Vegan restaurant will replace Teele Square (ex-Soleil) Cafe ?

[ron_newman]

The Somerville Licensing Commission last night approved the application of 'True Bistro, LLC' for a liquor license to open a vegan restaurant at 1153 Broadway. This is the current location of Teele Square Cafe (formerly Soleil Cafe).

Comments

[georgy.livejournal.com]

What??? What's happening to the Teele Square Cafe? Ugh.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

This! :(

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I know! I like that place! They're a little slow, but their breakfast sandwiches (and breakfast burritos!!) are really good.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

I love that place! While a vegan spot will be nice it's still a bit of a WTF, the cafe is good and yummy.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

oh no! I love them and have only made it there twice so far - unlike soleil, they have their own house made sausage, sustainable ingredients, backyard eggs from the owner, etc - but they are always packed and seemed to be doing well. I hope they're moving somewhere else and not shutting down - I'll have to try having lunch there this week and ask.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

I know, this is crazy - they are busy all the time! And they are so nice and attentive!

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I hope they are just moving to a new, bigger location. But I am somehow doubtful :-(

[ron_newman]

And I just called Teele Square Cafe to ask "are you closing or moving", and they said no. So now I'm just totally confused.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

Did they say at the meeting that the location was explicitly that of Teele Square Cafe? Maybe it is something nearby? That H&R block is no longer there.

[ron_newman]

I sure thought they said they were moving into the cafe space, and the address given is the same. But I've now added a question mark to the Subject of this post since I'm no longer sure what is going on.

I would never have spoken in favor if I had known they might be involuntarily pushing out an established business ... now I feel regretful.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Maybe it'll be a space-sharing thing? I am also confused.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that they are buying the business from TSC, so it certainly doesn't sound like any "pushing out" is happening. There should be more details once the deal closes.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I see. That's too bad; I really like TCS. But hey, maybe the vegan place will be awesome too.

[ron_newman]

But if TCS intended to close or move, wouldn't they have told me so this morning? It sounds like the new restaurateurs applied for the license without talking to the people who are already there. I wish I hadn't abetted this.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Are you sure you spoke to an owner? Maybe they haven't told their employees. Or maybe they don't want to give out info to a stranger on the phone.

It's not all that weird for someone in a business to tell you they're not closing and then the next day it's papered up, after all.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

Did you tell TSC why you were asking? I imagine they might be interested in knowing about this!

[ron_newman]

I said something like "I heard that a vegan restaurant was replacing your cafe, is this true?"

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily, especially if you talked to lower level staff - they are often the last to find out.

[real-green-tea.livejournal.com]

Anyone have updates as to when True Bistro is opening? I passed through Teele this evening to see the paper *finally* off the windows of this location...
Been waiting on needles and pins since July for this place to open!

[ron_newman]

Sorry, I do not know much more. I was at the hearing in order to support the Armory, and this item just came up on the agenda before it. I did spontaneously testify in favor of it when the commission called for public comment, because one of the commissioners was questioning whether the concept was sufficiently unique as to fulfill a public need.

[usernamenumber.livejournal.com]

A PDF of the meeting notes is here (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&ved=0CAwQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.somervillema.gov%2FCoS_Content%2Fdocuments%2Fagenda%2FAG-04-26-2010.pdf&ei=N_jWS434FMO78gaXoKHQBQ&usg=AFQjCNH8EXyEOnF-uZddqFyGZQqegFkPIA&sig2=SOrLS4oVKA8-3vIxbWgA6w), and the address given does indeed match that of TS Cafe (1153 Broadway). Doesn't say anything about Tru Bistro co being a vegan place (or anything else). Any chance they're just the owners of TSC, and the vegan place was part of a different discussion?

[ron_newman]

They definitely said vegan, and had to explain to some of the Commissioners what that word meant.

[smoterh.livejournal.com]

lulz

if that doesn't indicate that there is a huge disparity between people that live in this this city and the people that work for the city, I don't know what does

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

The commissioners also live in the city.

