December 21, 2025 • 42 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest rest lawns, and giving
you the inside scoop on where to wine, dine and
spend your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought
giving you something to chew on.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought. Billy Costa here.
We're coming toward the end of the year. In fact,
this could be my last episode of twenty twenty five.
Speaking of the end of the year, I want to
start with this. This is really cool New Year's Eve.
Justin this here with me, the producer and co host
of the billion Lisa Morning Showing. Kiss. First of all, Hey, Justin,
Hey buddy, So Justin. You know, we talk about this
(00:42):
all the time in the Morning Show. New Year's Eve
is one of those strange nights where you never really
know what to do, and even when you're doing it,
you're wondering, is this what I should be doing on
New Year's Eve? It's kind of a weird night.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, some people stay in, but a lot of people
like to go out, yeah, you know, and find something
that's going to be fun, exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I mean, it's one thing if you've planned to go
to Times Square with a bunch of friends or something,
you know what I mean. But we had my friend
Steve de Filippe from Davios. He owns and operates all
of the Davio's restaurants, one of which is at the
Seaport in Boston. And I didn't know until a few
years ago, a few days ago, that they have New
Year's Eve fireworks over Boston Harbor. And by the way,
(01:21):
if that's the case, a hot tip you may want
to check out Peer six on Boston Harbor. It'd be
a great view. It's in Charlestown, it's right on the harbor.
There's also Meta on Boston Harbor. There's also Andy Husband
Smoke Shop. And these are all great places, all literally
sitting on the water in Boston Harbor. So they're going
to be fireworks. So we had Steven from Davio's and
he's got Davio's on the Seaport district and his restaurant
(01:45):
literally opens up to the harbor. He's got an upper level,
a lower level, and he's doing a New Year's Eve celebration.
The menu is extensive and it's kind of divided in
two parts. Justin he was talking about it on the
show the other day. Downstairs, you get your traditional New
New Year's Eve bash with all kinds of food being
served up. The bars are open, you're looking out on
(02:05):
the harbor. You're anticipating the fireworks. What better way to
spend New Year's Eve? Right? He brought some meatballs in.
Those are his mothers. That's her mother, his mother's recipe.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
I have something to say about that. Go all these
restaurant people, chefs, you always have a recipe. This is
my family, my mom's recipe. Yeah, and they're always good.
He has the best meatballs I've ever tasted.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They're incredible. If you're going to any davios, do yourself
a favor. Start with the meatballs. Get an order and
meatballs for the table. Everybody gets a little and that's enough,
and then you move on with your dinner. They have
cheese on them. Oh yeah, and the sauce. It's they're
soaked in sauce and the sauce is perfect. Anyway, So
the party going on downstairs, the typical you know, buffet everything.
The bars are open, everybody's having a ball anticipating the
(02:45):
fireworks upstairs. And he even said it is a younger
crowd and they've got a DJ, so they'll be DJ
dancing And it's just an awesome idea. If you're looking
for something for New Year's Eve, it's a hot ticket.
Ab so Lee. The other thing I want to talk
about there was restaurant news that broke this past week.
Two restaurants, and we're talking about the Seaport district. Two
(03:08):
restaurants are going to be closing first of the year,
Tamoscal and Tony C's. Now, there's a Tony cs at
Assembly Row in Somerville that is not closing.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I got hit up by so many people because our
turkey toss is right outside of Tennas's at Assembly Yeah,
I said, Now it's the Seaport one.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and these are both in the same building. I'm
hearing there. You know, the least might have been not
renewed or something for some reason having nothing to do
with the restaurants. So yeah, Tony C's and the Seaport
will be closing first of twenty twenty six early in
the year, as well as Tamoscal, which by the way,
is a great Mexican restaurant, and they have other Tamiscal restaurants.
In fact, there's one at Market Street in Lynnfield. Never
(03:46):
been It's on the list, you got to check it out.
And there's a Davos at Market Street in Lynnfield. The
other thing I want to get in before we wrap
up the first break in. We've got some really cool
guests coming in. A lot of people who know me
and who listened to the Billion lead some morning show
know that my wife, Michelle and I are really really
big time dog and animal lovers. My wife actually treats animals,
(04:08):
not only here but in Africa. She's what you call
a biomagnetic practitioner. She's smart and she's creating miracles. She's
saving animals lives, she's saving people's lives. If you want
to check out that website, just go to my biomag
dot com. But anyway, we're very friendly with an organization.
It's a dog foster and rescue operation called Gal's Best Pal.
(04:32):
And what they do is they look for dogs that
need to be rescued and they collect them. They gather
them up and they bring them here and then they
offer them up to people who are looking to foster
and or rescue a dog. Well that's where you got Titus.
They found it funny you should bring that up, because Titus,
we weren't ready. We had just lost our previous rescue pit, Bessie, Godlover,
(04:55):
and we weren't ready yet. We knew we'd get another dog,
probably another rescue pit, but we needed some time to
get over Bessie. A couple of months after Bessie passed,
we got a message from a friend. He sent us
a picture of a dog saying, I know you guys
aren't ready yet, but this dog has your name all
over it and set the picture. Unfortunately, Titus was sitting
(05:17):
in a cage. And Titus had been abandoned by the
original owner and by the way, abused in a very
big way, like amazingly abused, and then was released into
the streets for several weeks, running the streets, you know,
looking for something to eat, something to go, somewhere to
go and anyway. Finally got picked up by a dog
officer and brought to this agency. The bottom line is
(05:41):
when a dog is brought in, there's only so much
time before they have to put the animal down. It's
really sad. They're on like a clock. Yeah, because like
places like Houston, Texas, there are so many dogs coming
in they have to make room. And you know it's
there are too many dogs and not enough people fostering
and or rescuing. Anyway, we got Tightus through Gal's best
(06:02):
pal and when they called me this week, they said,
believe it or not, the holidays are tough for animals,
especially looking to be adopted or fostered, because a lot
of people leave for the holidays and what happens is
another batch of dogs that have been rounded up around
the country are coming in. They don't have room. So again,
the dogs are on a clock, and so especially right now,
(06:24):
these next several weeks are critical. There is a batch
of dogs that very well could be put down. So
if you think you're up for fostering, even if it's
two weeks, maybe a month, just to have the dog
k carret take and these dogs are trained, most of
them create trained. You know, we're not talking about brand
new puppies. Okay, but you can save a life. Otherwise,
these dogs are going to be put down over the
(06:45):
next couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
And they also could use the help, you know, not
just adopting, but also giving rides, helping out them that way.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know. So anyway, I'm going to give
you the website and if you think it's something you're
up to doing, My wife and I going to get
a second dog. We're going to foster a dog, give
tied to some company. Wow the first of the year.
All right, yeah, so if you'd like to do it,
just go to Galsbestpal dot com. That's gals Bestpal dot com.
(07:12):
And again, this is a critical time and it's okay
if you need to wait until after the holidays and
do it early to mid January, that'd be a perfect
time as well. And they've got so many other ways
you can help out. Again, just go to gals Bestpal
dot com. One more time, Galsbestpal dot com. We'll take
a break and we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Costa
here and again bet Galsbestpal dot com. That's what we're
talking about earlier, Go there if you want to foster
a dog or even adopter dog. Okay, there's that, and
then there's the holiday season. Obviously, Christmas is right around
the corner, and I'm going to share something with you.
I got a Christmas present for myself thanks to Justin
(08:01):
from the Billy and Least some morning show, because he
comes in every day for the last several months bragging
about his sauna.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
I love my sauna. I've had it for one year now.
I got it last Christmas and I use it every
single night. And it's all due to New England Spas.
That's where I got it, and that's where you got yours.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And it's funny because when you really think about it,
if you want to buy a really great gift for
the two of you, right or for the whole family,
you get a spa or a sauna or whatever. And
we've got Mark from a New England Spas on the
phone right now. Good morning, Mark, Good morning. Now you're
calling from the road. Where are you, Mark, I'm.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Out in Central Mass, out near Worcester.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh god, Central Mass. Are you in the low lying area?
Do you have to put chains on your tires when
you're driving around in the wintertime.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Even in the summer or something.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah. Yeah, So Mark, where is New England Spas?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
First of all, So we have four locations in Natick, Norwell,
Warwick and I'm in the Auburn store.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And you do other things besides saunas, right, yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
We do hot tubs, saunas. We have some massage chairs.
We even have cold plunges.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Oh yeah, is that what you got your cold punched out?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Now I'd already gotten it, but my next one will
be from New England Spots. I went to the Natick location.
They have some nice stuff there, cold plunges that will
knock your socks off.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Wow. Now do you do full steam baths too, Mark.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
No, we don't do steam baths, but in a traditional
sauna you can create enough steam to feel like a
traditional steam bath.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Okay, now, my wife, I know you've been talking to
my wife Michelle. So she and I are getting a
sauna for the holidays. What kind of a sauna? What's
it called? What are we getting?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
You're getting an infrared So infrared there's two different types.
There's infrared and traditional. Infrared heats the body from the
inside out and traditional heats the body from the outside
inn So in a traditional it'll be hot one hundred
and fifty to one hundred and ninety degrees and you'll
go in there and sweat. In a infrared it's a
(10:12):
little bit different. It's shooting far infrared rays into your
body and heating your muscles from the inside.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Wow. Now I'm going to ask you something. Mark. For years,
I would get either a steam or sauna or both
almost every day, but I had never heard of infrared.
