15 Walnut's New Manager, Tea House's New Patio Part of North Shore Restaurant News

Hamilton and Wenham residents don’t just stay in town when they want a night out and a break from cooking.

Restaurant comings and goings, new business and the best dishes and recipes are among the items that have appeared on area Patch sites over the past month.

Below is a look at the restaurant and food stories local Patch sites have covered over the past month. Read through our round up for the latest food news in the area.

Hamilton-Wenham

Ben Shute has taken over at the popular downtown Hamilton restaurant located in the Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing.

Shute was promoted to the position when the former manager Andrea Knight was promoted to a corporate position with Serenitee Restaurant Group, which owns 15 Walnut and several other North Shore restaurants, according to attorney Gilda Elmstrom.

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The dining room at Wenham Tea House now extends outdoors – onto a new patio.

The patio, built of bluestone, has been open since mid-July but did not get much use for the first few days because of the hot and humid weather. But when things cooled down and dried out, the 35 seats on the patio started to fill up.

The patio was one of the changes that were unveiled when Henry’s Fine Foods of Beverly took over management of the Wenham Tea House – which is owned by the Wenham Village Improvement Society – earlier this year.

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A pouring liquor license for the is inching closer to reality, with the Tea House’s management hoping to have the license in hand by fall. John Keohane, owner of the Tea House’s operator, Henry’s Fine Foods, said his attorney is working on the paperwork to submit to town officials.

Late last month, Gov. Deval Patrick signed the home rule petition into law, granting the town of Wenham a pouring license for the Tea House. Now it is up to Henry’s to submit the required paperwork. The Board of Selectmen, acting as the Licensing Board, will then review the application. If approved, the license would then also need approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

“We’re thinking it won’t be until fall,” Keohane said.

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Danvers

on Elm Street will be offering a new line of speciality Rail Trail beverages, including soda, lemonade, and spring water.. 

"When [Town Planner] Kate [Day] told me she still had a lot of drinks left from the , I told her that I would try to sell the items in the store to help out the rail trail,"  owner Andrea Harry said. "We feel that it is a great cause and we are willing to help out the town our business is located in as much as possible."

Proceeds from the drinks will benefit the . 

Rail Trail beverages will range from $1-2.

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Salem

People are barking up a storm in Salem after a decision by Health Agent Larry Ramdin to suddenly enforce this law banning dogs from outdoor restaurant patios.

For the last 15 years, more than a few Salem restaurants have become known for their hospitality to local dog owners and their pets. Outdoor patios offer water, biscuits and, in one case, even a small doggy menu. Sunny weekend days bring these folks and their animals out in great numbers.

This month, Contributor William Legault weighed in on the Health Department's recent decision to start paying closer attention to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 272, Section 98A.

Legault reported the health agent said there have been complaints about man and beast on the same patios, and enforcement may jeopardize the time pups and owners spend together at local restaurants.

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The Votto family, which owns Brodie's Pub in Peabody Square, is planning to open another establishment at 215 Derby St. in Salem — the current location of the Seaport Cafe.

The Salem Licensing Board approved an application and a pledge for the transfer of an annual beer and wine license. Word is the restaurant in Salem will also be called Brodies and will likely have an ice cream window on the Derby Street side of the building.

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Marblehead

In addition to a and retail establishment, is expected to be home to a cafe that will sell breakfast, dessert and sweets, according to the building's co-designer.

The plan for the cafe was revealed during a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at , where board members approved changes to the building's facade and narrowly shot down a request to add a 40-seat outdoor dining area.

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A request for an outdoor dining area adjacent to the expected to open on the first floor of sometime next year was narrowly shot down by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The meeting drew a small crowd of abutting residents and business owners to the Selectmen's Meeting Room of , many of whom were on hand to speak out against the proposed 40-seat outdoor dining area because they feared it would mean loud nights and limited parking.

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Bracamontes said he and his brother, Jose Bracamontes, will meet with the town's Health Inspector and will open for business early next week if everything checks out.

Jose Bracamontes spent five years working as a chef at and the pair said they expect Marblehead's lack of an authentic Mexican restaurant will mean big business.

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The former home of Fruit of the Four Seasons on Atlantic Avenue has undergone a facelift in recent weeks. Charles Patsios, a representative of of Stone River LLC, said a investing group didn't rehabilitate the interior of the building with a specific business or type of business in mind but simply "did it the right way."

"Sometimes (investors) will just try to get a remediation project like this done as quickly as possible," Patsios said. "We got in there and knew we wanted to get it done right."

Although he said Stone River is currently accepting offers from a variety of prospective businesses, Patsios, of Swampscott, said he thinks the location would be perfect for a healthy Mediterranean restaurant.

