What’s hot and what’s happening now in the restaurant scene.

WORCESTER RESTAURANT WEEK
The annual edition of Worcester Restaurant Week kicks off on Feb. 26 and ends March 10. For $25.18, you get a three-course meal at some of the area’s best restaurants. Check out www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com or the Facebook page, which will list of the menus. Sponsors include Pulse Magazine, Tasteworcester.com, Pepsi Cola and Mercadante Funeral Home.

COFFEE NEWS

Coffee shop Fuel America, which also will serve beer and wine, will open next fall in one of the most high-profile retail spaces in downtown Worcester at the corner of Front and Mercantile streets. It will sit where the Galleria Mall once stood.

MORE THAN S’MORES

With Fork It Over at the Hanover Theatre on March 8, the Girl Scouts need chef recipes in by Feb. 9. Chefs are asked to create approximately 250 bite-size portions of their creation(s) for guests to taste. Tickets are $50 each, or two tickets for $80 and will be available online. All tickets at the door are $50 each.

MORE THAN A MARKET

The most unique feature of the new Whole Foods in Shrewsbury will be the Borgatti Bar, a restaurant on the second floor, Whole Foods said. The Borgatti Bar will have 12 craft beers on tap, wine, cocktails and menu items, including snacks, sandwiches and salads.That name honors Anthony “Spag” Borgatti, who owned and operated Spag’s discount department store at the location. Spag’s opened in the 1930s and amassed a massive following of dedicated, weekly shoppers for decades.

THE MEDITERRANEAN MERRY-GO-ROUND

A representative from The Grid has confirmed that, come spring, Techni Mediterranean Grill will be replaced by a new concept called The Missing Link Kitchen to coincide with the launch of a much-anticipated beer garden located between 64 and 66 Franklin St. The Missing Link Kitchen will focus on homemade sausages and “Wicked” pretzels, catering to the 500-seat, year-round Brew Beer Garden, which will include a pavillion for entertainment and an outdoor pergola. Accordingly, international franchise Taste of Mediterranean was slated to open the last week of January pending completion at 20 Franklin St.

GRAB & GO UP & RUNNING

The Living Earth on Worcester’s Chandler Street has expanded and added a new concept, a grab and go for meals. The expansanion is located in the space that once housed EVO and, later, Bootleggers. The Maykel family opted to change the space and take advantage of the new trend of pre-fixed meals. All food is made on the premises, and gluten-free and vegetarian options are available.

Story by Paul Giorgio