Participating businesses include:

• Artifaktori (22A College Ave)
• The Boston Shaker (69 Holland St)
• Buffalo Exchange (238 Elm St)
• Cameras Inc. (267 Elm St)
• Comicazi (407 Highland Ave)
• Dave’s Fresh Pasta (81 Holland St)
• Davis Squared (418 Highland Ave)
• Found (255 Elm St)
• Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant & Music Club (17 Holland St)
• Kickass Cupcakes (378 Highland Ave)
• Magpie (416 Highland Ave)
• Suneri Boutique (67 Holland St)
• Sunshine Lucy’s (93 Holland St)
• When Pigs Fly Bakery (378 Highland Ave)

Some businesses will offer discounts that get progressively higher throughout the night. Those include the gift shop Davis Squared, the clothing resale shop Found, the women’s clothing store Suneri Boutique, and the handicrafts store Magpie. Discounts will range from roughly 5 to 60 percent, depending on the store and the time of night.

Davis Squared and Magpie are among the stores that will be providing free refreshments to shoppers. Other discounts and specials:

• Davis Squared will have a bargain table with pre-packed gift bags offered at a special rate.
• The Boston Shaker cocktail supply shop will offer complimentary beverages along with deals on merchandise.
• Comic and game store Comicazi will offer either a storewide discount or price cuts on selected items; at publication time, co-owner Michael Burke said he hadn’t decided exactly what the discounts would be, but he says: “There will definitely be something special happening.”
• Cameras Inc. will offer 15% off all stock except cameras. The discount applies to items like regular and digital picture frames, photo albums, memory cards, camera bags, and tripods.
• Magpie will have $5 t-shirt bin and other spot sales around the store.
• Suneri Boutique is holding a raffle and a silent auction; a portion of the evening’s sales and the proceeds from some auction items will be donated to help provide breast cancer treatments for Kate Kenworthy Rodrigues.

Dave’s Fresh Pasta will offer food samples, and the sampled foods will be available for purchase at a discount, according to owner David Jick. “We tend to lean toward local foods,” he says. Sampled foods will include Taza Chocolate (561 Windsor St), mozzarella from Fiore Di Nonno (also at 561 Windsor St), and cupcakes from The Chocolate Tarte (199C Highland Ave) — all Somerville businesses. Pickles from Boston-based Grillo’s will also be available. And, Jick says, “We’ll be pouring a couple of different wines — nothing local — and a local beer.”

To be sure of getting a taste, get to Dave’s before 11:00 p.m. Jick says he may close the store then instead of at midnight. And the vintage clothing shop Buffalo Exchange will close at or around 1o:oo p.m., so visit early if your plans include a stop there.

In addition to all the retail events, the car-sharing service Zipcar will have a  booth in Statue Park throughout the event. Thalia Tringo Real Estate (128 Willow Ave) will host an art opening, “Elements and Artifacts,” featuring photographs by T.L. Litt and food and drink from local eateries.

Midnight Madness is organized by Davis Area Resident/Business Initiative (DARBI).

Share this:

design M. Price, Starlab

The concert features the brightest contributors from the extended Starlab family, including two teenage-rock n’ roll fantasy metal acts, Ramming Speed and Ohio’s Locusta, the only non-local.  Other acts include:

Movers & Shakers Sweat and Blood Americana from your hosts with the most.  Thank them and dance.

Girlfriends Plywood stage shaking verbosity with the straight beat from before you were born.

Fedavees Ask your older brother how many bands these dudes have given to their community, because he was probably at a party where Johnny Allen played every instrument.

Spirit Kid The pop of your dreams.  Singing along to this act will be like listening to all of your favorite records at a party with old friends and plenty of babes.

Trabants Heroes of New England Surf.  Sometimes they have two bassists and a go-go hula hoop girl.  Always they drench the joint in sweet reverb.

Sleepy Very Sleepy Starlab originals with the sound that moves in you when you are young.  Even if you are not.

Earthquake Party! That exclamation point is no accident.  These dudes are young and wiry and their music portrays that.  Outstanding party rockers all with some cool hair cuts that YOU (read: I)  could never pull off!

Locusta THIS IS OHIO METAL.  Know what you are getting into.  Bring hair.

