from The Boston Globe

An apparent road rage incident early yesterday in Milton led to the arrest of a Middleborough man who State Police said brandished a handgun at another driver. (Read the full story here.)

Abby Park, the new restaurant in East Milton, is on schedule to open August 3rd.

In an email that went out earlier this week, they provided a glimpse at some menu items. They include:

The “Park Board” – a dish with a distinct offering of tiny flatbread, marinated olives, Parma prosciutto with pickled eggplant, Great Hill Bleu with fig jam, spicy Marcona almonds and white bean & rosemary dip.

Lobster Cavatelli – Chef Michael adds a creative twist to this classic entrée combining the flavors of lemony mascarpone, pea greens and oyster mushrooms.

Grilled Lamb Two Ways – Grilled garden eggplant, slow roasted plum tomato & curry-yogurt sauce complement the perfectly prepared lamb.

Tuscan Bricked Chicken
Warm spinach, red onion, and leg confit combine to make, what is sure to become, an Abby Park classic.

You can find their web site here. They are giving away 10 free dinners for two for folks who sign up for their newsletter.

Milton will be well represented in this week end’s Pan-Mass Challenge. The Challenge is the nation’s pioneer bike-a-thon and raises more money than any other athletic event in the country. All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund.

It is not too late to donate. You can support a rider or become a virtual rider yourself. Visit the Pan-Mass Challenge web site for more information.

Here are the Milton residents riding this week end. Good luck all!

Stephen Affanato, Rob Arcangeli, Arleen Bernardi, Leon Brink, Rea Cassidy, Frank Connell, Laurent Delli-Bovi, Stephen Fledman, Christine Freeman, William Garity, Brendan McLaughlin, Doreen McLaughlin, John McLaughlin, Gerry Morrisey, Dennis Newman, Jen Noonan, John Peterson, Joe Petitti, Simon Phillips, Christian Regnier, Donna Robinson, Mark Robinson, Justin Rohn, Mary Ryan, Morgan Salmon, Dylan Sanders, James Suppelsa, Pauline Wells, and William Zucker.

from The Boston Globe

Though a bit oblivious to the charisma that drew so many to her, Jennifer Kelly kept old friends close and added circle after circle of acquaintances as she nimbly stepped through the phases of her life.

“She was the kind of girl that everyone in class wanted to be friends with,’’ Luisa McDonough, a friend since they were children in Dorchester, said at a funeral Mass yesterday. (Read the full story here.)

from The Boston Globe

Homeowners seek to share expenses

John Murphy does not want a roommate; he needs one. The former advertising executive, who bought his Milton home when he was earning a six-figure salary, has been unemployed for nearly a year and a half and hopes a boarder will help him make mortgage payments. (Read the full story here.)

A brief, weekly recap of key events and items of interest to the Milton community:

Bridgewater bests Milton

Bridgewater Legion Post 203 prevailed over Milton to win the Legion south title. But Milton did not go down easily. These two teams faced off twice within a week and Bridgewater came out on top both times. You can read more here.

50% of street lights to go dark

To address budget cutbacks the Milton Department of Public Works has commenced turning off every other street light. Wicked Local Milton reported on the issue this week. According to the story other towns have declined to take this measure as the cost savings do not justify the effort. You can read the story here. year and what lies ahead.  you can find the original post with reader comments here and the Wicked Local article here.

88 Wharf restaurant opens

The first Milton restaurant with a liquor license to open in twenty years is now serving dinner down in Milton Village. 88 Wharf offers an eclectic menu and has patio dining. We enjoyed a meal opening night. You can find a list of posts about 88 Wharf here.

NEWS ITEMS

Green Line extension funding in question – 07/21/09 – from the Boston Globe

ROAD CLOSURES

I-93 South approaching and through Downtown: Nighttime Multi-lane Closure

Two-to-three lanes of I-93 South will be closed at night approaching and through Downtown Sunday, July 26, 2009 through Friday, July 31, 2009 from 11:30 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning.

Haymarket on-ramp to I-93 South and the Callahan Tunnel: Nightttime Ramp Closures

The Haymarket on-ramp to I-93 South and the Callahan Tunnel will be closed at night Thursday, July 30, 2009 and Friday, July 31, 2009 from 11:30 PM to 5 AM the following morning.

Motorists destined for I-93 South, Route 1A, East Boston, and Logan Airport should follow posted detour signs towards Leverett Circle. At Leverett Circle motorists should access I- 93 South. Those destined for Route 1A, East Boston, and Logan Airport should take Exit 24 off I-93 South.

I-93 South Exits #20A to South Station and #20B to I-90 (Masspike) West and Albany Street: Nighttime Ramp Closures

I-93 South Exits #20 A South Station and #20B to I-90 (Masspike) West and Albany Street will be closed and detoured at night, Thursday, July 30, 2009 and Friday, July 31, 2009 from 11:30 PM to 5 AM the following morning.

Motorists destined for I-90 West and South Station/Chinatown should stay on I-93 South and reverse direction at Exit 18 (Mass Ave Exit). Stay in the left lane of Exit 18 and turn left onto the South Boston Bypass Road. Drivers should then turn left again onto Frontage Road northbound and follow signs for I-90 West, Albany Street or South Station. This closure is to allow for maintenance work.

We couldn’t resist.

It was a gorgeous night and we said, “We have to go. It’s important to support them.”

So along with our friends Susan and Jay, we popped over to 88 Wharf the only Milton restaurant to offer dinner with wine and beer for their opening night.

We had no idea what to expect.  Well, it was great. The partners John Collins and Matt Sullivan could not have asked for a nicer night. We arrived about 6:30 and found the restaurant about half full.

The interior has dark woods and a lovely small bar with a flat screen TV (the Red Sox were on, thank you very much). We were immediately struck by the informal yet professional, family-oriented atmosphere in an upscale room with well appointed decor. Large black and white photos of boats and docks adorn the walls, and full windows and French doors overlook the Neponset and boats moored at the Milton Yacht Club. We received a warm welcome and were seated out on the patio to thoroughly enjoy the best night of summer.

The wait staff were attentive without being fawning. There were hiccups and the service was a little slow; but they had only been open for an hour and a half for heaven’s sake. Again, the atmosphere on the patio was one of subtle joy. It was as if the patrons were all silently saying, “Can you believe this?”

One of the gas lines had yet to be hooked up (scheduled to happen Monday), so the full menu was not available; however, there was still plenty of variety. We had fried calamari, a beet salad, an arugala salad, a halibut entree, a mushroom pizza, and a salmon dish. The calamari was perfect and the arugala salad was superb. The folks in our party all rated their dishes excellent.

We passed on dessert, opting for cappacinos and an espresso. A great finish to a very good meal.

Great food, great dining experience, beautiful setting. It was great to see families and couples walking down to the Wharf area, enjoying the view and river walk, happy to be part of why my town matters.

from The Patriot Ledger

At dawn, a crescent moon hangs in a blue sky and, in the middle of residential Milton, there’s a farmer in the dell. Tim Cooke has transformed a large patch of poison ivy into an organic tomato field. A deer and her two fawns watch as he pedals his own eco-friendly invention, a “foot-powered tractor,” to cultivate the rows. At age 45, Cooke is a freelance farmer. (Read the full story here.)