Earlier today on their Facebook page, ‘The Pasta House’ shared the following:

“Our crew is ready for the last Sunday at The Pasta House! Be sure to join us this week before we close for renovations starting Sunday, September 18th.

“Just to clarify for everyone asking – YES, we will still honor all Pasta House gift cards! We are the same restaurant you know & love with the same amazing owners, staff, and menu. We will just be operating as the new brand, BOCCA. We can’t wait for everyone to see this amazing vision come to life!”

What say you, readers? Are you excited about the change? What favorites do you hope they keep on the new menu? Feel free to chime in!

If you’re a fan of the the Blue Point Restaurant on social media you may have noticed that their has been a flurry of activity recently. If you’re a regular, you might have seen a couple of new faces at the bar or working in the kitchen. One of those individuals is Juan Gomez who is actually returning to his roots as the new chef/ co-owner of the Blue Point. Years ago, Juan got his start working in the kitchen along side longtime owner David Riccardi. After venturing off to chart his own path and culinary career, he’s returning to a place that kickstarted his journey. For the past few years Juan has been the head chef at Knuckleheads, but when an opportunity presents itself you have to take a leap of faith. The other half of this dynamic team is Natasha Silva, who brings extensive restaurant experience of her own as a bartender and front of the house manager. Its her presence that you see on social media and her drive to reach and engage new fans of the amazing food that Juan will be creating.

The Blue Point is a unique opportunity, its both a hidden gem and a local favorite. Based on past interactions and a feature we did on Knuckleheads a few years back, we know the quality of the food that Juan puts out there. In speaking with David he’s excited at the chance to remain on board in the kitchen while simultaneously passing the torch to a new generation that reveres the place and the customers as much as he does. One big change; David finally gets to enjoy a Sunday off for the first time in 30 odd years.

One thing that won’t change is all the favorites you’ve come to expect on the regular menu. Prime rib, chicken Marsala, veal parm, they are not going ANYWHERE. Every day you can expect to see new specials that might end up on the permanent menu. Popular additions include: Carne Espeto, clam cakes, Buffalo chicken dip, grilled swordfish and chicken Madeira! Is your mouth watering yet?

One big change is the hours, they will be staying open later and opening for lunch during the week on Wednesday and Thursdays. Check out these weekly specials: on Tuesday buy two pizzas and get one 1/2 price; and on Wednesday, all you can eat fish and chip every Wednesday, all day for $14.00 (with the purchase of a beverage)

Here are their current hours of operation:
Tuesday- 4:00-8:30
•Wednesday-12:30-8:30
•Thursday- 12:30-8:30
•Friday and Saturday- 11:30-9:00
•Sunday-11:30-8:00

The history of The Blue Point is a fascinating one. The main dining room of the Blue Point Restaurant is an original Worcester Dining Car, built at the Worcester factory in the 1930’s. It was delivered by rail to New Bedford and opened as The Diner Blue Point Restaurant Eat-At BarDeluxe in 1939. Many of the diner’s customers worked at the nearby Wamsutta Mills. When the mills closed, so eventually did the diner. In the 1960’s an Acushnet man purchased it and moved it to it’s present location.

The diner (now restaurant) has been owned and operated by David and Lysa Riccardi since 1989. Blue Point Restaurant chef/owner, David Riccardi, has over 30 years experience in American, Italian, and French cuisine. Now its starting a new chapter and Juan and Natasha will help write the next 30 years of the story.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr622021
Check out their new Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluepointrestaurantma/
And check out their updated website:https://bluepointrestaurantbp.com/

Back in the first week of May, we shared with you the story about Mirasol’s opening their second location right here in New Bedford. This is an update to that story which you can read here.

The satellite of Mirasol’s Cafe that will be opening in the old Wharfinger Building, unlike its flagship cafe in Dartmouth, will neither have indoor seating nor a full menu.