Ramming Speed Sound like the heavy-metal version of early Metallica.  I said it.  Bring your chest and a sharpie, because they are going to autograph you.

Besides carrying a party attitude and an appetite, please remember that Starlab relies on your donations.  If you want this kind of thing to occur right in your own backyard, and you will after Saturday, be cool with a five or ten dollar bill.  Free barbecue for all and ‘gansetts for the over 21 crowd?  I haven’t seen this kind of open party and concert combo since I lived in the middle of North Texas.  Somerville needs Starlab.  COME ON DOWN!

Remember, folks: you read it in The Scout!

Photo: Starlab

Share this:

Somerville band Spirit Kid's new album, Happiness, debuted this week.

There is never any shortage of music to go and see, and — from this day forward — I’m going to to try my hand at directing you to the right way to spend an evening in our fair burg.

Take it uptown to Johnny D’s (17 Holland St) or across Union divide to PA’s (345 Somerville Ave) and catch the wildest live happenings in your very own backyard.

I aim to please, and this is an open ended love note to all of Somerville’s creative community: Check out new releases from local luminary Spirit Kid, who celebrated the release of their new album Happiness this week.

Let’s listen in!

My Imagination By Spirit Kid!

Share this:

Vendors at the Somerville/Davis Square Farmers Market arrive around 10 a.m. every Wednesday. Photo by Maja Orsic.

On the evening of June 21, to honor the summer solstice (and because I missed the 87 bus), I walked 1.7 miles from Davis Square to the intersection of Beacon and Washington Streets. Along the way, I noticed other Somerville residents celebrating the first day of summer in style.

Outdoor seating was plentiful at Mike’s Food & Spirits (9 Davis Sq), The Burren (247 Elm St) and Posto (187 Elm St), where I saw groups, couples, and solo diners enjoying food and taking in the fresh air. Even patrons of The Pulse Café (195 Elm St), which does not offer sidewalk seating but whose indoor lights flooded the sidewalk, seemed to be soaking up the 70-degree weather.

Before reaching Union Square, I stopped at Conway Playground (560 Somerville Ave) to take in a few minutes of recreational softball. The air was still and, as bikers zipped by on the street behind me, I witnessed an effortless double play by the team in the field.

Most Somerville realtors call the area bordering Beacon and Washington Streets Dalì, referencing Dalì Restaurant & Tapas Bar (415 Washington St), which has anchored the intersection since 1989. Like Dalì, most corners of Somerville are defined by food and those who seek it out. To celebrate local flavors this summer, try the Somerville/Davis Square Farmers Market (Day & Herbert St), which takes place every Wednesday from 12 p.m to 6 p.m. through November 23.

Cover thumbnail of Somerville/Davis Square Farmers Market courtesy of yelp.com

Share this:

A team of local chefs prepare bacon for a competition. Matt Timms, lower left.

“You come and you’ll get 20 bites of different delicious bacon recipes. You come and vote on your favorite recipes. And if you come, we’ll raffle off a year’s supply of Hormel bacon,” explains Matt Timms, the leader and founder of Chili Takedown.

Described by the New York Times as “the spirit of two wholly American pursuits – overeating and winning,” Chili Takedown is a themed cooking competition pitting local cooks in a battle of culinary skill. Tasked with using only one main ingredient in each competition, the local chefs prepare bulk dishes that visitors sample and vote upon.

“We wanted to only have teams of local cooks. I don’t want to use the word amateur; these people are well versed in the kitchen,” notes Timms. “We just wanted to avoid celebrities and people who felt entitlement. We want this to be a huge party with chill people who love to cook and to show off their skills.”

This year’s Takedown will see 20 teams of cooks creating delicious – and hardly nutritious – dishes centered on the greasy treat, bacon. Through their sponsor, Hormel, Timms’ group will provide all the pork products each team requires.

Wanting to keep the event small, Timms only sold a few hundred tickets for Boston Bacon Takedown. As of writing, the event is already sold out. While he wanted to hold something bigger, constraints kept them from increasing the ticket capacity beyond 200. “We want to let in more people,” says Timms. “But we also want everyone to have a taste of the bacon. It’s tough to ask [chefs] to make so much food for so many people for free.”