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The Board of Selectmen has unanimously approved the transfer of three licenses to new owner Jason Rakauskas. Appearing before the Board of Selectmen at were Rakauskas, of Swampscott, his lawyer, John Keilty, of Peabody, and former owner and Swampscott resident Patty Johnson.

Keilty provided the board with signed checks for the restaurant's liquor license, entertainment license and Sunday entertainment license and said patrons shouldn't expect any sweeping changes.

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It has been little more than a year since an electrical fire forced the owners of 5 Corners Kitchen and Terry's Ice Cream Shop to close their doors and now both businesses are eyeing the finish line.

On the anniversary of the two-alarm fire, which fire investigators later determined originated in the ceiling of Terry's Ice Cream Shop, a post appeared on the 5 Corners Kitchen Facebook page letting customers know that their reconstruction effort was nearly complete.

"Our wonderful 5 corners family, our staff, is returning home next week to refresh their palettes with the new delicious menu and amazing wine list," the post read.

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Yannalfo's Ristorante owner Brett Yannalfo was hard at work on a recent afternoon, putting the finishing touches on the new Italian restaurant he hopes to have open later this summer.

Yannalfo's will open in former home of Pellino's Ristorante, located at 261 Washington St.

Although Yannalfo, 43, of Andover, said his professional background has been rooted in "the corporate world," he has always dreamed of opening a restaurant of his own.

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The owner of Swizzles frozen yogurt says the shop is about two weeks away from opening.

Owner Adam Kessner he won't know for sure about the grand opening until the first week of August. 

"We are hoping to open on Saturday, Aug. 4th," he said.

The shop is located next to Petco at the Vinnin Square mall.

Construction began in May.

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Peabody

The Cabaret Lounge and Carrabba's Italian Grill have each been slapped with three-day suspensions of their liquor licenses by the city Licensing Board.

The two establishments were among a group of six to appear before the board on June 25 after having failed a random alcohol compliance check (or sting) on May 23 by Peabody police and undercover operatives.

In each case, an underage customer -- one of the operatives -- was sold a beer without being asked for an ID.

Maki Sushi, Martino's Liquors, Fuji Sushi and Royal Garden all had a first offense and were issued a warning and encouraged to train their employees if they hadn't done so already, but both the Cabaret and Carrabba's had violations within the past year as well.

And at Carrabba's, both the manager on duty that day and the managing partner for the Peabody operation lost their jobs in addition to the bartender.

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Oliveira's Steak House won't have to close after all, according to attorney John Keilty.

Keilty said that his clients, the new owners of the Brazilian restaurant and bar, were able to obtain an indefinite court injunction that will keep the establishment open for business for as long as it takes to have the new management of Oliveira's approved by liquor licensing authorities at both the local and state levels.

The Peabody Licensing Board, in June, gave Oliveira's up to 90 days from July 1 to file proper forms with the city and state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, identifying who the corporate officers and manager of record are or else lose the license permanently. And that documentation had to be approved first by the ABCC within that same time period.

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If you've purchased meatballs at the deli in Hannaford's recently, the supermarket chain says you can toss them or return the products for a full refund -- the meatballs may be contaminated with listeria.

Hannaford Supermarkets initially alerted customers to the recall by Buona Vita Inc., based out of New Jersey, on July 10.

The recall is specific to three meatball products from Buona Vita that are possibly contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. They are all sold through the deli department at Hannaford's -- Homestyle Meatballs with Sauce (sold by the pound), Meatball Panini (cold) UPC #941260723096, and Meatball Panini (hot) UPC #94126072102.

Hannaford's says customers who purchased any of those products should not eat them and can return them to the store for a full refund. The products have been removed from the delis at Hannaford stores.

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Where are all the traffic improvements? That's what city councilors are wondering in the face of the new Dunkin' Donuts at 79 Lynnfield St. opening its doors this month, but apparently without agreed-upon traffic safety upgrades in place.

"I don't know what happened, but the ball was dropped or thrown away," said Ward 2 Councilor Arthur Athas, who lives down the street from the shopping plaza.

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Progress has crawled along for more than a year at the site of the new Bagel World on Route 1, but according to city officials, the popular local chain of eateries is preparing to pump out its famous bagels by the end of August.

Building Commissioner Kevin Goggin said he met with the construction contractor Tuesday morning and spoke recently with the project architect as well, both of whom say plans are to open up shop within the next month.

Goggin said the entire bakery operation may be moving over to 246 Newbury St. (it's on the southbound side of Route 1) from where the lone Peabody location is now at

Owner Stanley Kantorosinski did not return a phone call for comment.

Goggin said the interior plans for the Route 1 spot are similar to the setup on Sylvan Street except that there will be a drive-through window for customers. The City Council approved a .