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The raucous good time known as the HONK! Festival was honking as ever this weekend. The cacophonous parade that began in Davis Square …

September 19 marks the 20th anniversary of Rialto, the Harvard Square restaurant in the Charles Hotel that turned chef-owner Jody Adams, above, into a culinary superstar. In honor of the occasion, we canvassed the venue’s many distinguished alumni (and Adams herself) to take stock of the ingredients, people, and dishes that have made the place a destination for international dignitaries, Harvard bigwigs, and locals alike.

“Top Chef’’ is headed to Boston this spring, but before it does, one of the Bravo show’s alumni will visit Cambridge’s MayFair on Sunday.  “Top Chef Masters’’ and “Top Chef’’ season 5 contestant Fabio Viviani will be onboard the Columbus Foods’ MeatUp Food Truck on Sunday from noon until 6 p.m. at the 31st annual Harvard Square MayFair, spreading his knowledge of high quality deli meats.

When Jose Sahagun opened the doors of Cancun Taqueria y Mas last October, customers constantly demanded margaritas. But Sahagun was still waiting to obtain a liquor license and, without one, he worried that the new restaurant might fail before it could gain a foothold among Harvard Square businesses. 

At the heart of Harvard Square, between restaurants Au Bon Pain and Yenching, Lauren Canon holds a sign asking for food. On the ground beside her, Canon’s boyfriend Justin Newton has a sign that reads “too broke to pay attention.”  As they wait, a woman coming out of Yenching hands them a bag of Chinese food. They pull out a camping utensil and begin eating.

First he grabbed an apartment and retail building in the heart of Harvard Square.  Months later he bought another apartment and retail complex on the other side of JFK Street.  Then came the deal for a building known as the American Express travel office, quickly followed by the purchase of apartments behind the Harvard Lampoon office.

For most Harvard students, Winthrop Square Park is just a small patch of grass wedged between Peet’s Coffee and JFK St. However, this small plot of land has played an outsized role not only in American history, but also in the current controversy over development in Harvard Square.  According to the Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge—then called Newtowne—was founded at the current site of the park in 1630 by Governor John Winthrop and Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley. In the mid 1890s, prominent architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm helped develop the space, after it was enclosed as a public park in 1834. According to some Cambridge citizens, that makes it the oldest such park in the country.

Though Harvard Square is already a popular tourist attraction, local businesses are working to bring in even more visitors, particularly targeting Chinese travelers.  The Harvard Square Business Association recently partnered with the company Attract China to reach out to Chinese visitors, according to HSBA Executive Director Denise A. Jillson. With the company’s help, HSBA and businesses in the Square will advertise to Chinese tourists with a website in Mandarin.

Harvard Crimson

March 5, 2014

Billionaire Hong Kong investor and Harvard School of Public Health alumnus Gerald L. Chan has made waves in Harvard Square in recent months with purchases of Square real estate totalling more than $100 million.  Chan’s acquisitions include the property at Winthrop Square, which houses Grendel’s Den and the recently closed UpStairs on the Square, a recently vacated American Express building, and the stretch of property from 18 to 28 JFK St., which includes UNO’s and Papyrus.

When Buoy Lee, owner and founder of the Hong Kong Chinese restaurant, first walked by the property on 1238 Mass. Ave. in 1954, she could sense its potential.  “I thought to myself—jeez, that place has feng shui,” Lee said. This week, as the Kong, as the restaurant is affectionately known among students, prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Lee and her family reflected on the growth of the business and its landmark status in Harvard Square.