In a pronouncement from Gov. Charlie Baker that now feels like ancient history, all Massachusetts dining places ended up purchased shut for 3 weeks — except for takeout and delivery — on March 17, 2020. (A few weeks finished up stretching to virtually three months, with outside dining resuming June 8 and indoor dining June 22.) It was undesirable information for everyone, but there was a bit of an additional sting for Tim and Nancy Cushman, who had been established to open up their new Chestnut Hill restaurant, Bianca, just days afterwards on March 19. Now, 8 months later on, the doors are last but not least open.
The Cushmans are in all probability ideal known for their substantial-stop sushi spot in Boston’s Leather-based District, O Ya they’re also at the rear of the Japanese izakaya-motivated Fenway location Hojoko, and they operated two dining places at Boston’s Time Out Market meals corridor when it 1st opened, not to point out a trio of dining establishments in a now-closed New York hotel and a not long ago opened Mexico Town place of O Ya.
The affect of Japanese cuisine on most of their restaurants proceeds only in aspect at Bianca, now open at the Avenue Chestnut Hill (47 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): There are some sushi rolls on the menu, as perfectly as some “crispy nori sushi tacos” that ended up the hallmark of Gogo Ya, 1 of the Cushmans’ Time Out Industry Boston dining places. But Bianca is all over the map, a self-described “family-friendly restaurant … prepared to transport you to considerably off spots.” The identify — Italian for “white” — is intended to evoke a clean up slate with countless alternatives.
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When Eater spoke with the Cushmans back in March, times prior to the initially prepared opening day, Tim Cushman explained the cafe as “cosmic continental,” a way to team a selection of food items under just one roof to make it straightforward for people and teams to dine collectively at a relaxed community spot. Sushi? Confident. Roman pizza? Yep. Rotisserie rooster, property-manufactured pastas, burgers? They’ve obtained all that, much too.
It is a small nod to outdated-university continental delicacies, a hodgepodge of dishes from different cuisines, and the “cosmic” factor will come into engage in with the decor. “We wished it to truly feel like a little little bit of a throwback but also otherworldly in a sense,” Nancy Cushman explained to Eater in March. “I believe what we attempt to do with all of our concepts is transportation men and women, make it really feel like you are leaving the globe guiding and you are in a timeless, weird dimension that you really don’t know where by you are but you are going to have enjoyable.”
“It’s like the Jetsons landed in Monaco by way of California,” reported Tim Cushman.
The Cushmans worked on the structure and buildout with Portland, Maine-dependent firm Kaplan Thompson Architects, Whitlock Style and design Group from Waltham, and Boston’s Cafco Construction.
The opening menu — see beneath — is a little bit shorter than prepared, although wood-fired pizza, additional sandwiches, and other dishes will be additional later. This is a time for dining places to be versatile, streamlining provider and honing in on dishes that execute effectively for takeout and delivery, which Bianca is providing together with indoor and outside dining.
Indeed, a relaxed restaurant inside Bianca, Mr. Roni Cups, truly opened 3 months back again, optimized for takeout with a concentration on Roman-type pizza, rotisserie hen, salads, and a couple other possibilities. The pizza is offered on the Bianca menu, and Mr. Roni Cups continues to work as a takeout counter in the again of Bianca.
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The Bianca group incorporates a whole lot of familiar faces for longtime admirers of the Cushmans’ dining places: Hojoko alums Rob Wong and Victor Mazariegos are Cushman Concepts Group government chef and Bianca chef de delicacies respectively, even though O Ya alum Nik Mastelerz is overseeing breads and desserts at Bianca. (All those who want second dessert should be aware that boozy ice scream shop OddFellows, which landed in Chestnut Hill in 2019 by way of New York, is techniques from Bianca’s back doorway.)
The cafe is at the moment offering full-service seating indoors — following COVID-linked distancing and sanitization tips — and outdoors, with heaters and umbrellas on the patio on the Boylston Road side of the constructing. The back again patio has area for those choosing up Mr. Roni Cups takeout. Bianca also has a private home for situations capped at 10 individuals. The restaurant is now serving supper Wednesday as a result of Sunday, with weekend brunch slated to start out later on this calendar year.
Obtain links for reservations and on the net purchasing on the Bianca site.