![]() ![]() Today, the original Alba is the anchor of Greater Boston’s hottest new dining destination, as some two dozen new eateries have sprung up around it in recent years. Yet Alba survived and prospered, even at a time when Quincy Center itself was down and out. Few observers thought this industry newcomer would make it, especially at that dire period in our nation’s history. Keka opened the original Quincy Center Alba in the fall of 2001, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, one of the worst times ever for restaurants before Covid. It’s an ambitious opening, even in the best of times, let alone during the era of Covid, spanning 7,500 square feet with seats for up to 240 guests (without Covid restrictions).īut Keka has spent his life beating the odds, both personally and professionally, and believes these experiences have prepared him and his team for the challenges ahead. “We have to count our blessings about that, that people were able to work.”Ĭharles H.Alba on 53 opens Monday, a large, beautiful Mediterranean steakhouse from Albanian immigrant restaurateur Leo Keka and the team behind Alba in Quincy Center, a fine-dining landmark for nearly 20 years.Īlba on 53 will feature prime beef, fresh local seafood, open kitchen led by executive chef and Boston restaurant veteran Todd Renner, al fresco dining and a 700-bottle world-class wine list featuring the best in California cabernet and bold Italian reds. A splash of Arab and Eastern Mediterranean flavor will distinguish Alba on 53 from the original Quincy classic. “The only people that were out of work were people who worked in restaurants,” Jones laughed. However, Jones said Quincy itself has weathered the pandemic year better than many other larger communities, in part because so many of the people who work there were in essential businesses like food processing and the data centers. “Been a tough year for a lot of people, anybody who’s in the restaurant business or public service or any kind, it’s been a tough year.” “It’s been closed about a year,” she said. Jones said doubling capacity won’t mean much either for her business or for the Quincy Public Market, a small mall which was largely empty Monday afternoon, but it could mean the public market’s one major restaurant, Jack’s at the Market, will be able to reopen soon. “Everybody was so pent up, and now they can see the end in sight.” “People are more hopeful, and we’re seeing people come out, and we’re starting to see some happiness return,” Jones said. SW), a small sandwich shop and cafe in the Quincy Public Market, said the start of Phase 3, which will allow restaurants and wine tasting rooms like the one winery Jones of Washington has in the public market, doesn’t mean much for her business or the public market itself, but does suggest the end of the pandemic might be nigh. Janet Jones, the owner of Country Fresh Market (1004 F St. “We’ve only been open again for a few weeks now, and we’re excited about being open.”įreese said she hopes Inslee will let restaurants remain open this time so “everything will be good.” “We’re not really a to-go kind of place,” she said. Jay Inslee ordered the closure of schools, government offices, restaurants, bars and a number of other businesses in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.įreese said they were forced to delay their grand opening until June, and were managing to make it work, when Inslee again ordered restaurants closed to in-person dining in November. SE in the fall of 2019, and were getting ready to open last spring when “Today is very slow, but actually we’ve been picking up really well.”įor restaurants and tasting rooms, Phase 3 means they can operate at 50% capacity, instead of 25% they have been operating at since mid-February, with alcohol sales now to continue to midnight instead of 11 p.m.įreese and her husband bought the space in the building at 101 E St. QUINCY - It may be a slow Monday for The Blue Bell Cafe owner Deborah Freese, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t excited about the prospects now that Washington State is in Phase 3 of its COVID-19 recovery plan.
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