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A restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood that opened a couple of years ago is expanding across the river.

According to a source, WakuWaku Ramen & Sake is getting ready to open a new location in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge, with the website for the place indicating that it plans to debut on February 1. The original location opened on Tyler Street in Chinatown in the spring of 2021, offering an array of ramen and sake options along with such items as wings, duck bun, fried oysters, shrimp tempura, kimchi, shumai, pork chops, and more.

The website for WakuWaku mentions that another outlet could be coming to Waltham at some point as well.

The address for the new location of WakuWaku in Harvard Square is 33 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the business can be found at https://www.wakuwakuramen.com/

Now that Starbucks is back in the Square, it feels like all is well again…

Situated in the Abbot Building between the Yard and the River Houses, our new Starbucks location is spectacular. As you head for your pick-me-up beverage, you will no longer have any excuse to put off your weekly CVS haul or any of your other errands. How convenient! Not only is the location convenient, Starbucks’ hours are pleasantly surprising (it’s open until 9 p.m. all week!) Gone are the days of craving a late night peppermint mocha or matcha green tea latte and being severely disappointed when finding that Starbucks closed at 7:30 p.m. You can now fuel your unhealthy coffee addiction 16-ish hours a day, 7 days a week!

Vibes 🙂

Arezoo: The vibes of this Starbucks are absolutely adorable — being greeted by soft, ambient music along with a blast of warm air and the smell of coffee beans definitely perked me up after a day full of back-to-back sections. I think that the smaller size of the cafe adds to its homey feel, and makes it perfect to quickly stop by between classes.

Subul: It is a compact but super cute establishment. You can definitely tell it’s a brand-new, recent addition to the area by the clean and modern look of the place, and it makes it very inviting! There are no spaces to sit or work, so it’s more of a grab-and-go coffee shop. The chitter-chatter of people waiting, and the hustle and bustle of others quickly getting their drinks creates a lively atmosphere — and makes for a great people-watching experience.

Drinks

Arezoo: In the spirit of the holiday season, I ordered a grande iced sugar cookie almond milk latte. This drink can be a hit or miss, but today it was definitely a major hit! The drink was perfectly sweet, and the added red and green sprinkles made it even better (aesthetics matter!). They ran out of almond milk but were quick to offer up many alternatives, including oat milk, which I ultimately chose. Would 10/10 recommend this drink to put you in the winter spirit!

Subul: I celebrated the beginning of the holiday season by ordering a caramel brulée latte, and words cannot describe how phenomenal it was. It hit the spot, and I am still dreaming about it. I should probably branch out and try another holiday drink, but every part of me wants to continue ordering the caramel brulée latte again and again. We could all use a dose of serotonin when our routines get robotic and our days get cold, and I cannot recommend this drink enough.

Speed

Arezoo: I knew that the store would probably be busy, but I did not anticipate anywhere near the line that I found when I visited. Since it was Red Cup Day, people of all ages flocked to the new Starbucks. Despite this, I was very impressed with how the staff was able to handle the number of customers. Not to mention that they had enough red cups to last them until 4:30 p.m. — but they did run out five minutes before I got to the front of the line though. R.I.P.

The Norwell native will be honored with a parade and roast on February 4.

The awards keep rolling in for Jennifer Coolidge.

After snagging a Golden Globe statuette earlier this month for her role in “The White Lotus,” Coolidge was named the 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals on Tuesday.

The award ceremony will be a homecoming for Coolidge in more ways than one: The actress was born in Boston and raised in Norwell, and one of her most famous roles was in the 2001 film “Legally Blonde,” which was set around Harvard’s law school campus.

“We are so excited to welcome Jennifer Coolidge back to her hometown and to Harvard, the iconic setting of Legally Blonde,” Hasty Pudding Man & Woman of the Year Coordinator Maya Dubin said in a press release. “Her glittering personality and comedic presence are so Pudding.”

Coolidge will be honored with a parade through Harvard Square at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, followed by a roast at 7 p.m., where she will be given the group’s Pudding Pot.

Coolidge joins previous Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year winners including Meryl Streep, Octavia Spencer, and fellow Massachusetts natives Elizabeth Banks and Amy Poehler.

Along with her roles in “White Lotus” and “Legally Blonde,” Coolidge gained significant attention for her role in the teen comedy “American Pie.” Other notable credits include “A Mighty Wind,” “Best in Show,” “A Cinderella Story,” and the recent romcom “Shotgun Wedding.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Jennifer Coolidge, who saw a career resurgence following her Emmy-winning turn as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt in the acclaimed HBO series “The White Lotus,” was named the 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals on Tuesday.

The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed this award annually on women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.”

Coolidge, who also played Stifler’s sultry mom in “American Pie” and sage manicurist Paulette in the “Legally Blonde” movies, grew up in the Boston area.

“We are so excited to welcome Jennifer Coolidge back to her hometown and to Harvard, the iconic setting of Legally Blonde,” Man and Woman of the Year coordinator Maya Dubin said in a press release. “Her glittering personality and comedic presence are so Pudding.”

Coolidge will be honored with a parade through Harvard Square on Feb. 4 followed by a roast when she will be presented her Pudding Pot.

