but for someone that doesn’t celebrate like before, I’m a little lost on why you have a kit.”

“Library holds some special readings every quarter. Theme was fairytales so we dressed up and used some special effects for some wrinkles for the old fairy godmother. And I just got the big kit because I figured it would last for more than reading. There’s some fake blood in it too. I like to have all my options.”

Calum hums, the pillows surrounding him starting to pull him into sleep as well. Just closing his eyes won’t hurt. It’s quiet for a moment, faintly he can hear the taps and clicks of Bee on her computer. “Oh, what about something with Bonnie and Clyde?”

“Like them dead? Because I think I could be down.” The sentence is a little slow to fall from Bee’s lips. 

“Hmm yeah maybe.”

“Thanks for staying up with me even though we both about to pass out.”

“Anything for you.”

“Goodnight, Calum.”

“Hey, that’s a good night-night and sweet dreams to you, Bee.” She laughs softly into the receiver and it’s the only sound Calum distinctly remembers hearing too. 

Friday night Anahera is sure to show Calum her changes to the essay and when he nods, kissing the top of her head, Ana tries to hold back her excitement. She and Levi have talked about their costumes. Though Levi’s unsure of if they should go with a vest or not. They don’t have one and buying one would be pointless just for the one costume. Anahera suggests if they find one cheap they could add it to the costume without fear of not necessarily wearing it out again. 

Calum agrees to drive separately from Bee, Anahera, and Levi when Saturday rolls around. The second Bee showed up Anahera dove into the vision she and Levi had for the costumes and what they both already have in their closest. Calum catches wind of a skirt and he waits for a moment unsure if that’s a smart idea. However, Bee is quick to suggest fishnets in addition to the skirt. Fishnets isn’t the answer he would’ve given, but Calum knows this is not his time into the court and let’s Bee take the lead on how to best handle wearing a skirt to a party that Calum’s almost certain alcohol may sneak its way into the mix. He knows he can’t shield Anahera forever from the world but he definitely doesn’t want her introduction to be harsh. Amongst the glimpses of conversations that he catches about the skirt, he catches onto the addition of shorts underneath too and lets out a tiny sigh of relief. 

Levi hangs back as Bee and Anahera enter the first store. Calum lingers back with them.“Skipping this one?” Calum asks. It’s an H&M and there’s no doubt in Calum’s mind that they can find something here. They mentioned wanting either a jacket or the vest and then needing a thick belt or fabric to help with their look. They already have the white button up, jeans and boots for the costume. 

“I-It’s a lot easier to like look online at clothes.” The confession leaves Levi’s lips softly. Calum nods, understanding that online no one says anything if they switch between men or women’s. However, the physical stores has to be a whole different ballgame, the anxiety about looks that people might give tot hem. 

“If you want, I’ll stick with you. Whichever section, I can be right there.”

“You-you don’t have too, Mr. Hood.”

“It’s Uncle Cal and you know that, Levi. Besides, you’re not Anahera’s best friend. You’re part of my family. So whatever you need me to do is out of love, not obligation.”

The tears collect on their lower lids. “You consider me family?”

“Always have, kid, and always will.” With an arm slung over their shoulder, Calum proposes a deal. “What if you help me with my costume and if we just happen to find something for you, then we just happen to find something for you? How does that sound?”

Levi gives Calum a quick hug before nodding. “Sounds-sounds good to me.”

“C’mon. I think I see a suit jacket that might be perfect for Clyde. But I need younger eyes because I forgot my glasses.” 

As the pair walks towards the suit jackets, Bee slides over and slips a few tissues into the palm of Calum’s hand. He hands them over to Levi and there’s a silent nod of recognition between all of them. Bee zips back over to Anahera, knowing that she had to talk the young girl out of the platform boots that Anahera doesn’t need considering the pair that she just got for her birthday. 

As Calum and Levi thumb through the blazers, Calum can see one particular red ornate blazer has caught their attention. So he plucks if off the rack, pulling the medium size one off the rack to start. He can’t quite gauge their size and he doesn’t want to ask someone to measure Levi. Holding the jacket open for Levi, Calum silently asks them to try it on. “I think it might look better on you than me. I think my days have passed. Besides the red blazer I have at home reads more captain than pirate. But it’s always a look you could go for.”

Levi slips their arms into the blazer. The sleeves swallow their arms and hits them too low on their legs. But the light is evident in their eyes as they look into the mirror on the wall. “Wow,” they breathe, turning to see what it looks like from the back. 

“I say we try the small. This is a medium.” Levi nods, slipping out of the jacket and taking the small from Calum. “This isn’t a tailored cut. Meaning it doesn’t cut in or cinch at the waist. This is a standard fit.” He straightens the collar out for them and grins at their smile. “Arms out straight in front of you,” he directs looking to see if the sleeves come up just a little or not all. They rise just a smidge. “Okay, reach up for the ceiling.” Levi does so without seeming restricted. “Is it tight anywhere?”

“No,” they return, shrugging their shoulders. “Not tight. It’s a little loose but like a good loose.”

“Fitted jackets and blazers can be harder to get in smaller sizes sometimes. If you want this, we can get it today and then after the party to get fitted a bit better, go to a tailor.”

“My parents would not be happy though,” Levi counters. 

Calum nods. “I know that’s rough. But what if for right now, we get this and if they ask, you tell your parents it’s mine and I let you borrow it for the costume. The next time you come for to visit Anahera, I can take you to get it properly fitted.”

“How would I get it back home? My parents don’t like spot check my room but they’d notice me with this kind of jacket.”

“You leave that to me. While it’s easy to say smuggle it in your backpack, they’ll wrinkle it. But trust, between Anahera and I, we’ll make sure you get it to your room undetected.”

“I don’t know Mr. Hood. Seems like a lot of trouble.”

The nerves are understandable and Calum does not want to push them to do anything they wouldn’t want to do. “Alternatively, you find a vest for the costume and Bee and I find some fabric that’s fancy and you use that to tie around your waist as as the glamour you and Ana want. The blazer’s a dream for when you feel safer.”

“Yeah, yeah I like that.” Levi slowly removes the blazer and puts it back onto the hanger. “There’s, uh, there’s this,” they state, lifting up a standard black denim like vest. 

“Okay, so something along that vibe. Gotcha.” Calum thumbs through the rack and pulls out a similar vest but this one has silver buttons and embellishments that make it feel a bit more elevated, more pirate-y. 

As Levi tries that one on, Calum texts Bee to grab the red blazer from off the end of the rack and add it to the pile that Anahera’s collecting. He promises to pay her back. Within a minute of the text sending, he watches Bee approach in the mirror and grab the blazer, quickly stashing it under the racks in her hand. There’s a yellow sweater on top and a few black items beneath it as well. 

“Lookin’ good, Levi!” Bee calls out, leaning behind the racks to make sure the blazer is concealed. 

Anahera isn’t far behind, dragging Levi over to the shoes. “You should get this vest,” she says before returning to her point about not knowing which sneakers to get. 

“They didn’t go for the blazer? It looked good,” Bee ponders quietly. 

“Worried about their parents blowing a fuse. But Christmas is coming up, so hopefully things are different then. If not, I think they’d still appreciate it. And I know if I wait, it’s going to be gone.”

“You’re right about that. Ana and I are done for Halloween. You might have to convince her she doesn’t need 80 pairs of the same shoe. But while you distract, I’ll check out.”

Calum nods, heading towards the clearance shoes where Anahera and Levi are huddled. “I’ll give you the money tonight.” 

Bee nods and makes a straight shot for the registers. After a trip to the fabric store for Levi’s belt, and a dive into Bee’s favorite hair care store to get headwraps for the both of them, Anahera and Levi are set for their costumes. Calum knows buried in his closet is a white dress shirt that he can throw on along with a black suit jacket, so he’s not too worried that he’s walking out the store empty handed. 

Bee looks down at her phone again, teeth capturing the skin of her lips--her boss at the restaurant texted if she can come in an hour earlier. She almost doesn’t take the extra hour but Calum assures that now the costumes are set, that if she needs to take the extra hour then she absolutely take it. None of them will be mad, or feeling like she’s dipping out just to get away. “You sure?” Bee asks Calum after relaying the predicament, watching as Levi and Anahera duck in line for pretzels. “Ana’s not going to feel like I’m being mean or dodgy?”

“Babe. No. I don’t think so.” He kisses her forehead. “I know things are tight after the textbook fiasco. If you need to take the extra hour, do it.”

“I’ll keep the blazer in my bag and then bring it back to your place after they leave for the party.”

“Okay.” 

She gives her quick goodbyes with hugs to Anahera and Levi, before kissing Calum softly goodbye and backtracking to the opposite end of the mall, where they parked. The shopping continues for a little bit longer, but Calum doesn’t linger too much allowing them their space. They agree to reconvene outside the sporting goods store in an about hour. 

It’s a dangerous game to duck into one of the jewelry stores. Calum’s not even looking for himself and it sounds crazy and too soon for thoughts of a ring cross his mind. But he tells himself he can just browse, just fantasy about what that might be like. 

“Who you looking for?”

He turns to the voice and see Anahera saddled up beside him. “You two have another like half an hour to be free.”

“Not much else here,” she returns. “Looking for Bee? Is her birthday soon or something?”

“Just looking,” Calum returns with a shrug, trying not to draw too much suspicion. 

“Ana, look!” Levi calls out, waving their hand to beckon her closer. “It’s an anklet like you were looking at in the other store.”

Anahera ducks over, just to look. Soon they leave the mall. Levi asks if they can just get changed at Calum’s place which is an easy yes. Calum takes Anahera and Levi for a quick lunch before Levi grabs their costume, an overnight bag and their backpack from their house. Tammy and Jake run up from the depths of the house to greet all of them. The pets and scratches are happily received.  “So scary movies to pregame for the party tonight? What’s on the agenda?” Calum asks. 

“I should do the World History homework before the party,” Levi starts, laughing a little. 

“But we probably will watch scary movies,” Anahera finishes. 

“Go figure,” Calum agrees. “So what time should I pick you both up tonight? Or is Dan still your main man?”

“Dan said he’d pick us up from the party and just drop us off here. He said he was going to be out at that time anyway,” Levi relays. 

“He won’t be drinking?”

“Nah, Dan doesn’t drink. I think some friends of his are also throwing a party and he’s used to being the DD. He said it was something about a mixer? I don’t really know. But we’ll text him when we’re ready. Is midnight still okay?”

“Mixers are just different clubs, or whatever, getting together,” Anahera cuts in. “Girls field hockey has them with the guys division and other sports after school sometimes. I assume college mixers are way different than ones in the high school gym though.”

“Yeah, midnight is still fine,” Calum answers. 

Once they return to the house, it’s fairly silent. Anahera and Levi go into her room and Calum takes the moment to decorate the outside of the house. He started yesterday, mostly with the hanging decorations and the lights. Today’s mostly putting on the certain yard decorations. There are some tombstones that he stakes into the ground and a few giant fake spiders that he sets out. The decor was more extravagant in years prior. But knowing Bee will be stopping by means that the lazy decorating won’t cut it. 

With the outside done, Calum pulls down the bags of candy from the pantry and pour them into bowls. He’s sure to separate the chocolate from the non-chocolate stuff. He even has a separate bowl for any candies that are chocolate and have peanuts or other nuts in it knowing that some kids in the neighborhood may have allergies. A few parents put out an alert on the neighborhood watch app. There was a year, now as Calum recalls it must’ve been three years ago, where the majority of the houses had only chocolate candy making it impossible for one kid to get any candy that they could enjoy. Calum took the leftover non chocolate candy to the house after reading the heartbreaking plea from the parents. 

“What’s for dinner y’all?” Calum asks after both Ana and Levi resurface in the kitchen rummaging through the snack pantry. “We got about an hour before trick-or-treaters start showing up. Pizza? There’s leftovers too, but I think I’ll be nice and order something.” 

Both of them readily agree to pizza and Calum places the order without needing much more convincing. He’ll finish off the last of the spaghetti leftovers he fixed yesterday. The pizza will not last long between the two of them--never a shock anymore to Calum anymore. He changes first into his costume knowing it won’t be fully complete until Bee shows up from work however, he would rather be one half when kids start showing up. 

Though Calum slips into an older black suit. It’s somewhat of a shock that it still fits. But it’s a testament to the personal trainer for sure. Calum does make sure to include the hat. The curls don’t cooperate off the bat, requiring a little bit of assistance from some hair gel Anahera suggested to him to help. Finally, he gets the curls tamed enough to slip the hat on. His dress shoes click over the hard floor and it is echoed by Tammy and Jake finding him and walking behind him. 

“Uncle Cal did not come to play,” Levi jokes around a bite of pizza. 

“Dad, who even are you? I don’t know this man,” Anahera laughs. Calum does a spin and laughs as the two of them whistle. Soon Thriller comes over the speakers. No doubt Anahera pairing her phone to the speakers downstairs. “Show ‘em, Dad. Show ‘em how you groove.”

“Miss Bee’s gonna faint when she sees you like this. I want a video,” Levi laughs. 

“The old man’s still got it,” Calum returns and slides his fingers over the brim of the hat. The giggles are quick to subside after the song fades out. They toss out the pizza box and wash their plates before going back to Anahera’s room. 

“I’m stealing your dad’s wardrobe,” Levi says as they pass through the living room. “Taking notes.”

“Oh, don’t make his ego even better.” The two of them laugh and the door closes before anything else can be said. 

The first half hour of trick-or-treaters is a little slow and mostly toddlers or infants being carted around by their parents. However, Calum enjoys seeing the various pumpkin costumes on the babies as they walk up the driveway and porch. They don’t seem bothered by the night which he knows the parents are grateful for. Exactly at seven, his phone chimes and interrupts the Halloween Party playlist Calum turned on, playing on the speaker he normally uses for outdoor parties. 

I’m headed out now. It’s from Bee and he replies in acknowledgement before setting the phone back down and grabbing a couple handful of candies for the group of sheet ghosts that waddle up the driveway. “Trick or treat,” they chorus.

Calum laughs. “Well, this is a predicament.” He looks over their hands. “I can hear some trick-or-treaters but I don’t see them.” He looks over his yards, hand above his brow to emphasize the point. 

“Boo!” One child giggles. 

Calum jumps, finally looking  down at them. “Oh there they are.” The candle rustles in their bags as he drops off some for them and they reply with their thanks before going back to the parents waiting at the end of the driveway. 

“I scared him, Momma!” The kid cheers and the parents laugh, with a nod. “I’m so scary!”

“Oh I know. The scariest,” the mother returns. They move down to the next house. Another fifteen minutes later, Calum notices headlights slowing down and turning into the driveway. Bee continues up and pulls right up to the garage door. 

“Oh my god,” she gapes walking up on the porch. “Look at you.” Calum greets her with a hug and a kiss to her cheek. “By God, you look sharper than Sunday morning.”

The heat in his cheeks only increases. “Thanks. But I’m missing my other half.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Bee teases, kissing him softly. 

“I think it’ll get me plenty-where.”

“Be back in two shakes and a twist.” Calum nods, watching as Bee walks into the house. More children come up to the house. He drops off candy to some Cookie Monsters, witches, Captain America’s, and Spiderman’s. Ten minutes later, the front door opens and there are only a couple clicks of the heels. When Calum looks up, he nearly loses his breath. The sweater and skirt are fitted to her figure, hinting to what he’s always known is there, has witnessed more than once, but she keeps it hidden under jeans or skirts at work. Not that he’s upset about that, it all makes sense. He just wishes she showed it off a little bit more. The little beret and scarf really complete the look. 

It’s Calum’s turn to be gobsmacked. “Holy shit, you look great.”

“Thanks. I’ve been told to remind you that the party starts in about ten minutes. And they’ll come to the front porch once they’re ready. I got stopped in the hallway,” Bee laughs, sitting in the seat next to Calum. 

“Noted.”  

Another group of children approaches, this time a group dressed in various costumes from Winnie the Pooh. One girl is Eeyore, there’s a Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. The parents are dressed as Owl and Rabbit. “Twick oh tweet,” the one dressed as Tigger says quietly a shy smile on their face. 

Bee gasps, chest clenching at the matching costumes. Terrence and his friends would do something similar, group costumes. His group costumes weren’t as cute as Winnie the Pooh but still memories come flooding back of superhero costume debates.  God, sometimes she wishes she could make Terrence small again, cherish the moments where all he wanted to do was be up under her as she cooked or cleaned. It all just happens too fast. 

Bee drops some candy into their buckets. “It’s the whole 100 Acre Woods. I won’t tell Christopher Robin that guys you dropped by.”

The kids laugh and say their thanks. “I miss dressing babies up,” Calum confesses. “Anahera and I used to always do matching outfits and she was so happy to bounce up to houses.”

“Terrence would go as athletics or power rangers. I wish my complex did more. I miss the decorating and having to hide the candy from Terrence.”

“High up in cabinets,” Calum laugh. 

“He got too tall for that and too crafty. Hide it in my drawers. He didn’t mess too much in my room.”

Calum chuckles. “Smart. Did you hide Christmas presents in there too? Because I still struggle with that.”

Bee nods, watching more kids walk up and shouts “Trick-or-Treat!” The two of them drop off candy into their buckets and bags. “I leave it in the boxes, if I order online. With Terrence in college now, it’s easier now. Get crafty and hide it in the bathrooms.”

“Now that’s a thought.” 

A family comes up, dressed up in leather and bling. “Oh, we got some rockstars,” Bee teases, nudging Calum. 

The little girl is dressed in her leather jacket and her brother is in a jacket that matches and it melts his heart. Calum tries not to show it, tries not to gush too much at the costumes but they are adorable. He sneaks them a few extra pieces of candy. “Keep on rockin’ out,” he grins at them. 

They smile in return, “Thank you!” in their excited squeals leaving both of them. 

Calum clutches his chest as they leave and Bee laughs,  “Don’t die on me. You gotta survive.” 

“We did that one year,” he sighs, finally sitting up in the chair. “Anahera wanted to go as me and I bought her this silver blazer. I’ll show you the pictures.”

“Oh, that’s precious. I can’t wait to see them.”

The trick-or-treaters slow down and Calum knows the end is nearing for them. Things usually end right about 8 in the neighborhood, though the general unspoken rule it so linger until about 8:30 just to catch all those that might’ve gotten a later start. But he and Bee stay out on the porch. She stacks the empty buckets and sneaks an Almond Joy for herself. “The decorations look good. And I just realized we completely forgot the fake blood.”

Calum shrugs, grabbing a small Snickers. “It’s alright. Most of the parents got it regardless.” They received a few compliments throughout the night but not too many. Most of the time the older kids walked up by themselves but when parents did shadow behind, they were quick to gush at the couple’s costumes. 

Anahera and Levi pop out onto the porch a little while later and Calum excuses himself to drop them off. Though, Bee snaps some photos for them and Anahera returns the favor by taking some photos of Bee and Calum together. The teases from the two are more than enough even when they don’t attempt to pose Bee and Calum in the standard high school prom pose. Calum and Bee go along with it mostly for the laughs. 

Bee starts to clean up in Calum’s absence and puts things inside the house. By the time she starts to wrestle with the speaker, Calum’s returned and helps her get it back inside. She ducks back to her car to grab the blazer for Levi and takes it from the bag so it can straighten as much as it can. Calum’s quick to hang it up to help as well. “Do you work in the morning?” Calum asks, pulling the hat from his head as he reenters the living room from the back of the house where his bedroom is located. 

“At the library, yeah. But I can hang for another hour or two. Unless of course I pass the fuck out.”

“I know that feeling. You hungry?”

Bee follows behind into the kitchen, her own beret and scarf removed as well. “I ate at work, but thanks.” She leans into the counter, eying the box of popcorn that seems to have been left out. Popcorn does sound good. She knows she shouldn’t. But just a little wouldn't hurt as they watch a movie. Sneakily, she pushes the box closer to Calum. 

He giggles, noticing the green box moving closer to him. “So I’m going to assume you want popcorn.”

“Please?”

Calum nods, waving for her to come closer. She steps in close, resting against his chest. The microwaves beeps before whirring. Calum kisses the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her waist. “The hottest Bonnie to walk this Earth.”

Bee laughs, kissing along his jawline. “Thank you. I think you cleaned up well as Clyde. Almost cut me looking so sharp in this suit.”

They share a kiss and the beeps of the microwave interrupts them. “What’s on the movie menu tonight?” Calum asks, bumping the bag into a bowl. Bee’s not in love with horror films but can generally stomach more gore than straight up horror. Rather than dominating the conversation with suggestions, Calum lets her take charge. However, they settle on whatever is playing on the TV, after a good twenty minutes of failed decision making. Bee snuggles into his side, a blanket wrapped about the both of them. 

“Where’s the picture of Anahera dressed up as you?” Bee asks during a commercial break. “I need to see this.”

Calum stretches forward to grab his phone and scrolls for the photo. “So this is the look she wanted to recreate,” he says showing her a picture of himself from so long along Calum’s shocked that he remembers it was actually him. But the picture of him in the silver jacket on stage instills a lot of memories. 