Is that a more frequent type of sauna.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
It's a newer thing. They've been out for about forty
years and they're starting to gain in popularity. They're great
if you have a home gym or don't have a
lot of time to sit and sweat. It'll take fifteen
or twenty minutes to get a therapy session out of that.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Now with an infrared, I was always used to whenever
I took a sauna, I would always dump water on
the rocks. Does my new infrared sauna feature that?
Speaker 4 (10:57):
No, that's actually the big difference between the too. A
infrared sound that has panels on the walls and that
will heap the room to about one hundred and thirty degrees.
The heater with the stones is the more traditional, and
with that one, you're gonna pour water on the Stones
Street theme. There's a finished word for that called lolu,
(11:18):
and that's the soul, the essence, the spirit of the sound,
which creates a warm feeling.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, that's what I have.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
I have a traditional And I told you I worked
with Mark in the whole process of buying my sauna.
This guy's like the sauna king. He knows everything about
Saunas he came to my house, he sat down, he
told me everything I needed to know, where I should
put it, all the different options, and they literally taught
me how to use it, you know, And that's one
of the things that he told me is about you know,
(11:48):
you can heat it up really hot maybe one hundred
and eighty two, one hundred and ninety degrees, or keep
it a little bit cooler, maybe one fifty one sixty,
but pour water in for the humidity.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Right, That's what I do. But now that I can't
pour water, Mark, am I still going to get hot
enough to sweat?
Speaker 5 (12:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
It just gets added in a different way by heating
yourself through the infrared. You'll be in there for ten
minutes or so and then all of a sudden, you'll
be drenched in sweat. You must Hey, it's time to
get hot here and we need to cool ourselves down.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Now, Mark, I notice you keep saying sauna. Are we
saying it wrong?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Well, it's a thing. I'm from a finished background and
it's a finished word, and they pronounce it sauna and
here in the US we pronounce it sauna. And I
don't disparage anybody that pronounces it a different way. It's
still the great thing to do. So now, as long
as you do it, I don't care what you call it.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Now, Justin tells me that you're coming to his house
for a cleanup. What is Is there something going on
in his sauna that we shouldn't know about? It's a refresh, right, Mark?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Yeah, I want to know too much. What happens is
you should give your sounda a quick refresh every year. Basically,
if you have a heater with stones, you want to
take the stones out put them back in because over
a year they're going to heat and expand and track
and some of the roones stones may crack or or
(13:19):
get smaller, and you want to keep that airflow going
through the stove to get the good heat you can
also come in and use a little light sandpaper and
stand out any stains from sweat or such that maybe
on the benches.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah, I don't have to worry about that because I
don't have the rocks right.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Yeah, you wouldn't have to worry about it as much.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
No, but they can still come and do a refresh
as far as cleaning it and wiping it down and everything.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Do you want to hear my routine? Okay?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
So one of the things that Mark helped me with
and deciding was getting a sauna sauna sauna that was
big enough for me to lay down, see into a
single one where I could just sit, and he said,
you're gonna want to lay down, And I'm glad I
took his advice on that because what I do is
I heat the sauna up. It takes about an hour
or so to heat up. I get it to what
(14:11):
one hundred and sixty one hundred and seventy degrees? Okay,
I get in there. I bring a little speaker with
me with meditation music and I set that up and
then I have a sauna hat.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
That's another tip I got from Mark.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
A sauna hat. Sauna hat. Yep, it's a wool hat.
He actually sent it to me for free, Thank you, Mark,
and I put gift he threw it in there. Yeah, okay,
So then I get it, I get it heated up,
I put my hat on, and then I lay down
in the sauna for about I'm up to about thirty
minutes now, Mark, I started about fifteen.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Now I'm at thirty minutes. Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
And then I get out. I am drenched in sweat.
And then I jump in my cold plunge for two minutes.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
And then when I get out of there, I feel
like a million bucks man. Now does your wife Jen
ever join you in the sauna? She does not, Okay,
it's not her thing. Yeah, okay, uh Mark, I'm told
there are a lot of extra features you get. Oh,
by the way, he just mentioned he can lie down,
do I am I getting you talked to my wife?
Am I getting a lie down sauna?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Yours? You'll have enough room to stretch out on your bench.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Okay? All right? And what about these features? These add
on features, so to speak.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
So there's things like sound a hat, sound a halfs
are great. They're like an umbrella for your head. If
you have a traditional sound of what happens is heat rises,
and then when you put water on the stones, it
comes down from the top and if you're like me
and don't have a lot of hair up on the
top of your head there it can burn a little,
and so it deflects the heat a bit. So that's
a cool thing to ask. Okay, there are other things
(15:45):
you can get. There are some.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Does it come with bluetooth?
Speaker 4 (15:50):
You can get bluetooth with it, Yeah, Bluetooth is part
of it for some of yours will have bluetooth.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
In it, so I can play some my spam music.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Very very calming. If you have a traditional funder, you
can add some uh some essences to the water to
get some nice aromatherapy out of it. You have some
some birch or some uh some summer smell, that sort
of thing.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
So mind comes with all of that.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
You're not gonna you're not gonna need the uh essence.
You can you can put it in there in a
different way. It's a whole different thing, but we'll teach
you about that. Another great thing to have is some
sort of textiles to sit on. So there's some really
nice sound of maps that you can sit on that'll
catch the sweat when you when you're in there.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
These sounders that I've been looking at on your website,
they're beautiful to look at. I mean, oh yeah, So okay,
before I let you go, how do people get a
hold of you? In case they want to do something
like this for the holiday?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
They can reach out to h n Eespas dot com.
That's capital Nkabali Spas dot com. You can reach out
to me at m Babson at com.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
And it's not just saunas, it's steambaths, it's cold plunges,
it's hot tubs.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Hot tubs, all that. We're relaxation specialists here.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I told you, Billy, this guy Mark Babson is the
sauna king. Wow, he knows everything about saunas. He's your guy.
I love that description. Relaxation therapists. Uh Mark, Thank you
so much, and happy.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Holidays, thank you. All Right, we got We're gonna take
a break right now. But coming up next there's a
brand new well and opened up late July, I think
in Harvard Square, which is basically where I grew up.
But there's a new restaurant. They've got live music, they've
got great food. It's a fabulous and fun place, and
it's called Lose and it comes with a great story.
(17:45):
The people from lou is going to be in studio
with me in just a couple of minutes. Please hang in.
It's Food for Thought.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Consta Here.
Aj is in studio with us Aj Well, the actual
producer of Food for Thought. Justin from the Billion Least
the Morning Show was in for the first couple of
segments because while we're talking to New England Spas and
Justin is connected to New England Spas. And again I
remind everybody not a bad gift idea for a couple
(18:17):
this holiday season. If you want to get yourself a
sauna or a cold plunge or whatever, a hot tub,
a steam bat, they've got it all at New England Spas,
so look it up. Meantime, I'm in studio with a
couple of guys who own well kind of a new
place in Harvard Square. It's called Lose. So we want
to say hello to John DiGiovanni. Did I say that right? John?
(18:39):
You did and Tom Keane. Good to see you. Tom,
Good to see you. So you guys are co owners
of Lose in Harvard Square. Now I have. I grew
up in Cambridge, so I have so many connections to
lose rather to Harvard Square. Now Lose open what July
of this past summer? Yes, So what were you two
(19:01):
doing before you decided to open a restaurant? I'll start
with you, John.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So what I was doing prior to that was I
was trying to find a good tenant for that space
for LOSE.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So you're involved with the building itself. Correct, Correct, So
you were going to rent it out and then at
one point you said, ah, the hell with it, I'll
open a restaurant.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
I guess you could say I said hell with it.
It was a long process, of course, coming out of COVID.
The space had been vacant for a few years. Yeah,
and you know, you know, we're involved in Harvard Square.
I have been for a long time, really care about it,
have some history that I think, oh yeah, you could share,
but really care about the place and really felt we
needed something exciting. We needed some of them bring to
Harvard Square, some entertainment, great food, great drinks. And I've
(19:43):
known Tom for about a dozen years.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
I was going to say, how did you guys find
each other?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
So Tom, John wanted to put bowling in Harvard Square.
We own a bowling alley over in Brighton that we
opened in twenty seventeen, the American Flatbread Pizza Company.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Oh okay, oh Flatbread Okay. Well look at you guys
just on the move, huh.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
And we tried to make it work for a long
time and it never came together. But we play a
lot of golf together, so the conversation never ended.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Wow, look you're on the move constantly. And I do
know very quickly Lose in Harvard Square again newly opened,
and we talk all about the place and the food
and the menu and the chef and everything else. But
very briefly, John, it's named after your dad, who was
a war hero.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Correct, well, he was World War Two. He was a
navigator lieutenant in World War Two on a B seventeen
and yeah, he flew thirty five bombing missions.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So we're going to have some good stories to tell
on Food for Thought this week. So again, welcome John,
and welcome Tom, and congratulations on Lose and we're going
to take a break. When we come back, we'll open
the doors to Lose in Harvard Square. They've got it
all going on, including live music. It's next stand by.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Very very
interesting segment, and I think this could be my last
segment or last show before the end of the year,
and then, of course Jenny and I will be back
with another full year. Aja, you're the producer. What year
will next year be? How many years with Food for Thought?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Oh my god?
Speaker 2 (21:13):
I think we started in twenty eighteen. Oh my god,
and I think we have the same god. But okay,
so twenty eighteen is two twenty ten? Two is what? Yeah?
