When I started The Stoop, the premise was simple: help people get more out of the neighborhoods they already live in. No matter if you grew up here or stayed for work or school, everyone was starving for connection. Social distancing ended years ago, but the habit of it never really left. The squares, the coffee shops, the parks fill with people every day who still manage to miss one another. It started as a push to get people out to things together, then quickly evolved into curating local stories, news and more. That original goal of bringing people together hasn't changed.
That's why tonight I'm highlighting Michael and Sakura Asian Bistro & Sushi in Davis Square. I learned his family's story over way too many bento boxes (Beef Teriyaki was always my choice), and it's one that needed to be shared.
It starts in 1997 on Guam, a tiny humid island in the Pacific where Michael worked as a fisherman off the coast. That work is where he fell for sushi. He brought it to Boston two years later, where a job at the now-defunct Chef Orient in Framingham taught him everything from making rolls to running a kitchen.
That was the work he wanted for himself, so he opened his own Chef Orient-style restaurant in New Hampshire. Two years of long commutes and missed time at home later, the math stopped working: keeping it afloat meant moving the family north for good.
He closed it instead and started over closer to home, opening O'Ginger in Somerville in 2016 and rebranding to Sakura last year with a redeveloped interior and a new sushi bar. Today it sits in the heart of Davis, one of the longer-running local businesses in the square.
Yes, this is sponsored. But good advertising should be indistinguishable from relatable and helpful content, and Michael's story is more than that. It's a reflection of what The Stoop is trying to be in Cambridge & Somerville. It's rooted in giving more than taking, and in a desire to build within the neighborhoods we live in and with the people we pass each day.
One more thing if you've made it this far: he's offering 10% off your entire bill all week. Just mention The Stoop or show the newsletter next time you're in Davis.
Here's their menu if you're curious.
What you need to know before Tuesday’s state primary: polls are open 7AM to 8PM, plus polling locations, drop box sites and sample ballots · City of Cambridge
Cambridge Day has a primer on the competitive legislative races, including the four-way contest for Pat Jehlen’s open Senate seat · Cambridge Day
Cambridge is hosting its first Cat Tour & Meowfest on September 26, a free walking tour of Cambridgeport’s neighborhood cats with an afterparty at Dana Park, and cat registration is open through September 20 · Boston.com
MIT closed Building 18 for decontamination after a grad student went to the emergency room claiming to have synthesized dimethyl mercury, though initial blood tests show no exposure and MIT doubts the toxic compound was made at all · NBC Boston
Harvard floated enforcing its new cap on A grades by automatically converting all of a course’s A’s to A minuses, a mechanism the dean described then walked back as only a proposal · The Harvard Crimson
The man accused of shooting two motorists on Memorial Drive in May will remain held without bail as the case moves toward trial · Patch
Himalayan Kitchen in Somerville is donating part of its proceeds to rescue and rebuilding in Nepal, where flooding from a glacier collapse has killed hundreds · WCVB
West Nile virus risk was raised to high in Cambridge and in Somerville after the state’s second human case of the season, with officials urging repellent and dumping standing water · Cambridge Public Health Dept., Patch
The longest red light in the two cities belongs to Union Square at a full 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and Somerville owns all of the longest reds and greens in both cities · Cambridge Somerville Independent
Honky Tonk Tuesday Dancing with the Talking Hearts @ The Burren, Somerville - Cowboy boots come out in the Burren backroom for two-stepping and live country from the Talking Hearts. Need a refresher? There’s a quick dance lesson before the band kicks things off
Fried Chicken & Trivia @ Althea, Cambridge - Exactly what the title suggests. Upgrade your Monday with Althea's legendary fried chicken until they sell out, then trivia from 7:00 to 9:00 hosted by Althea's own Tommy Two Step. Prices are for platters, not tickets | $25-$45 • 5-10PM
Bachata and Zouk Fusion Series @ Moves & Vibes Dance Co., Cambridge - A style that took off across Europe and Asia lands in Cambridge on Monday nights. Moves & Vibes runs a new five-week series mixing bachata with Brazilian zouk | $23 • 9-10PM
Froca Fitness @ University Park Common, Cambridge - Swap the gym for a free after-work outdoor dance class in the Kendall Square park, set to African and Caribbean tracks. Alternates Tuesdays between University Park and Canal District Kendall all summer | FREE • 5:30-6:30PM
Ceramic Mug Making Pottery Workshop @ Lamplighter Brewing CX, Cambridge - Sip, sculpt and unwind at the taproom. Learn hand-building basics and shape your own coffee mug or espresso cup, with clay, tools and materials all provided | $98 • 6-8PM
Tilt Through Tuesday (Women's Pinball Tournament) @ Roxy's Arcade, Cambridge - Boston Belles Pinball brings its women's tournament back to Roxy's in Central Square. Group Matchplay format with rounds set by turnout, top four advancing to the finals with newbies and beginners encouraged | FREE • 7PM
Honky Tonk Tuesday Dancing with the Talking Hearts @ The Burren, Somerville - Two-stepping and live country music are back in the Burren backroom, with a quick dance lesson before the band takes the stage. Doors at 6:30PM, all ages welcome | $20 advance / $25 door • 7:30PM