Because of the success Mirasol’s had in Dartmouth when it introduced a walk-up window during the pandemic, they decided they could utilize the same format in New Bedford – a sort of “grab-and-go” model. The “walk-through” window comprises 25% of their revenue alone and since the New Bedford location is less than 1/3 of the size of the Dartmouth location, indoor seating simply isn’t an option. However, being so close to Rt. 18 means you can be in and out, hit the road for your work commute, or decide to grab your Chippi and stroll around downtown.

Luis Raposo, one of Mirasol’s managing partners, said that eventually Mirasol’s will open a third location in Fairhaven in the old Benny’s building.

At the New Bedford location, the hours will be Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and Friday-Sunday from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. The grand opening will take place on July 1st.

The New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department continues its annual tradition of the Play in the Park and Summer Eats program offering free fun activities and healthy meals for kids ages 18 and under across the city. The program will run June 24 through Aug. 26, 2021. A free nutritious lunch and a variety activities will be provided at sixteen different park locations throughout the city from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Lunch and activities will be provided Monday through Friday at Brooklawn Park, Riverside Park, Harrington Park and Hazelwood Park. Look for our new Rec & Relaxation Van which will be in parks with activities and free lunches. This initiative will help us bring meals to more sites. The Rec and Relaxation Van will visit two sites per day, Monday through Friday to serve lunches and offer new activities to the community. The schedule for the Rec and Relaxation Van can be found at nbprb.com. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM, dinner and activities will be provided at Montes Park and McCoy Rec Center.

Each site will be staffed by local youth and community members who will hand out nutritious lunches and provide arts and crafts, recreational, and educational activities for children. Two kick-off events will take place: on June 24 at Brooklawn Park from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. and June 28 at Montes Park from 4:00 PM. to 7:00 PM. Kick off events will include special family activities including music, a climbing wall, reptile show and more.

The summer programs are federally funded through the USDA with support from Project Bread. The Department of Parks, Recreation & Beaches will partner with community organizations to bring a variety of activities to each site. There will be five rainy day sites open throughout the city to ensure access to meals throughout the summer. A complete list of sites can be found at www.newbedford-ma.gov/parks-recreation-beaches/

For more information and updates on all New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches programs visit NBPRB.com, follow on Facebook @NBParksRecreationBeaches, or contact by phone at (508) 961-3015.

If you live on the South Coast you have been to Mirasol’s Cafe in Dartmouth a few million times. While many head there to get their “super-charged and dangerous caffeine lover’s dream, the Chippi,” just as many visit the cafe for their Latin-themed menu with breakfast as well as lunch options.

If you’ve been there you also know about their infamous queue which would often weave through the inside of the restaurant and even go outside the door wrapping around the building. That means that in spite of how efficient and speedy the staff is, you will not only have a wait, but you are unlikely to get a seat. It isn’t unusual for people to see the long queue and occupied tables, turn around and go elsewhere.

Wharfinger Building built in 1934.

Over the years people often asked why Mirasol’s Cafe didn’t open up another location especially considering their website had a section for anyone interested in opening up another Mirasol’s Cafe. People in New Bedford and Fall River suggested several locations throughout their respective cities.

Well, there is some good news for New Bedford residents: their suggestions have come to fruition and they’ll soon be able to skip the commute to Dartmouth. A second location will soon open on the New Bedford waterfront, specifically in the Wharfinger Building at 52 Fisherman’s Wharf located on Pier 3, downtown. The Wharfinger Building serves the Waterfront Visitor Center for the City of New Bedford and has a small exhibit on the fishing industry. The center is currently temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

“With the Black Whale, the Whale’s Tail Clam Bar, and Acushnet Creamery just steps away, this will be where diets come to an abrupt end,” said New Bedford Mayor Mitchell.

The location is expected to open mid to late June.

A new restaurant is coming to the city’s south end: 3 C’s Bar & Grille offering a variety of pub food is set to open at the old Libad’s Seaside Tavern at 578 Brock Avenue.

Libad’s, unfortunately, was one of the many establishments that was a casualty of the pandemic, closing its doors and going up for sale in February of 2021.