More than five years of Food for Thought? Yeah, well
how about that? Anyway, our guests again, I've got John,
I've got Tom, their partners in Lose in Harvard Square
(21:35):
and again open late July of this past year. Correct. Okay,
before the break, Tom, we were kind of talking about
how the two of you found each other. I guess
you were both in development to some degree, but Tom,
you were involved in Flatbreads, and Jenny and I have
had our cameras at the one isn't in Brighton, the
one we might tell and yeah, so what's the latest
(21:56):
on Flatbreads? Are you still involved with that? We are.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
We actually bought the franchise company in twenty twenty four
and we're looking forward to growing it. But I started
there when I was eighteen as an intern. Opened Flatbird
Brighton in American Flatbert Brighton in twenty seventeen. Still, that's
quite a jump and interurn to owner took a lot
of work, a lot of good people along the way.
Great great former owner, still a good friend. Yeah, it's
(22:19):
a great company. We celebrated forty years this year.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So now I have to ask the two of you,
John and Tom as business people, and apparently you're very
successful business people. You're involved with flat Flatbreads, you're both
involved in development. So Tom, how do you split your
time between Flatbreads and lows in Harvard Square? We have
a lot of great I want to take notes here, John.
Speaker 6 (22:40):
Ahead talk Well, now that I'm in this room for Louse,
I'd say most of my time it's.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Back on lowis. Yeah, never every day thinking about it.
But how did you. Actually the two of you obviously
knew each other in the development world, and John, you
knew Tom was involved in Flatbreads as well. So when
and how did the conversation start that the two of
you should open a place now lose in Harvard Square. John,
So we did.
Speaker 5 (23:03):
We've known each other about a dozen years. And as
Tom said, I was trying to find a way to
put bowling in. I wanted more action. I wanted more entertainment,
more things to do in the square. That never we
just couldn't find a space.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
So you wanted to bring more people to Harvard Square, correct, right?
Speaker 5 (23:17):
And as I looked at this space and thinking about
leasing it, I knew Tom's background and operations. He has
a great team. He put a great team together, full loose,
and so I said, bring your team, take a look
at this space.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
What would you do?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
And then we kicked it around for three or four months,
and then in November of twenty four we sort of,
as I said, I sort of jumped off the cliff
and said, all right, so restaurants. I have really minimal
knowledge in running.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Around artists working business.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
There is by far, my friends tell me. When I
asked friends, am I crazy to go into a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
It's the reason I got into food television. I was
so appreciative, correct of the people that work the food
and industry, everything from the service staff, to the chefs,
to the weight staff, to the owners to everything brutal
and you did it. So do you serve flatbreads that lose?
We don't. But you can go two miles or no,
(24:14):
no A. So you try to keep it separate. What
you do with flatbreads versus what you do with lose.
We do.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
Lose is a whole nother Uh. It's a beast, It's
it's it's a big restaurant. It's a lot of fun,
live music, it's open till two am. Flatbreads, you know,
cater's more to families there in young folks.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Yeah, yeah, Well you're sounding a little uppity right there, Tom,
I'm just saying, as opposed to lose, we have a
wee cater two wow. Okay, just for the people listening
who kind of no Harvard Square, exactly where in the
square is Lose? Is it on the same block as
is Cardulo still direct there our neighbors. It's a fish
(24:52):
thirteen Brattle Street. So it's on the right, on the
very first block there on Brattle Street.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
It's below. It's where there was a restaurant prior called
The Beat there prior to.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
What the Beat? Oh yeah, okay, it's.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
In that space below, but it's on the first block
in Harvard Square. It's a big space. It's designed beautifully.
We have great team and who.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Designed it, Elder and Ash. Very good. Yeah for company.
Look at you the developers, Elder and As he came
out so quickly. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
We had Joe the architect also helped us.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Yeah, hey, Joe, how you doing Joe? Joe the architect
just playing Joe. That's how big he is. He just
goes by Joe the architect. That's all. Wow, that's amazing architect. Hey, Joe,
how's it going. I could use a couple of tips.
We're doing some work at the house show. No, I'm
just kidding. So you don't have bowling it lose though
we do not. So that was your goal and yet
(25:50):
you don't have bowling.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
Well that was a while back. I didn't think bowling
would fit here. But I knew Tom and knew his operation.
He knew his team and he had a really good team,
and I said, look, I mean, take you bringing your
folks in here, take a look at this thing. And
then we kicked around ideas. I knew I wanted entertainment,
but the concept we just said a moment ago, the
idea of going into the restaurant business.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Oh yeah, it's hard. It's hard, and I especially coming
off COVID correct.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
Yeah, really tough. So if I was going to do this,
I needed someone that had a really good team, smart, hip, cool,
all of which I'm not.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Well, your chef and we're going to take a break
in a few seconds. But your chef, I'm very familiar with.
Jason bond is one of the most gifted chefs in
our region. He is definitely one of our stars in
this region. And I remember he had Bond Deer. What
else did he have? Because we've had him on the
TV show, on a Dining Playbook as well as TV
Diner going back further.
Speaker 6 (26:44):
We got to get him back on. I mean, he
is amazing. I think the work he did at Bondire,
you know, it was fantastic. I think he was at
Eastern standard before we got Yeah, we are incredibly lucky
to have.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Him Oh, how did you even land him? I'm sure
he like was very busy, very busy. Well, he knew
how hot you guys. You know what, he knew what
was happening in Harvard Square. We got to take a
break when we come back. Yes, we'll swing open the
doors to Lose, because everybody at this point wants to
know what is going on inside the walls of Lose.
(27:16):
In Harvard Square. There is live entertainment. I'll tell you
that much. We'll take a break, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweetes Hey.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Guys, welcome to Food for Thought. You know, I got
to caution you anything could happen during the course of
the show because I've got John and Tom here from
lous which is a new place in Harvard Square, and
it sounds like a lot of fun. And I want
to start this segment by sharing with John and Tom.
We talked a little bit off the air when I
knew you guys were coming in, like I've got I mean,
I grew up in Cambridge. I went to Cambridgehigh and
(27:48):
Latin which is now Cambridge Rnge in Latin. We hung
out in Harvard Square. We cut classes every day just
to go to Harvard Square. We went to the Bruins
practices when they used to practice at Harvard University at
the rink there. When I was in high school, I
worked at a men's you know, like Ivy League clothing
store called j Press. You guys know where it is.
In high school, I worked at Ninny's Corner where the
(28:10):
newspaper stand in the magazines. I went to prep school
on Brattle Street at New Prep. So I've got so
many connections to Harvard Square. Anyway, congratulations on loose. Let's
go inside. What's the space like? Is it upstairs and downstairs?
Speaker 5 (28:25):
It's just downstairs.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Okay, you can down one floor.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Yeah, that's all on one level. It's a large space.
It has two bars, one towards the front, one back
by what we call the performance space. There's there's some
VIP space. We have events. There's been a few times
with someone's book. The entire rest nice and also the
back year of the performance. Here is also for private
(28:49):
events as well as well, so we're having a lot
of that happen now. It's a warm, I think.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Comfortable nineteen twenties kind of speakeasy and spot. Oh so
speakes issue and that's getting really hot now, Yes it is. Yeah,
what's the new place in Boston Desnuda or something, And
they've got kind of a speaking I know you guys
are only one. That's only one, of course, and it's
a Lose in Harvard Square, So okay. I know you've
got Jason Bond, one of the most celebrated chefs to
(29:17):
come out of this region. So obviously the food, the
menu is outstanding. So I'm going to take you one
at a time, and I want you to pretend for
a moment that you're not developers and you're not involved
with Lose. You're entering Louse as a customer, and you're
going there for the second time, and you're going to
go in and you're going to make sure Tom that
(29:39):
you start with what and finish with what on the menu?
Speaker 6 (29:41):
Go dirty Martini, it's really good. Probably go steak Freetz.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Oh okay. In chocolate chip cookies. I saw a piece
on Chronicle about Lose and they featured the chocolate chip cookies.
What's so special about them?
Speaker 6 (29:59):
I make colate chip cookies and I think they're fantastic
and Jason Bonds are obviously ten times better than mine.
It's right, Yeah, okay, it's impressive. How good the chocolate?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
All right, so if you do nothing else, make sure
you get the chocolate chip cookies.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Yeah, well then you also got to get the steak
Freez and dirty Martini.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
But okay, and John, how about you?
Speaker 5 (30:18):
So I so as for my drink, I'm I sort
of like the Negroni, but in sot homage to my dad,
he loved Martini, and I really think the dirty Martini
is amazing. At at Louz, I'm more of the I'm
more of the loose Linguinian clams is what I love. Yeah,
so that's what I would go with for sure. The
(30:40):
there's a terrific number of appetizers, and everyone sort of
loves the sweet potatoes.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Yeah, I love everything sweet potato. They're little ones. They're
like crazy good, crazy good. I got to call my wife,
what's up for the weekend. I get to get a
little loose.
Speaker 5 (30:55):
And the truth is we'll both say the same thing.
On the dessert, you have to have the cookies. They're
just ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Now at Louse, are you doing both lunch and dinner
Wednesday through Sunday lunch and then dinner seven nights.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
A week, and we have brunch on yeah on Sundays.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Yeah, brunch, brunch, dinner seven nights a week. Ye in
lunch three or four days a.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
Week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saurday, Sunday.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Okay, lunch. Now live entertainment, where do you get it?
Who are the bands? Who finds those for you? Alison
Finney and she's been around it while she's got a
lot of experience.
Speaker 6 (31:27):
Yes, she's great, absolutely fantastic class act. Came from Roadrunner
previously and she just does a fantastic job with the music.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Well, she's coming from road Runner, she knows her entertainment.
She does. Before that, she was at Sinclair, which is
in the same buildings, which was another fantastic live music venue.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
It's great.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Michael Schlau who's an old friend of mine. He is
one of the original celebrity chefs out of Boston. I
think he was involved with Sinclair.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
He was Now that's gone the restaurant portion there fully
entertainment music venue now. But yes, Allison any open the
same Clayer it's now and it's I think beginning it's
fourteenth year there. They just have terrific acts sold out often.
It's just another attraction to Harvard Square.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
So how many nights a week do you have live entertainment?
Speaker 6 (32:14):
Four nights a week? Yeah, so that would be technically
we have DJ's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then live bands
Thursday through Sunday.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Where do you get your DJs? I know, ask Allison
that's a secret. Now. Just spending a few minutes with
you guys, okay, I mean your big time development is
your big time businessmen, and you know, I happen to
have a feeling that you know, opening lose is fabulous,
But you seem like the kind of guys that already
have your wheel spinning and you're always you're already thinking
(32:44):
about the next project. Am I reading your minds correctly? Tom?
I'll start with you.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
Always got something else going on? But I mean, just
getting more people at Harvard Square is h is the
key component. And I think Lows is doing a great job.
And John obviously having you know, probably close to the
family sixty years in Harvard Square, now he's always got
something up asleep.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
John, are you planning something that Tom's not aware?
Speaker 5 (33:08):
Of or we like things happening organically, so we see
how it goes. But I have to tell you, four
months into this, it's been exciting. It's been a lot
of fun. I have to say it is a tough business,
but Boy, restaurants is also fun. It's great seeing people
having great reviews coming up and say they went there
and had a great time. And I have to tell you,
the cocktails, the food, everything's great, the ambiance, the music.
(33:29):
But I think we have the best hospitality. I think
you're treated really well. We said that from the start.
We want you to feel like you're welcome, like they
know you, and we want you to coming back. You know,
in ten years when the kids that are graduating this
spring twenty twenty sixth, right when they come back for
their tenth I want them here because Harvard will be submarating.
It's four hundredth anniverse, right wow, And so we want
(33:52):
an institution here. We want Harvard's great is a special place.
It's older, Harvard's one hundred and forty years older than
the United States, and there's something special here in this place.
Grew organically. We're Steward's here. We want to do good
things and leave something that. That's why I want to
name it after my dad. He spent a lot of
time worked hard here and we want it to be
(34:13):
something special. So when people come in, we want them
to feel like this is a special time for you
to come in and have a great time, great food,
great drinks, all of that, but you should be treated
really well. And when I go to a restaurant, when
that happens, I want to go back.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
And it's interesting that you have this push in the
back of your heads that, yeah, it's time that we
get everybody coming back to Harvard Square because, like I said,
I grew up and hung out in the Harvard Square.
And I remember when they used to have music festivals
on Cambridge Common and me and all my buddies would
run down to the Common on Saturdays and Sundays and
they had live bands playing all afternoon and it was free, right,
(34:50):
and they would have food vendors and you know, beer vendors.
And this goes back yep. You know, I'm not going
to tell you when.
Speaker 5 (34:59):
Well, we're doing that in the Square now. So this
is the business association that puts on about one hundred events.
So is the Chocolate Festival, the chili contest, the salcer event.
There's a bunch of things out free in the in
the public space is we support the live musicians that
are eltil just playing in the in Harvard Square, the
buskers and so keeping the listen. It is a vibrant place.
(35:22):
We want to add to that.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Uh, it's the holiday season. We've got a couple of weeks,
maybe three left of the year. Are you guys planning
anything special during the holidays at Lows. We're planning something
for New Year's Eve. And right now the.
Speaker 6 (35:38):
Restaurant is decked out in decorations. I mean it's incredibly festive. Actually,
Joe the architect and his team.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Came in for it. Hey Joe, back to Joe, Joe
the architect, I love that. Yeah, he's going to love this.
Oh yeah, I'm going to get a couple of phone calls.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
But his team came in and decorated it for us,
and it's just it's a really it's got that nineteen
twenties like deep velvets.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Yeah, you know, moody.
Speaker 6 (36:03):
So it feels Christmasy already, and when you put decorations
in there, it just looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
I got to tell you something. Over the years, I've
always told people because Jenny and I have taken the
show many times to Harvard Square and shot at all
the vendors and so forth, we're definitely coming in to Lose.
But so many times I have a tradition every year
where my wife and I will spend the weekend at
the Charles Hotel, and I encourage that to people all
(36:28):
the time. If you're looking for a really cool getaway
on a weekend, just leave everything behind, check into a hotel,
we go to the Charles. There might be some other
hotel you guys can recommend, but just being in Harvard
Square for a weekend and you just get out in
the morning and take a walk. You know, you can
walk down to the Charles River, you can walk down
(36:49):
to Harvard Campus, walk around there. There's so much to do,
so many places to go. You can jog the Charles River,
and then you can roam around Harvard Square, grab a
great breakfast or hit one of the Boots and one
of the many boutiques and have lunch and dinner at Lose.
You know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Correct, So you're saying, like, get the whole experience, Yeah, yeah,
sort of in and out.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I think what I just said was spend the weekend
at the Charles Hotel and then the entire weekend it lose.
You can do that on Brattle Street in Harvard Square. Okay,
we're gonna take one final break, but I want you
guys thinking about this. For the final break. It's kind
of a tradition. I'm going to ask both of you
to step out of the box for a moment and
recommend the one or two places that you would highly recommend.
(37:29):
Doesn't have to be in Harvard Square, but it cannot
be one of your own places, i e. Flatbreads or
Lose for this segment only. All right, we'll do that
right after the break.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Costa Here.
I'm sitting with John and with Tom. They are co
owners among everything else they do with Joe the Architect.
They've got los in Harvard Square. But we have breaking
news about Lose and somehow we managed to forget to
mention it. But if you're going to lose in Harvard Square,
(38:08):
open this past summer. Beautiful place, live music, everything. If
you're going to lose free parking correct? Oh yeah, so
you and free indoor basically parking. It's a garage, so
you're protected from the snow and the rain and the
elements and so forth.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
It's about two minutes. You park right there, crushing the
Kenny School Government. Yeah, on Elliott Street.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Bring in your ticket. We just keep your car there
all day and enjoy the entire correct square. Yes, and
visit the campus and the stadium. God football football games
at the stadium. I trained for years for marathons. I
would jog ten or twelve miles from where I lived
to Harvard Stadium so I could jog the stairs of
(38:48):
the whole stadium and then jack walk home. Wow. And
I'm telling you that's what made the marathon for me. Anyway,
don't think for a minute I forgot what we're gonna
do here. We're taking you too, out of the box,
out of your box. And I want you each to
give me your top two recommendations of restaurants that are
not yours. And I'm going to start with you, Tom
go Pammy's. Oh, I love it. Just outside Harvard Square,
(39:11):
just outside of Mass Avenue between Harvard and Central. See.
I know my Cambridge great selection, Pammy's I got very
got married there. So got married there we did. Yeah,
now I know Pammy. One of them is an architect,
is that Joe the architect?
Speaker 6 (39:26):
Okay, I don't think he's involved there, I say that,
but who knows?
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Maybe? Yeah? No, Pamy. What a great couple, very good charming. Okay.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
There's one Warren Tavern, Charlestown. I lived in Charlestown for
ten years.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
It's it's I talked my boat summer there. We live
on the boat all summer. We go to Oh my god,
Carrie the general manager of Warren Tavern. I get take
out there two or three times a week. Good selection.
Charlestown one of the oldest restaurants. Talk about charm. Yeah,
one of the and constantly anytime I go to pick
(40:03):
up the takeout mobbed and it's perfect height for me.
The short that's what I was. You feel tall in there?
Oh yeah, I feel like the skyscraper. Okay, John, So
I have.
Speaker 5 (40:13):
To do everything Harvard Square. I have to tell you
I love war and have it as well. And for
the same reason that Tom talked about and the charm.
So I I really I love Italian food, So Tuscano,
I just love going to really nice Yeah. So it's
not as you know, it's it's more formal with the
tablecloth and all that, but it's really great food, great
service there as well, So I love that.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
And then and then sort of another relaxed place where
I like to hang out is Grafton Street on JFK Street,
really cool relation.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Which is just outside Harvard. S.
Speaker 5 (40:42):
No, it's in Harvard on JFK Street. Yeah, it's actually
in the building that you get free parking at.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
First floor of the building. And what's it called Grafton Street?
Okay there, and I think great stuff. Yeah, okay, well
those are good selections. Now let's talk about how people
are going to make reservations. Lose in Harvard Square, Tom,
we areluse dot com. We are lose dot com as
(41:07):
in l o U right yerect. And what about a website?
People can that's the website. The website just there, no
phone number, just oh, nobody's calling. It's old school. Yeah.
It was like, do people still call restaurant? Nobody's calling,
It's it's old school. Well, this was a lot of fun.
I can't wait for my wife, Michelle and I to
come in to losing and he's some fun. I love
(41:28):
a lot of music too. When you're having dinner, so okay,
so dinner seven days a week, lunch four days a week,
five days a week, five days a week, and it's
Lose in Harvard Square. Just open this past You're like,
great to see you, guys, and memories to your dad.
Thank you, war hero, very cool story. You brought a
(41:49):
scrap book with you, and thank you so much for
sharing with me. H. That's it. We're out of time.
Have a wonderful holiday and a safe holiday. Everybody up
next sixty minutes
You're listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest rest lawns, and giving
you the inside scoop on where to wine, dine and
spend your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought
giving you something to chew on.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought. Billy Costa here.
We're coming toward the end of the year. In fact,
this could be my last episode of twenty twenty five.
Speaking of the end of the year, I want to
start with this. This is really cool New Year's Eve.
Justin this here with me, the producer and co host
of the billion Lisa Morning Showing. Kiss. First of all, Hey, Justin,
Hey buddy, So Justin. You know, we talk about this
(00:42):
all the time in the Morning Show. New Year's Eve
is one of those strange nights where you never really
know what to do, and even when you're doing it,
you're wondering, is this what I should be doing on
New Year's Eve? It's kind of a weird night.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, some people stay in, but a lot of people
like to go out, yeah, you know, and find something
that's going to be fun, exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I mean, it's one thing if you've planned to go
to Times Square with a bunch of friends or something,
you know what I mean. But we had my friend
Steve de Filippe from Davios. He owns and operates all
of the Davio's restaurants, one of which is at the
Seaport in Boston. And I didn't know until a few
years ago, a few days ago, that they have New
Year's Eve fireworks over Boston Harbor. And by the way,
(01:21):
if that's the case, a hot tip you may want
to check out Peer six on Boston Harbor. It'd be
a great view. It's in Charlestown, it's right on the harbor.
There's also Meta on Boston Harbor. There's also Andy Husband
Smoke Shop. And these are all great places, all literally
sitting on the water in Boston Harbor. So they're going
to be fireworks. So we had Steven from Davio's and
he's got Davio's on the Seaport district and his restaurant
(01:45):
literally opens up to the harbor. He's got an upper level,
a lower level, and he's doing a New Year's Eve celebration.
The menu is extensive and it's kind of divided in
two parts. Justin he was talking about it on the
show the other day. Downstairs, you get your traditional New
New Year's Eve bash with all kinds of food being
served up. The bars are open, you're looking out on
(02:05):
the harbor. You're anticipating the fireworks. What better way to
spend New Year's Eve? Right? He brought some meatballs in.
Those are his mothers. That's her mother, his mother's recipe.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
I have something to say about that. Go all these
restaurant people, chefs, you always have a recipe. This is
my family, my mom's recipe. Yeah, and they're always good.
He has the best meatballs I've ever tasted.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They're incredible. If you're going to any davios, do yourself
a favor. Start with the meatballs. Get an order and
meatballs for the table. Everybody gets a little and that's enough,
and then you move on with your dinner. They have
cheese on them. Oh yeah, and the sauce. It's they're
soaked in sauce and the sauce is perfect. Anyway, So
the party going on downstairs, the typical you know, buffet everything.
The bars are open, everybody's having a ball anticipating the
(02:45):
fireworks upstairs. And he even said it is a younger
crowd and they've got a DJ, so they'll be DJ
dancing And it's just an awesome idea. If you're looking
for something for New Year's Eve, it's a hot ticket.
Ab so Lee. The other thing I want to talk
about there was restaurant news that broke this past week.
Two restaurants, and we're talking about the Seaport district. Two
(03:08):
restaurants are going to be closing first of the year,
Tamoscal and Tony C's. Now, there's a Tony cs at
Assembly Row in Somerville that is not closing.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I got hit up by so many people because our
turkey toss is right outside of Tennas's at Assembly Yeah,
I said, Now it's the Seaport one.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and these are both in the same building. I'm
hearing there. You know, the least might have been not
renewed or something for some reason having nothing to do
with the restaurants. So yeah, Tony C's and the Seaport
will be closing first of twenty twenty six early in
the year, as well as Tamoscal, which by the way,
is a great Mexican restaurant, and they have other Tamiscal restaurants.
In fact, there's one at Market Street in Lynnfield. Never
(03:46):
been It's on the list, you got to check it out.
And there's a Davos at Market Street in Lynnfield. The
other thing I want to get in before we wrap
up the first break in. We've got some really cool
guests coming in. A lot of people who know me
and who listened to the Billion lead some morning show
know that my wife, Michelle and I are really really
big time dog and animal lovers. My wife actually treats animals,
(04:08):
not only here but in Africa. She's what you call
a biomagnetic practitioner. She's smart and she's creating miracles. She's
saving animals lives, she's saving people's lives. If you want
to check out that website, just go to my biomag
dot com. But anyway, we're very friendly with an organization.
It's a dog foster and rescue operation called Gal's Best Pal.
(04:32):
And what they do is they look for dogs that
need to be rescued and they collect them. They gather
them up and they bring them here and then they
offer them up to people who are looking to foster
and or rescue a dog. Well that's where you got Titus.
They found it funny you should bring that up, because Titus,
we weren't ready. We had just lost our previous rescue pit, Bessie, Godlover,
(04:55):
and we weren't ready yet. We knew we'd get another dog,
probably another rescue pit, but we needed some time to
get over Bessie. A couple of months after Bessie passed,
we got a message from a friend. He sent us
a picture of a dog saying, I know you guys
aren't ready yet, but this dog has your name all
over it and set the picture. Unfortunately, Titus was sitting
(05:17):
in a cage. And Titus had been abandoned by the
original owner and by the way, abused in a very
big way, like amazingly abused, and then was released into
the streets for several weeks, running the streets, you know,
looking for something to eat, something to go, somewhere to
go and anyway. Finally got picked up by a dog
officer and brought to this agency. The bottom line is
(05:41):
when a dog is brought in, there's only so much
time before they have to put the animal down. It's
really sad. They're on like a clock. Yeah, because like
places like Houston, Texas, there are so many dogs coming
in they have to make room. And you know it's
there are too many dogs and not enough people fostering
and or rescuing. Anyway, we got Tightus through Gal's best
(06:02):
pal and when they called me this week, they said,
believe it or not, the holidays are tough for animals,
especially looking to be adopted or fostered, because a lot
of people leave for the holidays and what happens is
another batch of dogs that have been rounded up around
the country are coming in. They don't have room. So again,
the dogs are on a clock, and so especially right now,
(06:24):
these next several weeks are critical. There is a batch
of dogs that very well could be put down. So
if you think you're up for fostering, even if it's
two weeks, maybe a month, just to have the dog
k carret take and these dogs are trained, most of
them create trained. You know, we're not talking about brand
new puppies. Okay, but you can save a life. Otherwise,
these dogs are going to be put down over the
(06:45):
next couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
And they also could use the help, you know, not
just adopting, but also giving rides, helping out them that way.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know. So anyway, I'm going to give
you the website and if you think it's something you're
up to doing, My wife and I going to get
a second dog. We're going to foster a dog, give
tied to some company. Wow the first of the year.
All right, yeah, so if you'd like to do it,
just go to Galsbestpal dot com. That's gals Bestpal dot com.
(07:12):
And again, this is a critical time and it's okay
if you need to wait until after the holidays and
do it early to mid January, that'd be a perfect
time as well. And they've got so many other ways
you can help out. Again, just go to gals Bestpal
dot com. One more time, Galsbestpal dot com. We'll take
a break and we'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and Sweets.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Costa
here and again bet Galsbestpal dot com. That's what we're
talking about earlier, Go there if you want to foster
a dog or even adopter dog. Okay, there's that, and
then there's the holiday season. Obviously, Christmas is right around
the corner, and I'm going to share something with you.
I got a Christmas present for myself thanks to Justin
(08:01):
from the Billy and Least some morning show, because he
comes in every day for the last several months bragging
about his sauna.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
I love my sauna. I've had it for one year now.
I got it last Christmas and I use it every
single night. And it's all due to New England Spas.
That's where I got it, and that's where you got yours.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And it's funny because when you really think about it,
if you want to buy a really great gift for
the two of you, right or for the whole family,
you get a spa or a sauna or whatever. And
we've got Mark from a New England Spas on the
phone right now. Good morning, Mark, Good morning. Now you're
calling from the road. Where are you, Mark, I'm.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Out in Central Mass, out near Worcester.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Oh god, Central Mass. Are you in the low lying area?
Do you have to put chains on your tires when
you're driving around in the wintertime.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Even in the summer or something.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah. Yeah, So Mark, where is New England Spas?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
First of all, So we have four locations in Natick, Norwell,
Warwick and I'm in the Auburn store.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And you do other things besides saunas, right, yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
We do hot tubs, saunas. We have some massage chairs.
We even have cold plunges.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Oh yeah, is that what you got your cold punched out?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Now I'd already gotten it, but my next one will
be from New England Spots. I went to the Natick location.
They have some nice stuff there, cold plunges that will
knock your socks off.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Wow. Now do you do full steam baths too, Mark.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
No, we don't do steam baths, but in a traditional
sauna you can create enough steam to feel like a
traditional steam bath.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Okay, now, my wife, I know you've been talking to
my wife Michelle. So she and I are getting a
sauna for the holidays. What kind of a sauna? What's
it called? What are we getting?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
You're getting an infrared So infrared there's two different types.
There's infrared and traditional. Infrared heats the body from the
inside out and traditional heats the body from the outside
inn So in a traditional it'll be hot one hundred
and fifty to one hundred and ninety degrees and you'll
go in there and sweat. In a infrared it's a
(10:12):
little bit different. It's shooting far infrared rays into your
body and heating your muscles from the inside.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Wow. Now I'm going to ask you something. Mark. For years,
I would get either a steam or sauna or both
almost every day, but I had never heard of infrared.
Is that a more frequent type of sauna.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
It's a newer thing. They've been out for about forty
years and they're starting to gain in popularity. They're great
if you have a home gym or don't have a
lot of time to sit and sweat. It'll take fifteen
or twenty minutes to get a therapy session out of that.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Now with an infrared, I was always used to whenever
I took a sauna, I would always dump water on
the rocks. Does my new infrared sauna feature that?
Speaker 4 (10:57):
No, that's actually the big difference between the too. A
infrared sound that has panels on the walls and that
will heap the room to about one hundred and thirty degrees.
The heater with the stones is the more traditional, and
with that one, you're gonna pour water on the Stones
Street theme. There's a finished word for that called lolu,
(11:18):
and that's the soul, the essence, the spirit of the sound,
which creates a warm feeling.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, that's what I have.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
I have a traditional And I told you I worked
with Mark in the whole process of buying my sauna.
This guy's like the sauna king. He knows everything about
Saunas he came to my house, he sat down, he
told me everything I needed to know, where I should
put it, all the different options, and they literally taught
me how to use it, you know, And that's one
of the things that he told me is about you know,
(11:48):
you can heat it up really hot maybe one hundred
and eighty two, one hundred and ninety degrees, or keep
it a little bit cooler, maybe one fifty one sixty,
but pour water in for the humidity.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Right, That's what I do. But now that I can't
pour water, Mark, am I still going to get hot
enough to sweat?
Speaker 5 (12:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:05):
It just gets added in a different way by heating
yourself through the infrared. You'll be in there for ten
minutes or so and then all of a sudden, you'll
be drenched in sweat. You must Hey, it's time to
get hot here and we need to cool ourselves down.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Now, Mark, I notice you keep saying sauna. Are we
saying it wrong?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Well, it's a thing. I'm from a finished background and
it's a finished word, and they pronounce it sauna and
here in the US we pronounce it sauna. And I
don't disparage anybody that pronounces it a different way. It's
still the great thing to do. So now, as long
as you do it, I don't care what you call it.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Now, Justin tells me that you're coming to his house
for a cleanup. What is Is there something going on
in his sauna that we shouldn't know about? It's a refresh, right, Mark?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Yeah, I want to know too much. What happens is
you should give your sounda a quick refresh every year. Basically,
if you have a heater with stones, you want to
take the stones out put them back in because over
a year they're going to heat and expand and track
and some of the roones stones may crack or or
(13:19):
get smaller, and you want to keep that airflow going
through the stove to get the good heat you can
also come in and use a little light sandpaper and
stand out any stains from sweat or such that maybe
on the benches.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah, I don't have to worry about that because I
don't have the rocks right.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Yeah, you wouldn't have to worry about it as much.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
No, but they can still come and do a refresh
as far as cleaning it and wiping it down and everything.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Do you want to hear my routine? Okay?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
So one of the things that Mark helped me with
and deciding was getting a sauna sauna sauna that was
big enough for me to lay down, see into a
single one where I could just sit, and he said,
you're gonna want to lay down, And I'm glad I
took his advice on that because what I do is
I heat the sauna up. It takes about an hour
or so to heat up. I get it to what
(14:11):
one hundred and sixty one hundred and seventy degrees? Okay,
I get in there. I bring a little speaker with
me with meditation music and I set that up and
then I have a sauna hat.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
That's another tip I got from Mark.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
A sauna hat. Sauna hat. Yep, it's a wool hat.
He actually sent it to me for free, Thank you, Mark,
and I put gift he threw it in there. Yeah, okay,
So then I get it, I get it heated up,
I put my hat on, and then I lay down
in the sauna for about I'm up to about thirty
minutes now, Mark, I started about fifteen.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Now I'm at thirty minutes. Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
And then I get out. I am drenched in sweat.
And then I jump in my cold plunge for two minutes.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
And then when I get out of there, I feel
like a million bucks man. Now does your wife Jen
ever join you in the sauna? She does not, Okay,
it's not her thing. Yeah, okay, uh Mark, I'm told
there are a lot of extra features you get. Oh,
by the way, he just mentioned he can lie down,
do I am I getting you talked to my wife?
Am I getting a lie down sauna?
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Yours? You'll have enough room to stretch out on your bench.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Okay? All right? And what about these features? These add
on features, so to speak.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
So there's things like sound a hat, sound a halfs
are great. They're like an umbrella for your head. If
you have a traditional sound of what happens is heat rises,
and then when you put water on the stones, it
comes down from the top and if you're like me
and don't have a lot of hair up on the
top of your head there it can burn a little,
and so it deflects the heat a bit. So that's
a cool thing to ask. Okay, there are other things
(15:45):
you can get. There are some.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Does it come with bluetooth?
Speaker 4 (15:50):
You can get bluetooth with it, Yeah, Bluetooth is part
of it for some of yours will have bluetooth.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
In it, so I can play some my spam music.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Very very calming. If you have a traditional funder, you
can add some uh some essences to the water to
get some nice aromatherapy out of it. You have some
some birch or some uh some summer smell, that sort
of thing.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
So mind comes with all of that.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
You're not gonna you're not gonna need the uh essence.
You can you can put it in there in a
different way. It's a whole different thing, but we'll teach
you about that. Another great thing to have is some
sort of textiles to sit on. So there's some really
nice sound of maps that you can sit on that'll
catch the sweat when you when you're in there.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
These sounders that I've been looking at on your website,
they're beautiful to look at. I mean, oh yeah, So okay,
before I let you go, how do people get a
hold of you? In case they want to do something
like this for the holiday?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
They can reach out to h n Eespas dot com.
That's capital Nkabali Spas dot com. You can reach out
to me at m Babson at com.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
And it's not just saunas, it's steambaths, it's cold plunges,
it's hot tubs.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Hot tubs, all that. We're relaxation specialists here.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I told you, Billy, this guy Mark Babson is the
sauna king. Wow, he knows everything about saunas. He's your guy.
I love that description. Relaxation therapists. Uh Mark, Thank you
so much, and happy.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Holidays, thank you. All Right, we got We're gonna take
a break right now. But coming up next there's a
brand new well and opened up late July, I think
in Harvard Square, which is basically where I grew up.
But there's a new restaurant. They've got live music, they've
got great food. It's a fabulous and fun place, and
it's called Lose and it comes with a great story.
(17:45):
The people from lou is going to be in studio
with me in just a couple of minutes. Please hang in.
It's Food for Thought.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Consta Here.
Aj is in studio with us Aj Well, the actual
producer of Food for Thought. Justin from the Billion Least
the Morning Show was in for the first couple of
segments because while we're talking to New England Spas and
Justin is connected to New England Spas. And again I
remind everybody not a bad gift idea for a couple
(18:17):
this holiday season. If you want to get yourself a
sauna or a cold plunge or whatever, a hot tub,
a steam bat, they've got it all at New England Spas,
so look it up. Meantime, I'm in studio with a
couple of guys who own well kind of a new
place in Harvard Square. It's called Lose. So we want
to say hello to John DiGiovanni. Did I say that right? John?
(18:39):
You did and Tom Keane. Good to see you. Tom,
Good to see you. So you guys are co owners
of Lose in Harvard Square. Now I have. I grew
up in Cambridge, so I have so many connections to
lose rather to Harvard Square. Now Lose open what July
of this past summer? Yes, So what were you two
(19:01):
doing before you decided to open a restaurant? I'll start
with you, John.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So what I was doing prior to that was I
was trying to find a good tenant for that space
for LOSE.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So you're involved with the building itself. Correct, Correct, So
you were going to rent it out and then at
one point you said, ah, the hell with it, I'll
open a restaurant.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
I guess you could say I said hell with it.
It was a long process, of course, coming out of COVID.
The space had been vacant for a few years. Yeah,
and you know, you know, we're involved in Harvard Square.
I have been for a long time, really care about it,
have some history that I think, oh yeah, you could share,
but really care about the place and really felt we
needed something exciting. We needed some of them bring to
Harvard Square, some entertainment, great food, great drinks. And I've
(19:43):
known Tom for about a dozen years.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
I was going to say, how did you guys find
each other?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
So Tom, John wanted to put bowling in Harvard Square.
We own a bowling alley over in Brighton that we
opened in twenty seventeen, the American Flatbread Pizza Company.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Oh okay, oh Flatbread Okay. Well look at you guys
just on the move, huh.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
And we tried to make it work for a long
time and it never came together. But we play a
lot of golf together, so the conversation never ended.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Wow, look you're on the move constantly. And I do
know very quickly Lose in Harvard Square again newly opened,
and we talk all about the place and the food
and the menu and the chef and everything else. But
very briefly, John, it's named after your dad, who was
a war hero.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Correct, well, he was World War Two. He was a
navigator lieutenant in World War Two on a B seventeen
and yeah, he flew thirty five bombing missions.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So we're going to have some good stories to tell
on Food for Thought this week. So again, welcome John,
and welcome Tom, and congratulations on Lose and we're going
to take a break. When we come back, we'll open
the doors to Lose in Harvard Square. They've got it
all going on, including live music. It's next stand by.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Very very
interesting segment, and I think this could be my last
segment or last show before the end of the year,
and then, of course Jenny and I will be back
with another full year. Aja, you're the producer. What year
will next year be? How many years with Food for Thought?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Oh my god?
Speaker 2 (21:13):
I think we started in twenty eighteen. Oh my god,
and I think we have the same god. But okay,
so twenty eighteen is two twenty ten? Two is what? Yeah?
More than five years of Food for Thought? Yeah, well
how about that? Anyway, our guests again, I've got John,
I've got Tom, their partners in Lose in Harvard Square
(21:35):
and again open late July of this past year. Correct. Okay,
before the break, Tom, we were kind of talking about
how the two of you found each other. I guess
you were both in development to some degree, but Tom,
you were involved in Flatbreads, and Jenny and I have
had our cameras at the one isn't in Brighton, the
one we might tell and yeah, so what's the latest
(21:56):
on Flatbreads? Are you still involved with that? We are.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
We actually bought the franchise company in twenty twenty four
and we're looking forward to growing it. But I started
there when I was eighteen as an intern. Opened Flatbird
Brighton in American Flatbert Brighton in twenty seventeen. Still, that's
quite a jump and interurn to owner took a lot
of work, a lot of good people along the way.
Great great former owner, still a good friend. Yeah, it's
(22:19):
a great company. We celebrated forty years this year.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
So now I have to ask the two of you,
John and Tom as business people, and apparently you're very
successful business people. You're involved with flat Flatbreads, you're both
involved in development. So Tom, how do you split your
time between Flatbreads and lows in Harvard Square? We have
a lot of great I want to take notes here, John.
Speaker 6 (22:40):
Ahead talk Well, now that I'm in this room for Louse,
I'd say most of my time it's.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Back on lowis. Yeah, never every day thinking about it.
But how did you. Actually the two of you obviously
knew each other in the development world, and John, you
knew Tom was involved in Flatbreads as well. So when
and how did the conversation start that the two of
you should open a place now lose in Harvard Square. John,
So we did.
Speaker 5 (23:03):
We've known each other about a dozen years. And as
Tom said, I was trying to find a way to
put bowling in. I wanted more action. I wanted more entertainment,
more things to do in the square. That never we
just couldn't find a space.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
So you wanted to bring more people to Harvard Square, correct, right?
Speaker 5 (23:17):
And as I looked at this space and thinking about
leasing it, I knew Tom's background and operations. He has
a great team. He put a great team together, full loose,
and so I said, bring your team, take a look
at this space.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
What would you do?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
And then we kicked it around for three or four months,
and then in November of twenty four we sort of,
as I said, I sort of jumped off the cliff
and said, all right, so restaurants. I have really minimal
knowledge in running.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Around artists working business.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
There is by far, my friends tell me. When I
asked friends, am I crazy to go into a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
It's the reason I got into food television. I was
so appreciative, correct of the people that work the food
and industry, everything from the service staff, to the chefs,
to the weight staff, to the owners to everything brutal
and you did it. So do you serve flatbreads that lose?
We don't. But you can go two miles or no,
(24:14):
no A. So you try to keep it separate. What
you do with flatbreads versus what you do with lose.
We do.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
Lose is a whole nother Uh. It's a beast, It's
it's it's a big restaurant. It's a lot of fun,
live music, it's open till two am. Flatbreads, you know,
cater's more to families there in young folks.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Yeah, yeah, Well you're sounding a little uppity right there, Tom,
I'm just saying, as opposed to lose, we have a
wee cater two wow. Okay, just for the people listening
who kind of no Harvard Square, exactly where in the
square is Lose? Is it on the same block as
is Cardulo still direct there our neighbors. It's a fish
(24:52):
thirteen Brattle Street. So it's on the right, on the
very first block there on Brattle Street.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
It's below. It's where there was a restaurant prior called
The Beat there prior to.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
What the Beat? Oh yeah, okay, it's.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
In that space below, but it's on the first block
in Harvard Square. It's a big space. It's designed beautifully.
We have great team and who.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Designed it, Elder and Ash. Very good. Yeah for company.
Look at you the developers, Elder and As he came
out so quickly. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
We had Joe the architect also helped us.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Yeah, hey, Joe, how you doing Joe? Joe the architect
just playing Joe. That's how big he is. He just
goes by Joe the architect. That's all. Wow, that's amazing architect. Hey, Joe,
how's it going. I could use a couple of tips.
We're doing some work at the house show. No, I'm
just kidding. So you don't have bowling it lose though
we do not. So that was your goal and yet
(25:50):
you don't have bowling.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
Well that was a while back. I didn't think bowling
would fit here. But I knew Tom and knew his operation.
He knew his team and he had a really good team,
and I said, look, I mean, take you bringing your
folks in here, take a look at this thing. And
then we kicked around ideas. I knew I wanted entertainment,
but the concept we just said a moment ago, the
idea of going into the restaurant business.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Oh yeah, it's hard. It's hard, and I especially coming
off COVID correct.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
Yeah, really tough. So if I was going to do this,
I needed someone that had a really good team, smart, hip, cool,
all of which I'm not.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Well, your chef and we're going to take a break
in a few seconds. But your chef, I'm very familiar with.
Jason bond is one of the most gifted chefs in
our region. He is definitely one of our stars in
this region. And I remember he had Bond Deer. What
else did he have? Because we've had him on the
TV show, on a Dining Playbook as well as TV
Diner going back further.
Speaker 6 (26:44):
We got to get him back on. I mean, he
is amazing. I think the work he did at Bondire,
you know, it was fantastic. I think he was at
Eastern standard before we got Yeah, we are incredibly lucky
to have.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Him Oh, how did you even land him? I'm sure
he like was very busy, very busy. Well, he knew
how hot you guys. You know what, he knew what
was happening in Harvard Square. We got to take a
break when we come back. Yes, we'll swing open the
doors to Lose, because everybody at this point wants to
know what is going on inside the walls of Lose.
(27:16):
In Harvard Square. There is live entertainment. I'll tell you
that much. We'll take a break, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweetes Hey.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Guys, welcome to Food for Thought. You know, I got
to caution you anything could happen during the course of
the show because I've got John and Tom here from
lous which is a new place in Harvard Square, and
it sounds like a lot of fun. And I want
to start this segment by sharing with John and Tom.
We talked a little bit off the air when I
knew you guys were coming in, like I've got I mean,
I grew up in Cambridge. I went to Cambridgehigh and
(27:48):
Latin which is now Cambridge Rnge in Latin. We hung
out in Harvard Square. We cut classes every day just
to go to Harvard Square. We went to the Bruins
practices when they used to practice at Harvard University at
the rink there. When I was in high school, I
worked at a men's you know, like Ivy League clothing
store called j Press. You guys know where it is.
In high school, I worked at Ninny's Corner where the
(28:10):
newspaper stand in the magazines. I went to prep school
on Brattle Street at New Prep. So I've got so
many connections to Harvard Square. Anyway, congratulations on loose. Let's
go inside. What's the space like? Is it upstairs and downstairs?
Speaker 5 (28:25):
It's just downstairs.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Okay, you can down one floor.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
Yeah, that's all on one level. It's a large space.
It has two bars, one towards the front, one back
by what we call the performance space. There's there's some
VIP space. We have events. There's been a few times
with someone's book. The entire rest nice and also the
back year of the performance. Here is also for private
(28:49):
events as well as well, so we're having a lot
of that happen now. It's a warm, I think.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Comfortable nineteen twenties kind of speakeasy and spot. Oh so
speakes issue and that's getting really hot now, Yes it is. Yeah,
what's the new place in Boston Desnuda or something, And
they've got kind of a speaking I know you guys
are only one. That's only one, of course, and it's
a Lose in Harvard Square, So okay. I know you've
got Jason Bond, one of the most celebrated chefs to
(29:17):
come out of this region. So obviously the food, the
menu is outstanding. So I'm going to take you one
at a time, and I want you to pretend for
a moment that you're not developers and you're not involved
with Lose. You're entering Louse as a customer, and you're
going there for the second time, and you're going to
go in and you're going to make sure Tom that
(29:39):
you start with what and finish with what on the menu?
Speaker 6 (29:41):
Go dirty Martini, it's really good. Probably go steak Freetz.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Oh okay. In chocolate chip cookies. I saw a piece
on Chronicle about Lose and they featured the chocolate chip cookies.
What's so special about them?
Speaker 6 (29:59):
I make colate chip cookies and I think they're fantastic
and Jason Bonds are obviously ten times better than mine.
It's right, Yeah, okay, it's impressive. How good the chocolate?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
All right, so if you do nothing else, make sure
you get the chocolate chip cookies.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Yeah, well then you also got to get the steak
Freez and dirty Martini.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
But okay, and John, how about you?
Speaker 5 (30:18):
So I so as for my drink, I'm I sort
of like the Negroni, but in sot homage to my dad,
he loved Martini, and I really think the dirty Martini
is amazing. At at Louz, I'm more of the I'm
more of the loose Linguinian clams is what I love. Yeah,
so that's what I would go with for sure. The
(30:40):
there's a terrific number of appetizers, and everyone sort of
loves the sweet potatoes.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Yeah, I love everything sweet potato. They're little ones. They're
like crazy good, crazy good. I got to call my wife,
what's up for the weekend. I get to get a
little loose.
Speaker 5 (30:55):
And the truth is we'll both say the same thing.
On the dessert, you have to have the cookies. They're
just ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Now at Louse, are you doing both lunch and dinner
Wednesday through Sunday lunch and then dinner seven nights.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
A week, and we have brunch on yeah on Sundays.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Yeah, brunch, brunch, dinner seven nights a week. Ye in
lunch three or four days a.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
Week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saurday, Sunday.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Okay, lunch. Now live entertainment, where do you get it?
Who are the bands? Who finds those for you? Alison
Finney and she's been around it while she's got a
lot of experience.
Speaker 6 (31:27):
Yes, she's great, absolutely fantastic class act. Came from Roadrunner
previously and she just does a fantastic job with the music.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Well, she's coming from road Runner, she knows her entertainment.
She does. Before that, she was at Sinclair, which is
in the same buildings, which was another fantastic live music venue.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
It's great.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Michael Schlau who's an old friend of mine. He is
one of the original celebrity chefs out of Boston. I
think he was involved with Sinclair.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
He was Now that's gone the restaurant portion there fully
entertainment music venue now. But yes, Allison any open the
same Clayer it's now and it's I think beginning it's
fourteenth year there. They just have terrific acts sold out often.
It's just another attraction to Harvard Square.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
So how many nights a week do you have live entertainment?
Speaker 6 (32:14):
Four nights a week? Yeah, so that would be technically
we have DJ's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then live bands
Thursday through Sunday.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Where do you get your DJs? I know, ask Allison
that's a secret. Now. Just spending a few minutes with
you guys, okay, I mean your big time development is
your big time businessmen, and you know, I happen to
have a feeling that you know, opening lose is fabulous,
But you seem like the kind of guys that already
have your wheel spinning and you're always you're already thinking
(32:44):
about the next project. Am I reading your minds correctly? Tom?
I'll start with you.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
Always got something else going on? But I mean, just
getting more people at Harvard Square is h is the
key component. And I think Lows is doing a great job.
And John obviously having you know, probably close to the
family sixty years in Harvard Square, now he's always got
something up asleep.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
John, are you planning something that Tom's not aware?
Speaker 5 (33:08):
Of or we like things happening organically, so we see
how it goes. But I have to tell you, four
months into this, it's been exciting. It's been a lot
of fun. I have to say it is a tough business,
but Boy, restaurants is also fun. It's great seeing people
having great reviews coming up and say they went there
and had a great time. And I have to tell you,
the cocktails, the food, everything's great, the ambiance, the music.
(33:29):
But I think we have the best hospitality. I think
you're treated really well. We said that from the start.
We want you to feel like you're welcome, like they
know you, and we want you to coming back. You know,
in ten years when the kids that are graduating this
spring twenty twenty sixth, right when they come back for
their tenth I want them here because Harvard will be submarating.
It's four hundredth anniverse, right wow, And so we want
(33:52):
an institution here. We want Harvard's great is a special place.
It's older, Harvard's one hundred and forty years older than
the United States, and there's something special here in this place.
Grew organically. We're Steward's here. We want to do good
things and leave something that. That's why I want to
name it after my dad. He spent a lot of
time worked hard here and we want it to be
(34:13):
something special. So when people come in, we want them
to feel like this is a special time for you
to come in and have a great time, great food,
great drinks, all of that, but you should be treated
really well. And when I go to a restaurant, when
that happens, I want to go back.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
And it's interesting that you have this push in the
back of your heads that, yeah, it's time that we
get everybody coming back to Harvard Square because, like I said,
I grew up and hung out in the Harvard Square.
And I remember when they used to have music festivals
on Cambridge Common and me and all my buddies would
run down to the Common on Saturdays and Sundays and
they had live bands playing all afternoon and it was free, right,
(34:50):
and they would have food vendors and you know, beer vendors.
And this goes back yep. You know, I'm not going
to tell you when.
Speaker 5 (34:59):
Well, we're doing that in the Square now. So this
is the business association that puts on about one hundred events.
So is the Chocolate Festival, the chili contest, the salcer event.
There's a bunch of things out free in the in
the public space is we support the live musicians that
are eltil just playing in the in Harvard Square, the
buskers and so keeping the listen. It is a vibrant place.
(35:22):
We want to add to that.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Uh, it's the holiday season. We've got a couple of weeks,
maybe three left of the year. Are you guys planning
anything special during the holidays at Lows. We're planning something
for New Year's Eve. And right now the.
Speaker 6 (35:38):
Restaurant is decked out in decorations. I mean it's incredibly festive. Actually,
Joe the architect and his team.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Came in for it. Hey Joe, back to Joe, Joe
the architect, I love that. Yeah, he's going to love this.
Oh yeah, I'm going to get a couple of phone calls.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
But his team came in and decorated it for us,
and it's just it's a really it's got that nineteen
twenties like deep velvets.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Yeah, you know, moody.
Speaker 6 (36:03):
So it feels Christmasy already, and when you put decorations
in there, it just looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
I got to tell you something. Over the years, I've
always told people because Jenny and I have taken the
show many times to Harvard Square and shot at all
the vendors and so forth, we're definitely coming in to Lose.
But so many times I have a tradition every year
where my wife and I will spend the weekend at
the Charles Hotel, and I encourage that to people all
(36:28):
the time. If you're looking for a really cool getaway
on a weekend, just leave everything behind, check into a hotel,
we go to the Charles. There might be some other
hotel you guys can recommend, but just being in Harvard
Square for a weekend and you just get out in
the morning and take a walk. You know, you can
walk down to the Charles River, you can walk down
(36:49):
to Harvard Campus, walk around there. There's so much to do,
so many places to go. You can jog the Charles River,
and then you can roam around Harvard Square, grab a
great breakfast or hit one of the Boots and one
of the many boutiques and have lunch and dinner at Lose.
You know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Correct, So you're saying, like, get the whole experience, Yeah, yeah,
sort of in and out.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I think what I just said was spend the weekend
at the Charles Hotel and then the entire weekend it lose.
You can do that on Brattle Street in Harvard Square. Okay,
we're gonna take one final break, but I want you
guys thinking about this. For the final break. It's kind
of a tradition. I'm going to ask both of you
to step out of the box for a moment and
recommend the one or two places that you would highly recommend.
(37:29):
Doesn't have to be in Harvard Square, but it cannot
be one of your own places, i e. Flatbreads or
Lose for this segment only. All right, we'll do that
right after the break.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Billy Costa Here.
I'm sitting with John and with Tom. They are co
owners among everything else they do with Joe the Architect.
They've got los in Harvard Square. But we have breaking
news about Lose and somehow we managed to forget to
mention it. But if you're going to lose in Harvard Square,
(38:08):
open this past summer. Beautiful place, live music, everything. If
you're going to lose free parking correct? Oh yeah, so
you and free indoor basically parking. It's a garage, so
you're protected from the snow and the rain and the
elements and so forth.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
It's about two minutes. You park right there, crushing the
Kenny School Government. Yeah, on Elliott Street.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Bring in your ticket. We just keep your car there
all day and enjoy the entire correct square. Yes, and
visit the campus and the stadium. God football football games
at the stadium. I trained for years for marathons. I
would jog ten or twelve miles from where I lived
to Harvard Stadium so I could jog the stairs of
(38:48):
the whole stadium and then jack walk home. Wow. And
I'm telling you that's what made the marathon for me. Anyway,
don't think for a minute I forgot what we're gonna
do here. We're taking you too, out of the box,
out of your box. And I want you each to
give me your top two recommendations of restaurants that are
not yours. And I'm going to start with you, Tom
go Pammy's. Oh, I love it. Just outside Harvard Square,
(39:11):
just outside of Mass Avenue between Harvard and Central. See.
I know my Cambridge great selection, Pammy's I got very
got married there. So got married there we did. Yeah,
now I know Pammy. One of them is an architect,
is that Joe the architect?
Speaker 6 (39:26):
Okay, I don't think he's involved there, I say that,
but who knows?
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Maybe? Yeah? No, Pamy. What a great couple, very good charming. Okay.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
There's one Warren Tavern, Charlestown. I lived in Charlestown for
ten years.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
It's it's I talked my boat summer there. We live
on the boat all summer. We go to Oh my god,
Carrie the general manager of Warren Tavern. I get take
out there two or three times a week. Good selection.
Charlestown one of the oldest restaurants. Talk about charm. Yeah,
one of the and constantly anytime I go to pick
(40:03):
up the takeout mobbed and it's perfect height for me.
The short that's what I was. You feel tall in there?
Oh yeah, I feel like the skyscraper. Okay, John, So
I have.
Speaker 5 (40:13):
To do everything Harvard Square. I have to tell you
I love war and have it as well. And for
the same reason that Tom talked about and the charm.
So I I really I love Italian food, So Tuscano,
I just love going to really nice Yeah. So it's
not as you know, it's it's more formal with the
tablecloth and all that, but it's really great food, great
service there as well, So I love that.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (40:34):
And then and then sort of another relaxed place where
I like to hang out is Grafton Street on JFK Street,
really cool relation.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Which is just outside Harvard. S.
Speaker 5 (40:42):
No, it's in Harvard on JFK Street. Yeah, it's actually
in the building that you get free parking at.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
First floor of the building. And what's it called Grafton Street?
Okay there, and I think great stuff. Yeah, okay, well
those are good selections. Now let's talk about how people
are going to make reservations. Lose in Harvard Square, Tom,
we areluse dot com. We are lose dot com as
(41:07):
in l o U right yerect. And what about a website?
People can that's the website. The website just there, no
phone number, just oh, nobody's calling. It's old school. Yeah.
It was like, do people still call restaurant? Nobody's calling,
It's it's old school. Well, this was a lot of fun.
I can't wait for my wife, Michelle and I to
come in to losing and he's some fun. I love
(41:28):
a lot of music too. When you're having dinner, so okay,
so dinner seven days a week, lunch four days a week,
five days a week, five days a week, and it's
Lose in Harvard Square. Just open this past You're like,
great to see you, guys, and memories to your dad.
Thank you, war hero, very cool story. You brought a
(41:49):
scrap book with you, and thank you so much for
sharing with me. H. That's it. We're out of time.
Have a wonderful holiday and a safe holiday. Everybody up
next sixty minutes
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