[ron_newman]

And they aren't really city employees, they are citizens who serve on a city committee (and receive some modest compensation, but not a full-time salary)

There are three commissioners. The chair, Andrew Upton, looks like he's in his 30s to early 40s, and surely knows what 'vegan' means. But the other two commissioners are much much older.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

One of the commissioners is 87, apparently! And he's held several public offices in the city.

Where he was born.

But apparently he's "out of touch" with "the people who live in this city" because he's not familiar with veganism.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

That's a really succinct description of gentrification right there.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It makes me angry because it "others" fellow residents who serve as commissioners.

Not everyone knows what the word "vegan" means, and the commissioners who weren't aware of this aren't "out of touch" with their fellow Somerville residents because that wasn't a word in their vocabulary.

Somerville is a big city, and people aged 25-40 aren't the only people who live in it.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Can you be anymore entitled?

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

I was just there this morning and nothing looked miss... I didn't see this until now, so I didn't ask... Someone, keep us informed!

[whaler.livejournal.com]

That is too bad, it seemed like they were doing well too. Also full on saturday/sunday mornings.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

I work in the area, and can confirm TSC pretty full for the whole 11-2 area of time. They are great people and it is such a nice space!

Oh by the way, also in the area now is Maria's Italian Cold Cuts - they opened up 4/1 after moving from their Winter Hill location of 40 years. Delicious sandwich although I could get a fancier and bigger one from Dave's within a dollar of the price. Still, great cold cuts and I will definitely go there.

[ron_newman]

Where exactly is Maria's?

[obie119.livejournal.com]

It's just across Broadway from Teele Square Cafe, next to the little police substation (there was a short-lived purse and accessories store there before). Maria's has some good Italian groceries in addition to the cold cuts and sandwiches. If Dave's didn't already blow everyone else out of the water sandwich/grocerywise, I'd be much more effusive :)

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

And it looks like the skateboard place on the other side of the police ministation is now also closed -- or at least the windows are papered up and some renovations seem to be taking place inside.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Just in case someone references this in the future, Assemble and Conquer is now on Somerville Ave where the Painted Bird location previously was, next to Conway Park, due to proximity to all the skateboarders at said park.

[donotforsake.livejournal.com]

well, I'm excited for Davis/Teele to become hotbeds for vegan cuisine.

[faerichilde.livejournal.com]

Blah! As someone who is a vegetarian because I hate meat, I dislike vegan restaurants because they are usually heavy on the fake meat (and on the other side, fake cheese, which I love only when it's real) I wish for a vegetarian, not vegan, restaurant to open around here!

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

omg, i was just going to say this!

i don't hate meat, and i'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but i enjoy all types of foods. 'real' vegan food is fantastic, and raw stuff is really incredible too. but yeah, i'm always fascinated in a sad way at:
a.) people who think veg = healthy and are thus so much better than me and yet they load up on tons of processed, preservative-laden 'meat like' things instead of real freaking food.
b.) places like my thai cafe which, i admit to going and enjoying some of their food immensely, and some of it as a greasy fix, but being more entranced by all the effort it must take to shape whatever gluten is into things that look and taste exactly like shrimp, chicken, etc.

with any luck this place will be different, but i'm not holding my breath :)

[obie119.livejournal.com]

The skateboard place moved to Somerville Ave, near Conway Park - apparently there are some skateboard ramps and other facilities there, so it was a better location for them. Cheaper too, I'd imagine.

[apricot3.livejournal.com]

so in thinking that the place was closing, i went out of my way to use the 10% shift coupon today (sadly of course there were no Iced beverages, doh). after talking about the recent water annoyances, i asked when they were closing and the cashier couldn't have been more confused. i told her i had heard they were switching styles of food at the least and she asked the cook, who kind of looked ownerly and neither of them had seemed to have heard a thing about it. she said that she at least has her schedule for the next two weeks if i wanted to come back and get iced tea then. i asked if anything in the area was closing, and she said perhaps the sandwich place directly across the street....

i didn't really look at the building, but the only other thing i can think of is maybe if they were opening something on a second level?