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DEVRA FIRST | CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Same as it ever was? A look at Boston dining by night
What does Boston look like right now, viewed through its dining scene? Weirdly normal, totally different, and everything in between.

Chapter 1: The exquisite normalcy of chopping an onion

Welcome to the apocalypse. It’s going to be delicious.

Chapter 2: Soooo. I hear you bought some beans.

Beans have always been a punch line, an insult, unfairly maligned. The musical fruit. Something you’re full of. A whole hill of them? Not worth much.

Chapter 3: Herbs might save us

Don’t forget to celebrate spring.

Chapter 4: Let a nation of bread bakers arise

Often seen as the final, intimidating frontier of baking, bread is now becoming our national project.

Chapter 5: The freezer is a time capsule

Today I took out a tub of soup from the freezer. Turkey barley. My mother brought it the last time she visited. Once it’s gone, I don’t know when I’ll taste my mother’s cooking again.

MORE FOOD & DINING HEADLINES

Single-serve coffee bags even a coffee buff can enjoy

Steeped spent years developing the eco-friendly, nitro-sealed pouches that resemble a tea bag.

Champagne opener makes the pop more predictable

Vacu Vin’s Champagne Opener is a small, inexpensive gadget worth owning.

Here’s a warm thought: Vita Pura’s puffy cheese rounds

Vanessa Jahara, raised in Rio de Janeiro, grew up snacking on pão de queijo — a beloved Brazilian little cheese bread. Now she makes them at CommonWealth Kitchen.

SIPS

What bartenders are drinking this summer

They're leaning toward low-maintenance during their downtime.

TABLES

Dumpling Daughter returns to Cambridge, a Revival in the Back Bay, and more

Restaurant news you can use.

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Same as it ever was? A look at Boston dining by night

The best beers I’ve tried during quarantine

On being a small family farmer during a pandemic

FOOD

From greaseless fried seafood to aromatic pad Thai, four delicious takeout diversions

These might brighten your week.

Want to support your favorite restaurant? Make a contribution

A round-up of restaurants accepting online donations.

Endangered Species Chocolate now comes in chips

The company donates 10 percent of profits to save wildlife.

GETTING SALTY

In a pandemic, Diana Gualdron of La Taqueria in Dedham and Roslindale still serves tacos with a smile

She opened her Dedham location just a few weeks ago, and she's confident that the Boston restaurant scene will make a comeback.

Pomegranate syrup, for dressings, marinades, and even cocktails

Pomegranate juice is reduced to a concentrate; Medjool dates add some sweetness.

DEVRA FIRST | COOKING FROM HOME

Take me away, New England clam chowder

Most of us are cooking from home. We can darn well vacation from home, too.

DINING IN

With Obosá, her Nigerian restaurant in Roslindale, Gloria Omoregbee recognizes a longtime dream

“When I watch people eat my food, that’s all the satisfaction that I need.”

TABLES

Craigie Burger closes, plus oysters in Duxbury and a barbecue in Southie

Restaurant news you can use.