The Davis Square Community

I would think so, but I can't confirm it.

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following.livejournal.com

I attempted to go to green tomato for brunch yesterday (Sunday). They were closed and there was a sign on the door saying they would not be open on Sundays until October.

Oddly, there was also "Today's Specials" posted on the adjacent window.

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I stand corrected, at least on Sundays. Sorry about that.

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closetalker11.livejournal.com

Have you tried it out yet? I had the tomato and mozz salad on Friday and enjoyed it.

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I had a pasta dish for lunch. Though it didn't blow me away, it was nice and perhaps a smidge better than what I expected.

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ron_newman

Ouch. Things I wish I had never read...

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carmstro.livejournal.com

When was this situation most recently evident? during O'Naturals days, or Boloco days, or?

It's too bad, the place always seemed so clean, but I guess that only applies to the parts I could see.

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closetalker11.livejournal.com

Yiiiiikes.

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firepail.livejournal.com

ARGH!
I had witnessed the critter problem in the Carberry's days but hadn't realized that the problem persisted after the place switched hands. ugh.

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enochs-fable.livejournal.com

Shudder. Perfect icon for this hideous revelation, though.

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blondeamazon.livejournal.com

Oh hoarf!! Glad I never ate at that location! I was also contemplating checking out the new eatery. Not going to now, though! *shiver*

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badseed1980.livejournal.com

Ah. Well. Now I know one place I won't be eating until I've heard that this has been resolved.

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chenoameg.livejournal.com

Why on earth does it have a septic system instead of city sewers?

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ron_newman

Please read the responses that I have posted at the end of this thread. Thanks.

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ron_newman

I'm tempted to e-mail the Green Tomato folks and point them at this thread. Hopefully they've addressed these issues. I'm surprised that John Pepper didn't (or maybe nobody ever brought them to his attention?)

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We don't know that John Pepper didn't--the poster worked at O'Naturals but not Boloco.

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rethcir.livejournal.com

I'm pretty disgusted by this.. sad to say that now I don't think I can give this place my business, and I shiver to think that I ate so many burritos.

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This is a problem that lots and lots of restaurants are faced with, actually. Vermin are smart.

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I get what you're saying, but you don't know a) whether Boloco did more drastic remediation at some point, and b) whether Green Tomato did more drastic remediation before it opened.

It sounds from what you say like tearing out that wall to the studs and reconstructing it was the best option. I know of quite a few restaurants that have had to do that with rats' nests--the cockroaches are just piggybacking on their rodent brethren.

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Rats are so smart. They will find any space that's left open and colonize it. ::shudder::

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ron_newman

what was deleted above?

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Someone (not me) suggested: "Since you have first hand knowledge of this this health concern / violation, would you be willing to call Somerville board of health with this issue?"

fwiw, I would not advocate this based solely on conditions two years and two owners ago.

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an-art-worker.livejournal.com

Not to question grimlocke's experience but things may have changed from 2 restaurants ago so the "rush to judgment" seems a bit premature and unfair to the new place (not to mention that if you have ever spent time in *any* restaurant's kitchen or supermarket back areas for that matter, you are going to see things that give one pause).

The place has to pass a city inspection yearly and surely before opening.

(not affiliated and not likely to spend much time there if it is still as noisy as the past places)

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ron_newman

I e-mailed both John Pepper of Boloco and the Green Tomato folks, pointing them at this thread. Here is John's reply, which I am posting with his permission:

----------------
Ron,

We would never allow such a situation to continue... neither would our friends at Green Tomato if, in fact, we had allowed it to continue.

In fact, we did gut the entire basement when we took over from O'naturals. It was disgusting (though unfortunately nearly the norm for all of the restaurants we've had to take over in the past 10 years). I don't even blame them - I don't blame anybody... it was clearly left over from O'Naturals predecessors and during the years when Carberry's original owner was no longer personally involved. It was ours to deal with, regardless of who or why, and we did deal with it. As we always do.

That all said, what concerns me the most, and is so discouraging, is how accusatory these blogs and posts are. Frankly, I've lost the energy to reply to such skeptics and people who simply want to believe that nobody is trying to do the right thing. I've never spent more time communicating with a community than I did at Davis Square, and despite all of that, its clear that zero trust was ever built... how disappointing.

Give the folks at Green Tomato a break... they deserve it, and they certainly don't deserve to be included in what I just read (neither did we). They had nothing to do with something that applied to people they have never even met many years ago.

Hope you are well.

John

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ron_newman

I also got a reply from the Green Tomato people, inviting me to take a tour if I wished. They said that they have no freezers in the basement.

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Some of you people are pathetic especially GRIMLOCKE. Why do you have to knock a new restaurant opening up in the square. Have you been in the basement? Do you know if they had fixed the drainage problem? Do you know if there is still a roche problem? Don't you left-wing liberal pathetic cry babies have anything better to do but to bad-mouth a new business trying to open. My guess is NO Grimlocke doesn't know the facts, what blows my mind is the ignorance of all you people!!! Get a life, the Green Tomato a try, I did and thought the food was different, clean and delicious something that Davis definetely needs.

Here is a anther example of the pathetic pompous asses around here. I was in for lunch just this past Tuesday. A lovely couple had just ordered their lunch and they were seated waiting for their food. The women was already eating her wrap when the waiter brought over her husband/boyfriend's plate. It appeared to be a pasta dish with broccoli with chicken or veal. When it was presented to the male patron he said he didn't want it. The employee ask was there something wrong with the dish and the male patron said " It looked evil" It was a perfectly cooked dish, in fact, I did not eat lunch, I would have eaten it. The employee politely apologized and offered the male patron another dish, he arograntly declined. The employee went as far as giving the male patron a full refund. I commend the staff of Green Tomato having to deal with bald-head pompous asses like this pathetic soul. WAKE UP DAVUS SQUARE!!!!