Three friends, Adam Clark, Derek Conceicao, and Jeffrey Correia, hailing from New Bedford decided to collaborate on the new venture. The timing was perfect as Clark had just finished selling his house in Fall River. He used that money to purchase the business.

The site will need significant renovations making it difficult to pinpoint a specific opening date, but Clark is positive that it will be before summer arrives. Part of those renovations and improvements will include almost a dozen new televisions that will be broadcasting sports regularly.

The pub-style menu will feature many popular items from the Libad’s menu: the ever-popular pizzas, a variety of burgers, hot dogs, nachos, mozzarella sticks, and more.

Unfortunately, for the New Bedford rodeo riders, the mechanical bull will not be part of the business.

ALDI, a leader in the grocery industry, will offer Dartmouth residents another option for smart, fast and easy grocery shopping as it opens its newest store at 200 North Dartmouth Mall. The new location is part of the company’s aggressive national expansion. ALDI operates more than 2,000 stores in 37 states and is on track to become the third-largest U.S. grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022.

The ALDI business model is intentionally different, with a focus on offering shoppers the best products at the lowest possible prices. Local shoppers can experience the ALDI difference when the new Dartmouth store opens on Thursday, September 23, at 9 a.m. The store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers because we offer a convenient shopping experience for affordable, on-trend and sustainable goods,” said Chris Daniels, South Windsor regional vice president for ALDI. “We have served this community for more than two years and look forward to continuing to offer Dartmouth residents high-quality, fresh foods and low prices in every ALDI aisle, every day.”

ALDI stores are designed for simplicity and efficiency. A typical store is approximately 12,000 square feet of retail space, making ALDI stores much easier to navigate than traditional grocery stores. Stores also feature open ceilings and natural lighting, and they are built with environmentally friendly materials. In addition, the retailer remains focused on ensuring stores are stocked with food and household essentials customers need, including healthy, convenient options and a robust selection of produce delivered fresh to stores daily.

Known as private-label pioneers, the ALDI business model is intentionally designed to offer customers high-quality products at unbeatable prices, every day. Now, more than ever, access to affordable groceries is important, and the ALDI commitment to low prices is unwavering. When it comes to value, ALDI won’t be beat on price, and for the past 10 years, ALDI has held the esteemed title of Value Leader among U.S. grocery stores, according to the Market Force Information® U.S. Grocery Competitive Study.* The retailer consistently maintains low prices by working with the best partners to curate a selection of more than 90% exclusive brands, and ALDI guarantees its products are as good as or better than national brands. In fact, 1 in 3 ALDI-exclusive products are award-winning.**

To provide customers choice and convenience in how they shop, ALDI continues to increase its e-commerce presence. This year, ALDI plans to further expand curbside grocery pickup service to 500 additional stores, bringing the total number of curbside locations to more than 1,200.*** Visit shop.aldi.us to place an order.

ALDI is an award-winning employer that is nationally recognized for prioritizing its employees and their well-being. Known for offering highly competitive wages and industry-leading benefits, ALDI has been recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers by Forbes six times in the past seven years. As one of the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S., ALDI is constantly creating new job opportunities in local communities coast to coast. To learn more about working at ALDI and search job openings, go to careers.aldi.us.

Series Introduction (Move down if you’re familiar with the series or don’t care)

In this series, we hope to highlight and showcase in as interesting a way as possible, the stories behind our favorite, mouth-watering local dishes. While we’ll focus on greater New Bedford and the South Coast, we will occasionally “travel” to places like Plymouth, Providence, or even Boston. I will attempt to keep it light-hearted, fun, and easy to read. While I can’t promise to keep you compelled and pull you along with prose – that would take a professional writer – I will promise to be liberal with the drool-inducing images of these dishes.

I grew up in a Sicilian household where everyone – man, woman, child – was participating in preparing meals. It was a “trick” to get everyone together, talking, laughing and of course, the occasional heated debate. Food was a huge part of our identity, where we came from, who we were. There was something special about the atmosphere that revolved around a meal that we prepared.