“Oh look at you! How old were you in this photo?”

“Twenty-two, twenty-three. It feels like a lifetime ago. But,” he starts swiping through the pictures again and pulls up the one of them side by side, rocking the glittery blazer and slicked back hair. “Here’s my little girl matching her old man.”

“God, she looks so much like you. It’s insane. But this is so cute.”

“Thanks. I will say if you think Anahera and I look alike, it’s a family trait.”

“So you look like your parents, huh? Like you got spit out.”

Calum nods. “Yeah. My mum’s the culprit. My sister and I look like she sculpted us personally. Also speaking of blazers, I still have to pay you back. How much was it again?”

The movie continues on around them as they settle the payment. Stories filter on about their children’s past successful or failed costumes. There are some stories about their exploits in their younger years. Kisses are shared, soft and languid. Some are sweeter due the candy they snuck during the night too. Hands slips under dress shirts or sweaters but Calum and Be don’t go too far. Just kisses and exhales and intoxicating themselves with the other. During a commercial break, Bee excuses herself to the bathroom and it’s only then that Calum realizes that it’s closing in around 11 pm.

Calum cleans up their mess of kernels and wrappers. When Bee returns she finds Calum in the kitchen, hugging him from behind. “I’m gonna head home to get some sleep.”

“No, don’t leave me,” he whines. 

“I know. I don’t wanna either. But out of respect, ya know. Can’t just be randomly spending the night.”

Calum kisses across her knuckles. “I appreciate it. Let me know when you get home safely okay.” 

“Will do.” Calum walks Bee to her car and kisses her goodnight before watching her pull down the driveway. Not even before he can get to the porch, another pair of headlights cuts through the night. He watches it pull up into this driveway and notices the tag--it’s Dan. 

Levi and Anahera step out of the car both of them giggling incessantly. “Oh fuck,” Ana says loudly upon seeing her dad. “Shit.”

Calum can already tell alcohol’s been involved. But there’s only amusement as both of them attempt to pass off like they’re sober. He takes Anahera while Dan helps Levi up the steps. “Seems like there was definitely been some fun tonight,” he teases, fixing both of them classes of water. 

“We won the costume contest!” Levi declares. “And maybe had a shot or two.”

“We got third,” Ana corrects. 

“Sstill placing.”

Calum tries his best not to laugh at their not sober antics. “Drink some water. Honestly, how many drinks?”

“Only like two, two and a half,” Ana confesses hiding behind the class. 

“It’s clear sweetheart, so I can still see you.” 

“Damn.” 

Levi laughs, slipping down into the cushions. The headscarf slips off their head with the action but they don’t seem to notice. “Are we screwed, Uncle Cal? I really really can’t afford to get into trouble.”

“We’ll wait to see if you’re screwed when you wake up tomorrow.  If you feel like ass in the morning, you’ll have to deal with that and there’s no reason for me to dish out any punishments.”

“If we don’t feel like ass?”

“The fear of getting caught coming home shamby from a paper is punishment enough,” Calum chuckles.

With a glass of water down each, he helps them to the room, mostly herding them from the walls to keep anyone from knocking their head on a picture frame. “Thanks, Dad,” Anahera sighs, leaning into the wall for a little bit of support. 

“There was a reason why most of your homework had to be done before the party,” he grins. “Holler if you need me, okay?”

Calum texts Bee about their return, safe but not sober. Damn, should’ve stuck around to witness that. Need an extra pair of hands? Bee replies. 

Seems like we’re all good. Thanks. 

Also please send me the photos of us from tonight? Whenever you can of course. I think if we had gone to a costume contest we would’ve won too.

Of course. Definitely would’ve won with a woman like you on my arm.  

Calum rises first the next morning, and doesn’t disturb them immediately. However, closer to late morning, he knocks softly on Anahera’s door. “Yeah?” Ana calls out and as he peeks inside he notices they’re still up. Levi is sitting on her bed and Ana at her desk. 

“Oh, thought you two might’ve died at some point in the night. Glad to see I was wrong.”

“We didn’t drink that much.”

Levi snorts. “I had to get you Advil.”

“Shut up,” Anahera huffs, dropping her head in her hands. “I’m okay, Dad. Really. I’m fine. Just like a minor headache that’s all.”

He shakes his head. “You’ll learn eventually. Pancakes on me this morning, how does that sound?”

“I’m down,” Levi answers. Their attention is locked on the screen. 

“I’ll let you know when food’s ready.” Calum states to the room and begins to shut the door but still can faintly catch Anahera asking Levi about the blazer. He leaves the door slightly ajar but walks back to his room the jacket hangs right where he left it. He wanted it to be a present, wanted to get it tailored. But he knows he can’t wait. Calum pulls it off the bar and shuffles back to Anahera’s room. Slipping his arm through, he hooks onto the knob on the inside and then closes the door. He waits for a moment. 

“No way! No fucking way!”

The door swings open, Levi gripping the hanger and shaking the garment. “You totally didn’t?” Their voice cracks just a little as the emotion rocks them visibly. 

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. But I mean you’re holding the jacket, so I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” they gush, tackling Calum into a hug. 

“Anytime, kid, anytime.” While Halloween’s typically celebrated and seen as a way to become and dress up like someone else, it doesn’t mean Levi doesn’t deserve the chance to dress like themself. “If you have to keep it over here, I get it. And I had anticipated waiting on giving it to you, but felt like now was a good time.”

They dance up and down the hallway with the suit jacket and Anahera laughs, recording their excitement. She’s careful not to post it on anything public. Her socks cause her to nearly slip and fall as she rounds the corner to the kitchen. Calum’s at the stove, flipping over pancakes when she hugs his side. “Thanks for being awesome. About the drinking and getting Levi that blazer. They love it.”

“The drinking’s one thing because you embarrassed yourself. The blazer--well I couldn’t not get it.”

“I know it’s because you’re amazing and awesome and like the best person to walk the planet, but it really does mean a lot.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. I’d do just about anything for you and Levi.”

“Only just about anything?”

“Hey, that’s still a long list and included on it is making the two of you pancakes so you two can study because there’s still school on Monday.”

“Oh don’t remind me,” she laughs, popping to kiss his cheek and then scurrying back around the corner of the kitchen. 

“That’s my job!” Calum shouts. 

“You do it well!” 

[sinkingorswimming]

The Cosplay AU I need a name for

(Previous parts found on my cosplay au tag!)

It’s maybe two weeks after Otakon when Yuuri checks his email. He has stuff from his school about prepping for the incoming school year and a message from his class President about a seniors only gathering at the Party Bridge near campus.

He also sees one, subject: HI! <3 from sender vmnikforov@gwu.edu.

Yuuri immediately slams his laptop closed.

He covers his mouth with his hands and squeaks. His best buddy (who is not human) comes bounding off his bed to his desk with concern. Vicchan, his reddish brown toy poodle (yes, named after guess who) is Yuuri’s favorite thing in the world. 

He gets his phone, opens the mail app. Right there in the inbox, marked unread. HI! <3, sender vmnikiforov@gwu.edu.

Yelping, Yuuri closes his eyes and opens the email like it’s a bomb.

Hi, Yuuri! This is Victor, from Otakon? I saw your email on your entry form---hope you don’t mind! Anyways, I have a project in mind for Katsucon in February, and I thought you might be interested in partnering up with me! I know you usually work with your friend, but this is a special idea I’ve had for forever and I feel like after seeing your work up close, you’re the perfect fit! 

If you’re able, I’d like to get together soon to begin discussion---it’s going to be tricky to source some of the materials, especially the lace! Can we meet for dinner this weekend? Say, Saturday at six, The Source on Pennsylvania---it’ll be my treat!

Thanks, talk to you soon! <3

Victor

Yuuri screams. He’s home alone---his mom is at her book club with her old friend, Minako, his dad is golfing at Lansdowne, and his sister is away for the week with her college friends---so he doesn’t need to come up with a lie about the reason for the screams.

He calls number three on his favorites, though.

“Hey, this is Phichit,” he answers on ring #2.

“Oh my God,” Yuuri cries. “Oh my God, he wants a costume, me, us, a pair---oh my God.”

“...What?” Phichit answers.

“VICTOR EFFING NIKIFOROV WANTS TO DO A PAIR COSPLAY WITH ME,” Yuuri shouts.

“Holy shit,” Phichit replies.

“Right?” Yuuri tries to slow his heart. “What do I say? I don’t...it’s not you, it’s a pairs thing, I don’t---”

“Okay, whoa, stop,” Phichit replies. “You are not contractually obligated to only ever cosplay with me. You can do a thing with him, I’m not offended as long as you don’t completely abandon our partnership. I’ll probably do that Bleach outfit you have no interest in, it’s fine! Do the thing!”

“You sure?” Yuuri says.

“Yeah, but I’ll need your help,” Phichit says. “I can sculpt the actual Bankai stuff myself, but sewing the uniform is a little above my pay grade.”

“No problem,” Yuuri says with a sheepish grin. “Okay. Um---I better email him back. Thanks, Phichit. You’re a peach.”

“Yup, sure am!” Phichit laughs. “Talk to you later---my mom needs help with the pool.”

“Can I come swim later?” Yuuri asks.

“Yup! Leo and Guang-Hong are coming, Seung Gil maybe too. I’ll text you a time. Later, skater.” Phichit hangs up.

Yuuri reopens his computer like it’ll bite his hand off. 

Hi, Victor,

I’d love to meet with you! I’ll google the address and take the Metro. My cell is 571-585-1090 if you need to change plans or are running late. 

See you Saturday!

Yuuri

It’s Thursday. He can...be cool for two days.

Actually, no he couldn’t, as was evidenced by his mother on Friday night during their evening ritual of Catan begging him to try to stay still. He did not. Therefore his dad made him forfeit his sheep. 

Catan is an equilizer in the Katsuki household.

Yuuri can’t sleep, his nerves buzzing too much even though he played white noise through the headphones in his iPhone. Did nothing. Vicchan slept like everything was normal. 

Yuuri gets up way too early, obsesses way too long over his clothing, finally deciding he was as good as he can get, drives to the Silver Line, and begins the trek to the District. He gets off at the correct stop, walks to the restauant, and immediately regretts all of his choices up until that moment including being born. 

He is in a nice pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It’d a Wolfgang Puck dim sum restaurant. Oh no why, Victor will think he lacks culture.

“Yuuuuuri!” calls a happy, familiar voice. 

Yuuri starts and his eyes go wide. 

Victor stands before him in a linen dress shirt and a pair of salmon colored pants. His hair and skin are flawless. His eyes are beautiful. Yuuri’s heart stops and restarts. “Hi,” he manages. The shyness comes to the forefront. He wants---he isn’t sure, but...it’s something more than a hello.

He gets a hug. Victor grabs him like they’re old friends, and Yuuri hesitates but hugs him back. He pauses and takes a moment to inhale his scent---it’s not that shitty sandwalwood the douchebags at his school wear, it’s lighter...like lemon balm. 

Victor keeps a hand low on his waist as he steers him to request a table. They get a cute one for two like it’s a date. (Is it a date? Did Victor mean this as a date? Thirteen year old Yuuri will die of joy if it’s a date. It in no way can be a date.)

Victor smiles, looking like Yuuri just gave him a rainbow. “I’m glad you came,” he says.

Yuuri chokes on his water. “Uh, thanks? Um...me too.”

Victor grins. “I guess I should get down to business first. Unfortunately, it has to come before...pleasure.” 

Yuuri pushes up his eyeglasses. He nods. 

Victor pulls up an image on his phone, passing it to Yuuri. Yuuri peers down at it---it’s an elaborate fanart of Fuuma and Kamui from X/1999. They have very detailed wings, there’s obvious hand beading and embroidery on their outfits, and they’re perfectly tailored. Fuuma is in white, Kamui black, and there are red ribbons cascading off both of them. “Red string of fate,” Yuuri says out loud. 

“You spotted that,” Victor replies with a grin.

“I’ll have to get help from Phichit on the wings, I’ve never done them on my own,” Yuuri continues. 

“I have, that I can handle,” Victor says. “It’s more how finely tailored the outfits are. My tailoring is always a bit weak, so I tend to do costumes that don’t have quite such an emphasis. I have access to embroidery machines on campus, so I can have you come up to work on those. It’ll be more expedient.”

“The beading I can do in class, the home ec department is out of stuff to teach me so they just let me bring in my projects,” Yuuri admits. 

Victor gives him a look. “Wow,” he says. “And you’re...just in...high school.”

“Hm, well I turn eighteen Thanksgiving day this year,” Yuuri says. “I need to figure out college stuff soon, as a matter of fact.”

“You should come here!” Victor blurts.

Yuuri starts and looks up. “Um...”

“The Corocoran,” Victor clears up with a blush on his cheeks. “They have a production focus in their Theater program. You could...major in costuming? It’s...well, it’s an idea.”

Hm. 

“Phichit’s applying there,” Yuuri says as he zooms back in on the image. CLAMP and their Christian idolatry, yikes. “He’s going into the fine arts. I guess I could think about it.”

“I just think it’d be nice to have you around school with me,” Victor says. His finger glides over the rim of his glass in a slow pattern. “Chris Giacometti is in the photography department, but...I’d like seeing you every day too. Just think about it.”

Yuuri meets his eyes and...no, he’s imagining it. He clears his throat. “You want to make these for Katsucon?” 

“Mmhmm,” Victor says. He ordered them the duck, and it arrives, smelling crisp and mouth-watering. Yuuri is starving, he realizes. He looks at Victor again, this gorgeous guy even out of cosplay and make up and Photoshop and he---

He blushes and focuses on his dinner.

Victor chats the whole time, Yuuri chiming in where appropriate. When they finish and Victor pays as promised, he takes him on a walk. It’s late enough the murky, humid swampland that is DC has become manageable to walk around, and it’s not even ten minutes to the Mall from the restaurant. 

Yuuri mostly sees shots of the Tidal Basin at night from the end credits of his favorite local news program, but Victor escorts him there with a hand on his back as he extols the virtues of his university as well as his skills at sewing. Yuuri listens and smiles with pink cheeks, telling Victor about what he likes to do besides cosplay---video games with his friends, late nights at the Amphora diner in Reston, checking out Starland in Annandale. 

Victor opens up about his parents---his father a supervisor for a lab at Langley, his mom in the State Department, his dog Makkachin who he moved off campus into a pet-allowing studio as quickly as possible to keep by his side, how he misses the local chain called Another Universe and how he’s considering Dragoncon next year to branch out into film and American comics costumin.

They both marvel at how many times they’ve come to the annual Sakura Matsuri in their very spot at this moment and somehow never met.

The lights are pretty, the stars reflect in the water like sequins embellishing a black velvet gown, and Yuuri with all his heart longs for this to be a date. 

He’s imagining it---but some moments, it looks like Victor feels the same.

They head back to the Metro by the Newseum---Victor to GWU, Yuuri to Tysons. “Let’s do again this soon,” Victor says.”We can meet at G Street, see what our local options are, and head to my apartment for more planning.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agrees. Victor’s apartment, he exalts in his head.

“Ah, Yuuri---” Victor adds. “I have a Gaylord room for Katsu, a nice one with a view. Would you like a spot in it? There’s room for one more.”

“Oh um---” Yuuri stumbles. He’s never stayed overnight at a con before, but he’ll be 18 then. His mom and dad can’t refuse, though they’d probably want to meet Victor for reassurance.“Yes.”

“Okay,” Victor says, his smile shaped like a big heart. “Talk to you soon! I’ll text!”

“See you,” Yuuri says.

They part ways, and Yuuri can’t sleep for the second night in a row, his heart pounds so hard as his smile threatens to split his face.

[instantdeerlover]

The Best Things We Ate This Week (6) added to Google Docs

The Best Things We Ate This Week (6)

London restaurants are back, baby. Well, kind of. Some of them are anyway. And the great thing about restaurants reopening is it means that with each day there are more and more things for you to eat. The bad thing about that is, after three months alone with your fridge, all those options can feel pretty overwhelming. That’s why we’re highlighting the best dishes we’ve had recently, to point you in the right direction. Not ready to eat out just yet? Don’t worry, we’ll be shouting out our favourite delivery and collection options too.

If you’ve eaten something great recently that you want to share with our team, send us an email at london@theinfatuation.com. Now, onto the dishes.

Sorry—looks like you screwed up that email address

INFATUATION NEWSLETTER Get our newest guides & reviews first,

plus more restaurant intel you won't find anywhere else. ATL ATX BOS CHI LDN LA MIA NYC PHL SF SEA DC Subscribe Smart move. Excellent information will arrive in your inbox soon. Do you have friends and family who also eat food? Enter their emails below and we’ll make sure they’re eating well. (Don’t worry, we won’t subscribe them to our newsletter - they can do that themselves.) Help Your Friends No Thanks Well done. You’re a good person. All good. We still like you. Want to quickly find restaurants on the go? Download The Infatuation app.   THE DISHES  Jake Missing St Mawes Bakery ££££ 9 Marine Parade

Steak pasty

“Like any true abrasive Londoner, I spent the bank holiday weekend in another county, eating local food, drinking local ales, being given the stink eye. The lucky destination this time was St. Mawes, a Sylvanian Families-sized village with a pasty shop right on the harbour, conveniently opposite the pub. I’ve had the steak pasty from the St. Mawes Bakery quite a few times over quite a few years, and it’s an always welcome paperweight for my stomach. The pastry sweats butter, the steak is chunky and pink, and the heavily peppered mix of mushy potatoes, onions (along with occasional rogue carrot) is the ideal partner to a pint of Tribute”.

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 One Love Kitchen ££££ 9A Crouch Hill

Jerk chicken wrap

“Lockdown has been an absolute dream for snacking. Lunch? Not so much. There’s minimal incentive to leave the office (your bed) and in the WFH time warp, 12pm quickly becomes 4pm. But this wrap is the best lunch I’ve had since March. You get a serious portion of tender jerk chicken, but the real revelation here is the wrap itself. Despite being packed full of salad, hot jerk chicken, and garlic mayo, it wasn’t soggy in the slightest. A serious winner that will keep you full until dinner. Or your next snack.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Pastaio £ £ £ £ Pasta ,  Italian  in  Soho ££££ 19 Ganton St

Watermelon, yellow tomato, feta, chilli, and mint salad

“People might tell you that watermelon is a fruit. I’m no pomologist - yes, that’s a real job - but I disagree. Primarily, watermelon is a state of mind. I’m talking flip-flops and sangria and shamefully napping on lilos. And despite being smack bang in the centre of Soho, Pastaio’s watermelon, feta, and chilli dish put me straight into that pass-me-another-cocktail state of mind. Combine with the prosecco slushie for peak vacation feels.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Hoppers - St. Christopher's Place £ £ £ £ Sri Lankan  in  Marylebone ££££ 77 Wigmore Street

Lamb kothu roti

“I’ve always known that I have a weakness for carb-y dishes. Specifically carbs from the bread side of the family. So it’s no surprise that I love roti. And it’s even less of a surprise that I’m still thinking about this lamb kothu roti I had on Tuesday. It’s cooked in some sort of delicious gravy, and mixed with pieces of lamb and onions, and after a single taste the mood changed very quickly from: “sure everyone, take a spoonful, sharing is caring”, to me caring only about how much of it I can fit in my mouth. All worth it.”

- Rianne Shlebak, Editorial Assistant

 Heidi Lauth Beasley Tavolino Bar & Kitchen ££££ 2 More London Riverside

Bucatini ‘cacio e pepe’’

“Those three little words that every human longs to hear. Cacio e Pepe. The people behind handmade pasta spot Bancone have just opened a new all-day Italian restaurant called Tavolino. Or as I like to call it, My New Home. The sauce was super thick, just the way I like it, and there was a proper al dente bite to the bucatini. My breath stank of pepper and it was glorious.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Heidi Lauth Beasley Tavolino Bar & Kitchen ££££ 2 More London Riverside

Tagliatelle, spicy nduja, and pork ragu

“If you think I went to Tavolino and just had one pasta, you are sadly mistaken. I have two hands and easy access to two forks. The result: Shoveling this tagliatelle in my mouth between bites of bucatini. The spicy nduja in the pork ragu sneaks up on you and then shouts ‘SURPRISE, I AM BETTER THAN 99% OF LONDON’S OTHER RAGU PASTAS’. Honestly, some of the best multi-tasking I’ve ever done.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 The Queen of Sheba ££££ 12 Fortess Rd

Awaze ti’bs

“The awaze ti’bs at Queen of Sheba isn’t just one of the best things I’ve eaten this week, it’s immediately become a go-to in my personal repertoire of favourite things to eat in London. Full stop. In the years to come, I won’t sit around, joylessly wondering where to go to satisfy one of my indistinct cravings for spice and flavour. I’ll just head directly to this friendly neighbourhood Ethiopian restaurant in Kentish Town. Once there, I’ll slowly, deliberately, scoop away at this gloriously generous portion of rich and tangy pan-fried lamb, onions, and peppers with spongy injera until I can’t eat any more. Then I’ll eat a little more. And then, finally, I’ll accept their offer to pack it all up for later.”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

 Jake Missing The Drapers Arms ££££ 44 Barnsbury St

Tea smoked salmon, pickled cucumber, dill, crème fraiche & soda bread

“I come from a family of sharers. More food than feelings, but often both around the dinner table. Entrées with a side of empathy. When we go out to eat it’s a bite for a bite. Each course is treated like a Strictly Come Dancing contestant awaiting its score from the judges, and the other night, at The Drapers Arms, it was my Mum’s salmon that did the sexiest dance. As a natural-born martyr, she made everyone up a bite before having one herself - a rip of soda bread, a dollop of crème fraiche, a wedge of silky smoked salmon, and a dilly pickle for good measure. It waltzed into my mouth. The judges were unanimous: a perfect 10 for the tea smoked salmon.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Bright £ £ £ £ Modern European  in  Hackney ££££ 1 Westgate Street

Mortadella sandwich

“As of 11am on the morning of Friday, 14 August, there are no official FCO advisories that prohibit going to Italy. However I don’t feel all that great about unnecessary travel this year. Maybe that’s why the mortadella sandwich at Bright was such a revelation. Paired with an Americano or two, this springy, ham-filled focaccia is a wholly transportive experience. If I’d closed my eyes, I could easily have been in Bologna. Probably. Either way, along with the rest of Bright’s bar menu, it makes their London Fields terrace one of the best spots in town for an aperitivo.”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

 Kiss The Koala ££££ priory

Friarielli hash

“A pile of bite-sized potato chunks, mixed with sautéed friarielli, and topped off with a fried duck egg. It’s something I could probably - on a very, very good day - muster a passable version of at home. However, this was the first proper plate of food I’ve had in (or just outside) a restaurant since early March. And it was glorious. Don’t let that sound like I’m downplaying it though. Kiss The Koala is a newish café and brunch spot near Alexandra Palace and they hit the sweet-spot of salty, soft, and crunchy Sunday morning eating for me with this. (n.b. the portion of buttermilk fried chicken in the picture above is totally optional, though also advisable.)”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

 Jake Missing Quo Vadis £ £ £ £ British  in  Soho ££££ 26-29 Dean St

Tomato salad

“The phrase ‘too hot to eat’ isn’t one I really understand. Nobody is ever too hot to eat, you’re just too hot to eat certain things. Maybe it’s because of our climate. We know the cold months better than the hot. So when a 30-odd degree-er comes around, everyone panics. What do we eat? Chilled baked beans? An ice cube dipped in gravy? Sod it, let’s just drink instead. Or, alternatively, eat and drink. Outside. On Frith Street. At Quo Vadis. With a cold beer or a glass of something crispy. All you need then is a plate of sweet tomatoes bathing in oil, topped with finely chopped red onion, and a healthy turn of salt and pepper. It, with bread, is all I want this summer.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Madame Pigg ££££ 480 Kingsland Road

Tempura courgette flower, ricotta, and blackberries

“What you have here is what I, a seasoned professional, like to call a shit tonne of textures. Am I this generation’s AA Gill? Definitely. But in all seriousness, this dish is summer on a plate. There’s plenty of crunch and creaminess, and the sharpness from the blackberries will remind you that, yes, you absolutely should have another glass of wine.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

MAP Maison ££££ 321 Kingsland Road

Quetzacoalt cocktail

We ran (walked) in from the rain (it wasn’t raining), desperately in search of sanctuary, safety and maybe, like, a cosmo or something. In a classic game of ‘guess where might still be open’ I came across Map Maison on the Kingsland Road and had a series of excellent cocktails. The gin-heavy Columbia Road cocktail is super fresh, but this tequila number was my favourite. Newsflash: fig liqueur is excellent with fresh lemon and pomegranate.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

Monmouth Coffee The Borough £ £ £ £ Cafe/Bakery  in  London Bridge ££££ 2 Park Street, London SE1 9AB, Southwark

Iced filter coffee

“I’m an aspiring coffee nerd. There. I’ve said it. And I really don’t care if you’re not okay with it. I’ve got all the gear: a grinder, scales, one of those gooseneck kettles, elaborate glassware that I spend half my life trying to keep clean… and I have all of this because last autumn I got hooked on the iced coffee at Walden Woods in Kyoto. It was an instant top five* and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. Sadly, even the life-changing ice-making technique of Infatuation NYC Senior Staff Writer and resident cocktail expert, Bryan Kim, plus the unusual abundance of time 2020 has offered up hasn’t helped me get it right. Monmouth’s iced filter coffee however nails it. It might just be the best tasting, most nuanced cup of coffee I’ve ever had in London, and I’m not just saying that because Thursday was my first coffee outing since early March.”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

*”in case you’re interested, the others include an iced almond-macadamia milk latte from Go Get ’Em Tiger in LA, a very hot petrol station coffee somewhere in Oregon on a very cold morning in October 2016, and, a little closer to home, the nitro at Climpson’s.”

 Jake Missing Pollo Feliz ££££ 13-23 Westgate St

Quesadillas

“The other day I was feeling a bit blue, and that tends to lead me to eating something beige. Walking home and maybe subconsciously, but probably not, my brain took me to Pollo Feliz in Netil Market. Having just eaten a bagel (note: beige), I wasn’t that hungry but also, I can always eat. Their quesadillas are just beans and cheese. Gooey and soft, packed between handmade wheat-flour, pork-fat tortillas. They’re simultaneously rich and light, and I’d eaten both before I crossed the road”.

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Mac And Wild £ £ £ £ British  in  City ££££ 9A Devonshire Square

Deep-fried Mars Bar sundae

“I have a confession - I don’t know why Hot Priest never magically appears when I say this - I had never eaten a deep-fried Mars bar before my recent trip to Mac and Wild. There, I said it. But happily for me, but not my arteries, I am going to be eating a lot more if they all taste this good. I have a suspicion the sheer glory of this dessert was also down to the ice cream and whisky-infused toffee sauce. All in all, a sweet treat for the ages.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Coya London £ £ £ £ Peruvian  in  Mayfair ££££ 118 Piccadilly

Crab, tuna, and salmon tacos

“London is home to a lot of things: double-decker buses, overly confident pigeons, and people who pretend they don’t watch Love Island. But decent tacos isn’t one of them, which is why I was so excited about the tacos at Peruvian spot Coya. I had the tuna, crab, and salmon. The crab tacos are the tell-you-I-love-you-on-the-first-date kind of good, but the tuna and salmon are also pretty great. Just get them all.”

- Rianne Shlebak, Editorial Assistant

 Jake Missing The Good Egg £ £ £ £ Middle Eastern  in  Stoke Newington ££££ 93 Church St

Lox & cream cheese bagel

“A few years ago, I tried to get takeaway from The Good Egg. They didn’t offer this, so I was rejected, but a stranger in the queue told me I smelled nice. Location aside, this story isn’t at all related to the lox and cream cheese Montreal bagel I had the other day. Less a slice of pastrami-smoked trout so much as a wedge hacked off, the bagel had some solid schmear going on, and a very welcome handful of capers. The sesame Montreal bagel, said to be denser, was the perfect vehicle.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 OMBRA ££££ 1 Vyner St

The park picnic for two

“Look, I rarely picnic. If I’ve learnt anything from the picnics of my youth it’s that grass stains suck and the only creature on planet Earth that has the same determination and inner strength as Beyoncé is the common ant. Well, rejoice my fellow picnic pessimists, because Ombra’s park picnic for two has made the whole thing pretty lovely. For 25 quid, you get focaccia, salami, burrata, and more - but the DIY sandwich situation is the real winner of the lot.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Mamasons ££££ 32 Newport Court

The bilog

“Hi my name is Rianne, and I’m an ice-cream addict. So much so that I decided the perfect time to try this Filipino spot, that I’d been wanting to visit for months, was on a rainy Sunday. I ordered a bilog (a milk bun filled with ice-cream) and went with the Milo flavour (yes, the chocolate powder). It was basically like eating a pancake filled with ice-cream, what’s not to like?”

- Rianne Shlebak, Editorial Assistant

 Xi'an Impression £ £ £ £ Chinese  in  Highbury ££££ 117 Benwell Rd

Beef biang biang noodles

“If I was playing a game of word association and someone said ‘soulmate’, my instant, brain-snap reaction would be shouting ‘liangpi noodles’. You see, we are very much an item, me and Xi’an’s traditional coldskin. But this week I went rogue and ordered the hand-pulled biang biang noodles instead. They travelled well, the noodles were just the right amount of chewy, and the beef smelt so good that my flatmate pulled the old meerkat air-sniff move when they arrived. Officially my mistress.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/london/guides/best-dishes-of-the-week-london Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created September 1, 2020 at 08:42PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[himbocj]

Gas Station AU!

So, I work overnights at Circle K, and I was inspired to write a Gavin-centric fluff piece after a shitty night I had, which, may or may not have accidentally turned into an entire AU? Either way- here’s the first fic. Enjoy!

—————————————————-

All in all, working the night shift isn’t so bad, Gavin thinks. Especially in a convenience store as slow as the one he worked in, and with such a laid back manager. As long as the floors are swept and mopped, the day is closed out and reopened at two, and the coffee is made every morning, Hank genuinely gave no fucks about what he did. He could sit on his phone and play games, hell, even watch Netflix if he wanted. As long as the tiny store was clean and well-kept, Gavin was in the clear.

Not to mention, Connor’s hot older brother came in every single morning, so that was a plus. His sleep schedule may be a bit fucked, but it was fucked before he got this job anyway. Besides, he only worked three days a week.

Well, four, this week. Connor, on his way home a couple days previous had been pulled over. Apparently, Connor Davis was a really common name. One such Connor Davis, of fucking Vermont, had three warrants out for his arrest, and an unpaid DUI.

So, Connor, their Connor, got dragged to jail. Gavin almost laughed aloud when Tina told him. Connor, sweet, innocent Connor, got arrested? He would have paid to see that.

Hank, in a moment of desperation, had begged him to pick up one of Connor’s shifts, being the only other overnight guy. Just one, he promised, he’d take the other two. The fifty bucks he threw into the deal was pretty sweet too. Besides, it’s not like he had to twist Gavin’s arm. Not only did he need the extra hours, but, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to see Niles in all his glory, maybe flirt it up a little.

“Hey, Gavin.” Chris greets him as he walks in.

“Hey, Chris.” Gavin waves back at him, quickly plugging his login to the timeclock database. “No Tina tonight? I thought she was mid.”

“She was, but we switched. I’m guessing you heard what happened to Connor.”

“Yeah, pretty fuckin’ hilarious honestly. I’d’ve loved to see his face.” Gavin smirks as he sets up his phone charger. “I mean, it’s terrible and all, and I feel bad for the guy, but I would have paid good money to see that.”

“I’m pretty sure he cried.” Chris muses. “At least he sounded it when he was finally able to call Hank.”

Oh. Well. Now he just felt like a prick.

“So, I guess Hank was pretty anxious to get his shift covered today?” Chris asks.

“Yeah. Connor was released I guess, after they realized how royally they fucked up, given that the other Connor Davis is, in fact in jail. He offered to come in but Hank just told him to take it easy this week.”

“Yeah. Makes sense.”

Gavin glances at the fogged up windows as he logs into the terminal. The humidity has been a bitch, but at least that means Niles’ hair will have that nice curl by the nape of his neck. Connor, however. Hoo, boy, his hair must be as messy as his life has reportedly been the past few days.

“Nice horror movie aesthetic.” Gavin murmurs. He adjusts the nametag on his polo.

“I know right? All you can see out the windows is headlights. Fuckin’ creepy as hell.” Chris shudders. “Anyway. Hope you don’t mind if I head out a bit early. I’ve gotta be at my other job by eight tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, go ahead, man. It’s gonna be a slow night, anyway.”

“Isn’t it always?”

“True. But like, slower than usual. No deliveries to deal with, except maybe the donut guy. It’s usually the not-creepy one on Wednesday nights, right?”

“Hell if I know.” Chris shrugs. “Anyway. Think I’m gonna grab something for Sadie and head out.” Chris busies himself with shutting his drawer down as Gavin pays in.

Slow night, indeed. Gavin resigns himself to a night of shitty phone games, maybe a few episodes of a new Netflix series.

“When’s Sadie due, anyway?” Gavin finds himself asking.

“Three weeks.”

“Holy shit. You ready to be a dad?”

“Fuck no.” Chris snorts, ringing himself out for a bag of candy on Gavin’s register. “But, at the same time, yeah? I dunno, it’s weird. Like, I’m nervous but I’m also like. Stoked as hell to finally see him, you know?” Chris sighs. “Anyway. Don’t have too much fun.”

“Yeah, no promises. You know me. I’m a regular party animal.”

“Ever the social butterfly.” Chris chuckles. “Have a good night, Gavin.” with one last wave, Chris is out the door and Gavin is alone.

***

All is well for quite a while. Gavin sits on his phone for a good hour or so. He has maybe two customers before eleven. Some kid draws a smile in the condensation on the window outside. Gavin turns the radio on for a bit of background noise.

And then, it happens.

It’s pretty damn normal for people to come in looking rough, and Gavin learned pretty quick to not judge a book by its cover. But the girl that comes in at eleven or so…well, Gavin tries his best to ignore her, even as she ambles through the store for a good twenty minutes, picking things up, putting them down, mumbling to herself. Right when he had to sweep and mop too. It takes all of his willpower to snap at her and tell her he has an actual shit to do.

“Can I help you find something ma’am?” he asks as politely as he’s able. The girl sneers at him. Furrowing his brow, Gavin turns his attention to his phone. Maybe she’s having a bad day.

Finally, finally, she walks up to the counter, placing several items down. Now, it’s only been two weeks that he’s worked for the company, but he likes to think he’s rather good on the register, given that it’s easy as hell.

“How’s your night goin’?” Gavin asks, as he scans each item. No answer.

Okay then.

“…right. Do you need a bag?”

“Yeah.” her tone is annoyingly succinct, like Gavin is the scum of the earth.

“Nine seventy six for you.” Gavin busies himself with putting the items in the bag as the girl slaps a fifty on the counter.

“I need the rest on pump five.”

“Sure thing.” Gavin nods, selects the pump number and presses the ‘rest in gas’ button. “Have a great night.” without another word, the girl briskly walks out of his store. Gavin mumbles under his breath as he puts the money away.

So this is how his night is going to go. Okay, yeah. He’ll just roll with the punches. He’s flexible.

It’s blissfully empty for a few minutes, and Gavin is actually able to sweep up some of the store. He’s almost done when the girl walks back in.

“Hello again.” Gavin calls, hurrying back behind the counter.

“I need my change back.”

“Okay, sure thi-,” Gavin stops when he notices that there’s no option to do so. “Your car took the rest of the gas.”

“But it only took thirty nine dollars out.”

“…right. Plus everything else makes an even fifty.”

“How does that make sense when my total was seven and some change?”

“Wait, what?”

“Can you reprint my receipt?”

“Um…sure…” Gavin does so, and grabs a pen.

“All this should’ve added up to only seven dollars. Ring it up again.” She pulls all her stuff out of the bag, and Gavin stares in disbelief for a second before sighing and doing as she asked. He doesn't have time for this. There’s another customer waiting in line.

“Right, so, it’s nine seventy six. Plus the thirty nine seventy five on the pump.”

“You rang it up wrong. It’s simple math, honey.”

Ooh. Yeah. No. Not today. Gavin can’t handle condescension at the best of times.

“I’d appreciate a little less attitude, ma’am.” He bites out.

“You’re the one who did it, not me!” she snaps back.

“Okay, look right here on the receipt-,” before Gavin can show her the forty nine dollars and fifty one cents that was her subtotal, and the forty nine cents that was her tax, which equals fifty fucking dollars, the lady snatches her receipt back.

“I don’t have time for this, I have to get to work. I’m gonna call corporate, you’re refusing to give me my money back.”

Oh, great. The corporate excuse. Not to mention, she wouldn’t be late for work if she didn’t wander around the store for twenty fucking minutes!

“Jesus Christ, take your three fucking dollars.” Gavin opens his drawer, yanks the three dollars out and hands them over, hands shaking. “You have a wonderful night.” he drives his point home by slamming his register shut.

Okay, so, maybe he should’ve handled that better but Jesus Christ.

Gavin smiles as much as he can at the next customer, only managing a thin, sickly sweet looking curve to his lips.

“Sorry about tha-,”

“I should have two dollars off on this.” the man slams two energy drinks down on the counter.

All-fucking-righty then.

Gavin nods, rings up the two drinks. Strangely enough, the discount doesn’t show up.

And Gavin doesn’t know how to put it on manually. Furrowing his brow, he gets up on his tiptoes to try and check the sign.

“How much is it?” the man all but demands.

“Well, right now it’s five dollars and some change, but-,”

“Five dollars?” the man all but shouts. “For two energy drinks? And that’s with the discount?”

“Well, it’s not on there yet. It should have gone on there automatically, so I’m trying to figure out-.”

“Then why does it say buy two and get two dollars off!?”

“I don’t know sir, it might be part of our rewards program-,”

“It doesn’t say that on the sign.”

If this dude interrupts him one more time.

“I’m trying to figure it out for you, sir.”

“You need to take that sign down, it’s misleading.” the man’s voice is steadily rising in volume. Gavin takes a good look at him. Middle aged, well dressed, absolutely oozing privilege. Figures. The guy probably hasn’t worked a day of customer service in his life.

“I’ll let my manager know tomorrow that-,”

“No, take it down right now.” there he goes again.

“Are you kidding me.” Gavin deadpans.

“Where’s your manager?”

“I’m the only one in the store right now, my manager comes in at six in the morning.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Gavin purses his lips. “I’ll go take it down right now.” he tells the man.

“Put these back while you’re at it.” the man shoves the cans back at him and storms out of the store.

“Fucking wow!” Gavin shouts as soon as the door closes. He grabs the two cans, storms over to the cooler, and shoves them back in, hands still trembling. He storms back over to the door, checking to see if anybody is in his parking lot. No sign of the two assholes. Good. He locks the door, and just as he does, the angry tears start falling, rapidly.

Gavin storms into the bathroom. The urge to punch something is severe. His hands are still shaking, and he’s still crying angry tears. God, he hates that about himself. He always cries when he’s angry, which makes him even angrier, which makes him cry harder. It’s a vicious cycle.

Gavin crouches, hands gripping his hair as he tries to get a hold of himself. It takes a minute or two to calm down, but he gets there. He fixes his hair in the mirror, wipes his face down with wet paper towels, and goes to unlock the door.

His hands still tremble lightly, but he thinks he’ll be okay. He rubs his hands over his face and takes a deep breath, leaning against the counter. He steels himself when the door opens again, ready to face another asshole.

“Hey there- oh! Hey, Niles.” Gavin furrows his brow as steel grey eyes meet his. “Not that I’m not happy to see my favorite regular, but what are you doing here so early? Or, well, late, I guess, for you.” a ghost of a smile passes over Niles’ lips.

“Connor asked me to check on you. He forgot to tell you about the drug addict that comes in every Wednesday and kicks up a fuss about nonexistent change.”

Oh, yeah. That made sense.

“Yeah, she uh.” Gavin clears his throat. “She was interesting.”

“Oof. Already met her, huh?” Niles’ gives him a sympathetic look. “Connor tells me she can be a downright nightmare.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Gavin goes for casual, but the crack in his voice gives him away. Niles furrows his brow, steps closer to the counter.

“You alright, Gavin?”

“Oh, me? I’m peachy. After the tweaker came your classic middle aged white man, so that’s great. Also, the windows are fogged so like, I’ve got the horror movie aspect too.” his attempt at a joke is weak at best, voice quavering pathetically. “It’s fine, everything’s fine.”

Everything is not fine.

Gavin opens his mouth to say something more but only manages a pathetic soundle garble.

And just like that, he’s losing his shit again.

“Fuck, sorry, I’m not- it’s not-,” he slams one hand down on the counter, the other moving up to viciously wipe his eyes.

“Gavin.” Suddenly, there’s a warm hand on his. Gavin startles, gaze snapping back up to Niles. He’s smiling, a proper, warm and comforting smile. “It’s okay. Come here.” he gestures Gavin over. He hesitates for a brief moment, before throwing caution to the wind and making his way out from behind the counter. As soon as he’s close enough, he’s gently pulled into a tight hug.

Normally, he doesn’t like to be held like this, even when he’s crying. But…it feels nice, Niles holding him, rubbing soothing circles into his back. It’s totally unprofessional, but fuck it. He allows himself to cry again, and he allows himself to be calmed and soothed by the man holding him.

“Wanna step outside with me for a minute, get some air? The parking lot is empty, so you don’t have to worry about getting customers.” he should hate the softness in Niles’ voice, but he finds he rather doesn’t. He nods, finally pulling himself together.

