Restaurants

Including meatballs at Fisherman's Feast, Texas barbecue, and puddin' pops.

Vote for your favorite meatballs at Fisherman's Feast. Tony & Elaine's
Wondering what to eat and drink in Boston this weekend? The Dish is a weekly guide to five things in the local restaurant and bar scene that are on my radar right now. Shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] to let me know what other dishes and drinks I should check out.
Cookie at Fool's Errand
Cookie at Fool’s Errand – Oriana Koren

How’s this for an end-of-the-week treat: Not one, but two pastry chef phenoms are sharing their talents with us through decadent desserts on Friday. Starting at 4 p.m. until sold out, Fool’s Errand in the Fenway will host Big Heart Hospitality’s award-winning pasty chef Dee Steffen Chinn, alongside James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Kelly Fields. They’re making all the good stuff: chocolate puddin’ pops, s’mores choco taco, gluten-free grasshopper pie, strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookies, and more. Fields’s new cookbook, The Good Book of Southern Baking, will be available for purchase as well.

On Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Noir in Cambridge’s Charles Square is throwing a summer bash in their courtyard, with tunes courtesy of DJ L’duke. If you’ve got a hankering for Japanese whisky, a House of Suntory highball cart will be on hand starting at 5 p.m., and a Truly hard seltzer pop-up will kick off at 4 p.m. until supplies run out. Stick around for late night doughnuts from Lionheart Confections starting at 7 p.m., when pastry chef Kate Holowchik will be serving flavors like wild berry poptart, zebra cake, coconut miso butterfinger, and cosmic brownie.

Back for its 111th year, Fisherman’s Feast is currently underway in the North End, running from August 12 through August 15. Amid the “Flight of the Angel” ceremony, the cooking stages, the live music, and all of the excellent food vendors, there is this: the 3rd Annual North End’s Best Meatball Competition. On Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., sample meatballs from roughly a dozen North End restaurants before voting for your favorite. The winner will be dubbed North End meatball royalty — truly, is there a better honor?

Trillium Canton
Trillium Canton – Trillium Brewing Co.

I lived in Texas for a quick year and a half, and during that time I gained a deep appreciation for the state’s unparalleled barbecue scene. If there are any other one-time or lifelong Texans living in Mass. that can relate, head to Trillium’s Canton location on Saturday, where San Antonio’s South BBQ & Kitchen will be taking over the kitchen. From noon to 9 p.m., chef Andrew Samia will cook up plates of brisket and brisket sandwiches, along with smoked pork ribs, jalapeño cheddar links, creamed elote, and more. A special beer is in the works, too, and if the weather holds up, you can enjoy it all out on the brewery’s spacious patio.

Hunter’s Kitchen & Bar opened in Southie on Tuesday, replacing The Junction space and converting it into a Southern-inspired eatery with hunting lodge vibes. When I chatted with one of the managing partners, Nick Dixon, earlier this week, he told me about the fried chicken and waffles on the menu — and I can’t get it out of my head. “We’re doing a liege waffle, which is kind of a mix between a brioche dough and sourdough,” he told me. “It has little pearl sugar pieces in it, so when you put the dough ball in the waffle press and you close it, all those pearl sugars caramelize inside of it, and it creates this amazing flavor.” The waffle also has a layer of Red Rock cheddar cheese, resulting in a sweet-savory combo. Both the chicken and waffle are drizzled with habanero lavender honey — ’nuff said.