The Boston Herald has an article on Milton’s restaurant scene. It includes a recipe from Abby Park for Thai shrimp.
from The Boston Herald
Milton is no longer a “dry” community.
The town recently issued its first on-premise liquor licenses in many years to Abby Park in East Milton Square and 88 Wharf in Lower Mills. The establishments opened this summer as the only full-service restaurants in town. (A handful of private clubs in town had been able to serve alcohol.)
(Read the full review here.)
Pauline Wells will be performing in a night of Irish music at the Wilbur Theater on the anniversary of 9/11. The concert will benefit the Cops for Kids with Cancer organization.
Ms Wells will be joined by the NYPD Emerald Society of Pipes and Drums.
More information at thewilburtheater.com, paulinewells.com or by phone at 617-696-7172.
There is a good article in today’s Boston Globe on swine flu and prevention tips.
He’s one of the nation’s top flu fighters. But for Dr. Marty Cetron, the battle begins at home.
That’s where, like parents all across the country, he is preparing his three children – they’re 9 to 15 years old – for the arrival of a fall flu season unlike any in their lifetimes. This will be the season of our dual discontent: Disease trackers expect both seasonal influenza and the novel swine strain to circulate. And swine flu, which made its US debut in the spring, has shown an unusual propensity for making the young sick while sparing the old. (You can read the full story here.)
My wife and I finally got around to having dinner at the new Abby Park restaurant in East Milton Square.; and it was very good.
The restaurant decor and design are impressive. It has a lively, convivial, slightly chaotic atmoshpere. In part because the place has to date been extremely popular (i.e. it’s packed). The good news is that Abby Park takes reservations. If you plan to go there, you should make one, otherwise you can find yourself waiting for a table.
We started off with the baked Cherrystone clams. They were small stuffed clams with linguica and corn and they were great. We also split a Chilled and Grilled Vegetable Salad which came with tomatoes, mozarella and balsamic vinegar, also superb.
For entrees we tried out the Lobster Cavatelli and the Angel Hair pasta with heirloom tomatoes and basil. The lobster was a rich, delicious dish made with marscapone and mushrooms. The angel hair pasta was lighter but flavorful.
There is only one complaint. It is a loud room. The surfaces are all hard and with its relatively small room size; conversation becomes difficult. There was a music system in place; but the music was indistinguishable from the overall din. Aside from the noise level, it was a nice meal close to home.
The Boston Globe also reviewed Abby Park. You can find their review here. You can view Abby Park’s dinner menu here. Abby Park is also open for lunch.
We also returned to 88 Wharf Street for a second meal. We had company in from out of town and having enjoyed our first meal so much, felt it the perfect local venue for our guest. Unfortunately the second visit was not as successful.
First, 88 Wharf does not take reservations for parties less than 6. We had to wait over half an hour for a table. . . not the end of the world. We knew several parties and sat for a while with an old friend who was having a quiet meal alone. Except it was not a quiet meal. This is also a very loud room in which conversation can be difficult.
We enjoyed the cheese board, the arugula salad, and the crab cakes. Aside from the arugula salad being a little overdressed, our meals were very good. This has not been everyone’s experience however. The Steak Frites were mentioned by more than one of our friends as being subpar.
If you go to 88 Wharf try to get there early and request to be seated on the patio.
We need to give our wallets a vacation; but we urge you to give both places a go. They crowds they are attracting are an indication of the pent up demand. The staffs at both establishments are a bit strained and they are new so be prepared to exercise a little patience.
The Boston Globe ran an editorial this past week taking the Massachusetts Teachers Association to task over their opposition to an Exxon funded program to “train, recruit, and reward” teachers of AP classes. Milton is mentioned in the editorial as dropping out of the program.
from The Boston Globe
TEACHERS UNIONS see red on the subject of merit pay. But the results released yesterday on a bold education experiment suggest that paying teachers for performance helps in preparing students for college-level work. (You can read the full editorial here.)
from The Patriot Ledger
Movie industry boom shapes local dreams
Amelia Ali of Milton wore “gangsta” garb – bandannas, white tank top and heavy makeup – as an extra on the set of “The Fighter,” a Mark Wahlberg movie about Micky “Irish” Ward, a pro welterweight who rose from the seamy streets of Lowell to fight Arturo “Thunder” Gatti in a legendary boxing trilogy.
Ali, 24, was cast to be part of a carload of Puerto Ricans in a street scene. (Read the full story here.)
The Boston Globe has an article in today’s paper about athletic fees being charged by school systems in the area. Milton has the highest single sport fee, $500 for hockey and the highest family cap, $1,500 (with hockey). Towns throughout the area are struggling and Booster groups are assuming increasing responsibility for finding creative ways to raise more money to help relieve the stress being placed on families as a result of tight budgets. Gormley is quoted regarding the positive impact the Milton community overall has had on MHS athletics.
You can find the Globe story here.
Related links:
NOTE: There will be a Booster’s Kick-Off Party on Sept 18th from 7:00 – 11:00 @ The Milton Women’s Club. Tickets are$5.00 and can be purchased at the main office of the high school. Please join them for a casual evening with friends and sports enthusiasts!
For information or to volunteer at this new Booster event, please contact Karen DeLuca at k.deluca@comcast.net.
The Milton Board of Appeals recently ruled in favor of an appeal to prevent the construction of a cell tower on property in the Blue Hills. The following was contributed by Judy Lehrer Jacobs of The Friends of the Blue Hills. You can learn more about The Friends of the Blue Hills from their web site here.
Milton Zoning Board Votes to Deny Cell Tower: Progress that you can’t see – Judy Lehrer Jacobs
During the summer of 2009, Green Mountain Communications (GMC) of New Hampshire proposed building a 140-foot cell on the triangular parcel of land on the Houghton’s Pond Exit 3 onramp to Route 128 South. The site directly abuts the Silver Brook neighborhood and could be seen by neighbors and visitors to Big Blue and Houghton’s and Ponkapoag Ponds. GMC indicated a gap in coverage for cell phone users, estimating that 2 – 3% of calls are dropped; the new tower would address this perceived lack of coverage.
At a June 16th Milton Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting, neighbors and FBH Advocacy Committee members expressed concern that the GMC had not adequately considered how the cell tower would impact views from the neighborhood or from the Blue Hills. While the company had conducted a ‘crane test’ (raising a construction crane to simulate the height of the proposed tower) in the winter, neighbors and stakeholders had not been notified. The company agreed to hold a second crane test.
FBH joined neighbors to oppose the cell tower, arguing that while only a few people would lose their calls, tens of thousands of Blue Hills’ visitors would live with the visual results. The proposal, also contradicted Milton’s master plan and bylaws. See below for testimony by FBH and others.
After hearing testimony and reviewing GMC’s analysis, the Milton Zoning Board of voted unanimously to reject GMC’s proposal. Milton Board members agreed with FBH and the neighbors, questioning the need for the tower and emphasizing the scenic value of the Reservation.
We commend the Milton ZBA for a sound decision that acknowledges the Blue Hills as a timeless treasure that we all need to help preserve.
On February 6, 2010, Boston’s only collaborative choral / orchestral ensemble, Calliope, will sponsor a concert to benefit the Forbes House Museum, featuring music from movies and media, including a film and accompanying score written specifically for the museum and this event.
Calliope is offering tickets to a September 12th performance as a special preview for the February event. Members and affiliates of the museum may purchase tickets at the special rate of three tickets for the price of one (preferred or general admission).
Highlighting Instrumental and Vocal Families
September 12, 2009 7:30 pm
Old West Church, 131 Cambridge Street, Boston
$30 preferred seating $25 general admission
Works by Brahms, Haydn and Holst Excerpts from Puccini’s opera Suor Angelica
Music made famous by Glenn Miller, Henry Mancini and Jimmy Dorsey and more…!
3-for-1 tickets must be purchased by September 9th, 2009 by calling 617-759-2057 (mention affiliation with Forbes House Museum) or at www.calliopemusic.org (enter “FHM” in the “How did you hear about us: Other” field)
from the Boston Globe
Thousands more people flocked early this morning to the Kennedy Library, with many coming before dawn to wait in a half-mile long line to pay their respects to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
The library opened at 7:40 a.m., allowing a constant shuffle of mourners to again file past his flag-draped casket. A military honor guard stands at the head and the foot of the senator, who lies in a room with sweeping, floor-to-ceiling views of Dorchester Bay and the Boston skyline. (Read the full story here.)
NOTE: MBTA will be running extra buses.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY SERVICE
The town meeting originally scheduled for tonight (8/27) has been postponed in deference to the memorial services for Senator Kennedy. It has been rescheduled for September 3rd.
from the web site of Congressman Lynch
Congressman Stephen F. Lynch invites constituents of the Ninth Congressional District to attend an open forum sponsored by Curry College on Thursday, September 3rd to discuss health care reform. The forum will be held at the Alumni Recreation Center at Curry College from 6:00 -8:00 p.m.
WHEN: Thursday, September 3rd
TIME: 6:00 -8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Alumni Recreation Center / Curry College / 1071 Blue Hill Avenue / Milton, MA