“Thank you.” he whispers. Niles rubs his back one last times as he pulls away, gesturing towards the door.

Patting his pocket for his cigarettes, Gavin steps out into the humid air, Niles not too far behind him. He lights a smoke, inhaling deeply, relaxing immediately. Niles is quiet beside him, and he’s grateful for that.

A sudden noise from the roof has him flinching suddenly, grabbing onto Niles’ arm. Niles lets out a soft chuckle.

“Relax, Gavin. It’s just the building settling.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright.”

Gavin all but inhales his cigarette, stamping it out underneath his shoe when he’s done.

“Feel better?” Niles asks.

“Yeah.” Gavin nods. “A lot. Thank you, I…I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it.”

And then Niles does something unexpected. He leans down, and presses a kiss to Gavin’s head.

“Goodnight, Gavin. Hope it gets better for you.”

Niles leaves him there, all but sputtering. He refuses to admit that he’s blushing furiously.

***

Connor stops in right before Gavin’s shift ends to grab a coffee, waves hello to Hank and Gavin in turn.

“Heard you met my friend last night.” Connor says, smile sympathetic. “I’m sorry, I totally forgot to warn you about her. She’s…interesting.”

“An understatement.” Hank grouses.

“Yeah, well, you spent a night in jail. I think the award for ‘worst night ever’ goes to you.” Gavin shrugs as Hank hands him the “Register Closed” sign and tells him he’s good to start counting down.

“It wasn’t horrible.” Connor shrugs. “More of an inconvenience.” he’s definitely lying through his teeth. Gavin huffs out a snort as he counts out his change. “Oh! Niles asked me to give you this. He told me you had kind of a rough night.”

When Gavin looks up, Connor is handing him a piece of paper.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t read it.” Connor winks at him, the asshole, and leans over the counter to talk to Hank.

Gavin finishes counting the money, dropping it in the safe when he’s done. Only after he’s logged out does he open the note.

On it, in neat handwriting is a number, along with:

Sorry I couldn’t come in this morning, I had things to take care of.  I hope you’re feeling better though.

Oh, and, let me know if you’d like to hang out sometime when you don’t have to work. I find that I rather enjoy your company, Gavin.

-Niles

Gavin is not blushing, he’s not.

But there’s no way he can fool himself.

[investmart007]

MOSCOW | The Latest: Pogba pokes 2-1 lead v Australia

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/Rc0tnj

MOSCOW | The Latest: Pogba pokes 2-1 lead v Australia

MOSCOW — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local):

2:38 p.m.

France has taken a 2-1 lead against Australia with less than 10 minutes left to play in the World Cup Group C game. Paul Pogba scored following a fine one-two with substitute Olivier Giroud after his shot took a deflection, hit the bar and crossed the goal line.

___

2:20 p.m.

France has been awarded a penalty following a VAR review and scored to take the lead against Australia. After checking images of a tackle from behind from Joshua Risdon on Antoine Griezmann, referee Andres Cunha pointed to the penalty spot. Griezmann sent a powerful strike into the net that left ‘keeper Mat Ryan stranded to give France a 1-0 lead.

Australia equalized within minutes with captain Mile Jedinak converting from the penalty spot after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the box.  Jedinak took the kick and sent France ‘keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way

____

1:55 p.m.

Germany coach Joachim Loew says goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is looking confident ahead of the team’s World Cup opener against Mexico, despite missing most of the season with injury.

Neuer, a star of Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, played just four times this season for Bayern Munich because of a fracture in his left foot.

Loew says “he looks self-confident in training, the Manuel Neuer that we’ve always known.”

Loew adds that Neuer has been “very calm, stable and he’s in a very good mood. You could see that in the weeks and month before that he was working to strengthen his stamina.”

Ahead of Sunday’s game against Mexico, Loew revealed Germany spent Friday concentrating on corners, free kicks and penalties to deal with a perception that set-pieces might be a weak point for the 2014 champions.

____

1:46 p.m.

It’s 0-0 at halftime between France and Australia in their World Cup Group C opener in Kazan.

The French have been dominating in the early stages and had the best chances before Australia settled in.

Australia defenders Trent Sainsbury and Joshua Risdon have been doing a fine job in making sure Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe did not get too many balls.

Applying coach Bert Van Marwijk’s orders, the Socceroos are putting on a composed but aggressive display that has been working well so far.

___

12:55 p.m.

Julian Draxler says it’s “not true” that his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan are feeling isolated in the squad following controversy over their photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arsenal’s Ozil and Manchester City’s Gundogan, who are both of Turkish descent, posed with Erdogan during the Turkish president’s visit to Britain last month.

Gundogan, who gave Erdogan a shirt with a message “to my revered president,” was jeered by fans during last week’s friendly win over Saudi Arabia.

Draxler says reports “that Mesut Ozil was not up to his best or that Ilkay Gundogan was a bit subdued, that’s not true.” He’s praised Ozil as “probably our most creative player on the pitch and so I’m sure that Mesut oezil will be there when we need him.”

Germany starts its title defense against Mexico in Moscow on Sunday.

____

12:05 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has opted for a three-pronged attack of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele to face Australia in the World Cup Group C opener.

Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso have been selected in a three-man midfield, with Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernández making up the back four.

Australia captain Mile Jedinak has been confirmed as a starter in place of Massimo Luongo, who started as screening midfielder in recent friendlies. Striker Andrew Nabbout will assume the scoring duties for the Socceroos.

Lineups:

France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.

Australia: Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aziz Behich, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout.

___

ENGLISH HOPES

Though teams of the recent past may have had more high-profile names, Southgate has potentially more options at his disposal. The squad, one of the youngest in Russia, is versatile, meaning that Southgate can adjust the way his team plays.

As things stand, it appears that against Tunisia, he will play with three at the back — John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire — and another line of three, including two wing-backs, in front.

It’s the four furthest forward that has excited fans.

Kane, who has yet to score in tournament football, will spearhead the attack, that’s clear. What’s more interesting is the combination Southgate opts for around the striker — three from Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Opting for Rashford, who returned to training on Friday following a minor knee complaint, will give more pace and thrust; opting for Alli will yield dinky runs. Whatever Southgate decides, that trident will be primed to sow confusion among the Tunisian ranks especially as the game gets stretched in the latter stages.

Quite an attacking brew then and that’s why England is widely expected to beat The Carthage Eagles. Just as England did almost 20 years to the day when the two sides, again, played their first group match in the World Cup in France.

In these more realistic times, another 2-0 victory would no doubt be greeted positively, paving the way for the team to quickly make it out of Group G if it then beats Panama. The expectation is that England’s final group match against Belgium will be the main event and determine which side comes out on top.

___

TUNISIA’S LONG WAIT

Tunisia, back in the World Cup after a 12-year absence, has a lot to prove too.

The team, after all, blazed a trail in 1978 by becoming the first African team from the continent to win a match at the World Cup. In its three tournaments since from 1998 to 2006, it has yet to notch a second.

Though England is favorite, Tunisia is likely to present a challenge, especially if conditions remain hot and muggy. Tunisia, under Nabil Maaloul, is well-organized, particularly in defense. Spain can bear witness to that, requiring a late winner in their final friendly game before the World Cup.

The team may have lost arguably its best creative player, Youssef Msakni, to injury, but it has others who can trouble England, not least the now fit-again forward Wahbi Khazri, who has turned in strong performances for French side Rennes while there on loan. Also, Ali Maaloul is a marauding left-back who could take advantage of any leaden-footed defending.

Still, Panama, in their final group match, is the more likely proposition for Tunisia to record a second World Cup victory.

11:35 a.m.

Laurent Ciman has left Belgium’s World Cup squad, the team says on its official Twitter account, although it has not said if the defender’s departure means that center back Vincent Kompany is fit again after injuring his groin in a warmup match two weeks ago.

Coach Roberto Martinez took Los Angeles FC defender Ciman to Russia as a stand-by player in case Kompany was not fit for Belgium’s opening Group G match against Panama on Sunday.

The team says that despite returning to Belgium, Ciman will remain on stand-by until Sunday evening.

Kompany and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen have not been training with the Belgium team in recent days.

In the Saturday morning tweet, Martinez thanks Ciman “for his professionalism and contribution to the team” during its World Cup preparations.

___

11:10 a.m.

French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to the World Cup only if Les Bleus make it to the semifinals.

But the French players will have the support of a former French president during their opening match against Australia in Group C.

FIFA says Nicolas Sarkozy, an avid football fan who served as president from 2007-12, is among the guests at Kazan Arena.

___

10:30 a.m.

Some soccer fans will follow their team anywhere to see it play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia.

The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink.

They’re now looking forward to Saturday’s game between Croatia and Nigeria.

Frane Lukovic, a 46-year-old lawyer from Zagreb, insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary for long-distance cyclists such as himself.

For Lukovic, the trip represented a personal comeback, having been diagnosed with skin cancer six years ago.

____

10 a.m.

While fans from around the world are singing and celebrating the World Cup on Moscow’s streets, they can’t go to the most famous place in the Russian capital — Red Square.

Barriers staffed by police officers have blocked off the square for several days, with authorities citing the need to build and dismantle stages for a national holiday and a World Cup-themed opera performance last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mexico supporter Cesar Reyes, peering past the barriers, says “it’s a real shame it’s closed because it’s one of the best places to visit when you’re in Moscow. It’s a real shame that people will miss it because it’s closed for special event and there’s no opportunity to appreciate this building.”

Russian police have closed off a number of roads and other areas for security reasons over recent days. It’s unclear when the square will be reopened.

__

By Associated Press

___

[instantdeerlover]

The Best Things We Ate This Week (5) added to Google Docs

The Best Things We Ate This Week (5)

London restaurants are back, baby. Well, kind of. Some of them are anyway. And the great thing about restaurants reopening is it means that with each day there are more and more things for you to eat. The bad thing about that is, after three months alone with your fridge, all those options can feel pretty overwhelming. That’s why we’re highlighting the best dishes we’ve had recently, to point you in the right direction. Not ready to eat out just yet? Don’t worry, we’ll be shouting out our favourite delivery and collection options too.

If you’ve eaten something great recently that you want to share with our team, send us an email at london@theinfatuation.com. Now, onto the dishes.

Sorry—looks like you screwed up that email address

INFATUATION NEWSLETTER Get our newest guides & reviews first,

plus more restaurant intel you won't find anywhere else. ATL ATX BOS CHI LDN LA MIA NYC PHL SF SEA DC Subscribe Smart move. Excellent information will arrive in your inbox soon. Do you have friends and family who also eat food? Enter their emails below and we’ll make sure they’re eating well. (Don’t worry, we won’t subscribe them to our newsletter - they can do that themselves.) Help Your Friends No Thanks Well done. You’re a good person. All good. We still like you. Want to quickly find restaurants on the go? Download The Infatuation app.   THE DISHES  Jake Missing The Drapers Arms ££££ 44 Barnsbury St

Tea smoked salmon, pickled cucumber, dill, crème fraiche & soda bread

“I come from a family of sharers. More food than feelings, but often both around the dinner table. Entrées with a side of empathy. When we go out to eat it’s a bite for a bite. Each course is treated like a Strictly Come Dancing contestant awaiting its score from the judges, and the other night, at The Drapers Arms, it was my Mum’s salmon that did the sexiest dance. As a natural-born martyr, she made everyone up a bite before having one herself - a rip of soda bread, a dollop of crème fraiche, a wedge of silky smoked salmon, and a dilly pickle for good measure. It waltzed into my mouth. The judges were unanimous: a perfect 10 for the tea smoked salmon.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Bright £ £ £ £ Modern European  in  Hackney ££££ 1 Westgate Street

Mortadella sandwich

“As of 11am on the morning of Friday, 14 August, there are no official FCO advisories that prohibit going to Italy. However I don’t feel all that great about unnecessary travel this year. Maybe that’s why the mortadella sandwich at Bright was such a revelation. Paired with an Americano or two, this springy, ham-filled focaccia is a wholly transportive experience. If I’d closed my eyes, I could easily have been in Bologna. Probably. Either way, along with the rest of Bright’s bar menu, it makes their London Fields terrace one of the best spots in town for an aperitivo.”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

 Kiss The Koala ££££ priory

Friarielli hash

“A pile of bite-sized potato chunks, mixed with sautéed friarielli, and topped off with a fried duck egg. It’s something I could probably - on a very, very good day - muster a passable version of at home. However, this was the first proper plate of food I’ve had in (or just outside) a restaurant since early March. And it was glorious. Don’t let that sound like I’m downplaying it though. Kiss The Koala is a newish café and brunch spot near Alexandra Palace and they hit the sweet-spot of salty, soft, and crunchy Sunday morning eating for me with this. (n.b. the portion of buttermilk fried chicken in the picture above is totally optional, though also advisable.)”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

 Jake Missing Quo Vadis £ £ £ £ British  in  Soho ££££ 26-29 Dean St

Tomato salad

“The phrase ‘too hot to eat’ isn’t one I really understand. Nobody is ever too hot to eat, you’re just too hot to eat certain things. Maybe it’s because of our climate. We know the cold months better than the hot. So when a 30-odd degree-er comes around, everyone panics. What do we eat? Chilled baked beans? An ice cube dipped in gravy? Sod it, let’s just drink instead. Or, alternatively, eat and drink. Outside. On Frith Street. At Quo Vadis. With a cold beer or a glass of something crispy. All you need then is a plate of sweet tomatoes bathing in oil, topped with finely chopped red onion, and a healthy turn of salt and pepper. It, with bread, is all I want this summer.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Madame Pigg ££££ 480 Kingsland Road

Tempura courgette flower, ricotta, and blackberries

“What you have here is what I, a seasoned professional, like to call a shit tonne of textures. Am I this generation’s AA Gill? Definitely. But in all seriousness, this dish is summer on a plate. There’s plenty of crunch and creaminess, and the sharpness from the blackberries will remind you that, yes, you absolutely should have another glass of wine.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

MAP Maison ££££ 321 Kingsland Road

Quetzacoalt cocktail

We ran (walked) in from the rain (it wasn’t raining), desperately in search of sanctuary, safety and maybe, like, a cosmo or something. In a classic game of ‘guess where might still be open’ I came across Map Maison on the Kingsland Road and had a series of excellent cocktails. The gin-heavy Columbia Road cocktail is super fresh, but this tequila number was my favourite. Newsflash: fig liqueur is excellent with fresh lemon and pomegranate.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

Monmouth Coffee The Borough £ £ £ £ Cafe/Bakery  in  London Bridge ££££ 2 Park Street, London SE1 9AB, Southwark

Iced filter coffee

“I’m an aspiring coffee nerd. There. I’ve said it. And I really don’t care if you’re not okay with it. I’ve got all the gear: a grinder, scales, one of those gooseneck kettles, elaborate glassware that I spend half my life trying to keep clean… and I have all of this because last autumn I got hooked on the iced coffee at Walden Woods in Kyoto. It was an instant top five* and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. Sadly, even the life-changing ice-making technique of Infatuation NYC Senior Staff Writer and resident cocktail expert, Bryan Kim, plus the unusual abundance of time 2020 has offered up hasn’t helped me get it right. Monmouth’s iced filter coffee however nails it. It might just be the best tasting, most nuanced cup of coffee I’ve ever had in London, and I’m not just saying that because Thursday was my first coffee outing since early March.”

- Oliver Feldman, Senior Editor

*”in case you’re interested, the others include an iced almond-macadamia milk latte from Go Get ’Em Tiger in LA, a very hot petrol station coffee somewhere in Oregon on a very cold morning in October 2016, and, a little closer to home, the nitro at Climpson’s.”

 Jake Missing Pollo Feliz ££££ 13-23 Westgate St

Quesadillas

“The other day I was feeling a bit blue, and that tends to lead me to eating something beige. Walking home and maybe subconsciously, but probably not, my brain took me to Pollo Feliz in Netil Market. Having just eaten a bagel (note: beige), I wasn’t that hungry but also, I can always eat. Their quesadillas are just beans and cheese. Gooey and soft, packed between handmade wheat-flour, pork-fat tortillas. They’re simultaneously rich and light, and I’d eaten both before I crossed the road”.

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 Mac And Wild £ £ £ £ British  in  City ££££ 9A Devonshire Square

Deep-fried Mars Bar sundae

“I have a confession - I don’t know why Hot Priest never magically appears when I say this - I had never eaten a deep-fried Mars bar before my recent trip to Mac and Wild. There, I said it. But happily for me, but not my arteries, I am going to be eating a lot more if they all taste this good. I have a suspicion the sheer glory of this dessert was also down to the ice cream and whisky-infused toffee sauce. All in all, a sweet treat for the ages.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Coya London ££££ 118 Piccadilly

Crab, tuna, and salmon tacos

“London is home to a lot of things: double-decker buses, overly confident pigeons, and people who pretend they don’t watch Love Island. But decent tacos isn’t one of them, which is why I was so excited about the tacos at Peruvian spot Coya. I had the tuna, crab, and salmon. The crab tacos are the tell-you-I-love-you-on-the-first-date kind of good, but the tuna and salmon are also pretty great. Just get them all.”

- Rianne Shlebak, Editorial Assistant

 Jake Missing The Good Egg £ £ £ £ Middle Eastern  in  Stoke Newington ££££ 93 Church St

Lox & cream cheese bagel

“A few years ago, I tried to get takeaway from The Good Egg. They didn’t offer this, so I was rejected, but a stranger in the queue told me I smelled nice. Location aside, this story isn’t at all related to the lox and cream cheese Montreal bagel I had the other day. Less a slice of pastrami-smoked trout so much as a wedge hacked off, the bagel had some solid schmear going on, and a very welcome handful of capers. The sesame Montreal bagel, said to be denser, was the perfect vehicle.”

- Jake Missing, Staff Writer

 OMBRA ££££ 1 Vyner St

The park picnic for two

“Look, I rarely picnic. If I’ve learnt anything from the picnics of my youth it’s that grass stains suck and the only creature on planet Earth that has the same determination and inner strength as Beyoncé is the common ant. Well, rejoice my fellow picnic pessimists, because Ombra’s park picnic for two has made the whole thing pretty lovely. For 25 quid, you get focaccia, salami, burrata, and more - but the DIY sandwich situation is the real winner of the lot.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

 Mamasons ££££ 32 Newport Court

The bilog

“Hi my name is Rianne, and I’m an ice-cream addict. So much so that I decided the perfect time to try this Filipino spot, that I’d been wanting to visit for months, was on a rainy Sunday. I ordered a bilog (a milk bun filled with ice-cream) and went with the Milo flavour (yes, the chocolate powder). It was basically like eating a pancake filled with ice-cream, what’s not to like?”

- Rianne Shlebak, Editorial Assistant

 Xi'an Impression £ £ £ £ Chinese  in  Highbury ££££ 117 Benwell Rd

Beef biang biang noodles

“If I was playing a game of word association and someone said ‘soulmate’, my instant, brain-snap reaction would be shouting ‘liangpi noodles’. You see, we are very much an item, me and Xi’an’s traditional coldskin. But this week I went rogue and ordered the hand-pulled biang biang noodles instead. They travelled well, the noodles were just the right amount of chewy, and the beef smelt so good that my flatmate pulled the old meerkat air-sniff move when they arrived. Officially my mistress.”

- Heidi Lauth Beasley, Staff Writer

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/london/guides/best-dishes-of-the-week-london Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created August 14, 2020 at 09:42PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[instantdeerlover]

Boston’s New Restaurant Openings (1) added to Google Docs

Boston’s New Restaurant Openings (1)

If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in Boston, you might go a little bit crazy. So just read this list instead. These are the new restaurant openings that seem like they have the most potential - although keep in mind, for the ones we haven’t tried, we make no promises. Go forth and be a pioneer.

We’ll be regularly updating this post. Once we check out each spot, we’ll add a note so you know where to read more about it - in our Hit List.

February  Yellow Door Taqueria $$$$ 354 Harrison Ave

Dorchester staple Yellow Door Taqueria has opened a second location in the South End. There are 12 taco varieties, like scallop frito and sunchoke, to choose from, all of which come on homemade corn tortillas. The restaurant also has a text-a-taco service, which you use to gift tacos to your friends. Turns out technology can actually be used for good.

 Sam Swan Krasi $$$$ 48 Gloucester St

Wine bars are opening all over the city, and Krasi has joined the party. This Greek restaurant in Back Bay features lesser-known wines from the region and a large selection of mezze plates like celery root carpaccio and smoked monkfish. There’s also a “Feast of the Gods” for $349, if you’re feeling particularly divine.

Libertine $$$$ 125 Salem St

Libertine is a new North End restaurant that, shockingly, isn’t Italian. It calls itself a “gastropub,” serving a wide range of things from street corn to chicken pot pie to BBQ ribs. There’s also a number of mac and cheese options, probably because any place that doesn’t serve pasta in the North End will inevitably be shut down by the tourism board.

