In a month new mod Mediterranean restaurant Centro opens on Market Street in Lowell. This is what we live for. We have not had a new dining experience downtown in years. The menu is still being finalized, but chef Patty Stella, of La Boniche and the Andover Inn, has joined forces with the bartender of uber swank Beantown institute Lockobers, and that can’t be bad. The lounge/open kitchen split will give Lowell what it so badly needs, a cool place to eat, cocktail and linger over brunch on Sunday. They plan to open during Lowell Folk Festival weekend (July 27-29), failing that, Stella will be serving food out on the sidewalk during the fest. Geared toward the 30+ crowd, Centro, I expect will be a boon. The interior is aqua and brown. There will be a couch to chill and a martini glass chandelier. When it opens, expect a full report. Location is the former flower shop between the post office and Niki Tsongas’ office. If this turns out to be as good as I suspect, gourmet gal will be a regular.

You can shop at Hannaford or Market Basket and find some decent fruit and vegetables. But this time of year, you’d be a fool not to check out a local farmer’s market. If you can get up and out on a Saturday morning (those over 30, no excuse) head to the Carlisle Farmers Market at Kimball Farm. This outpost of greens, bread and cheese is singled out for its commitment to local. The L word is the buzzword de jour, and the multi-farms tucked away in this bucolic ruburb make it worth the trek. Some 25 vendors hawk corn, greens, peaches, whatever is in season. Ripe now: blueberries — good for the old noggin. They also pair nicely with dark roast coffee I’ve discovered. But gourmands can’t subsist on roughage alone so thank God bread bakers and cheese makers have been invited to the market. Art is thrown in for good measure. But you can’t eat that. Kimball Farms, Rt 225, Carlisle. Market runs from 8 a.m. to Noon Saturdays through October.
Also the Lowell Farmer’s Market opens Friday, July 13 and runs through Oct. Outside City Hall downtown from 3 to 7 p.m. every Friday. Last several years have been a bit skimpy, we hope this year has been beefed up.

Last night gourmet guy took me to the Canal Side Cafe at the DoubleTree downtown. It was a cheap date. We never ordered, we never ate. We sat by the canal for a good half hour and was never acknowledged by the waitress fawning over one large table. We had to go inside to the bar to order a drink and when we pointed out to the bartender that we were interested in dining in the much-publicized outdoor cafe, we were told to have pity on the lone waitress assigned to the patio. So we waited and waited; watched the sun set over the Sun Building and finally, after not so much as a nod in our direction, downed our beers and left. On the way out a woman and young son, who were served drinks when we walked in, were complaining about the 45 minute and counting wait for their food. I’m sorry but it’s not that hard to run a restaurant. Hire enough waitstaff to handle the room’s capacity and train them to acknowledge customers. A “I’m sorry we are so busy tonight (which they weren’t) I’ll be right over to take your order,” is all you need to say if you’re in the weeds. I don’t believe in the DoubleTree (never have.) But when they keep trying to reinvent themselves you want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Plus this is such a nice spot, on the canal’s locks, that you really want it to work. And it should. We ended up going to the Europa Cafe in Back Central and it was great!

Cupcakes, those cute little cakelettes, are not so easy to come by in these parts.
We are not Seattle, where cupcakes grow like coffee, we are not even Boston, where cupcakes have made their slow infiltration. But now, sugar sisters, we have Cupcake Expressions. Lynne Donnelly of Bittersweet Bakeshop in Tyngsboro, has launched a cupcake delivery service to the delight of fans of cute food everywhere. This means strawberry dream, coconut fantasy and chocolate mint cupcakes can be yours by tonight. She will deliver as few as six within a 15-mile radius and farther for really big orders. Donnelly decks out her cupcakes with flowers and garnishes creamy frosting with fresh sprigs of mint and fruit. So really they are not too sinful. Call (978) 649-2253.

I must be late to the party, but I finally gave in to those tempting roadside signs and ordered an iced caramel coffee at McDonalds last week. Someone must be sweating in Canton. The medium, an ample size, was under $2, a stone cold bargain. But more importantly the coffee was not watered down. Something we frequently experience w/ Dunkin Donut iceds. I've always liked Newmans' coffee, but find it pricey by the bean. As a fast-food shunner, I assumed the francise that brought us the happy meal would somehow cheapen this bev. Not true. The flavors are not too sweet and the milk ratio is right on. They take the time to mix the drink and if they flub it up (which they did w/ my order) there's no attitide. Refreshing. Now instead of mental noting the Starbuck locations across greater NE, I have to attune myself to golden arches. There's one on Plain Street in Lowell, but where are the others??