“It’s going to be a blast,” adds Timms. “I love Boston and I love holding events here. I just hope that this will turn into a Boston tradition.” Tune in to 100.7 WZLX at 7:30 a.m this Friday, June 17 to listen to Timms talk more about the event and his group. For more information or to learn about future Takedown events, go to his website.

photo courtesy Matt Timms

Share this:

Eggs Benedict consuming a burrito with ferocious intensity. Photo by Tucker Leary.

The life of an undergrad is filled with food that is most likely not the healthiest. Convenience and price are the strongest selling points when your target demographic is unemployed 18-22-year-olds.

In my experience, the burrito has overthrown the burger and pizza, taking residence as the fast food “king of the hill.” With a Boloco, Chipotle, or Qdoba on every corner the ubiquitous burrito is a favorite of many, including myself.

Arguments over which place is the best are frequent among friends of mine, but their fruitless plight to convert others is missing a key ingredient: authenticity. What the average college student fails to realize is that locally owned and operated burrito joints offer the best experience when it comes to Mexican cuisine. Taco Loco (44 Broadway), for instance, has been chosen as the best Mexican Restaurant in Somerville, and their burritos match those at any chain restaurants in size and flavor. Tu y Yo (858 Broadway) was voted the best Mexican in Boston in 2008 and Cantina La Mexicana (247 Washington St) was named the best Burrito in Boston in 2009 — and I’m willing to bet most BU and Suffolk students don’t know either exists.

These are just a few of the many fantastic Mexican/Burrito places all over Somervile. Those naive students are sorely missing out on the pupusas and enchiladas that Chipotle and others are lacking. Before I graduated and moved to East Somerville I had never heard of any of these places myself. But now that I’ve gone local, I’m never going back.

Thumbnail photo from unbreaded.com

Share this:

The concert stage at Somerville Theatre. Photo Credit: Chris Devers, flickr

On Wednesday night June 8, Somerville Theatre (55 Davis Sq) featured British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield in concert. With hit singles like “Unwritten” and “These Words,” Bedingfield joined the ranks of performers at the Somerville Theatre including U2 and Joan Baez. A few hours before the show, I spoke with Thomas Reitz, Bedingfield’s tour manager, about the opening of her 2011 tour.

Scout: Where has Bedingfield performed in the days leading up to her Somerville Theatre show?

Reitz: She did a small show [on June 4] in Hyannis Port to benefit Best Buddies, but I consider tonight’s show at the Somerville Theatre to be the first night of the tour, since she’ll be joined by her opening acts, Kate Voegele and Andy Grammer.

Scout: How does the size of the Somerville Theatre compare to other venues on the tour schedule?

Reitz: Bedingfield will play in venues that accommodate between 500 and 25,000 people. [Scout note: Somerville Theatre accommodates 900 people.] Bedingfield will also be performing in several House of Blues locations. Sometimes these smaller locations are better; audiences aren’t overfed with the latest performances. With just a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist as her accompaniment, Bedingfield’s performances can be very intimate.

Ian Judge, Director of Operations at the Somerville Theatre for ten years, explained that live events in the space are the responsibility of outside promoters. For instance, Bedingfield’s show was produced by Live Nation. “We usually get people on their way up and on their way down,” he says, referencing past performances by Bruce Springsteen, U2, Adele and Norah Jones.

Share this:

Matthew Reineck, owner of 2ndsuit, a Somerville-based maker of bike caps, exhibits his inventory on Day 1 of the New England Bicycle Expo at Arts at the Armory.

On May 6, the League of American Bicyclists honored Somerville as a “bronze-level” Bicycle Friendly Community.

One day later the New England Bicycle Expo (NEBE) arrived at Arts at the Armory (191 Highland Ave). Exhibitors included bike-related businesses and organizations from all over the United States.

Of course, Scout immediately took an interest in the only Somerville-based business we saw: 2ndsuit, a maker of bicycle caps run from the Davis Sq home of proprietor Matthew Reineck.

Last summer, Reineck started the business when he got sick and tired of seeing his friend — a man named Derek Enos — wearing “the same nasty cap every day.” An industrial designer by trade who moved to the Boston area from Seattle six years ago to work for Boston-based musical instrument manufacturer First Act, Reineck already knew how to design and sew. It was just a matter of applying his skills to a new product.