This is certainly not unique to an Italian or Sicilian household. Every ethnic group in the country has a proud culinary tradition that they grew up around. You can easily replace “Sicilian” with Irish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Ethiopian, Greek or anything else. This is why food as a topic is always so popular. We humans love our food and that passion goes beyond the gustatory or taste – we crave the aromas, delight in the presentation, are fueled by the atmosphere, and relish – pardon the pun – discussion about our favorite dishes, restaurants or cuisines.

One thing that is often not discussed – is glossed over, or barely touched upon – is the history or background of these dishes. Now, to some, this conjures up the voice of the guy from the “dry eyes” commercial. The terms, for many, are synonymous with “boring,” “dull,” or “It’s time to go.” However, the background can be interesting, fun, or funny and it can be so without being facetious, dumbed-down, or popular. I will make every attempt to maintain a fresh balance with those elements in this series.

As always, feedback is encouraged. Anecdotes are wanted. Discussion is paramount. Please join in!

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Do you enjoy a little spice in your life? Do you prefer just a little tickle of heat or are you a chilihead who wants the pain? Either way, you will want Piri-Piri Sauce in your life.

Piri-Piri sauce is something familiar to the Portuguese and by proxy those in Portuguese communities in various parts of the world. Having said that, in spite of Piri-Piri sauce being available in supermarkets and Salchicharias, I am still surprised when I hear locals have neither tried it nor heard of it.

You don’t have to be a chilihead to enjoy Piri-Piri sauce – in spite of its appearance and the fact that it uses a pepper of moderate heat, it is only one player in the sauce. If you’re a true chilihead you can always kick it up a notch by adding some of your favorite chili peppers, but the Piri-Piri pepper can be as hot as a “weaker” Habanero or the Scotch Bonnet that is popular in Jamaican cuisine – they range between 100,000-350,000 Scoville Units. However, Piri-Piri is a rich sauce that is best appreciated and enjoyed without insane levels of pepper to temporarily destroy your tastebuds or blast your face off.

The Piri-Piri pepper is sometimes referred to as a Bird’s Eye Chili, African Bird’s Eye, or African Devil pepper because, believe it or not, there are actually birds who enjoy them. It is a cultivar in the capsicum frutescens family of peppers. In other words, a pepper “groomed” by farmers over generations of the pepper so that certain characteristics are bred out or into the pepper.

The pepper it was cultivated from was the Malagueta Pepper which was brought from the Caribbean to southeastern Africa where Portuguese traders discovered it and fell in love with it. The Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama arrived in Mozambique in 1498 and the Portuguese ruled the nation for 400 years enjoying the pepper.

The Malagueta pepper hovers somewhere around the 100,000 Scoville Units mark and wasn’t hot enough for some Portuguese so they played around with the pepper to come up with a hotter version. Once the pepper reached almost double that of the Malagueta Pepper at 175,000 Scovilles the Portuguese felt it was hot enough and stopped tampering with it.

It is there in the Portuguese-speaking Mozambican community that the pepper’s name was borrowed from the Swahili word for “pepper,” Pili. The Portuguese being world-famous navigators, pilots, and traders brought it to many of their colonies, territories, and trading partners, particularly India. From there it spread over generations throughout the Portuguese-speaking world wherever it may be.

Anywhere that becomes a colony inevitably merges the cuisine of the two cultures (French-Vietnamese cuisine being an exemplar) so, of course, Portuguese-Mozambique cuisine would inevitably spring up. Has anyone on the SouthCoast not had Chicken or Shrimp Mozambique?! One thing I have been puzzled about is why Mozambique Wings are not ubiquitous here on the SouthCoast, but I digress.

The sauce itself is comprised of crushed Piri-Piri peppers combined with paprika, basil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, tarragon, salt, onion, black pepper, and a bit of citrus peel. Of course, there are some minor variations of this, but these ingredients are the core. Some brands may favor a particular ratio or perhaps make theirs hotter than others. It’s similar to red sauce in Italian households (not in flavor) in that there are endless variants and ratios of what is just a “simple” sauce.