Her other film credits include roles in “Best In Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “Shotgun Wedding” while she has appeared multiple television shows including “Seinfeld,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Nip/Tuck.”

Previous winners of the Woman of the Year Award include Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Debbie Reynolds.

Bob Odenkirk was named the 2023 Hasty Pudding Man of the Year last week. He will be honored on Feb. 2.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

‘White Lotus’ star will be honored in Harvard Square on Feb. 4

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, has named actor Jennifer Coolidge as the recipient of its 2023 Woman of the Year Award.

From her iconic performances in “The White Lotus,” “The Watcher,” “Legally Blonde,” and “American Pie” among countless others, the Pudding is proud to celebrate a truly unique and impactful presence in the world of entertainment.

The Woman of the Year Award is the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ oldest honor, bestowed annually on performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year Award has been given to many notable and talented entertainers including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, and most recently Jennifer Garner, the 72nd Woman of the Year.

The Woman of the Year festivities will begin 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 4, when Coolidge will lead a parade through the streets of Harvard Square. Following the parade, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a celebratory roast for Coolidge at 7 p.m., after which she will be presented with her Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, the Hasty Pudding’s historic home in Harvard Square since 1888. A press conference will follow the presentation at 7:30 p.m. Afterward, Coolidge will attend the opening night of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 174th production “Cosmic Relief.”

Jennifer Coolidge has been a Hollywood mainstay since playing Stifler’s mom in the 1999 comedy classic “American Pie.” She recently garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of the wealthy, unstable, and oblivious fan favorite character Tanya McQuoid in HBO’s “The White Lotus.” Her portrayal earned her a 2022 Emmy Award, two Critics Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a Gotham Award nomination and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

“We are so excited to welcome Jennifer Coolidge back to her hometown and to Harvard, the iconic setting of ‘Legally Blonde.’ Her glittering personality and comedic presence are so Pudding,” said Man and Woman of the Year coordinator Maya Dubin. “We know she’ll fit right into the Pudding’s musical spectacular, though she’ll still have to earn her Pudding Pot onstage.”

Coolidge was most recently seen reprising her award-winning role in Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “The Watcher,” opposite Naomi Watts, Netflix’s hit holiday film “Single All the Way,” and Magnolia’s film drama “Swan Song” opposite Udo Kier.

“It is an absolute dream for us to honor Jennifer Coolidge as our Woman of the Year on the heels of her recent accolades for ‘The White Lotus,’” said producer  Sarah Mann. “We know our Pudding Pot will look phenomenal alongside her new Golden Globe, and we swear we won’t whisk her away to a palazzo in Palermo!”

Originally from Boston, Coolidge studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and was a nine-year veteran of The Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles.

Coolidge will next be seen starring in Amazon Prime Video’s romantic comedy “Shotgun Wedding” opposite Jennifer Lopez.

Coolidge splits her time between Los Angeles and New Orleans.

Faro Café — a vibrant new coffee shop on the corner of Arrow Street — opened its doors last month, inviting passersby to step into the regenerative space for a hot cup of coffee.

Owned by Henry F. Hoffstot, Faro Café served its first cup of coffee on Dec. 14. Though it joins several other established coffee shops in Harvard Square, its owners say Faro aims to do more than just serve coffee: the vision behind the cafe, Hoffstot said, is around the “sensation” customers have when they enter the space.

“It’s about letting the space be something that people interpret how they want to envision it or define it or inhabit it,” he said. “We’re hoping that people make Faro what they want — what they need — and that the space can lend itself to a variety of different community-focused purposes.”

The cafe’s name comes from the Spanish word for “lighthouse,” a nod to Buenos Aires, where Hoffstot lived for four years.

Trading paper to-go cups for ceramic mugs and latte art, Hoffstot said he hopes Faro Café gives a more “romanticized” idea of coffee — something to be enjoyed slowly, instead of just being fuel for productivity.

Even in the quiet of an early Sunday morning, customers had already found their way inside, settling in with books and laptops.

Priyanka Saxena, a Somerville resident, chose a spot tucked in behind the soundsystem of the cafe.

“I come a pretty long way to get to a cafe early in the morning and it’s because it’s a really nice vibe,” she said. “There’s nothing too busy or ostentatious about it, but it’s cozy.”

“The pastries are great, the coffees are delicious, and it’s just a nice spot to relax in the morning,” she added.

A new arts nonprofit is coming to Harvard Square.

A welcome dose of fresh energy will be arriving in Cambridge, bringing new performance spaces to the area by the end of the year.

Arrow Street Arts, a nonprofit founded by David Altshuler last year, will be moving into the building that American Repertory Theater‘s Oberon used to occupy in Harvard Square. Oberon, an experimental and alternative theater venue, announced its closure in 2021, and Harvard University began searching for a new tenant. The space will be renovated, creating a black box theater, street-front studio, and a rotunda reception area. Altshuler said that he is excited to help artists and organizations utilize those facilities.

“Arrow Street Arts was founded specifically for this project with Harvard,” he said. “Our core belief is that art creates community and that community creates belonging.” He explained that there is a need for performance spaces, technical services, and supportive services, aiming to “help artists and communities come together.”

A new nonprofit is slated to move into a performing arts space in Harvard Square formerly used by the American Repertory Theater.