Wine Tasting Wednesdays @ The Black Sheep, Cambridge - Join The Black Sheep at The Kendall Hotel each Wednesday for a complimentary wine tasting of a curated selection of wines. No reservation required | FREE • 5-6PM
CX Fit - Vinyasa Yoga with Down Under Yoga @ The Common at CX, Cambridge - Roll out a mat on the lawn at Cambridge Crossing for a free outdoor vinyasa class with one of with one of Boston's best-known yoga studios in Down Under Yoga | FREE • 6-6:45PM
September Brewery Book Club @ Lamplighter Brewing, Cambridge - Looking for a new book club to join this fall? Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library run one every other month in the Broadway back taproom. September's pick is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due and anyone can join | FREE • 7-8:30PM
Wine Tasting Wednesdays @ The Black Sheep, Cambridge - Walk into The Black Sheep any Wednesday between 5:00 and 6:00 and there's a curated pour waiting, no reservation and no cover
Ride Ready Bike Tune Up @ Canal Street Bike Room, Somerville - Bring your bike to Assembly Row and get it tuned for fall at no cost. A NEMO tech handles the work and takes questions, including route recommendations if you're looking for new routes | FREE • 12-2PM
Hand Building Pottery Workshop @ Craft Loft, Cambridge - Get your hands dirty at Craft Loft in CambridgeSide while learning the ins and outs of pottery. Learn the basics of rolling a slab, making a coil and finally how to add texture to your piece | $61 • 6-7:30PM
Outdoor Movie: The Wiz @ Kendall/MIT Open Space, Cambridge - Bring a blanket or a chair to the Kendall Open Space for one of the last outdoor movies of the summer, hosted by The Brattle. Seating is limited and it runs first come, first served | FREE • 6:30-8:30PM
Big Brother Watch Party @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville - Reality TV is making its way into the breweries with one of its most popular shows. Watch Thursday's live eviction in the taproom with four former stars of the show. Eventbrite says sold out but you can still show up | FREE • 7-10PM
Riverfest @ Assembly Row, Somerville - Book plans for next Saturday now as Assembly Row closes out the summer with its annual block party on September 12. Live music on multiple stages, 30+ local makers, free volleyball and pickleball at Club Volo, and fireworks over the Mystic River
Cambridge
134 INCIDENTS 15 ARRESTS Per day · Aug 21-27, the most recent logs CPD has posted
| Fri 8/21 | 18 | |
| Sat 8/22 | 24 | |
| Sun 8/23 | 12 | |
| Mon 8/24 | 19 | |
| Tue 8/25 | 13 | |
| Wed 8/26 | 26 | |
| Thu 8/27 | 22 |
CPD is caught up: the newest logs run August 21-27, a full seven days ending August 27, at 134 incidents and 15 arrests.
NOTABLE: MIT's chemistry building on Ames Street has been closed since August 27 for hazmat decontamination after a graduate student walked into an emergency room on the night of August 26 saying they had synthesized dimethylmercury, a neurotoxin so potent that a few drops through a glove killed a Dartmouth researcher in 1997. MIT does not allow the compound to be made or purchased. Cambridge Fire responded to Building 18 around 9:30PM, a hazmat firm wiped down the second-floor lab overnight, and the student's dorm room was quarantined. Fire meters found the surrounding area clear. As of August 29, the student's first blood test showed no mercury, and MIT says emerging information calls into question whether the compound was ever actually made. The building stays closed while testing continues.
ALSO: The man accused of firing dozens of rounds at random along Memorial Drive on May 11, wounding two drivers, appeared in court on August 26 and was ordered held without bail. Prosecutors laid out that his parole officer had contacted police with concerns in the days before the shooting, that he had recently been released from a psychiatric hospital, and that he was on parole and probation from a 2020 case involving shots fired at Boston officers.
In the log itself, the violence was scattered and sudden: someone was hit in the head with a brick on JFK St. before dawn on August 22, a Magazine St. argument ended with a rock and a knife, a bar worker in Central Square was beaten by three patrons they had asked to leave, and a Holyoke St. robbery ended with a smashed phone, punches and a stolen scooter. A driver on Mass. Ave. threw eggs at customers from a moving car. Wheels went missing at the rate of two a day, fourteen bikes and scooters across the week including a $2,800 bicycle from outside a Franklin St. home and a moped taken while its owner ran into a business for a food order. Scams pulled $1,000, $2,042 and $2,500 from three residents, the last one by callers posing as their bank. Someone left a firearm in a bag at a Memorial Dr. business and will be summonsed for improper storage. And one arrest on August 21 came with a bitten officer, after police stopped a man urinating on Mass. Ave. in view of a crowd.
Somerville
2 ARRESTS Per day · Aug 17-23, the most recent log posted
| Mon 8/17 | 0 | |
| Tue 8/18 | 0 | |
| Wed 8/19 | 0 | |
| Thu 8/20 | 0 | |
| Fri 8/21 | 0 | |
| Sat 8/22 | 1 | |
| Sun 8/23 | 1 |
Somerville's newest log covers August 17-23 and shows two arrests, both falling on the last two days of the window, after a single arrest the week before.
The August 22 arrest paired shoplifting with a threat to commit a crime. The August 23 arrest was for assault with a dangerous weapon.
State law keeps juveniles, domestic violence and sexual assault out of both cities' public logs, so neither set of numbers is a full count.
Sources: Cambridge Police daily logs, Cambridge Day, Boston 25 News and the Somerville Police weekly arrest log.
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