Alma Gaucha $$$$ 401 D St

Southie now has its own Brazilian steakhouse right next to Lawn on D. So this summer you could foreseeably eat an ungodly amount of meat and then play bubble soccer - Boston’s version of the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

 Cosmica $$$$ 40 Berkeley St

The team behind Beehive has a new street food-inspired Mexican spot inside the Revolution Hotel in the South End. The menu has a variety of tacos and rice bowls, as well as a selection of larger entrees like cochinita pibil (pork that’s spent hours detoxing within a banana leaf).

Bubor Cha Cha $$$$ 45 Beach St

This Chinatown restaurant, which previously served Cantonese and South East Asian dishes, has now reopened with a focus on Hunan cuisine. Expect some spicy things like steamed fish with red peppers.

Barra $$$$ 23A Bow St

A small Mexican restaurant and bar has opened right next to Celeste in Somerville. There are mezcal and tuxca cocktails, as well as five to six small plates (like aguachile) daily. Weekend brunch is also available.

 Mike Diskin French Quarter $$$$ 545 Washington St

The Theater District is now home to a New Orleans-themed restaurant, complete with fleur de lis, sazeracs, po-boys, and gumbo. No word yet on whether Drew Brees will make an appearance.

Lucie Drink & Dine $$$$ 120 Huntington Ave

There’s a new kind-of-American restaurant inside The Colonnade Hotel in Back Bay, and its goal is to become a “great neighborhood restaurant.” We’re not entirely sure what algorithm they’ll use to get there, but having Maine lobster pie and make-your-own-sundaes on the menu is a good start.

Brooklyn Ramen $$$$ 299 Harvard St

The speciality Japanese tea store Gen Sou En in Brookline recently closed, but the space has now been converted into a grocery store. There’s a deli housing Brooklyn Ramen in the back, which serves ramen and okonomiyaki.

Obosa $$$$ 146 Belgrade Ave

A casual West African restaurant is now open in Roslindale, serving staples like meat patties, puff puffs, and Jollof rice.

January  Brian Samuels Grand Tour $$$$ 314 Newbury St

The team behind Select Oyster Bar now has a Tour de France-inspired bistro just around the corner in Back Bay. The menu has some unique takes on French classics, like escargot pie and rabbit with parsley salad. The most expensive thing on the menu is the caviar omelette at $60 - even if we were gifted one every morning, we still wouldn’t ride a bike for 3,570 miles.

50Kitchen $$$$ 1450 Dorchester Ave

Dorchester has a new soul food and Asian fusion restaurant, serving unique dishes like jambalaya egg rolls and a smoked brisket bánh mì. It’s more interesting than almost everything at Legal, where the chef used to work.

La Mei Hotpot $$$$ 230 Harvard St

The Coolidge Corner section of Brookline now has another hot pot restaurant in the neighborhood. There’s a “crazy spicy” broth option here - while Denny’s has a similar option, we guarantee it will taste better at LaMei.

 Tsurutontan Tsurutontan $$$$ 512 Commonwealth Ave

Osaka udon-chain Tsurutontan now has its first Boston location inside of the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. Udon’s not the only thing on the menu, though - there’s also sushi, donburi bowls, cocktails, and sake.

Lulu Green $$$$ 246 W Broadway

Southie now has a Middle Eastern vegan restaurant. You’ll have salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and a mezze bar to choose from, as well as some bakery items. A Turkish coffee cardamom-cherry muffin seems like a delicious option to us.

M&M BBQ $$$$ 1246 Massachusetts Ave

Dorchester Brewing Company, one of our favorite Boston breweries, is now home to a BBQ restaurant. So the next time you’re “working from home,” you’ll be able to pair some pulled pork with an IPA during an important “lunch meeting.”

Poke By Love Art $$$$ 103 Beverly St

The Love Art team already has a sushi and udon restaurant, so now they’re adding a poke spot to the mix. Everything is gluten-free at this Downtown establishment, apart from the spaghetti self-portrait on the wall by local artist Nord Fine.

 Bar 'Cino Bar 'Cino $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Brookline $$$$ 1032 Beacon St Not

Rated

Yet

Instead of another dispensary (which was originally supposed to be in this space), Brookline just got a new Italian restaurant from a Rhode Island restaurant group. The menu is made up of a variety of small plates and pastas, as well as a specific type of Rhode Island pizza made famous in the 1980s. Tracksuits and ruffled shirts are making a comeback, so we suppose there’s no reason to discriminate against pizza.

 Longcross Bar and Kitchen LongCross Bar and Kitchen $$$$ 501 Fellsway

Detroit-style pizza places are quickly expanding around the Boston area, and perhaps some of them will make it on to our best pizza list one day. For now, you can enjoy deep-dish by the fireplace at this new Medford restaurant.

December  Joyelle West Gray’s Hall $ $ $ $ American ,  Wine Bar  in  South Boston $$$$ 615 E Broadway Not

Rated

Yet

A natural wine bar and small plates spot has opened in Southie. Conveniently, the bar is located next to American Provisions, a full fledged cheese, wine, and charcuterie store, making this a one-stop-shop for all your self-care needs.

 JM Leach Sound Advice $ $ $ $ Bar  in  West End $$$$ 60 Causeway St

If you’ve ever had the desire to drink at a movie theater without actually watching a movie, then this is the place for you. This cocktail bar is located next to the new ArcLight Cinemas in The Hub on Causeway.

 Flight Club Darts USA Flight Club $$$$ 60 Seaport Blvd

Cocktails, darts, and cotton candy unite together at this Seaport bar, a unity which management believes will bring you “unexpected, ridiculous joy.” Hopefully it’s not of the Ed Norton variety.

Happy Crab $$$$ 1137 Broadway

Somerville is the location for yet another Cajun-style, eat-with-your-hands seafood restaurant. At this time, we will reserve comment on the emotional state of crustaceans within the institution.

 Lily P’s $ $ $ $ American  in  Kendall Square $$$$ 50 Binney St 7.0 /10

Kendall Square is apparently home to a startup that helps you learn the lingo for a variety of different industries. It is also now home to this fried chicken and oysters spot - which means, no matter what you do for work, “yes” is pretty much the only term you’ll need to know.

 Cini's Cini's $$$$ 252 Friend St

Bite-sized arancini balls will now be served until 3am on Friday and Saturdays in the West End. Cini’s will also serve pizza until that time, so it may become your go to place for late-night cheesy Instagram photos.

 Tavern of Tales Tavern of Tales $$$$ 1478 Tremont St

Board games are more fun when someone else is serving cocktails and your guests don’t have to sit on the couch that the cat constantly sheds on. Pizza and tater tots are also available at this Mission Hill cafe.

iFresh Noodle $$$$ 182 Brighton Ave

Allston is getting a new hand-pulled noodle store, which is great. We just hope that the “noodle-pulling” team is better than the “name-the-restaurant” team.

 Tonkatsu King $$$$ 17 Brighton Ave

The Super 88 food court has a new vendor, one that will be royally frying up golden pieces of pork. We would be happy citizens under this monarchy.

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant $$$$ 41 Warren St

This Bronx-based Jamaican patty chain is continuing its expansion in the greater Boston area, this time in the Dudley Square area of Roxbury.

Only One Jamacian Restaurant III $$$$ 1345 Hyde Park Ave

Can you have three locations as a restaurant and still call yourself “Only One”? This Jamaican establishment, with a new spot in Hyde Park, is certainly not shying away from the question.

NOvember  Mariel Underground Mariel Underground $ $ $ $ Cuban ,  Bar  in  Downtown $$$$ 10 Post Office Square

Mariel, a great new Cuban restaurant in Post Office Square, has opened a cocktail lounge underneath the restaurant. It’s open Tuesday-Sunday starting a 5pm and taking table reservations 9pm and later.

 Woods Hill Pier Four Woods Hill Pier 4 $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Seaport District $$$$ 300 Pier 4 Blvd Not

Rated

Yet

There’s a new seafood place in one of those brand new glass condo buildings on the seaport, and your dad will almost certainly mistakenly call it Woods Hole Pier 4 for years to come.

Omori Izakaya $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Brookline ,  Brookline Village $$$$ 195 Washington St 7.0 /10

Brookline has a new izakaya, and it’s right around the corner from a dispensary. If you’ve been in the mood for pot and robata skewers, you’re in luck.

Soup Shack $$$$ 401 Harvard Street

A JP spot for pho, ramen, and Thai noodle dishes opened a second location north of Coolidge Corner in Brookline.

Shake Shack $$$$ 322 Washington St

There’s a new burger option (and source of huge lunch lines) in Downtown Crossing, as Greater Boston gets its seventh Shake Shack

Tatte Bakery & Cafe $$$$ 345 Harrison Ave

We’re not quite at the point where there are as many Tatte’s as Dunkin Donuts in Boston, but we’re getting there, as a new one opened up in the South End.

Lola Burger $ $ $ $ Burgers  in  Seaport District $$$$ 11 Fan Pier Blvd 5.9 /10

The people behind Lola 42 have opened up a burger joint around the corner on Fan Pier.

Bluestone Lane Harvard Square Café $$$$ 27 Brattle St

An Australian chain of coffee shops just opened its first Boston location in Harvard Square. It serves an all-day breakfast menu of things like lemon ricotta pancakes and shakshuka.

Nourish Your Soul $$$$ 208 Newbury Street

If you ever get hungry while shopping for yoga pants at the Lululemon on Newbury Street, now you have a place to eat bowls, smoothies, and other foods your spin instructor loves at Nourish Your Soul.

 Dirty Water Dough Company $ $ $ $ Pizza  in  East Boston $$$$ 20 Maverick St 7.3 /10

A Newbury Street slice joint just opened up a second location in Maverick Square.

October  Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina $$$$ 110 Causeway

There are plenty of things that Boston has in abundance, like rotaries, wind, and 18-22 year-olds from New Jersey. But we’ve always had a conspicuous lack of donkey sauce. The drought may be over now that we have a Guy Fieri restaurant at North Station.

Distraction Brewing $ $ $ $ Bar  in  Roslindale $$$$ 2 Belgrade Ave

Everyone is understandably sad about the closure of Mystic Brewery, but thankfully it’s been immediately replaced by Distraction Brewing in Roslindale Square.

Brato Brewhouse + Kitchen $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  Brighton $$$$ 190 North Beacon St

And right on Distraction’s heels, Brato Brewhouse is opening in Brighton. It looks like it has way more food options that most breweries.

 Six West Six West $$$$ 6 W Broadway

Southie has its first hotel, and it comes with a hotel restaurant that serves potstickers, short rib tacos, and caviar paninis. A rooftop bar is coming, too, but it’s not open yet.

The Kenmore $$$$ 475 Commonwealth Ave

What used to be the Lower Depths in Kenmore Square is now a place called The Kenmore with beer and bar food.

Veggie Grill $$$$ 57 JFK St

West Coast vegan chain Veggie Grill has opened in Harvard Square. Expect salads, veggie burgers, and lots of other quick options.

Izakaya Ittoku $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Korean  in  Cambridge ,  Porter Square $$$$ 1815 Massachusetts Ave Not

Rated

Yet

Ittoku is an izakaya that just moved to Porter Square from Brighton (closing the original location in the process). It appears to largely have the same menu, though it has a full liquor license now.

Lobstah On A Roll $$$$ 254 Newbury St

A South End sandwich shop that makes the [ninth best lobster roll in Boston[( https://www.theinfatuation.com/boston/guides/best-lobster-rolls-in-boston) just opened a second location on Newbury Street.

Pink Taco Boston $$$$ 374 Congress St

A Los Angeles taco chain has opened in The Seaport. They’re open for brunch, lunch, and dinner, serving tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and bowls.

Bulfinch Social $$$$ 107 Merrimac street

The Boxer Hotel in the Bulfinch Triangle has a new lobby restaurant, meaning we have a new place to eat and drink near the Garden that doesn’t have Larry Bird jerseys on the walls.

 Rochambeu Rochambeau $ $ $ $ French  in  Back Bay $$$$ 900 Boylston St 7.4 /10

Rochambeau is a big, brassy French restaurant in the Back Bay, which is already probably the capital of big, brassy French restaurants.

Bar Moxy $$$$ 240 Tremont

The brand new Moxy Hotel in the Theater District has a restaurant, and we’re pretty sure it’s the only place in town with a “food truck-inspired photo booth.”

Trillium Fenway $ $ $ $ Fenway $$$$ 401 Park Dr

Trillium has built a new tap room on the lawn outside of the Time Out Market, as it continues its quest to completely take over the Boston beer scene.

september  Richard Cadan Mariel $ $ $ $ Cuban  in  Downtown $$$$ 10 Post Office Sq 8.2 /10

Mariel is a big Cuban place in an old bank in Post Office Square. We don’t know why all old banks were built to look like Greek temples, but they make for some cool looking restaurants.

Richard’s $$$$ 1193 Cambridge St

Richard’s is a new American spot in Inman Square. They serve things like pasta and grilled bison.

Ghost Pepper Taco & Tequila Bar $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Dorchester $$$$ 120 Savin Hill Ave 6.5 /10

Savin Hill has a new taco and tequila bar and, let’s face it, every neighborhood deserves a new taco and tequila bar.

 Chalawan $ $ $ $ Southeast Asian  in  Porter Square $$$$ 1790 Massachusetts Ave Not

Rated

Yet

Calawan is a Southeast Asian place in Porter Square. It looks like it has some really cheap wine, so it’s got that going for it, as well as dumplings, curries, and meatier dishes too.

Gantetsu-Ya $$$$ 318 Harvard Street

Gantetsu-Ya is a new Japanese street food stall in the Coolidge Corner arcade. There are few things in life we like more than Japanese street food, so we’re excited.

 Roxanne's $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  Beacon Hill ,  Downtown $$$$ 6 Beacon St

The former 6B Lounge - a Downtown bar that existed solely for the purpose of after-work drinks - has been replaced by a new tiki place with a menu of bar bites. Sounds like an improvement to us.

Jamaica Mi Hungry $$$$ 225 Centre Street

You’ve seen the jerk chicken food truck around town, and now you can find it in brick-and-mortar form in Jamaica Plain.

Pazza On Porter $$$$ 107 Porter Street

The owners of Caffe Dello Sport on Hanover Street are branching out with a full-service Italian restaurant in East Boston.

Family Affair $$$$ 554 Columbia St

How many different kinds of chicken and waffles do you know how to make? If your answer is somewhere between 0 and 51, then, sorry, you don’t know how to make as many different kinds of chicken and waffles as this new Caribbean restaurant in Dorchester.

Stillwater $ $ $ $ American  in  Downtown $$$$ 120 Kingston St 6.9 /10

If you’ve ever had a friend visit Boston only to complain about our lack of restaurants that showcase the cuisine of Oklahoma, now you can take them to Stillwater for some Ritz cracker-crusted fried chicken.

Carolicious $$$$ 14 Tyler St

Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville already has Boston’s best brewery dining option in The Tasting Counter. But if you’re not up to a two-hour tasting menu, now you can get arepas at Carolicious.

august  Alejandro Ramos OddFellows Ice Cream $$$$ 55 Boylston St

If you’ve never had olive oil and strawberry jam flavored ice cream, now you can at this NYC-based ice cream place that opened in Chestnut Hill.

 Orfano $ $ $ $ Steaks ,  Italian  in  Fenway $$$$ 188 Brookline St 7.5 /10

Now that the people behind Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, and Fool’s Errand opened up an Italian place, Orfano, there’s now an entire block of the Fenway that’s almost completely controlled by one restaurant group. But we’re big fans of the first three restaurants, so if Orfano is any good and the city wants to let them name the street, we’re good with that.

 Shy Bird $ $ $ $ American  in  Kendall Square $$$$ 1 Broadway Not

Rated

Yet

Kendall Square has a new all-day counter-service cafe, and this one serves beer and wine along with its specialty rotisserie meats.

 Gre.Co Gre.Co $$$$

The fast-casual Greek spot opened its second location. It’s in the Seaport and, unlike the original Back Bay location, it has a liquor license.

Create Gallery & Cocktails $ $ $ $ Bar  in  Somerville ,  Union Square $$$$ 1 Bow Market Way

Bow Market may be officially finished now that there’s a small cocktail bar/art gallery that serves draft cocktails created by bartenders from around the city.

Taqueria El Barrio $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Allston ,  Brookline $$$$ 1022 Commonwealth Ave 7.5 /10

The people behind Bisq, one of our favorite restaurants in Cambridge, have opened a counter-service taco place on Comm Ave. near BU.

Boba Me $$$$ 1520 Tremont

A new cafe in Mission Hill is serving boba tea and “flaming hot cheese fries.” We’re all for interesting combinations, so you do you, Boba Me.

Pai Kin Kao $ $ $ $ Thai  in  Central Square $$$$ 80 River Street 7.4 /10

What used to be Chick Chick Boom, a Central Square chicken place, is now Pai Kin Kao, and it focuses on Thai and ramen.

110 Grill $$$$ 1 District Ave

A new location of an American chain has opened in the South Bay area of Dorchester, and it calls itself “upscale-casual.” That doesn’t seem to make sense, but we don’t necessarily dislike things that don’t make sense.

july  Brian Samuels The Emory $ $ $ $ American  in  Beacon Hill ,  Downtown $$$$ 21 Beacon St 7.7 /10

There’s a new restaurant at the top of Beacon Hill and and it has a couple of things on the menu we’ve never heard off, like a lobster sausage sandwich and baked potato beignets.

Parlour $ $ $ $ American ,  Tapas  in  Brookline ,  Coolidge Corner $$$$ 308 Harvard Street 7.6 /10

Parlour is a new tapas place in Coolidge Corner, so now you have a tapas place to eat at before attending a French film festival at the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The Oyster Club $ $ $ $ Seafood  in  Back Bay ,  Downtown $$$$ 79 Park Plaza 7.0 /10

We don’t necessarily need more oyster bars, but we’ll always welcome them. This one is just off the Public Garden, and it seems like a place where a lot of people will be paying with corporate cards.

Dolce $ $ $ $ Pizza ,  Sandwiches ,  Ice Cream  in  North End $$$$ 272 Hanover Street 6.9 /10

There’s a new restaurant on Hanover Street and, you’re not going to believe this, but it’s Italian. It’s called Dolce, and it specializes in pizza and gelato.

Kingston Cuts $ $ $ $ Steaks  in  Downtown $$$$ 25 Kingston Street 6.5 /10

Downtown Crossing has a new steak-y bistro, with a separate bar and lounge area up front.

 Black Lamb Black Lamb $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood ,  French  in  South End $$$$ 571 Tremont St 7.5 /10

The people behind Bar Mezzana, Shore Leave, and No Relation - three South End spots we’re fans of - opened Black Lamb, an “American brasserie and raw bar.” We’re excited.

Silk Road Express $$$$ 1 Brighton Ave

This is the second location of an Uyghur restaurant in Cambridge, and it’s in the wonderful Super 88 Asian food hall in Allston.

Nani Chick'n Bunz $$$$

It’s a delivery-only restaurant, which we’re not sure even counts as a restaurant. But if you live near their kitchen in Allston, then you can get some chicken sandwiches that look pretty good, and hopefully travel well.

Kim’s Tofu $$$$ 160 Brighton Ave

Kim’s is a new Korean place in Allston, and it makes all its tofu in-house.

 Peregrine $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Beacon Hill $$$$ 170 Charles Street Not

Rated

Yet

The people behind Juliet, an awesomely casual and affordable fine-dining restaurant in Union Square, have opened Peregrine. It’s an Italian spot in a Beacon Hill boutique hotel, and, as you’d from an Italian spot in a Beacon Hill boutique hotel, it looks to be much more upscale and pricey than their first place.

Sally’s Sandwiches $$$$ 492 Tremont St

The people behind Banyan and The Gallows - a Korean place and a pub, respectively - opened this sandwich spot inside Blackbird Doughnuts in the South End.

The Porch Southern Fare And Juke Joint $$$$ 175 Rivers edge Dr

We’re pretty sure that this new spot for barbecue and live music in Medford is the only juke joint in Boston, and we’re definitely sure it’s the first time we’ve seen the term “juke joint” since reading The Color Purple.

Black Jack Pasta Kitchen $$$$ 1401 Washington Street

Black Jack Pasta Bar was a pasta place in the Fenway that closed last year. This new spot in the South End is a grab-and-go pasta place, which is interesting.

Ilona $$$$

Ilona in the South End is the third restaurant opened up by the team behind Kava Neo-Taverna and Puro Ceviche Bar - two places we really like. It’s Georgian, but Stalin-Georgian, not OutKast-Georgian.

BearMoose Brewing Company $ $ $ $ Everett $$$$ 1934 Revere Beach Pkwy

Cool - we literally just finished our Boston Brewery Rankings, and now we already have to update it. Thanks a lot, BearMoose Brewing, a new brewery and taproom that just opened up with an in-house deli in Everett.

all the time out market places  Saltie Girl Saltie Girl Fenway $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The Back Bay raw bar is selling a small selection of its favorites, including lobster rolls (both hot and cold) and clam chowder.