Why don't you talk about the good things about the Green Tomatoes, the wraps are awesome the entrees are home cooked just like what mom made for dinner. Yes, they do have free wifi

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If you happen to be officially linked with the restaurant in any way - and given your user name and comments so far, it seems possible - you may want to reconsider how you address the readers of this community.

I understand why you're upset about some of the discussion that happened here, but comments like "Don't you left-wing liberal pathetic cry babies have anything better to do but to bad-mouth a new business trying to open." are not going to win you any points. I personally am not put off from restaurants because of the possibility of vermin, but I am not interested in going to a business where the staff have your attitude.

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Once again, you are wrong! I have no affiliation to the Green Tomato. I'm a patron just like yourself. When I was there last Tuesday I overheard a conversation between other patrons about this website and the negativity associated with this restaurant. I asked the gentleman for this web address and that's how I got it. I've eaten there twice since they've opened, not once did I think or saw any signs of vermin or unsanitary conditions.

My name is Maurice Green, I'm a Financial Consultant working with local financial instittions in the Davis Square area and as well as the entire Cambridge / Somerville area. I've been working off and on in the Davis area for since 1991. I still remember when Bertucci's occupied where Subways resides. I've seen businesses come and go. I handle many bankruptcies in my field, I have compassion for the working man who has tried but failed. They have families to support as well as their employees.

I'm upset because people hand ring without knowing the truth. Blogs like this can put a new business under in no time, also, when I saw that male patron reject a perfectly cooked dish without any good reason and heard his response " It looked evil" that put me over the edge.

It's not fair to all the hard working people/immigrants who work there and are trying to make an honest living. I don't personally know the owner, but I see him behind there ochestrating his employees to please his customers.

When Bolocos occupied the current space I was a patron there as well. I loved their food and was sad to see them leave the area. I'm thinking to myself maybe it's blogs like this one that really kill a business, all I'm trying to say is give those guys a break. Support them don't destroy them it's your local community. I'm sure there are other communities that would die to have a business like the Green Tomato in their community. Davis Square is an awesome place to dine with all it's eclectic merchants, cherish them enjoy what you have!

I wrote that response in anger and shouldn't have resorted to name calling, for that I do apologize.

Regards,
Maurice Green

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If you stick around here, you will find that this community is overwhelmingly in favor of local businesses. Preferably local businesses that aren't yet another burrito place ;)

Assuming that because a tiny number of the members of this group are leaping to conclusions means we are all thoughtless people who don't care what impact our words have is ludicrous.

In fact, this post -started out- with a positive review of the Green Tomato, and when the announcement was first made that Green Tomato would be moving in, people were thrilled. But you don't know that, because all you paid attention to were the negative comments. For future reference, you can reply directly to the comments you disagree with, rather than the post as a whole.

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I didn't know so many people on this thread were pest control experts. The Green Tomato is very clean, listen to what John Pepper have posted, they invested a substantial amount of money (more than you people would ever see in you life) to renovate Bolocos.

I hate to shock all you people out there, if you people ever left the Davis Square area, have you people ever ate in the North End or at any of your favorite restaurants? Do you think every restaurant in the North End, in fact, in any resaurant situated in a older building are pest issue free? Hate to shock you provincial thinking simpltons, they're not! Come on, all you pest experts should know this! There are relevant issues to talk about, worry about our troops that are killed every day.

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The Green Tomato is very clean, listen to what John Pepper have posted, they invested a substantial amount of money (more than you people would ever see in you life) to renovate Bolocos.

Okay, this does sound like you have good reason to know what the Green Tomato has been doing, so if you want my advice, delete your current account, start a new one, and come talk to us like a respectable businessperson, and by that I mean drop the insults.

You seem new to LJ, so let me explain a couple things. Some people here are going to complain about your restaurant. Some will hate the food, the hours, the interior decoration, whatever. Other people are going to say positive, gushing things about it, which will convince the uncertain to go try it out.

NOBODY is going to say positive things in response to being called "provincial thinking simpltons," and I for one am wondering what our armed forces have to do with a discussion in the Davis Square Livejournal about a Davis Square restaurant.

If you want your business to do well here, you need to improve your public relations.

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To give an honest critique is one thing, but to make false and inflammatory generalizations are another, e.g. Vermin & septic issues, or my affiliation with Boloco or Green Tomato. I also frequent Red Bones, Anna’s Taqueira, Mike's, Rosebuds, & Dragon Garden, and if you are to falsely slam those establishments I will respond as well, I do not discriminate.

FYI, if you noticed the Green Tomato employs a group of hard working immigrants trying to make a living. Why don’t you tell them that they work in a vermin & septic plagued establishment.

If you choose not to dine at the Green Tomato, that is certainly your choice but do not base it on erroneous information supplied by this blog, as for I, I will maintain my patronage to this establishment.

Comparing our troops over seas to this situation, to simply put it, there are BIGGER things to worry about than spreading nasty & inflammatory gossip on a blog.

Maurice Green

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ron_newman

Hi. I'm one of the four moderators of the

davis_square LJ community. We try to maintain a forum that is as open and uncensored as possible. Sometimes this means that erroneous information is posted, but we don't want to sit in judgement to try to decide who is right and who is wrong. I solicited replies from John Pepper and from Green Tomato itself in order to help determine the actual facts.

I agree fully that people should try Green Tomato for themselves and not worry so much about problems that other restaurants had in this location years ago. I hope to stop in some time this weekend.

-- Ron Newman, a happy former Boloco customer

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Well stated, Ron! I hope others will take notice. Thank you.

Maurice Green

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