Birds of Paradise takes its final flight; Comfort Kitchen will open Ama, an Allston sibling – The Boston Globe

Downtown Crossing’s Estella (49 Temple Place) expands to a 250-seat Foxborough space in December (226 Patriot Place), new from owners Lillian and Helder Brandão.

Expect Latin-African fusion: kreyol pasta, branzino, rasta pasta (pappardelle in spicy oxtail cream), and plenty of veggie choices like roasted vegetable vegan ravioli, bang bang cauliflower, and candied-apple Brussels sprouts.

Pair it all with a lychee martini — and a bigger beer selection than at the Boston original, befitting the Gillette-adjacent location.

Chef Sarah Wade (Sloane’s, Stillwater) opens SJ’s in early November (745 Atlantic Ave.). She’s known for comfort food, including outrageous versions of mac and cheese. Her newest spot keeps with that theme. Try shrimp toast on white bread filled with sesame and scallion; a trio of pork rillette macarons; caviar and blinis; and steak frites.

Closings: Birds of Paradise at the Charles River Speedway (525 Western Ave.) pours its final drink on Friday, Oct. 31, confirms Will Isaza, a longtime familiar face behind their bar.

An Instagram post, soundtracked to John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane”— an homage to the golden age of air travel theme — thanked staff, past and present, for “taking part in our journey around the world.”

It opened in 2022, helmed by Ran Duan, then at the top of his career with hot spots such as Baldwin Bar and Blossom Bar.

“The whole concept behind Birds of Paradise is traveling and escapism. The menu is going to be based on plane tickets. Think of Pan Am,” he said at the time. “We thought, especially with the timing of the pandemic, the space, and everything that’s been going on, it was the perfect concept with the perfect timing to get people to travel somewhere they miss.”

Lately, Duan has been in the news after the closure of another Brookline bar, Ivory Pearl, and the departure of several long-term bartenders and a beverage manager amid the personal upheaval chronicled in a September 2025 Globe story.

Isaza continues to run Salsa Shack at the Speedway, serving corn tortilla tacos and corn chowder.

Relocations: James Beard Award finalist Erin Miller will move her Urban Hearth from North Cambridge to a flagship location in Inman Square (1281 Cambridge St.), opening in early 2026. This space will be larger, with a six-seat chef’s counter, a salon area, and a full-service bar. The smaller, original branch (2263 Massachusetts Ave.) will stay open, serving Miller’s local, seasonal menu.

Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.