 Drew Katz Craigie Burger $$$$ 401 Park Drive

To get the famous burger at Craigie on Main in Central Square, you usually have to leave work early, wait in line before the bar opens at 5, rush inside, and be one of the first 15 people to order it. Now you only have to fight through big crowds of BU students and doctors from Beth Israel.

Tasting Counter $$$$ 401 Park Dr

One of the city’s fanciest and most expensive tasting menu places now has a place where you can wait in line for $22 king crab risotto.

Mamaleh’s $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The original Mameleh’s in Kendall Square is one of Boston’s best delis. This is now the third place you can get the shakshuka, along with its stand at the Public Market.

 Jaclyn Rivas Ms. Clucks Deluxe $$$$

The team behind O Ya and Hojoko are serving up chicken and dumplings.

 Jaclyn Rivas Gogo Ya $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The team behind O Ya and Hojoko are also serving up crispy nori tacos and bento boxes.

BISq $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The real Bisq is an excellent wine bar in Inman Square. This mini-Bisq is serving charcuterie and sandwiches.

Gelato & Chill $$$$ 401 Park Drive

They serve up gelato and wordplay.

Union Square Donuts $$$$ 401 Park Drive

If you haven’t already had one of these brioche donuts (either at the original spot in Union or the stand in the Public Market) now’s your chance.

Revolution Health Kitchen $$$$ 401 Park Dr

Juices, smoothies, acai bowls, and other things your spin instructor loves.

Michael Schlow’s Italian Kitchen $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Michael Schlow used to run, like, 16 really hyped restaurants in Boston. Then he left and closed them all for some reason, and now he’s back with an Italian stand here.

Monti $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Oh, apparently Michael Schlow is also back with a pizza stand here.

Anoush'ella $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Anoush’ella is a popular spot in the South End for fast casual Medeterranean food. Come here for mezze, overnight braised beef, and za’atar chicken.

Bar $$$$ 401 Park Drive

There are two bars at the Time Out Market. They’re both called Bar.

All the Casino Spots Waterfront $$$$ 1 Broadway

We hear it has a view of the table games instead of the water, but the more interesting thing about this seafood spot is that it’s led by the original chef from Neptune Oyster, one of Boston’s best restaurants.

Oyster Bar $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a place that sells oysters, in a casino, and it’s also from the old Neptune chef.

On Deck Burger Bar $$$$

It’s a place that sells burgers, in a casino.

Fratelli $$$$ 1 Broadway

The people behind three of our most cliched Italian places in the North End (Bricco, Mare, and Strega) have combined forces to build a (probably) cliched Italian place in a casino.

Rare Steakhouse $$$$ 1 Broadway

They claim to serve the only “certified authentic Kobe beef in New England.” We’ll fact-check that with the governor of the Hyogo Prefecture and get back to you.

Sinatra $$$$

It’s an Italian place, and it’s probably where all the guys who had Swingers posters on their walls in college are going to eat.

Red 8 $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a Chinese restaurant franchise of a chain that also has locations in Macau, which is in China, and Las Vegas, which is not.

Mystique $$$$

Izakayas are cool, and this one apparently has views of the skyline instead of a busload of senior citizens being hypnotized by slot machines.

Garden Cafe $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a farm-to-table place and, maybe it’s in a garden in a casino?

The Buffet $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a buffet, in a casino.

June  Ban Toi $ $ $ $ Vietnamese  in  Dorchester $$$$ 1035 Dorchester Ave 8.0 /10

Ban Toi is Dorchester’s (or, to be more precise, Savin HIll’s) newest Vietnamese spot. It has pho, but it also looks to have more interesting things like jackfruit salad and conch.

 T&B Pizza $ $ $ $ Pizza  in  Somerville ,  Union Square $$$$ 251 Washington Not

Rated

Yet

Union Square has a new pizza place that promises to serve two different kinds of wood-fired pizzas. It remains to be seen whether that means two different kinds of crusts or, like, they invented a new kind of fire.

Jonquil's Cafe & Bakery $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery  in  Back Bay $$$$ 125 Newbury St 6.7 /10

Newbury Street has a new bakery and coffee shop, and it serves laser-printed pastries that look like what Picasso would try to do with a meringue.

 Paris Creperie Paris Creperie $$$$ 60 Seaport Blvd

The second location of a Brookline crepe place opened in the Seaport. Unlike the Coolidge Corner location, this one serves alcohol.

Pepita Coffee $$$$ 284 Broadway

Pepita is the new coffee shop inside Lamplighter Brewing (replacing Longfellow’s). They serve tacos all day.

 9zaab Thai Street Food $ $ $ $ Thai  in  East Cambridge $$$$ 569 Cambridge St Not

Rated

Yet

Every neighborhood has a favorite Thai place, but few of them have Thai street noodle places, too. East Cambridge just got one with 9Zaab.

Ciao Bella $ $ $ $ Italian  in  North End $$$$ North square 6.5 /10

North Square Oyster was one of our favorite spots in the North End, in large part because it wasn’t an Italian restaurant. So we were kind of bummed when they shut down and reopened as...an Italian restaurant. There’s still a tiny space off to the side of the restaurant that’s still called North Square Oyster, but it’s now primarily a spot for spaghetti carbonara and veal Milanese.

Avenue Kitchen + Bar $$$$ 158 Boston Ave

Ball Square now has a gastropub serving Detroit-style pizza, which appears to be another name for Sicilian style pizza. We’ll find out.

may  Zuma Zuma $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Back Bay $$$$ 1 Dalton St Not

Rated

Yet

Zuma, a global sushi chain with locations in London, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Rome, among other cities, just opened up in that brand new skyscraper in Back Bay. Take another look at that list of cities - this place is probably going to be expensive.

Recino's Cafe $$$$ 85 Broadway

A new counter-service El Salvadorean place opened in East Somerville, and it serves three meals a day including a bunch of pastries and cakes.

Six Po Hot Pot $$$$ 1353 Beacon Street

If you like going to restaurants, but wish they were just slightly more physically dangerous, then you probably like doing hot pot. Now you have a new option to do so in Coolidge Corner.

Moon and Flower $$$$ 110 Brighton Ave

Allston now has a fast-casual spot for ramen burgers. Those are two fun things we’re always happy to see together.

 Sweet Rice Sweet Rice $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Thai ,  Sushi  in  Jamaica Plain $$$$ 697 Centre Street 7.1 /10

The second location of a place in Charlestown just opened up on Centre Street in JP. It’s got both Thai food and sushi under the same roof, so there’s no need to feel shame if you order take-out from here twice a week.

Winnisimmet Lounge $$$$ 73 Winnisimmet street

If you think the Chelsea waterfront is nothing but oil tanks, warehouses, and ooze of mysterious origin that you really don’t want to touch, well, you’re mostly right. But now it’s all of those things in addition to being the location of a new Italian restaurant and cocktail lounge with views of the refineries on the Chelsea River.

 The Joint $ $ $ $ Burgers  in  Jamaica Plain $$$$ 605 Centre St 7.3 /10

There’s nothing wrong with a new burger place, especially ones that top burgers with grilled pineapples, onion rings, and blood orange aioli. The Joint is a tiny burger spot that just opened up on Centre Street in JP and, even though it apparently doesn’t yet have a bathroom, it does have beer, wine, and a ceiling made of corrugated aluminium.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood $$$$ 122 Belvidere St

Other than Legal’s, which probably has a franchise in your living room by now, we don’t have a ton of seafood chains around here, but another one has just landed. Eddie V’s, a chain of seafood restaurants with a lot of locations in Texas and California, just opened in a giant space at the Prudential Center.

Migaku Noodle House $ $ $ $ Ramen  in  Brookline ,  Brookline Village $$$$ 238 Washington Street 7.1 /10

You probably don’t eat a ton of ramen in the summer, but just in case you get the urge, you now have a new place to do so at Migaku in Brookline Village.

Nachlo $$$$ 1443 Tremont Street

Mission Hill has a new restaurant and it’s a Mexican-Pakistani place. It’s possible that there are already one or two of those around Boston, but it’s not like we have a whole neighborhood called Little Guadalahore or anything, so this definitely seems worth checking out.

Curio Wine Bar $$$$ 441 Cambridge Street

If you love both coffee and wine, but hate having to move when you want to switch from the former to the latter, you’ve got a new favorite place in Lechmere. Curio Coffee will now become Curio Wine Bar at night, with natural wines and light bites.

 SloPoke SloPoke $$$$ 181 Cambridge Street

Normally we wouldn’t get too excited about yet another poke place opening up, especially one that’s in a Whole Foods. But this one in the Charles River Plaza was just opened by the chef behind the Fox & The Knife, an Italian place currently on our Hit List, so we’ll definitely check it out.

April Taiyaki NYC - Boston $$$$ 119 Seaport Blvd Ste B

Yes, this ice cream place that serves fish-shaped cones and red bean ice cream probably should have slightly changed its name when it opened a location in the Seaport.

La Pescheria $$$$ 800 Boylston Street

While we don’t love corporate malls, we do love Italian Seafood. Luckily, La Pescheria just opened up in Eataly, so the Prudential Center is now slightly more bearable.

 The Groove The Groove $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Fenway $$$$ 1271 Boylston St

There’s a new ’70s-style cocktail lounge in the Fenway. It’s actually located inside of Hojoko, but has an entirely different (though still Japanese) menu with things like tortilla chips topped with torched hamachi and Hello Kitty Caviar service - whatever that means.

 Red White Japanese Restaurant $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Vegan  in  Back Bay $$$$ 294 Newbury St Not

Rated

Yet

Red White is a new place to get fast-casual bowls on Newbury Street. If you think we’ve been getting a lot of those lately, you’re right, but this one’s a little different with its meatless, Japanese menu.

Pho #1 $$$$ 1799 Commonwealth Ave

We’ll never complain about more Vietnamese noodle and pho places opening up. This one’s on Comm Ave in Brighton.

 The Quiet Few The Quiet Few $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  East Boston $$$$ 331 Sumner St 7.3 /10

East Boston has a new neighborhood tavern brought to you by the same people behind The Gallows in the South End. Like The Gallows, it has a menu of burgers and whiskey, but the real reason we want to go there is the shuffleboard table.

Casarecce $ $ $ $ Italian  in  North End $$$$ 285 Hanover St 6.8 /10

There’s a new restaurant in the North End and, you’re not going to believe this, but it’s Italian. This one promises to focus on lesser-known pasta shapes. Shapes are fun.

 Jack's Abbey Track Zero Taproom $$$$ 135 Causeway St

Jack’s Abbey Brewery opened a tiny bar inside North Station. If you’re commuting to the North Shore, this might become a regular stop on your way home.

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/boston/guides/bostons-new-restaurant-openings Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created March 3, 2020 at 12:38AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[instantdeerlover]

Boston’s New Restaurant Openings added to Google Docs

Boston’s New Restaurant Openings

If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in Boston, you might go a little bit crazy. So just read this list instead. These are the new restaurant openings that seem like they have the most potential - although keep in mind, for the ones we haven’t tried, we make no promises. Go forth and be a pioneer.

We’ll be regularly updating this post. Once we check out each spot, we’ll add a note so you know where to read more about it - in our Hit List.

February  Yellow Door Taqueria $$$$ 354 Harrison Ave

Dorchester staple Yellow Door Taqueria has opened a second location in the South End. There are 12 taco varieties, like scallop frito and sunchoke, to choose from, all of which come on homemade corn tortillas. The restaurant also has a text-a-taco service, which you use to gift tacos to your friends. Turns out technology can actually be used for good.

 Sam Swan Krasi $$$$ 48 Gloucester St

Wine bars are opening all over the city, and Krasi has joined the party. This Greek restaurant in Back Bay features lesser-known wines from the region and a large selection of mezze plates like celery root carpaccio and smoked monkfish. There’s also a “Feast of the Gods” for $349, if you’re feeling particularly divine.

Libertine $$$$ 125 Salem St

Libertine is a new North End restaurant that, shockingly, isn’t Italian. It calls itself a “gastropub,” serving a wide range of things from street corn to chicken pot pie to BBQ ribs. There’s also a number of mac and cheese options, probably because any place that doesn’t serve pasta in the North End will inevitably be shut down by the tourism board.

Alma Gaucha $$$$ 401 D St

Southie now has its own Brazilian steakhouse right next to Lawn on D. So this summer you could foreseeably eat an ungodly amount of meat and then play bubble soccer - Boston’s version of the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

 Cosmica $$$$ 40 Berkeley St

The team behind Beehive has a new street food-inspired Mexican spot inside the Revolution Hotel in the South End. The menu has a variety of tacos and rice bowls, as well as a selection of larger entrees like cochinita pibil (pork that’s spent hours detoxing within a banana leaf).

Bubor Cha Cha $$$$ 45 Beach St

This Chinatown restaurant, which previously served Cantonese and South East Asian dishes, has now reopened with a focus on Hunan cuisine. Expect some spicy things like steamed fish with red peppers.

Barra $$$$ 23A Bow St

A small Mexican restaurant and bar has opened right next to Celeste in Somerville. There are mezcal and tuxca cocktails, as well as five to six small plates (like aguachile) daily. Weekend brunch is also available.

 Mike Diskin French Quarter $$$$ 545 Washington St

The Theater District is now home to a New Orleans-themed restaurant, complete with fleur de lis, sazeracs, po-boys, and gumbo. No word yet on whether Drew Brees will make an appearance.

Lucie Drink & Dine $$$$ 120 Huntington Ave

There’s a new kind-of-American restaurant inside The Colonnade Hotel in Back Bay, and its goal is to become a “great neighborhood restaurant.” We’re not entirely sure what algorithm they’ll use to get there, but having Maine lobster pie and make-your-own-sundaes on the menu is a good start.

Brooklyn Ramen $$$$ 299 Harvard St

The speciality Japanese tea store Gen Sou En in Brookline recently closed, but the space has now been converted into a grocery store. There’s a deli housing Brooklyn Ramen in the back, which serves ramen and okonomiyaki.

Obosa $$$$ 146 Belgrade Ave

A casual West African restaurant is now open in Roslindale, serving staples like meat patties, puff puffs, and Jollof rice.

January  Brian Samuels Grand Tour $$$$ 314 Newbury St

The team behind Select Oyster Bar now has a Tour de France-inspired bistro just around the corner in Back Bay. The menu has some unique takes on French classics, like escargot pie and rabbit with parsley salad. The most expensive thing on the menu is the caviar omelette at $60 - even if we were gifted one every morning, we still wouldn’t ride a bike for 3,570 miles.

50Kitchen $$$$ 1450 Dorchester Ave

Dorchester has a new soul food and Asian fusion restaurant, serving unique dishes like jambalaya egg rolls and a smoked brisket bánh mì. It’s more interesting than almost everything at Legal, where the chef used to work.

La Mei Hotpot $$$$ 230 Harvard St

The Coolidge Corner section of Brookline now has another hot pot restaurant in the neighborhood. There’s a “crazy spicy” broth option here - while Denny’s has a similar option, we guarantee it will taste better at LaMei.

 Tsurutontan Tsurutontan $$$$ 512 Commonwealth Ave

Osaka udon-chain Tsurutontan now has its first Boston location inside of the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. Udon’s not the only thing on the menu, though - there’s also sushi, donburi bowls, cocktails, and sake.

Lulu Green $$$$ 246 W Broadway

Southie now has a Middle Eastern vegan restaurant. You’ll have salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and a mezze bar to choose from, as well as some bakery items. A Turkish coffee cardamom-cherry muffin seems like a delicious option to us.

M&M BBQ $$$$ 1246 Massachusetts Ave

Dorchester Brewing Company, one of our favorite Boston breweries, is now home to a BBQ restaurant. So the next time you’re “working from home,” you’ll be able to pair some pulled pork with an IPA during an important “lunch meeting.”

Poke By Love Art $$$$ 103 Beverly St

The Love Art team already has a sushi and udon restaurant, so now they’re adding a poke spot to the mix. Everything is gluten-free at this Downtown establishment, apart from the spaghetti self-portrait on the wall by local artist Nord Fine.

 Bar 'Cino Bar 'Cino $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Brookline $$$$ 1032 Beacon St Not

Rated

Yet

Instead of another dispensary (which was originally supposed to be in this space), Brookline just got a new Italian restaurant from a Rhode Island restaurant group. The menu is made up of a variety of small plates and pastas, as well as a specific type of Rhode Island pizza made famous in the 1980s. Tracksuits and ruffled shirts are making a comeback, so we suppose there’s no reason to discriminate against pizza.

 Longcross Bar and Kitchen LongCross Bar and Kitchen $$$$ 501 Fellsway

Detroit-style pizza places are quickly expanding around the Boston area, and perhaps some of them will make it on to our best pizza list one day. For now, you can enjoy deep-dish by the fireplace at this new Medford restaurant.

December  Joyelle West Gray’s Hall $ $ $ $ American ,  Wine Bar  in  South Boston $$$$ 615 E Broadway Not

Rated

Yet

A natural wine bar and small plates spot has opened in Southie. Conveniently, the bar is located next to American Provisions, a full fledged cheese, wine, and charcuterie store, making this a one-stop-shop for all your self-care needs.

 JM Leach Sound Advice $ $ $ $ Bar  in  West End $$$$ 60 Causeway St

If you’ve ever had the desire to drink at a movie theater without actually watching a movie, then this is the place for you. This cocktail bar is located next to the new ArcLight Cinemas in The Hub on Causeway.

 Flight Club Darts USA Flight Club $$$$ 60 Seaport Blvd

Cocktails, darts, and cotton candy unite together at this Seaport bar, a unity which management believes will bring you “unexpected, ridiculous joy.” Hopefully it’s not of the Ed Norton variety.

Happy Crab $$$$ 1137 Broadway

Somerville is the location for yet another Cajun-style, eat-with-your-hands seafood restaurant. At this time, we will reserve comment on the emotional state of crustaceans within the institution.

 Lily P’s $ $ $ $ American  in  Kendall Square $$$$ 50 Binney St 7.0 /10

Kendall Square is apparently home to a startup that helps you learn the lingo for a variety of different industries. It is also now home to this fried chicken and oysters spot - which means, no matter what you do for work, “yes” is pretty much the only term you’ll need to know.

 Cini's Cini's $$$$ 252 Friend St

Bite-sized arancini balls will now be served until 3am on Friday and Saturdays in the West End. Cini’s will also serve pizza until that time, so it may become your go to place for late-night cheesy Instagram photos.

 Tavern of Tales Tavern of Tales $$$$ 1478 Tremont St

Board games are more fun when someone else is serving cocktails and your guests don’t have to sit on the couch that the cat constantly sheds on. Pizza and tater tots are also available at this Mission Hill cafe.

iFresh Noodle $$$$ 182 Brighton Ave

Allston is getting a new hand-pulled noodle store, which is great. We just hope that the “noodle-pulling” team is better than the “name-the-restaurant” team.

 Tonkatsu King $$$$ 17 Brighton Ave

The Super 88 food court has a new vendor, one that will be royally frying up golden pieces of pork. We would be happy citizens under this monarchy.

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant $$$$ 41 Warren St

This Bronx-based Jamaican patty chain is continuing its expansion in the greater Boston area, this time in the Dudley Square area of Roxbury.

Only One Jamacian Restaurant III $$$$ 1345 Hyde Park Ave

Can you have three locations as a restaurant and still call yourself “Only One”? This Jamaican establishment, with a new spot in Hyde Park, is certainly not shying away from the question.

NOvember  Mariel Underground Mariel Underground $ $ $ $ Cuban ,  Bar  in  Downtown $$$$ 10 Post Office Square

Mariel, a great new Cuban restaurant in Post Office Square, has opened a cocktail lounge underneath the restaurant. It’s open Tuesday-Sunday starting a 5pm and taking table reservations 9pm and later.

 Woods Hill Pier Four Woods Hill Pier 4 $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Seaport District $$$$ 300 Pier 4 Blvd Not

Rated

Yet

There’s a new seafood place in one of those brand new glass condo buildings on the seaport, and your dad will almost certainly mistakenly call it Woods Hole Pier 4 for years to come.

Omori Izakaya $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Brookline ,  Brookline Village $$$$ 195 Washington St 7.0 /10

Brookline has a new izakaya, and it’s right around the corner from a dispensary. If you’ve been in the mood for pot and robata skewers, you’re in luck.

Soup Shack $$$$ 401 Harvard Street

A JP spot for pho, ramen, and Thai noodle dishes opened a second location north of Coolidge Corner in Brookline.

Shake Shack $$$$ 322 Washington St

There’s a new burger option (and source of huge lunch lines) in Downtown Crossing, as Greater Boston gets its seventh Shake Shack

Tatte Bakery & Cafe $$$$ 345 Harrison Ave

We’re not quite at the point where there are as many Tatte’s as Dunkin Donuts in Boston, but we’re getting there, as a new one opened up in the South End.

Lola Burger $ $ $ $ Burgers  in  Seaport District $$$$ 11 Fan Pier Blvd 5.9 /10

The people behind Lola 42 have opened up a burger joint around the corner on Fan Pier.

