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Restaurants
Deciding on a restaurant to try around Greater Boston can be a challenge. How do diners narrow it down to just one eatery on a given evening? Yelp, the crowd-source review website, made choosing a spot slightly more manageable with their “Yelp Elite” top-50 picks in and around Boston.
There are North End red sauce joints, inventive Mediterranean restaurants, the classics, newcomers, budget eats, and fine dining restaurants that made the cut to show the variety available in Greater Boston’s culinary scene.
Yelp’s Elite Squad — made up of the website’s most active reviewers — helped decide this top-50 list. Restaurants were ranked “using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews given by Yelp Elite Squad members.” While the website and its sometimes hostile reviewers have a complicated relationship with restaurant owners and employees, these restaurants all had hundreds to thousands of reviews averaging four out of five stars.
The “elite” reviews had to be posted between August 2023 and August 2024, and the restaurant needed to both remain open and pass a health inspection by Aug. 30, 2024 to be considered.
To view all 50 restaurants that made the cut, visit Yelp’s website. Here’s a countdown of the top-10, according to the Yelp Elite:
10. Spring Shabu-Shabu: Hot pot, 304 Western Ave., Brighton
9. Sarma: Mediterranean, 249 Pearl St., Somerville
8. Krasi: Greek, 48 Gloucester St., Back Bay
7. Mountain House: Szechuan, 89 Brighton Ave., Allston
6. Neptune Oyster: Seafood, 63 Salem St., North End
5. Café Luna: American cafe, 612 Main St., Cambridge
4. Boston Sail Loft: Seafood, 80 Atlantic Ave., Downtown
3. Saltie Girl: Seafood, 279 Dartmouth St., Back Bay
2. Carmelina’s: Italian, 307 Hanover St., North End
1. Yume Ga Arukara: Japanese and noodles, multiple locations
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The typical timetable for a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery is 12 to 18 months.Walker Buehler didn’t get into a Major League game for nearly 24 months. He pitched on June 10, 2022, had Tommy John in August, then made his long-awaited return on May 6, 2024.The comeback didn’t go smoothly at first. He […]
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BOSTON – Happy New Year! It’s officially 2025, so why not start the new year with some fun, family-friendly light displays across Massachusetts?
Winterlights is open at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate through January 4. The outdoor light show is fun for the entire family! They have warm cocoa, cider, and hand-baked desserts. Cozy up while you walk through the mile-long trail from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton
When: January 3 and 4 from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $30 for adults, $12 for children ages 3-13, and free for children under 2. Tickets are $5 cheaper for members. Concession items are available for purchase.
Click here for more information.
If you can’t make it to Canton to enjoy the Winterlights, they also have one on the North Shore! The Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens in North Andover will be lit up for an outdoor experience. It’s open through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Be sure to get your tickets in advance for either Winterlights experience.
Where: Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens, North Andover
When: January 3 and 4 from 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Cost: $30 for adults, $12 for children ages 3-13, and free for children under 2. Tickets are $5 cheaper for members. Concession items are available for purchase.
Click here for more information.
If you’re in the Boston area, Jamaica Plain hosts an annual holiday light show! The event projects the lights onto the steeple of Jamaica Plain’s First Baptist Church every thirty minutes from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Be sure to scan the QR code while there to listen to the music and dialogue for the event in Spanish or English!
Where: First Baptist Church, 633 Centre St, Jamaica Plain
When: January 3 and 4 from 5 p.m. through 8:45 p.m.
Cost: Free
Click here for more information.
The Boston Bruins are simply having an excruciating time finding the back of the net.
For the second straight game, the Bruins had their chances but managed to score just one goal. After a couple of defensive lapses in the first period, they lost a 2-1 decision to the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I like the effort for the most part of our group,” interim head coach Joe Sacco told Andy Brickley on NESN’s postgame. “I thought that the guys tried to execute the game plan. I feel like we’re trying to make a better play all the time right now in situations where we can put the puck to the net and create some more opportunities for us that way.
“But, you score one goal the last two games, it’s tough. It puts a lot of pressure on your team’s defense. We’re still defending fairly well, but we’ve got to find a way to be more consistent offensively.”
The Bruins outplayed the Rangers for most of the game, but with the Rangers leading 2-0 at the end of the first period, Jonathan Quick did a great job of preserving the two-goal lead.
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“We had a lot of chances, but we didn’t capitalize,” David Pastrnak told reporters in New York. “It’s tough because their goalie played amazing. I thought, especially in the second period, we had the opportunity to tie the game. We played really well, and the chances were there. We just didn’t capitalize.”
Here are more notes from Thursday’s Bruins-Rangers game:
— The Rangers snapped a four-game losing skid with the win over the Bruins. They had lost seven of their last eight and 15 of their last 19.
— Jeremy Swayman stopped 25-of-27 shots he faced and fell to 13-12-3 on the season.
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— The Bruins fell to 8-12-2 on the season when opponents score first, 11-10-1 against Eastern Conference opponents and 5-7-0 against teams in the Metropolitan Division. Boston is 0-3-1 against New York in their last four meetings dating back to last season. The two Original Six franchises will play two more times this season — Feb. 1 in Boston and Feb. 5 in New York.
— Elias Lindholm tallied the only Bruins goal of the game, his seventh of the season. He has faced Quick in 14 games and has four career goals against the Connecticut native.
— Both clubs had one power play opportunity but were unable to capitalize on the man advantage. Neither team registered a shot on goal while skating 5-on-4.
— Quick improved to 14-6-1 against the Bruins in 21 games with the Los Angeles Kings and Rangers.
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— The Bruins complete their three-game road trip on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puck drop for the Original Six matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN, following an hour of pregame coverage.
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