When it comes to making dishes from recipes the sauce’s best compliments are chicken and shrimp, but the sauce can be used as a dipping sauce on the side or just squirted right from a bottle of your preferred brand. It will brighten up just about any dish. If you like Tabasco or Sriracha sauce, you will fall in love with Piri-Piri sauce. Accompany with a side of Portuguese round fries and you are in foodie heaven.

The best place I’ve been to that has an amazing Piri-Piri sauce is Novo Mondo restaurant and if you’ve ever been there…you know how addicting it is. If not, ask around.

Do you love Piri-Piri? Do you have a favorite brand and/or do you make your own? Let us know in the comments so others can benefit.

If you missed the announcement about the closing of “Me & Ed’s” you can read about it here.

“Last Day. I say that with a depth of gratitude and elated for the insane surge of demand since our announcement.

These are the types of days legends are made of. Each and every one of our dedicated staff past and present and those that have weathered even the toughest of the last year with the inception of COVID-19. Here we are today on day one of the mask mandate being released with the irony of releasing our own wings for the last time here where it all began how bittersweet and tough collectively.

The demand the last few weeks has made us realize one thing, we were loved close and afar and that alone has stamped its own place in history. 57 years of serving so many in a new world with an array of so many new eateries and options it’s been a journey none of us will forget.

For those looking to catch some of your favorites on the flip side stop by and see us at our sister takeout and catering business ‘On The Go’ in Mattapoisett, we will be continuing our recipes, service, ingredients, and passion there.

Thanks again for the many years of patronage on behalf of Peter and Jack two of the best I’ve had the pleasure to work with and [alongside] for the past several decades.”-Corey Lorenco.

Chocolate, how we love thee. Dark, milk, hot, Ruby, or unsweetened for baking, it doesn’t matter. As a bar or melted as liquid, married with nougat, peanut butter, or caramel, we love you. Everything except that abomination called white chocolate. Get behind me, Satan!

The amount of chocolate being eaten by Americans rose by 12% last year according to the National Confectioners Association. Perhaps the pandemic made people turn to something comforting, a little slice of heaven away from it all!

While it was the ancient Meso-American Olmecs that brought the world chocolate as far back as 1900 B.C.E. the entire world has a love affair with the stuff thanks to the Spaniards mass producing it in the 16th century. Chocolate production wouldn’t happen in the U.S. until 200 years later thanks to Dr. James Baker and John Hannon founders of the Baker Company in Boston. The rest of the country should thank us for yet another first. You’re welcome.

As of 2020, the world’s leaders of production are in West Africa and they are responsible for 60% of the world’s cocoa supply. Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Colombia round out almost all of the remaining 40% of chocolate production.

Today, no one loves the confection more than the Swiss who consume a whopping 19 lbs per person annually. The most shocking chocolate statistics is that we Americans are not even in the top ten in terms of annual consumption. In fact, we are ranked 19th in eating chocolate with a pathetic 9.5 pounds, half of what the Swiss eat.

I don’t know about you, but I will do my part and show my patriotism by increasing my chocolate consumption. How about we band together and see what we can do about those rankings?

Recently Food & Wine Magazine listed the 50 best chocolatiers in America and four from Massachusetts were listed: Chequesset Chocolate (North Truro), EHChocolatier (Cambridge), Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury), and Taza Chocolate (Somerville). The listing was not ranked, simply declared.

When it comes to the greater New Bedford area there are few spots as famous as Dorothy Cox’s Chocolates who have been delighting chocolate lovers since 1928. They have locations in Fairhaven and Wareham. Emma Jean’s Cupcake Factory in Fairhaven took over the original Dorothy Cox Chocolates location on Huttleston Avenue, but that spot went out of business and they produced non-chocolate and candy products until the pandemic hit and they became a casualty.

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What is your favorite way to devour chocolate? How much chocolate do you eat in a day, a week? Would you say that you consume the nation’s average of 9.5 lbs or more? Let us know in the comments below!