Openings: A buffet of exciting news this week, starting with Verveine Cafe and Bakery opening in Central Square (298 Massachusetts Ave.), new from Ken Oringer (Coppa, Toro, and more) and Monica Glass, who worked with Oringer at Clio. She went on to glory at places like Gotham Bar & Grill and Le Bernardin in New York City.
Their venture is a hybridization of cafes in Europe and Asia: Try congee with Thai chicken sausage; spicy chili biscuit breakfast sandwiches; kimchi egg cheddar danishes; buckwheat crepes; chicken shawarma; a Japanese shrimp katsu sandwich on milk bread, and Neapolitan pizzas. There’s also a varied gluten-free menu, and breads are baked in house.
Wash everything down with butterfly pea lemonade or a black sesame latte. It launches on Monday, May 6. Visit weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Across the river at the swanky new Raffles Hotel, Jody Adams (Rialto, Porto, Trade) and A Street Hospitality partners Eric Papachristos and Jon Mendez launch Italian restaurant La Padrona (40 Trinity Place) on Wednesday, May 15. The vibe: gold and glamorous.
At ground level, there’s the Lounge Bar and Living Room Lounge; upstairs, there’s a dining room with banquettes overlooking the Back Bay. Adams and executive chef Amarilys Colon serve house-made pastas, lobster and uni risotto, Cornish hen, and a brioche gelato sandwich. To drink: a vast martini and Negroni selection. Visit the lounge from 4 p.m. daily; dinner starts at 5 p.m.
Jason Santos (Buttermilk & Bourbon) relaunches Citrus & Salt in Fort Point (321 A St.) on Saturday, May 4, in time for Cinco de Mayo. This space is larger than the Back Bay original, with a patio and a private “Patron” room. Visit for Nashville hot chicken tacos, blue crab empanadas, and soft-serve mimosas for dinner and brunch.
And in Somerville, Assembly Row welcomes Toca Chida (331 Great River Road) on Friday, May 3, new from Chris Damian (Papagayo), who promises a “world taqueria” serving lobster tacos, tuna nachos, and beef birria empanadas, along with an all-season patio. Visit Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m.
Coming soon: Chef Will Gilson’s Cambridge Street Hospitality Group (Cafe Beatrice, Geppetto, Puritan & Company) opens AMBA this summer (55 First St.). The Mediterranean café serves counter-service rotisserie chicken, cocktails, and pastries inside their new First Street Market and event space, home to local vendors and an indoor weekly farmers’ market.
Closings: Finally, sad news in Cambridge: EVOO and Za (350 Third St.) will close in Kendall Square, says owner Stephen Furland. EVOO signs off on Saturday, June 1, and Za’s final day is Friday, June 14. (Fans of tall salads and extravagantly topped pizzas can take heart in knowing that the Arlington Za lives on.) EVOO opened in 1998, and Za launched in 2010.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.