Bluestone Lane Harvard Square Café $$$$ 27 Brattle St

An Australian chain of coffee shops just opened its first Boston location in Harvard Square. It serves an all-day breakfast menu of things like lemon ricotta pancakes and shakshuka.

Nourish Your Soul $$$$ 208 Newbury Street

If you ever get hungry while shopping for yoga pants at the Lululemon on Newbury Street, now you have a place to eat bowls, smoothies, and other foods your spin instructor loves at Nourish Your Soul.

 Dirty Water Dough Company $ $ $ $ Pizza  in  East Boston $$$$ 20 Maverick St 7.3 /10

A Newbury Street slice joint just opened up a second location in Maverick Square.

October  Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina $$$$ 110 Causeway

There are plenty of things that Boston has in abundance, like rotaries, wind, and 18-22 year-olds from New Jersey. But we’ve always had a conspicuous lack of donkey sauce. The drought may be over now that we have a Guy Fieri restaurant at North Station.

Distraction Brewing $ $ $ $ Bar  in  Roslindale $$$$ 2 Belgrade Ave

Everyone is understandably sad about the closure of Mystic Brewery, but thankfully it’s been immediately replaced by Distraction Brewing in Roslindale Square.

Brato Brewhouse + Kitchen $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  Brighton $$$$ 190 North Beacon St

And right on Distraction’s heels, Brato Brewhouse is opening in Brighton. It looks like it has way more food options that most breweries.

 Six West Six West $$$$ 6 W Broadway

Southie has its first hotel, and it comes with a hotel restaurant that serves potstickers, short rib tacos, and caviar paninis. A rooftop bar is coming, too, but it’s not open yet.

The Kenmore $$$$ 475 Commonwealth Ave

What used to be the Lower Depths in Kenmore Square is now a place called The Kenmore with beer and bar food.

Veggie Grill $$$$ 57 JFK St

West Coast vegan chain Veggie Grill has opened in Harvard Square. Expect salads, veggie burgers, and lots of other quick options.

Izakaya Ittoku $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Korean  in  Cambridge ,  Porter Square $$$$ 1815 Massachusetts Ave Not

Rated

Yet

Ittoku is an izakaya that just moved to Porter Square from Brighton (closing the original location in the process). It appears to largely have the same menu, though it has a full liquor license now.

Lobstah On A Roll $$$$ 254 Newbury St

A South End sandwich shop that makes the [ninth best lobster roll in Boston[( https://www.theinfatuation.com/boston/guides/best-lobster-rolls-in-boston) just opened a second location on Newbury Street.

Pink Taco Boston $$$$ 374 Congress St

A Los Angeles taco chain has opened in The Seaport. They’re open for brunch, lunch, and dinner, serving tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and bowls.

Bulfinch Social $$$$ 107 Merrimac street

The Boxer Hotel in the Bulfinch Triangle has a new lobby restaurant, meaning we have a new place to eat and drink near the Garden that doesn’t have Larry Bird jerseys on the walls.

 Rochambeu Rochambeau $ $ $ $ French  in  Back Bay $$$$ 900 Boylston St 7.4 /10

Rochambeau is a big, brassy French restaurant in the Back Bay, which is already probably the capital of big, brassy French restaurants.

Bar Moxy $$$$ 240 Tremont

The brand new Moxy Hotel in the Theater District has a restaurant, and we’re pretty sure it’s the only place in town with a “food truck-inspired photo booth.”

Trillium Fenway $ $ $ $ Fenway $$$$ 401 Park Dr

Trillium has built a new tap room on the lawn outside of the Time Out Market, as it continues its quest to completely take over the Boston beer scene.

september  Richard Cadan Mariel $ $ $ $ Cuban  in  Downtown $$$$ 10 Post Office Sq 8.2 /10

Mariel is a big Cuban place in an old bank in Post Office Square. We don’t know why all old banks were built to look like Greek temples, but they make for some cool looking restaurants.

Richard’s $$$$ 1193 Cambridge St

Richard’s is a new American spot in Inman Square. They serve things like pasta and grilled bison.

Ghost Pepper Taco & Tequila Bar $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Dorchester $$$$ 120 Savin Hill Ave 6.5 /10

Savin Hill has a new taco and tequila bar and, let’s face it, every neighborhood deserves a new taco and tequila bar.

 Chalawan $ $ $ $ Southeast Asian  in  Porter Square $$$$ 1790 Massachusetts Ave Not

Rated

Yet

Calawan is a Southeast Asian place in Porter Square. It looks like it has some really cheap wine, so it’s got that going for it, as well as dumplings, curries, and meatier dishes too.

Gantetsu-Ya $$$$ 318 Harvard Street

Gantetsu-Ya is a new Japanese street food stall in the Coolidge Corner arcade. There are few things in life we like more than Japanese street food, so we’re excited.

 Roxanne's $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  Beacon Hill ,  Downtown $$$$ 6 Beacon St

The former 6B Lounge - a Downtown bar that existed solely for the purpose of after-work drinks - has been replaced by a new tiki place with a menu of bar bites. Sounds like an improvement to us.

Jamaica Mi Hungry $$$$ 225 Centre Street

You’ve seen the jerk chicken food truck around town, and now you can find it in brick-and-mortar form in Jamaica Plain.

Pazza On Porter $$$$ 107 Porter Street

The owners of Caffe Dello Sport on Hanover Street are branching out with a full-service Italian restaurant in East Boston.

Family Affair $$$$ 554 Columbia St

How many different kinds of chicken and waffles do you know how to make? If your answer is somewhere between 0 and 51, then, sorry, you don’t know how to make as many different kinds of chicken and waffles as this new Caribbean restaurant in Dorchester.

Stillwater $ $ $ $ American  in  Downtown $$$$ 120 Kingston St 6.9 /10

If you’ve ever had a friend visit Boston only to complain about our lack of restaurants that showcase the cuisine of Oklahoma, now you can take them to Stillwater for some Ritz cracker-crusted fried chicken.

Carolicious $$$$ 14 Tyler St

Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville already has Boston’s best brewery dining option in The Tasting Counter. But if you’re not up to a two-hour tasting menu, now you can get arepas at Carolicious.

august  Alejandro Ramos OddFellows Ice Cream $$$$ 55 Boylston St

If you’ve never had olive oil and strawberry jam flavored ice cream, now you can at this NYC-based ice cream place that opened in Chestnut Hill.

 Orfano $ $ $ $ Steaks ,  Italian  in  Fenway $$$$ 188 Brookline St 7.5 /10

Now that the people behind Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, and Fool’s Errand opened up an Italian place, Orfano, there’s now an entire block of the Fenway that’s almost completely controlled by one restaurant group. But we’re big fans of the first three restaurants, so if Orfano is any good and the city wants to let them name the street, we’re good with that.

 Shy Bird $ $ $ $ American  in  Kendall Square $$$$ 1 Broadway Not

Rated

Yet

Kendall Square has a new all-day counter-service cafe, and this one serves beer and wine along with its specialty rotisserie meats.

 Gre.Co Gre.Co $$$$

The fast-casual Greek spot opened its second location. It’s in the Seaport and, unlike the original Back Bay location, it has a liquor license.

Create Gallery & Cocktails $ $ $ $ Bar  in  Somerville ,  Union Square $$$$ 1 Bow Market Way

Bow Market may be officially finished now that there’s a small cocktail bar/art gallery that serves draft cocktails created by bartenders from around the city.

Taqueria El Barrio $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Allston ,  Brookline $$$$ 1022 Commonwealth Ave 7.5 /10

The people behind Bisq, one of our favorite restaurants in Cambridge, have opened a counter-service taco place on Comm Ave. near BU.

Boba Me $$$$ 1520 Tremont

A new cafe in Mission Hill is serving boba tea and “flaming hot cheese fries.” We’re all for interesting combinations, so you do you, Boba Me.

Pai Kin Kao $ $ $ $ Thai  in  Central Square $$$$ 80 River Street 7.4 /10

What used to be Chick Chick Boom, a Central Square chicken place, is now Pai Kin Kao, and it focuses on Thai and ramen.

110 Grill $$$$ 1 District Ave

A new location of an American chain has opened in the South Bay area of Dorchester, and it calls itself “upscale-casual.” That doesn’t seem to make sense, but we don’t necessarily dislike things that don’t make sense.

july  Brian Samuels The Emory $ $ $ $ American  in  Beacon Hill ,  Downtown $$$$ 21 Beacon St 7.7 /10

There’s a new restaurant at the top of Beacon Hill and and it has a couple of things on the menu we’ve never heard off, like a lobster sausage sandwich and baked potato beignets.

Parlour $ $ $ $ American ,  Tapas  in  Brookline ,  Coolidge Corner $$$$ 308 Harvard Street 7.6 /10

Parlour is a new tapas place in Coolidge Corner, so now you have a tapas place to eat at before attending a French film festival at the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The Oyster Club $ $ $ $ Seafood  in  Back Bay ,  Downtown $$$$ 79 Park Plaza 7.0 /10

We don’t necessarily need more oyster bars, but we’ll always welcome them. This one is just off the Public Garden, and it seems like a place where a lot of people will be paying with corporate cards.

Dolce $ $ $ $ Pizza ,  Sandwiches ,  Ice Cream  in  North End $$$$ 272 Hanover Street 6.9 /10

There’s a new restaurant on Hanover Street and, you’re not going to believe this, but it’s Italian. It’s called Dolce, and it specializes in pizza and gelato.

Kingston Cuts $ $ $ $ Steaks  in  Downtown $$$$ 25 Kingston Street 6.5 /10

Downtown Crossing has a new steak-y bistro, with a separate bar and lounge area up front.

 Black Lamb Black Lamb $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood ,  French  in  South End $$$$ 571 Tremont St 7.5 /10

The people behind Bar Mezzana, Shore Leave, and No Relation - three South End spots we’re fans of - opened Black Lamb, an “American brasserie and raw bar.” We’re excited.

Silk Road Express $$$$ 1 Brighton Ave

This is the second location of an Uyghur restaurant in Cambridge, and it’s in the wonderful Super 88 Asian food hall in Allston.

Nani Chick'n Bunz $$$$

It’s a delivery-only restaurant, which we’re not sure even counts as a restaurant. But if you live near their kitchen in Allston, then you can get some chicken sandwiches that look pretty good, and hopefully travel well.

Kim’s Tofu $$$$ 160 Brighton Ave

Kim’s is a new Korean place in Allston, and it makes all its tofu in-house.

 Peregrine $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Beacon Hill $$$$ 170 Charles Street Not

Rated

Yet

The people behind Juliet, an awesomely casual and affordable fine-dining restaurant in Union Square, have opened Peregrine. It’s an Italian spot in a Beacon Hill boutique hotel, and, as you’d from an Italian spot in a Beacon Hill boutique hotel, it looks to be much more upscale and pricey than their first place.

Sally’s Sandwiches $$$$ 492 Tremont St

The people behind Banyan and The Gallows - a Korean place and a pub, respectively - opened this sandwich spot inside Blackbird Doughnuts in the South End.

The Porch Southern Fare And Juke Joint $$$$ 175 Rivers edge Dr

We’re pretty sure that this new spot for barbecue and live music in Medford is the only juke joint in Boston, and we’re definitely sure it’s the first time we’ve seen the term “juke joint” since reading The Color Purple.

Black Jack Pasta Kitchen $$$$ 1401 Washington Street

Black Jack Pasta Bar was a pasta place in the Fenway that closed last year. This new spot in the South End is a grab-and-go pasta place, which is interesting.

Ilona $$$$

Ilona in the South End is the third restaurant opened up by the team behind Kava Neo-Taverna and Puro Ceviche Bar - two places we really like. It’s Georgian, but Stalin-Georgian, not OutKast-Georgian.

BearMoose Brewing Company $ $ $ $ Everett $$$$ 1934 Revere Beach Pkwy

Cool - we literally just finished our Boston Brewery Rankings, and now we already have to update it. Thanks a lot, BearMoose Brewing, a new brewery and taproom that just opened up with an in-house deli in Everett.

all the time out market places  Saltie Girl Saltie Girl Fenway $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The Back Bay raw bar is selling a small selection of its favorites, including lobster rolls (both hot and cold) and clam chowder.

 Drew Katz Craigie Burger $$$$ 401 Park Drive

To get the famous burger at Craigie on Main in Central Square, you usually have to leave work early, wait in line before the bar opens at 5, rush inside, and be one of the first 15 people to order it. Now you only have to fight through big crowds of BU students and doctors from Beth Israel.

Tasting Counter $$$$ 401 Park Dr

One of the city’s fanciest and most expensive tasting menu places now has a place where you can wait in line for $22 king crab risotto.

Mamaleh’s $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The original Mameleh’s in Kendall Square is one of Boston’s best delis. This is now the third place you can get the shakshuka, along with its stand at the Public Market.

 Jaclyn Rivas Ms. Clucks Deluxe $$$$

The team behind O Ya and Hojoko are serving up chicken and dumplings.

 Jaclyn Rivas Gogo Ya $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The team behind O Ya and Hojoko are also serving up crispy nori tacos and bento boxes.

BISq $$$$ 401 Park Drive

The real Bisq is an excellent wine bar in Inman Square. This mini-Bisq is serving charcuterie and sandwiches.

Gelato & Chill $$$$ 401 Park Drive

They serve up gelato and wordplay.

Union Square Donuts $$$$ 401 Park Drive

If you haven’t already had one of these brioche donuts (either at the original spot in Union or the stand in the Public Market) now’s your chance.

Revolution Health Kitchen $$$$ 401 Park Dr

Juices, smoothies, acai bowls, and other things your spin instructor loves.

Michael Schlow’s Italian Kitchen $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Michael Schlow used to run, like, 16 really hyped restaurants in Boston. Then he left and closed them all for some reason, and now he’s back with an Italian stand here.

Monti $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Oh, apparently Michael Schlow is also back with a pizza stand here.

Anoush'ella $$$$ 401 Park Drive

Anoush’ella is a popular spot in the South End for fast casual Medeterranean food. Come here for mezze, overnight braised beef, and za’atar chicken.

Bar $$$$ 401 Park Drive

There are two bars at the Time Out Market. They’re both called Bar.

All the Casino Spots Waterfront $$$$ 1 Broadway

We hear it has a view of the table games instead of the water, but the more interesting thing about this seafood spot is that it’s led by the original chef from Neptune Oyster, one of Boston’s best restaurants.

Oyster Bar $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a place that sells oysters, in a casino, and it’s also from the old Neptune chef.

On Deck Burger Bar $$$$

It’s a place that sells burgers, in a casino.

Fratelli $$$$ 1 Broadway

The people behind three of our most cliched Italian places in the North End (Bricco, Mare, and Strega) have combined forces to build a (probably) cliched Italian place in a casino.

Rare Steakhouse $$$$ 1 Broadway

They claim to serve the only “certified authentic Kobe beef in New England.” We’ll fact-check that with the governor of the Hyogo Prefecture and get back to you.

Sinatra $$$$

It’s an Italian place, and it’s probably where all the guys who had Swingers posters on their walls in college are going to eat.

Red 8 $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a Chinese restaurant franchise of a chain that also has locations in Macau, which is in China, and Las Vegas, which is not.

Mystique $$$$

Izakayas are cool, and this one apparently has views of the skyline instead of a busload of senior citizens being hypnotized by slot machines.

Garden Cafe $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a farm-to-table place and, maybe it’s in a garden in a casino?

The Buffet $$$$ 1 Broadway

It’s a buffet, in a casino.

June  Ban Toi $ $ $ $ Vietnamese  in  Dorchester $$$$ 1035 Dorchester Ave 8.0 /10

Ban Toi is Dorchester’s (or, to be more precise, Savin HIll’s) newest Vietnamese spot. It has pho, but it also looks to have more interesting things like jackfruit salad and conch.

 T&B Pizza $ $ $ $ Pizza  in  Somerville ,  Union Square $$$$ 251 Washington Not

Rated

Yet

Union Square has a new pizza place that promises to serve two different kinds of wood-fired pizzas. It remains to be seen whether that means two different kinds of crusts or, like, they invented a new kind of fire.

Jonquil's Cafe & Bakery $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery  in  Back Bay $$$$ 125 Newbury St 6.7 /10

Newbury Street has a new bakery and coffee shop, and it serves laser-printed pastries that look like what Picasso would try to do with a meringue.

 Paris Creperie Paris Creperie $$$$ 60 Seaport Blvd

The second location of a Brookline crepe place opened in the Seaport. Unlike the Coolidge Corner location, this one serves alcohol.

Pepita Coffee $$$$ 284 Broadway

Pepita is the new coffee shop inside Lamplighter Brewing (replacing Longfellow’s). They serve tacos all day.

 9zaab Thai Street Food $ $ $ $ Thai  in  East Cambridge $$$$ 569 Cambridge St Not

Rated

Yet

Every neighborhood has a favorite Thai place, but few of them have Thai street noodle places, too. East Cambridge just got one with 9Zaab.

Ciao Bella $ $ $ $ Italian  in  North End $$$$ North square 6.5 /10

North Square Oyster was one of our favorite spots in the North End, in large part because it wasn’t an Italian restaurant. So we were kind of bummed when they shut down and reopened as...an Italian restaurant. There’s still a tiny space off to the side of the restaurant that’s still called North Square Oyster, but it’s now primarily a spot for spaghetti carbonara and veal Milanese.

Avenue Kitchen + Bar $$$$ 158 Boston Ave

Ball Square now has a gastropub serving Detroit-style pizza, which appears to be another name for Sicilian style pizza. We’ll find out.

may  Zuma Zuma $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Back Bay $$$$ 1 Dalton St Not

Rated

Yet

Zuma, a global sushi chain with locations in London, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Rome, among other cities, just opened up in that brand new skyscraper in Back Bay. Take another look at that list of cities - this place is probably going to be expensive.

Recino's Cafe $$$$ 85 Broadway

A new counter-service El Salvadorean place opened in East Somerville, and it serves three meals a day including a bunch of pastries and cakes.

Six Po Hot Pot $$$$ 1353 Beacon Street

If you like going to restaurants, but wish they were just slightly more physically dangerous, then you probably like doing hot pot. Now you have a new option to do so in Coolidge Corner.

Moon and Flower $$$$ 110 Brighton Ave

Allston now has a fast-casual spot for ramen burgers. Those are two fun things we’re always happy to see together.

 Sweet Rice Sweet Rice $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Thai ,  Sushi  in  Jamaica Plain $$$$ 697 Centre Street 7.1 /10

The second location of a place in Charlestown just opened up on Centre Street in JP. It’s got both Thai food and sushi under the same roof, so there’s no need to feel shame if you order take-out from here twice a week.

Winnisimmet Lounge $$$$ 73 Winnisimmet street

If you think the Chelsea waterfront is nothing but oil tanks, warehouses, and ooze of mysterious origin that you really don’t want to touch, well, you’re mostly right. But now it’s all of those things in addition to being the location of a new Italian restaurant and cocktail lounge with views of the refineries on the Chelsea River.

 The Joint $ $ $ $ Burgers  in  Jamaica Plain $$$$ 605 Centre St 7.3 /10

There’s nothing wrong with a new burger place, especially ones that top burgers with grilled pineapples, onion rings, and blood orange aioli. The Joint is a tiny burger spot that just opened up on Centre Street in JP and, even though it apparently doesn’t yet have a bathroom, it does have beer, wine, and a ceiling made of corrugated aluminium.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood $$$$ 122 Belvidere St

Other than Legal’s, which probably has a franchise in your living room by now, we don’t have a ton of seafood chains around here, but another one has just landed. Eddie V’s, a chain of seafood restaurants with a lot of locations in Texas and California, just opened in a giant space at the Prudential Center.

Migaku Noodle House $ $ $ $ Ramen  in  Brookline ,  Brookline Village $$$$ 238 Washington Street 7.1 /10

You probably don’t eat a ton of ramen in the summer, but just in case you get the urge, you now have a new place to do so at Migaku in Brookline Village.

Nachlo $$$$ 1443 Tremont Street

Mission Hill has a new restaurant and it’s a Mexican-Pakistani place. It’s possible that there are already one or two of those around Boston, but it’s not like we have a whole neighborhood called Little Guadalahore or anything, so this definitely seems worth checking out.

Curio Wine Bar $$$$ 441 Cambridge Street

If you love both coffee and wine, but hate having to move when you want to switch from the former to the latter, you’ve got a new favorite place in Lechmere. Curio Coffee will now become Curio Wine Bar at night, with natural wines and light bites.

 SloPoke SloPoke $$$$ 181 Cambridge Street

Normally we wouldn’t get too excited about yet another poke place opening up, especially one that’s in a Whole Foods. But this one in the Charles River Plaza was just opened by the chef behind the Fox & The Knife, an Italian place currently on our Hit List, so we’ll definitely check it out.

