BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around Boston.
With more and more Massachusetts businesses and cultural institutions reinstating COVID-19 restrictions in the face of a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, residents may be torn on whether to venture out of their homes this weekend. With that in mind, this week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do in Boston 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].
Sample a bit of everything at Taste of Israel 2022
Inspired by a cornucopia of diverse tastes including Moroccan, French, Russian, and Ethiopian, Israeli cuisine has much to offer beyond staples like falafel and hummus. To celebrate the country’s wide variety of delicacies, JArts is hosting Taste of Israel 2022, a weeklong event during which more than 40 Boston-area eateries will offer a handful of specialty dishes using ingredients from JArts curated IsraeliBox. Notable participants include Mamaleh’s, The Inn At Hastings Park, and Cafe Landwer, which just opened its third Boston-area location this week. For more details on the event, which runs now through Tuesday, visit the JArts website. — Kevin Slane
Learn about the latest and greatest in kitchen trends
Over the last two years, all of us have gotten intimately familiar with every single inch of our homes. If pandemic isolation has you thinking about a remodeling project, the Boston Globe will be hosting a virtual conversation with renovation experts about this Friday at noon. Hosted by Globe design writer Marni Elyse Katz, the panel will discuss everything from ribbed glass and fluted wood to plaster hoods and statement stone. — Kevin Slane
See classic novel ‘The Bluest Eye’ live on stage
The stage adaptation of ‘The Bluest Eye,’ from acclaimed author Toni Morrison’s debut novel of the same title, will be live on stage at the Calderwood Pavilion starting Friday through March 13. The Huntington Theatre Company production comes together through the collaborative vision of playwright Lydia R. Diamond and director Awoye Timpo and of course birthed from the classic storytelling found in the pages of Morrison’s masterpiece. A multi-camera shoot at an early performance of the production is expected to be completed around mid-February and will be available as a digital ticket for those who prefer not to attend in person. — Jae’da Turner
Hear the story of a ‘Civil Rights Queen’ with Harvard Book Store
This Friday, Harvard Book Store’s virtual event series will host author Tomiko Brown-Nagin —acclaimed legal historian and Dean of Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study— to discuss her newest book, “Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality.” Along with legal scholar Randall Kennedy, Brown-Nagin will discuss Motley’s legacy as a legal pioneer, as the first Black woman to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court, the first Black woman elected to the state Senate in New York, and the only Black woman on the NAACP’s legal team when the organization defended Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham, among numerous other accomplishments. Register in advance for the virtual conversation, which will be held on Friday at 7 p.m., on the Harvard Book Store website. — Kevin Slane
Check out the PEM’s new ‘Each/Other’ exhibit
With the weekend weather forecast looking sketchier by the minute, now might be the best time to consider some indoor plans. One option is “Each/Other,” a new exhibit opening this Saturday at the Peabody Essex Museum by Indigenous artists Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger that features photography, mixed-media sculptures, wood carvings, walls hangings, and other mediums. Originally organized by the Denver Art Museum, “Each/Other,” which runs through May 8, showcases the pair’s emphasis on “collaborative art-making, community engagement, materials, and the land.” — Kevin Slane
Play free arcade games (if you’re under 12) at Kings Dining & Entertainment
With the prospect of a snowed-in Saturday, some parents may already be scrambling to figure out activities for their kids. If you manage to brave the elements, every Kings Dining and Entertainment location in Massachusetts will be offering free arcade games all day long for children 12 and under with the purchase of a bowling game. — Kevin Slane
Enjoy snow day drinks courtesy of chef Jason Santos
Keeping with the theme of winter storm specials, two of chef/restauranteur Jason Santos’s restaurants will be offering specialty drinks on Saturday. At Citrus and Salt in the Back Bay, enjoy an “I Came, I Thaw, I Conquered,” a snowflake-adorned drink made with Espolon tequila, coconut, orange, and lime that’s as blue as Santos’s hair. At the Watertown location of Santos’s Buttermilk and Bourbon, meanwhile, guests can sip a Hot Chocolate Espresso Martini made with hot chocolate, espresso, Bailey’s, caramel, cinnamon, and topped with a wafer cookie and whipped cream. — Kevin Slane
Revel in all things Dolly Parton at Monumental Market’s Dolly Would
Monumental Market, Jamaica Plain’s bakery/coffee shop/community space with frequent vendor pop-ups, is celebrating all things Dolly Parton this Sunday. Along with a special menu of yet-to-be announced, nut-free baked goods, the event will have records from the Hall of Fame artist, a flash tattoo station, and … a photo booth for dogs. Perhaps the photo booth is a nod to Billy the Kid? In any case, proceeds from the event will also support 826 Boston, a non-profit writing, tutoring, and publication company in Roxbury that helps students in grades K-12. — Joel Ang
Full day of hoops to support inclusion in school and sports
This Sunday, the Celtics will cede home court to a collection of high school talent from around the area, with 20 teams competing over the course of more than 14 hours in support of the Andrew James Lawson Foundation. Andrew, who passed away in 2018, was a 2008 graduate of Norwell High School who had Down Syndrome, and in whose memory a foundation was established to help others with intellectual and development disabilities experience inclusion in their communities. Later inducted into the high school’s athletic hall of fame, Andrew was a three-sport athlete and attended public schools from pre-K through graduation, and was also honored by the Celtics’ Heroes Among Us program and the Massachusetts Special Olympics. General admission tickets are $20, and are available through the athletic departments of each individual school that’s competing or via Ticketmaster. — Dave D’Onofrio
Catch an early free screening of Jenny Slate’s new movie
Milton native Jenny Slate is dipping into rom-com territory for her newest movie “I Want You Back,” a Valentine’s Day romp opposite “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Charlie Day. After Emma (Slate) and Peter (Day) meet in a stairwell after being dumped by their significant others (played by Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood), the duo later hatch a plot to end each other’s exes burgeoning new relationships. Ahead of the film’s nationwide release on February 11, Amazon will be offering a preview screening at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline on January 31 at 7 p.m. Advance registration is required, and can be completed on the Amazon screenings website. — Kevin Slane
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