While more and more Massachusetts businesses and cultural institutions are reopening as COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue, many residents are still staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic. With that in mind, this week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do this weekend. Have an idea about what we should cover? Leave us a comment on this article or in the BosTen Facebook group, or email us at [email protected].
Slurp down oysters at Summer Shack
The seafood haven’s Back Bay location reopens on Thursday at 4 p.m., and to celebrate, it’s offering complimentary South Bay Blonde oysters on the half shell with the purchase of any entrée, available Thursday through Sunday. Plus, the first 100 guests that visit Summer Shack will receive a discount to the online store at Wulf’s Fish — reservations can be made here. Welcome back, Summer Shack!
Sip scotch with the Boston.com cocktail club
Following last week’s tutorial on Irish whiskey-based drinks, the Boston.com cocktail club will be popping across the pond for some Scotch whisky cocktails. Swing by at 7 p.m. on Thursday to watch host Jackson Cannon (The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard) and guest Jared Sadoian (Craigie on Main) teach you how to make two classic cocktails that use Scotch whisky: a Blood and Sand and a Rob Roy. Attending the Zoom is free, and you can purchase a kit with all the ingredients you’ll need here. Proceeds from the event benefit Off Their Plate.
Get educated on anti-Asian racism and how Bostonians are fighting back against hate
While the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly fueled xenophobia and anti-Asian racism, Asian-Americans have also experienced violence long before COVID-19. More than a dozen local organizations including the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network will host a town hall on Thursday at 6 p.m. highlighting some of the ways that the Asian-American community in Massachusetts is fighting back against racism and offering lessons on how allies can best support their community during this troubling time. Registration for the Zoom seminar is free but must be completed in advance.
Join Kevin Bacon and the cast of “City on a Hill” for a sneak peek screening and virtual Q&A
If you want to see the season premiere of the Boston-set ’90s crime drama “City On a Hill” before it debuts on Showtime Sunday night, the Coolidge Corner Theatre is hosting a free sneak preview and a virtual Q&A with the show’s stars on Thursday at 8 p.m. Season two still centers around the rivalry between loose cannon FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) and hard-charging assistant district attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge, “Hidden Figures”), but the show’s focus shifts from the Charlestown armored car robber gang featured in season one to a Roxbury housing project. When an 11-year-old girl is killed by a stray bullet during a gunfight between rival gangs, some of the neighborhood’s most powerful figures redouble their efforts to bring change to the city. The post-episode Q&A will feature Bacon, Hodge, Jill Hennessy (“Crossing Jordan”), and Lauren E. Banks (“Maniac”), and will be moderated by the Boston Globe’s Kevin Cullen.
Pick up a Passover meal at Mamaleh’s
Passover kicks off this weekend, and if you don’t want to spend time braising your own brisket, you’d be wise to let Mamaleh’s do the work. The Kendall Square restaurant, which just received funding to open a second location in Brookline, has a Passover menu available for pickup starting Thursday and continuing through April 4. On the menu: Potato latkes, vegetarian kishke, beet horseradish, chopped liver, matzah toffee, and more — though hurry, dishes are selling out quickly.
Stop by the MFA for its new Cézanne exhibit
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is a big fan of French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne at the moment, with the museum opening a new exhibit shortly after its previous Cézanne showcase, “Paul Cézanne: In and Out of Time,” departed in February. The new exhibit, “Paul Cézanne, Influence,” features 21 portraits, landscapes, and still-lifes, including several rarely seen works typically held in private collections. The museum is currently offering timed entry, and several time slots are still open throughout the weekend.
Join the Northeast Animal Shelter for a Kitten Shower
Cats aren’t known to be fans of water, but the felines of Northeast Animal Shelter will appreciate their shower this Saturday at 11 a.m. Like a traditional baby shower, the shelter will be accepting gifts from its registry — needed supplies to care for their kittens — and opening them on Zoom along with some of its whiskered friends. Tickets to the virtual shower are $5, and benefit the animals at the shelter.
Celebrate Night Shift Brewing’s 9th anniversary
Stroll down memory lane with the folks at Night Shift Brewing on Saturday at 1 p.m. as they host a virtual beer tasting and Q&A, highlighting some of their company’s stalwart beers like Nite Lite, Whirlpool, and Santilli. Founders Michael Oxton, Rob Burns, and Mike O’Mara will share brewery stories and tasting techniques, followed by a concert from country artist Chris Ruediger on Night Shift’s Instagram Live. Can’t make it to the virtual tasting? Raise a glass of The Whole Nine Years, the brewery’s recently-released anniversary beer now available at the Everett location and in select Mass. stores. RSVP for the celebration here.
Watch “Hot Fuzz” with the Brattle Theatre
More than a year after closing its doors, Cambridge’s Brattle Theatre has continued to offer virtual programming in order to support the non-profit cinema. This weekend’s screening is of Edgar Wright’s riotous action comedy “Hot Fuzz,” which stars frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead”) as beat cops in a quiet English town beset by a series of grisly “accidents.” The Brattle has played host to Wright and co. before, and the screening will feature a special intro from the filmmaker and footage from the last time he came to the theater for an event. The film will be available to stream starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday until 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Join Boston.com for a Restaurant Roundtable
The weather is getting warmer, patios are emerging, and the state’s vaccination efforts are well underway. So what do restaurants need now? Tune in for Boston.com’s restaurant roundtable on Monday at noon with Joanne Chang of Flour and Myers + Chang, Jonathan Gilman of Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen, and Bessie King of Villa Mexico Cafe, where we’ll discuss the current state of the restaurant industry and what the future of dining holds for Boston restaurants. RSVP here.
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