The P508 Was Early Today

My commute was completely uneventful this morning. The P508 was actually early (according to my watch). It arrived to Grafton at 7:07 a.m. Good thing I was "early" to the train station. Normally I'm arriving with a minute or two to spare. So I might have been booking it to the train today if I pulled in at my usual time.

We arrived to Back Bay Station at 8:13 a.m. and South Station at 8:21 a.m.

According to today's Telegram & Gazette, a new cafe catering to Union Station commuters is slated to open. The people who run Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse Restaurant in downtown Worcester (which has a great Sunday brunch!) have taken over the former The Restaurant at Union Station's space. The commuter-centric cafe is supposed to be open by next spring. It sounds nice - so nice that maybe I'll need to periodically take the Worcester line commuter rail from Worcester instead of Grafton. Here's the scoop:

By next spring, a portion of the former restaurant space will be utilized as restaurant space for commuters, offering an espresso bar, breakfast and lunch items, and a martini bar/lounge area during evening commuter hours, with outside seating on an adjoining patio area.

City officials said progress is being made toward the opening of a separate restaurant known as the Byblos Lounge in 6,100 square feet on the opposite side of the Grand Hall. Fusion Restaurant LLC, which would operate it, is preparing to open the Mediterranean restaurant in the space. City officials last year approved borrowing $750,000 so the space and another 6,300 square feet on the second floor could be fitted with basic utilities and interior walls.

I never went to the former The Restaurant at Union Station. I'm not surprised it closed - I heard word of mouth that the food wasn't that good and it was expensive. I love Worcester's burgeoning restaurant scene. A lot of really great restaurants have opened in this millennium (111 Chop House, Block 5, Via's, etc., etc.). My favorite, favorite, favorite Worcester restaurant, Corner Grille, opened in 1998. I hope more innovative restaurants continue to open. It is great to see diners in downtown Worcester. Worcester gets badgered a lot, but it isn't really a bad place to live.

If you do happen to be in Downtown Worcester on a weeknight, you may want to check out Maxwell Silverman's. I saw an ad in the T&G promoting some dinner specials at Maxwell Silverman's. Leo's Ristorante is also offering dinner specials this summer. All the restaurants I mentioned, except for Corner Grille, are within walking distance of Union Station. Block 5 is a bit of a hike, but walkable.