Mossie’s on Merrimack Street closed its doors this week. And while I have eaten there several times over the years, it's always been in a pinch. When my body told me '"eat now or you will pass out on the sidewalk." I'd swing in for a vegetable or turkey roll-up. By no means gourmet, it served its purpose. These old-school eateries are becoming extinct in Lowell. A sign of the times? Perhaps the audience they cater to is no longer here. Working stiffs who need fuel quick and the cheaper the better. While I don't enjoy shelling out $10 for a mid-day repast, there's something to be said for quality food that makes you feel good. Not just a place holder. There are several places to eat downtown that more accurately reflect the street. Life Alive and Mambo Grill are two. The food is fresh and makes you feel you've done something good for yourself, even if it involves cheese and refried beans. When attention is paid to the individual order, which never really happens in the old school joints like Mossies, where the guy would mysteriously disappear in the back and emerge moments later w/ your grub, you feel the difference. So while a general "malaise" is reported to have overcome downtown businesses, I'm not feelin' it. As Lowell reinvents itself, like most companies looking to grow, there is a weeding out process. Really, Mossies had to go eventually. Anyone notice the outdoor cafe at Subway a few blocks West? Not too shabby and highly unchain-like.

After a long slumber, the dining scene is finally picking up in downtown Lowell. Early word is a new sushi restaurant has closed the deal on 15 Kearney Sq., old Sun Building. The dim lobby, where I dutifully trudged through for seven years, will soon be sashimi heaven?
Hard to fathom. But let's anyway. This spot makes sense. It's on the canal, near the Auditorium and MRT. Across from and around the corner to some hundred-odd condos. Trust me the restaurant scene is about to get a needed kick in the pants.
I just returned from an interview w/the team at Centro and the place is dazzling. On décor alone it gets our vote for the best restaurant in Lowell. Is this lookism? Yes and no. I've seen the menu, looked in the eyes of chef/owner Patty Stella and see genius. She's the female
Todd English of Lowell w/o the tude. Love the menu's gutsy moves. Bacon on a stick and baked mac and cheese w/ truffles and panko crumbs. Good thing there's a doctor's office down the street. But there's plenty of salads and fish to choose from and muscles w/ ginger, cilantro and lime. Deliscio! Cool S-shapped granite bar and Mediterranean blue pendant lights mimic the curve on the ceiling. On the dining side, the open kitchen is Lowell’s first.
They open the second weekend in August, but readers of this blog can sneek in the first week of the month for an ultra-soft opening. 24 Market St., Lowell. http://www.centrolowell.com.

There is such a thing as a bad clam. It was last summer and Gourmet Gal was returning from the Cape, where we foolishly did not indulge in clams. But as the Bourne Bridge receded in the rearview, my craving for the delicacy could not be sated. We pulled into Plymouth and dined at one of the worst clam shacks on earth. I’ll stop here. Clams are to summer what stews are to winter: season-specific musts. Haven’t had these golden beauties yet? You only have to go as far as Tewksbury. While the culinary delights of Tewks. may be many, clams do not scroll forth. However if you cant’ deal w/ the traffic snarl on every highway in every direction this time of year, drop anchor at the River Road Cafe. Just off Route 133, the tiny place is a hidden gem that the Phantom will never tell you about. Prices are neighborly too. If you can stomach a pedal to the metal melt-down Browns between Hampton, N.H. and Salisbury Beach is an easy favorite. Recently I had clams down the road at the Galley Hatch in Hampton and I enjoyed this lightly fried version. The batter had a crunch element that gourmet guy did not care for in retrospect, (he had no problem when they were going down). I’m heading to the cape this week where I hope to come in contact w/ the real deal. Where’s your favorite clam shack?

Demolition is set to begin on the Blue Taleh restaurant next week. Remember the Lowell Sun lobby? By the time the leaves fall it will be remade as the stylish restaurant de jour. Sushi will be rolled and martinis mixed at a serpentine bar in front of the window looking out on Kearney Sq. A patio by the canal will seat 30 people.
“The martini bar will be the big draw,” said Steven Ramirez, the North Andover entrepreneur who bought the 3,000 square-foot first floor space. It’s hard to imagine, but this guy is gung-ho and smartly wants to tap into the pre and post-theater crowd.
A combination of great appetizers, like teriyaki chicken and salmon rolls will roll out in record speed. “Eat quickly and head out,” he said.
Sushi has not been made locally since I started this blog (and long before that, remember the short-lived Ichibod?) so Blue Taleh will be a welcome sight. Is Lowell getting a restaurant scene?

The news coming out of Silks-turned-Left Bank has been good, but now, hold on to your Zagats Guide chowhounds, it just got better. The announcement of Harvest chef Keith Pooler jumping to the luxe Stonehedge Inn in Tyngsboro today is music to our foodie ears. Pooler, a Gloucester native, has worked with Boston uber chef Lydia Shire, so he must have some tasty ideas up his white sleeves and here's hoping lobster factors in there somewhere. Incase you're not in the loop, the Harvest is one of the first Harvard Square foddie establishments. Plans at the Pawtucket Palace include overseeing a garden (planted next spring) on 36 acres of the sprawling grounds. You know, where the horses used to run. We all know the inn has the best/largest wine list in the country and now a celeb chef. Make your holiday getaway reservations now. Room service anyone?