Reineck sources almost all his material from the Goodwill Store in Davis Sq (230 Elm St). His caps sell for $20 or $25. Reineck sold 15 of them last weekend at Somerville Open Studios and estimates he’s sold 30 all told, including several to Cambridge bike shop Ata Cycle.

Exhibitors like Reineck are just the tip of the NEBE iceberg. The Expo runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both today at tomorrow. Throughout both days there will be presentations on subjects such as “Organized Bike Rides in the Boston Region” and “Cycling in Somerville: Practical Strategies to Implement Infrastructure Improvements.”

There are also several organized bike rides departing from the Armory on both Saturday and Sunday, including a ride to Taza Chocolate (561 Windsor St), a Tour of Somerville Bicycle Companies and a Tour of the Community Bike Path Extension.

On top of all this, there will be live music at the Armory on both days during the event. Be sure to check it out.

And stay tuned for the next Scout — due out in early July — when we’ll bring you a road map of outstanding Somerville rides and a primer on how to make sure you’re ready for a summer of cycling.

front page thumbnail photo courtesy of Danielle Baskin and bellehelmets.com.

Share this:

Red sweater guy has a point. It’s 8:30 p.m.; there are 13 of us and at least seven pounds of fresh pasta still waiting to be cooked. Dave Jick, owner of Dave’s Fresh Pasta (81 Holland St) and our teacher for the evening, cradles a handful of lemon fettuccine over a pot of boiling water. He makes eye contact with each of us before flipping his palms down and letting the pasta slip smoothly, oh so smoothly, into the pot.

Flouring pasta dough before running it through the pasta machine will give the final product a smooth texture. It will also make you look like a pro.

In just two minutes, the lemon fettuccine will be done. Jick will remove it from the water, top it with a simple sauce of garlic and olive oil, then serve it to us on small white plates.

So why are we rallying?

Because this isn’t just Dave’s Fresh Pasta; this is my fresh pasta, and red sweater guy’s fresh pasta, and Brazilian guy’s fresh pasta. We are all cooks in this kitchen and we’ve just learned how to make pasta from scratch.

Outfitted with a pasta room, a lunch counter, a small grocery, and a wine collection, Dave’s Fresh Pasta serves its specialty foods with a creative and informal approach. Jick embodies that attitude, encouraging us to strive for smooth, thin pasta sheets and saying things like: “Salt, my favorite ingredient.”

Classes at Dave’s – this class is called Pasta Making, but you can also try Sauce Making and Cheese Making – cost $50 per person, a pretty good deal considering the wine, cheese and bread you can sample throughout the evening.

So, wooed into Jick’s pasta kitchen – he took over the space in 2000 – by fresh bread and a sharp cheese, we remove our coats and don the starchy white aprons that restaurants stock in bulk. Jick offers us each a handout outlining the basic recipe for pasta all’uova (yellow egg pasta dough), a take home for those in the class who are there for more than an evening’s entertainment. Then he shows us how to make pasta in real time.

To start, Jick mixes equal parts semolina and durum wheat flour then adds a dash of salt. As we watch, he goes through the entire eight-minute process, explaining how the gluten in the dough should only be agitated to a certain degree. The dough should be “soft but not too soft,” he says. “Dry but not too dry.”

Only three of us came alone that night; the other ten students made up five couples.  And though I didn’t anticipate a majority of pairs, it started to make sense when Jick explained why eBay has become a great resource for new or barely used pasta machines. “Think about it,” he says. “Couples receive a pasta maker for their wedding and find, five years later, that they’ve never taken it out of the box.”

The way I see it, no one goes out to a restaurant and then introduces herself to the couple at the next table over. So even though we remind one another to flour the ravioli press near the end of the evening, we also keep to ourselves. Red sweater guy, Brazilian guy – everyone at this Pasta Making class is here for something personal. When 8:45 p.m. comes around, with our aprons off and coats back on, we each cradle a box of our own fresh pasta, braving the cold only for the promise of something warm.

Thumbnail photo courtesy Dave’s Fresh Pasta newsletter.

Share this: