Rosie’s Place Names JP’s Mari Pérez-Alers to Board of Directors

Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women, recently named Jamaica Plain resident Mari Pérez-Alers, DPT to its board of directors. Pérez-Alers is a senior project manager for PACE, a national organization whose mission is to allow adults with chronic ailments, age 55 and older to remain living safely, and as independently as possible in the community. Trained as a physical therapist, she has more than 20 years of strategic management and leadership experience in community-based health care. With her husband, David Doyle, she co-owns three Jamaica Plain restaurants: Tres Gatos, Casa Verde and Centre Street Cafe. Mari Pérez-Alers serves as the vice-chair of the Rosie’s Place board and also sits on the Strategic Planning committee.

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JP Restaurants Hosting ‘Dining for a Difference’ to Support Immigrant, Refugee Advocacy Coalition March 6-9

This coming week you can eat at some of the best restaurants in Jamaica Plain during the first Dining for a Difference Week, which will support the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Vee Vee, Tres Gatos, Casa Verde and The Frogmore, will each will donate a portion of proceeds from a night of business from March 6th through March 9th, as part of Dining for a Difference Week. The following is the schedule for Dining for a Difference:
Tuesday, March 6 - Tres Gatos
Wednesday, March 7 - The Frogmore
Thursday, March 8 - Vee Vee
Friday, March 9 - Casa Verde

This is the third event organized by Boston For All, a grassroots group of local neighbors inspired by the 2016 presidential election to raise money for civil liberties and civil rights organizations. Jeremy Fischer founded Boston For All and with other local parents, he organized Run for All, a benefit fun run weeks after the election, raising $6,000 for the Massachusetts ACLU. Months later, Fischer created Rock for All, a rock concert for kids in Jamaica Plain that raised another $8,000 for the ACLU.

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The 10 Best Restaurants in JP, According to TripAdvisor

What do you think is the "best" restaurant in Jamaica Plain according to TripAdvisor? Does your favorite restaurant make the Top 10? If you said Doyle's is ranked #1, then you are correct. According to TripAdvisor.com, Doyle's Cafe is the #1 restaurant in Jamaica Plain out of 79 restaurants in JP rated on the site. Out of 402 reviews, Doyle's received 188 "excellent" ratings.

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One Year Later, JP Restaurateurs Reflect on Hospitality Fee

Last December, Jamaica Plain restaurants Tres Gatos and Centre Street Cafe added a 3 percent "hospitality administrative fee" to diners' checks, which would be used to fund raises, benefits and more sustainable work hours for the restaurants' back-of-house kitchen staff. When sister restaurant Casa Verde opened this May, it adopted the rule as well. The restaurateurs' decision touched off a great deal of discussion online (including on Jamaica Plain News) and in their restaurants. In particular, they told the community they hoped their experiment would "serve as a test model from which other small restaurants can gain valuable insight." So, one year after implementing the fee, what have the restaurants' owners observed?

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Anna Borges, center, and Bill Ward, on guitar, play Brazilian melodies at the Mildred Hailey Apartments at JP Porchfest, Saturday, July 9, 2016.

JP Porchfest 2016: A Video Sampler

With more than 80 porches and 500-plus performers, no video can capture all the JP Porchfest goodness. But here, in less than a minute, is a selection of sounds from mellow vibes to jittery rock to heartfelt rap. More Porchfest 2016 coverage:

Watch Julia Martin, 87, Slay the Electric Slide
Photos: Hyde, Jackson Celebrate Porchfest

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Kiki D reaches out to a fan as she performs at the River of Life Church stage at JP Porchfest, Saturday, July 9, 2016.

Photos: Hyde, Jackson Celebrate Porchfest

Saturday's Jamaica Plain Porchfest drew thousands to porches, churches and parking lots all over the neighborhood. Here are photos from venues in the Hyde and Jackson Square areas during the third annual event. More Porchfest 2016 coverage:

Watch Julia Martin, 87, Slay the Electric Slide
Photos: Hyde, Jackson Celebrate Porchfest

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Ten Jamaica Plain Businesses Awarded ‘Best of Boston’ by Boston Magazine

Boston Magazine’s annual “Best of Boston” issue has hit stands, and 2015 marks the 42nd anniversary of the awards! For the past 12 months, Boston magazine’s team of expert judges ate, drank, and shopped their way across the city, the ‘burbs, and the Cape and the Islands to find the very best the area has to offer. This year, 10 Jamaica Plain businesses won "Best of Boston" awards in the “Arts & Entertainment,” “Dining,” and “Neighborhood Best” categories. Here is a complete list of the winners:

Arts & Entertainment, Record Store: Deep Thoughts JP
Dining, Brunch: Tres Gatos
Dining, Ethiopian: The Blue Nile
Dining, Bread: Blue Frog Bakery
Dining, Pastry: Canto 6 Bakery
Dining, Romantic: Centre Street Café
Neighborhood Best, Eat: Thursdays on the Lawn, Loring-Greenough House
Neighborhood Best, Drink: Canary Square
Neighborhood Best, Shop: Kitchenwitch
Neighborhood Best, Discover: Boating on Jamaica Pond

For a complete list of all “Best of Boston” winners, head over to BostonMagazine.com.

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Ghazal Indian Cuisine, 711 Centre St., will be closing. A Mexican restaurant is planned for the space.

Goodbye Tandoor, Hello Tacos: Ghazal Gives Way to Mexican

A new Mexican restaurant from the team that runs Tres Gatos and Centre Street Cafe is planned for the longtime Ghazal space. That's the word from Tres Gatos co-owner David Doyle. Here's how he describes the concept:

"We know we want the restaurant to be a casual, affordable, family-friendly Mexican eatery featuring tacos, ceviches, and other traditional fare, made with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible." Doyle said the new spot would have a large selection of draft beer, plus wines from the U.S. and South America. Jamaica Plain News hasn't spoken with Ghazal's owners, but Doyle Tweeted that the owner is selling Ghazal to pursue another venture.

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The patio at Tres Gatos

Tres Gatos Throws Fourth Birthday Party; Cat Gear Optional

Hello neighbors. Here's your Morning Memo for all things Jamaica Plain for Wednesday, Feb. 11:

Celebrate Tres Gatos' Fourth Birthday: Everyone's favorite tapas bar/record store/book shop turns four Wednesday. And starting at 6 p.m. they're throwing a party. There'll be dancing and wear your cat gear.

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Left: The patio at Ula Cafe. Right: The patio at Tres Gatos.

Ula Cafe, Tres Gatos Win Alcohol Licenses

Ula Cafe won city approval to serve beer and wine while Tres Gatos upgraded to a full liquor license, according to Future Boston. Ula, a busy bakery in The Brewery, said the license will help support their open mic nights. Co-owner Korinn Koslofsky said she was thrilled. "We are very excited to have this opportunity to finally be able to provide beer and wine to our very loyal guests who have been asking for it for years," she wrote in an email to Jamaica Plain News, "and we can't express how grateful we are for all of their support during this process. We would not have been granted this license if it hadn't been for all of the signatures and letters of support we were able to collect over the past few months."

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