April Taiyaki NYC - Boston $$$$ 119 Seaport Blvd Ste B

Yes, this ice cream place that serves fish-shaped cones and red bean ice cream probably should have slightly changed its name when it opened a location in the Seaport.

La Pescheria $$$$ 800 Boylston Street

While we don’t love corporate malls, we do love Italian Seafood. Luckily, La Pescheria just opened up in Eataly, so the Prudential Center is now slightly more bearable.

 The Groove The Groove $ $ $ $ Japanese  in  Fenway $$$$ 1271 Boylston St

There’s a new ’70s-style cocktail lounge in the Fenway. It’s actually located inside of Hojoko, but has an entirely different (though still Japanese) menu with things like tortilla chips topped with torched hamachi and Hello Kitty Caviar service - whatever that means.

 Red White Japanese Restaurant $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Vegan  in  Back Bay $$$$ 294 Newbury St Not

Rated

Yet

Red White is a new place to get fast-casual bowls on Newbury Street. If you think we’ve been getting a lot of those lately, you’re right, but this one’s a little different with its meatless, Japanese menu.

Pho #1 $$$$ 1799 Commonwealth Ave

We’ll never complain about more Vietnamese noodle and pho places opening up. This one’s on Comm Ave in Brighton.

 The Quiet Few The Quiet Few $ $ $ $ Bar Food  in  East Boston $$$$ 331 Sumner St 7.3 /10

East Boston has a new neighborhood tavern brought to you by the same people behind The Gallows in the South End. Like The Gallows, it has a menu of burgers and whiskey, but the real reason we want to go there is the shuffleboard table.

Casarecce $ $ $ $ Italian  in  North End $$$$ 285 Hanover St 6.8 /10

There’s a new restaurant in the North End and, you’re not going to believe this, but it’s Italian. This one promises to focus on lesser-known pasta shapes. Shapes are fun.

 Jack's Abbey Track Zero Taproom $$$$ 135 Causeway St

Jack’s Abbey Brewery opened a tiny bar inside North Station. If you’re commuting to the North Shore, this might become a regular stop on your way home.

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/boston/guides/bostons-new-restaurant-openings Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created March 3, 2020 at 12:08AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[investmart007]

MOSCOW | The Latest: VAR review gives France lead; Aussies equalize

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/0509hV

MOSCOW | The Latest: VAR review gives France lead; Aussies equalize

MOSCOW — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local):

2:20 p.m.

France has been awarded a penalty following a VAR review and scored to take the lead against Australia. After checking images of a tackle from behind from Joshua Risdon on Antoine Griezmann, referee Andres Cunha pointed to the penalty spot. Griezmann sent a powerful strike into the net that left ‘keeper Mat Ryan stranded to give France a 1-0 lead.

Australia equalized within minutes with captain Mile Jedinak converting from the penalty spot after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the box.  Jedinak took the kick and sent France ‘keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way

____

1:55 p.m.

Germany coach Joachim Loew says goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is looking confident ahead of the team’s World Cup opener against Mexico, despite missing most of the season with injury.

Neuer, a star of Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, played just four times this season for Bayern Munich because of a fracture in his left foot.

Loew says “he looks self-confident in training, the Manuel Neuer that we’ve always known.”

Loew adds that Neuer has been “very calm, stable and he’s in a very good mood. You could see that in the weeks and month before that he was working to strengthen his stamina.”

Ahead of Sunday’s game against Mexico, Loew revealed Germany spent Friday concentrating on corners, free kicks and penalties to deal with a perception that set-pieces might be a weak point for the 2014 champions.

____

1:46 p.m.

It’s 0-0 at halftime between France and Australia in their World Cup Group C opener in Kazan.

The French have been dominating in the early stages and had the best chances before Australia settled in.

Australia defenders Trent Sainsbury and Joshua Risdon have been doing a fine job in making sure Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe did not get too many balls.

Applying coach Bert Van Marwijk’s orders, the Socceroos are putting on a composed but aggressive display that has been working well so far.

___

12:55 p.m.

Julian Draxler says it’s “not true” that his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan are feeling isolated in the squad following controversy over their photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arsenal’s Ozil and Manchester City’s Gundogan, who are both of Turkish descent, posed with Erdogan during the Turkish president’s visit to Britain last month.

Gundogan, who gave Erdogan a shirt with a message “to my revered president,” was jeered by fans during last week’s friendly win over Saudi Arabia.

Draxler says reports “that Mesut Ozil was not up to his best or that Ilkay Gundogan was a bit subdued, that’s not true.” He’s praised Ozil as “probably our most creative player on the pitch and so I’m sure that Mesut oezil will be there when we need him.”

Germany starts its title defense against Mexico in Moscow on Sunday.

____

12:05 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has opted for a three-pronged attack of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele to face Australia in the World Cup Group C opener.

Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso have been selected in a three-man midfield, with Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernández making up the back four.

Australia captain Mile Jedinak has been confirmed as a starter in place of Massimo Luongo, who started as screening midfielder in recent friendlies. Striker Andrew Nabbout will assume the scoring duties for the Socceroos.

Lineups:

France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.

Australia: Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aziz Behich, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout.

___

ENGLISH HOPES

Though teams of the recent past may have had more high-profile names, Southgate has potentially more options at his disposal. The squad, one of the youngest in Russia, is versatile, meaning that Southgate can adjust the way his team plays.

As things stand, it appears that against Tunisia, he will play with three at the back — John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire — and another line of three, including two wing-backs, in front.

It’s the four furthest forward that has excited fans.

Kane, who has yet to score in tournament football, will spearhead the attack, that’s clear. What’s more interesting is the combination Southgate opts for around the striker — three from Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Opting for Rashford, who returned to training on Friday following a minor knee complaint, will give more pace and thrust; opting for Alli will yield dinky runs. Whatever Southgate decides, that trident will be primed to sow confusion among the Tunisian ranks especially as the game gets stretched in the latter stages.

Quite an attacking brew then and that’s why England is widely expected to beat The Carthage Eagles. Just as England did almost 20 years to the day when the two sides, again, played their first group match in the World Cup in France.

In these more realistic times, another 2-0 victory would no doubt be greeted positively, paving the way for the team to quickly make it out of Group G if it then beats Panama. The expectation is that England’s final group match against Belgium will be the main event and determine which side comes out on top.

___

TUNISIA’S LONG WAIT

Tunisia, back in the World Cup after a 12-year absence, has a lot to prove too.

The team, after all, blazed a trail in 1978 by becoming the first African team from the continent to win a match at the World Cup. In its three tournaments since from 1998 to 2006, it has yet to notch a second.

Though England is favorite, Tunisia is likely to present a challenge, especially if conditions remain hot and muggy. Tunisia, under Nabil Maaloul, is well-organized, particularly in defense. Spain can bear witness to that, requiring a late winner in their final friendly game before the World Cup.

The team may have lost arguably its best creative player, Youssef Msakni, to injury, but it has others who can trouble England, not least the now fit-again forward Wahbi Khazri, who has turned in strong performances for French side Rennes while there on loan. Also, Ali Maaloul is a marauding left-back who could take advantage of any leaden-footed defending.

Still, Panama, in their final group match, is the more likely proposition for Tunisia to record a second World Cup victory.

11:35 a.m.

Laurent Ciman has left Belgium’s World Cup squad, the team says on its official Twitter account, although it has not said if the defender’s departure means that center back Vincent Kompany is fit again after injuring his groin in a warmup match two weeks ago.

Coach Roberto Martinez took Los Angeles FC defender Ciman to Russia as a stand-by player in case Kompany was not fit for Belgium’s opening Group G match against Panama on Sunday.

The team says that despite returning to Belgium, Ciman will remain on stand-by until Sunday evening.

Kompany and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen have not been training with the Belgium team in recent days.

In the Saturday morning tweet, Martinez thanks Ciman “for his professionalism and contribution to the team” during its World Cup preparations.

___

11:10 a.m.

French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to the World Cup only if Les Bleus make it to the semifinals.

But the French players will have the support of a former French president during their opening match against Australia in Group C.

FIFA says Nicolas Sarkozy, an avid football fan who served as president from 2007-12, is among the guests at Kazan Arena.

___

10:30 a.m.

Some soccer fans will follow their team anywhere to see it play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia.

The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink.

They’re now looking forward to Saturday’s game between Croatia and Nigeria.

Frane Lukovic, a 46-year-old lawyer from Zagreb, insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary for long-distance cyclists such as himself.

For Lukovic, the trip represented a personal comeback, having been diagnosed with skin cancer six years ago.

____

10 a.m.

While fans from around the world are singing and celebrating the World Cup on Moscow’s streets, they can’t go to the most famous place in the Russian capital — Red Square.

Barriers staffed by police officers have blocked off the square for several days, with authorities citing the need to build and dismantle stages for a national holiday and a World Cup-themed opera performance last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mexico supporter Cesar Reyes, peering past the barriers, says “it’s a real shame it’s closed because it’s one of the best places to visit when you’re in Moscow. It’s a real shame that people will miss it because it’s closed for special event and there’s no opportunity to appreciate this building.”

Russian police have closed off a number of roads and other areas for security reasons over recent days. It’s unclear when the square will be reopened.

__

By Associated Press

___

[investmart007]

MOSCOW | The Latest: Loew says Neuer is oozing confidence in Russia

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/g4xCTo

MOSCOW | The Latest: Loew says Neuer is oozing confidence in Russia

MOSCOW — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local):

1:55 p.m.

Germany coach Joachim Loew says goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is looking confident ahead of the team’s World Cup opener against Mexico, despite missing most of the season with injury.

Neuer, a star of Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, played just four times this season for Bayern Munich because of a fracture in his left foot.

Loew says “he looks self-confident in training, the Manuel Neuer that we’ve always known.”

Loew adds that Neuer has been “very calm, stable and he’s in a very good mood. You could see that in the weeks and month before that he was working to strengthen his stamina.”

Ahead of Sunday’s game against Mexico, Loew revealed Germany spent Friday concentrating on corners, free kicks and penalties to deal with a perception that set-pieces might be a weak point for the 2014 champions.

____

1:46 p.m.

It’s 0-0 at halftime between France and Australia in their World Cup Group C opener in Kazan.

The French have been dominating in the early stages and had the best chances before Australia settled in.

Australia defenders Trent Sainsbury and Joshua Risdon have been doing a fine job in making sure Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe did not get too many balls.

Applying coach Bert Van Marwijk’s orders, the Socceroos are putting on a composed but aggressive display that has been working well so far.

___

12:55 p.m.

Julian Draxler says it’s “not true” that his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan are feeling isolated in the squad following controversy over their photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arsenal’s Ozil and Manchester City’s Gundogan, who are both of Turkish descent, posed with Erdogan during the Turkish president’s visit to Britain last month.

Gundogan, who gave Erdogan a shirt with a message “to my revered president,” was jeered by fans during last week’s friendly win over Saudi Arabia.

Draxler says reports “that Mesut Ozil was not up to his best or that Ilkay Gundogan was a bit subdued, that’s not true.” He’s praised Ozil as “probably our most creative player on the pitch and so I’m sure that Mesut oezil will be there when we need him.”

Germany starts its title defense against Mexico in Moscow on Sunday.

____

12:05 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has opted for a three-pronged attack of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele to face Australia in the World Cup Group C opener.

Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso have been selected in a three-man midfield, with Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernández making up the back four.

Australia captain Mile Jedinak has been confirmed as a starter in place of Massimo Luongo, who started as screening midfielder in recent friendlies. Striker Andrew Nabbout will assume the scoring duties for the Socceroos.

Lineups:

France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.

Australia: Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aziz Behich, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout.

___

ENGLISH HOPES

Though teams of the recent past may have had more high-profile names, Southgate has potentially more options at his disposal. The squad, one of the youngest in Russia, is versatile, meaning that Southgate can adjust the way his team plays.

As things stand, it appears that against Tunisia, he will play with three at the back — John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire — and another line of three, including two wing-backs, in front.

It’s the four furthest forward that has excited fans.

Kane, who has yet to score in tournament football, will spearhead the attack, that’s clear. What’s more interesting is the combination Southgate opts for around the striker — three from Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Opting for Rashford, who returned to training on Friday following a minor knee complaint, will give more pace and thrust; opting for Alli will yield dinky runs. Whatever Southgate decides, that trident will be primed to sow confusion among the Tunisian ranks especially as the game gets stretched in the latter stages.

Quite an attacking brew then and that’s why England is widely expected to beat The Carthage Eagles. Just as England did almost 20 years to the day when the two sides, again, played their first group match in the World Cup in France.

In these more realistic times, another 2-0 victory would no doubt be greeted positively, paving the way for the team to quickly make it out of Group G if it then beats Panama. The expectation is that England’s final group match against Belgium will be the main event and determine which side comes out on top.

___

TUNISIA’S LONG WAIT

Tunisia, back in the World Cup after a 12-year absence, has a lot to prove too.

The team, after all, blazed a trail in 1978 by becoming the first African team from the continent to win a match at the World Cup. In its three tournaments since from 1998 to 2006, it has yet to notch a second.

Though England is favorite, Tunisia is likely to present a challenge, especially if conditions remain hot and muggy. Tunisia, under Nabil Maaloul, is well-organized, particularly in defense. Spain can bear witness to that, requiring a late winner in their final friendly game before the World Cup.

The team may have lost arguably its best creative player, Youssef Msakni, to injury, but it has others who can trouble England, not least the now fit-again forward Wahbi Khazri, who has turned in strong performances for French side Rennes while there on loan. Also, Ali Maaloul is a marauding left-back who could take advantage of any leaden-footed defending.

Still, Panama, in their final group match, is the more likely proposition for Tunisia to record a second World Cup victory.

11:35 a.m.

Laurent Ciman has left Belgium’s World Cup squad, the team says on its official Twitter account, although it has not said if the defender’s departure means that center back Vincent Kompany is fit again after injuring his groin in a warmup match two weeks ago.

Coach Roberto Martinez took Los Angeles FC defender Ciman to Russia as a stand-by player in case Kompany was not fit for Belgium’s opening Group G match against Panama on Sunday.

The team says that despite returning to Belgium, Ciman will remain on stand-by until Sunday evening.

Kompany and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen have not been training with the Belgium team in recent days.

In the Saturday morning tweet, Martinez thanks Ciman “for his professionalism and contribution to the team” during its World Cup preparations.

___

11:10 a.m.

French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to the World Cup only if Les Bleus make it to the semifinals.

But the French players will have the support of a former French president during their opening match against Australia in Group C.

FIFA says Nicolas Sarkozy, an avid football fan who served as president from 2007-12, is among the guests at Kazan Arena.

___

10:30 a.m.

Some soccer fans will follow their team anywhere to see it play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia.

The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink.

They’re now looking forward to Saturday’s game between Croatia and Nigeria.

Frane Lukovic, a 46-year-old lawyer from Zagreb, insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary for long-distance cyclists such as himself.

For Lukovic, the trip represented a personal comeback, having been diagnosed with skin cancer six years ago.

____

10 a.m.

While fans from around the world are singing and celebrating the World Cup on Moscow’s streets, they can’t go to the most famous place in the Russian capital — Red Square.

Barriers staffed by police officers have blocked off the square for several days, with authorities citing the need to build and dismantle stages for a national holiday and a World Cup-themed opera performance last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mexico supporter Cesar Reyes, peering past the barriers, says “it’s a real shame it’s closed because it’s one of the best places to visit when you’re in Moscow. It’s a real shame that people will miss it because it’s closed for special event and there’s no opportunity to appreciate this building.”

Russian police have closed off a number of roads and other areas for security reasons over recent days. It’s unclear when the square will be reopened.

__

By Associated Press

___

[investmart007]

MOSCOW | The Latest: Germany puts up united front after Erdogan photo

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/gyMApQ

MOSCOW | The Latest: Germany puts up united front after Erdogan photo

MOSCOW — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local):

12:55 p.m.

Julian Draxler says it’s “not true” that his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan are feeling isolated in the squad following controversy over their photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arsenal’s Ozil and Manchester City’s Gundogan, who are both of Turkish descent, posed with Erdogan during the Turkish president’s visit to Britain last month.

Gundogan, who gave Erdogan a shirt with a message “to my revered president,” was jeered by fans during last week’s friendly win over Saudi Arabia.

Draxler says reports “that Mesut Ozil was not up to his best or that Ilkay Gundogan was a bit subdued, that’s not true.” He’s praised Ozil as “probably our most creative player on the pitch and so I’m sure that Mesut oezil will be there when we need him.”

Germany starts its title defense against Mexico in Moscow on Sunday.

____

12:05 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has opted for a three-pronged attack of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele to face Australia in the World Cup Group C opener.

Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso have been selected in a three-man midfield, with Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernández making up the back four.

Australia captain Mile Jedinak has been confirmed as a starter in place of Massimo Luongo, who started as screening midfielder in recent friendlies. Striker Andrew Nabbout will assume the scoring duties for the Socceroos.

Lineups:

France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.

Australia: Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aziz Behich, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout.

___

ENGLISH HOPES

Though teams of the recent past may have had more high-profile names, Southgate has potentially more options at his disposal. The squad, one of the youngest in Russia, is versatile, meaning that Southgate can adjust the way his team plays.

As things stand, it appears that against Tunisia, he will play with three at the back — John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire — and another line of three, including two wing-backs, in front.

It’s the four furthest forward that has excited fans.

Kane, who has yet to score in tournament football, will spearhead the attack, that’s clear. What’s more interesting is the combination Southgate opts for around the striker — three from Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Opting for Rashford, who returned to training on Friday following a minor knee complaint, will give more pace and thrust; opting for Alli will yield dinky runs. Whatever Southgate decides, that trident will be primed to sow confusion among the Tunisian ranks especially as the game gets stretched in the latter stages.

Quite an attacking brew then and that’s why England is widely expected to beat The Carthage Eagles. Just as England did almost 20 years to the day when the two sides, again, played their first group match in the World Cup in France.

In these more realistic times, another 2-0 victory would no doubt be greeted positively, paving the way for the team to quickly make it out of Group G if it then beats Panama. The expectation is that England’s final group match against Belgium will be the main event and determine which side comes out on top.

___

TUNISIA’S LONG WAIT

Tunisia, back in the World Cup after a 12-year absence, has a lot to prove too.

The team, after all, blazed a trail in 1978 by becoming the first African team from the continent to win a match at the World Cup. In its three tournaments since from 1998 to 2006, it has yet to notch a second.

Though England is favorite, Tunisia is likely to present a challenge, especially if conditions remain hot and muggy. Tunisia, under Nabil Maaloul, is well-organized, particularly in defense. Spain can bear witness to that, requiring a late winner in their final friendly game before the World Cup.

The team may have lost arguably its best creative player, Youssef Msakni, to injury, but it has others who can trouble England, not least the now fit-again forward Wahbi Khazri, who has turned in strong performances for French side Rennes while there on loan. Also, Ali Maaloul is a marauding left-back who could take advantage of any leaden-footed defending.

Still, Panama, in their final group match, is the more likely proposition for Tunisia to record a second World Cup victory.

11:35 a.m.

Laurent Ciman has left Belgium’s World Cup squad, the team says on its official Twitter account, although it has not said if the defender’s departure means that center back Vincent Kompany is fit again after injuring his groin in a warmup match two weeks ago.

Coach Roberto Martinez took Los Angeles FC defender Ciman to Russia as a stand-by player in case Kompany was not fit for Belgium’s opening Group G match against Panama on Sunday.

The team says that despite returning to Belgium, Ciman will remain on stand-by until Sunday evening.

Kompany and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen have not been training with the Belgium team in recent days.

In the Saturday morning tweet, Martinez thanks Ciman “for his professionalism and contribution to the team” during its World Cup preparations.

___

11:10 a.m.

French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to the World Cup only if Les Bleus make it to the semifinals.

But the French players will have the support of a former French president during their opening match against Australia in Group C.

FIFA says Nicolas Sarkozy, an avid football fan who served as president from 2007-12, is among the guests at Kazan Arena.

___

10:30 a.m.

Some soccer fans will follow their team anywhere to see it play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia.

The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink.

They’re now looking forward to Saturday’s game between Croatia and Nigeria.

Frane Lukovic, a 46-year-old lawyer from Zagreb, insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary for long-distance cyclists such as himself.

For Lukovic, the trip represented a personal comeback, having been diagnosed with skin cancer six years ago.

____

10 a.m.

While fans from around the world are singing and celebrating the World Cup on Moscow’s streets, they can’t go to the most famous place in the Russian capital — Red Square.

Barriers staffed by police officers have blocked off the square for several days, with authorities citing the need to build and dismantle stages for a national holiday and a World Cup-themed opera performance last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mexico supporter Cesar Reyes, peering past the barriers, says “it’s a real shame it’s closed because it’s one of the best places to visit when you’re in Moscow. It’s a real shame that people will miss it because it’s closed for special event and there’s no opportunity to appreciate this building.”

Russian police have closed off a number of roads and other areas for security reasons over recent days. It’s unclear when the square will be reopened.

__

By Associated Press

___