Virgies? No. Madison's on The Ave? No. Highland Kitchen? Yes.

When I first moved to Somerville there was a dive bar up Highland Ave called Vergies. At least I think it was called that. This wasn't a dive bar like the Model or the Silhouette. This was a real dive. After I lived there a little while, Virgies was closed for renovations, and Madison's on the Ave sprung up in its place. I went there once. Not too much later, Madison's was closed for renovations, and now, the Highland Kitchen has popped up. Rumor is, it's pretty good, and it might actually be there for a while.


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Highland Kitchen satiates Somerville neighborhood's cravings

By Katie Johnston Chase Globe Staff / January 19, 2008

SOMERVILLE - I've always dreamed of living within walking distance of a restaurant with delicious, affordable food, a decent bar, and a comfortable vibe. A place I could go to a few times a month to have dinner or a drink. A place I could call my hangout.

So when Highland Kitchen opened around the corner from my house last month, my hopes were high. I knew it was owned by the former chef at Green Street Grill in Central Square, where I had feasted on mahi mahi with mango-avocado salsa and sampled lip-scorching curried goat stew. And when I heard Tom Waits playing on the jukebox the first time I walked in, and saw the silver menus gleaming with promises of brandy flips and chili cheese fries, I was instantly smitten. Halfway through our first drinks, my husband and I were on a first-name basis with the bartender.

Read more:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/01/19/highland_kitchen_satiates_somerville_neighborhoods_cravings/

Mapping Winter Hill

Ok, here's a start. Feel free to correct my boundaries:

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Shout out for Big Money

http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/archive/x1615371793

Winter Hill Bank receives 'Outstanding' rating for community reinvestment

Fri Oct 05, 2007, 04:48 PM EDT

Somerville - Winter Hill Bank has been awarded an "Outstanding" rating, the highest rating possible by the Office of Thrift Supervision for the bank’s commitment to the letter and spirit of the Community Reinvestment Act .

Passed by Congress in 1977, CRA encourages financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate including low and moderate-income neighborhoods consistent with safe and sound banking operations. Federal regulators monitor whether banks are fulfilling their CRA obligations and they rate each bank based on their performance in lending, service and investments in the bank’s communities.
According to Sandra L. McGoldrick, President and CEO of Winter Hill Bank, "We are extremely proud to receive this high rating. We work hard to address the needs of every neighborhood we serve and this rating recognizes the strong commitment that the bank and our employees have to the community; not only today, but since our inception in 1906.”
Winter Hill Bank is a Mutual Federal Savings Bank with offices in Somerville, North Reading and Chelsea.

Obama, Former Wintervillain

It looks like Hillary Clinton is going to take the popular vote in the Massachusetts Democratic primary, though she and Barack Obama will be splitting the 93 proportional delegates. It will be interesting to see how Barack Obama does in Somerville, where he apparently lived while attending Harvard. Town by town results can be found here - Somerville has as of now 0% reporting.

IKEA recruits locally

East Somerville residents will have first crack at jobs at the new Assembly Square IKEA.