Rare Beer In Stoneham, New Cupcakes in Andover and More Nearby Bites

We know Tewksbury residents don’t only stay in town when they want a night out and a break from cooking. 

Restaurant coming and goings, new businesses and the best dishes and recipes are among the items that have appeared on Patch sites around the region over the past month.

Below is a look at the restaurant and food stories covered in the past month.

Stoneham

Redstone Liquors to Sell Rare Beer

Redstone Liquors began selling one of the highest rated and rarest beers in the world in December, according to the company's website. Redstone Liquors is one of four locations in Massachusetts selling Belgian-brewed Westvleteren XII, according to the site. The beers won't be sold anytime before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, the site notes.

North Reading

The Joe Fish restaurant will open on Main Street in North Reading Monday, Dec. 10, according to the building department and an employee from Joe Fish in North Andover. The restaurant will be located in the old Piccadilly Pub. 

Burlington

New Restaurant to Open in Pizzeria Villafranca Location

A new restaurant will soon be opened in the old Pizzeria Villafranca location at 5 Center Street. The new restaurant will be Gigi's Roast Beef and Pizza and according to the owner it should be set and ready to open by late next week. Currently the place is undergoing some renovations and cleaning before the grand opening. Owner Bedros Kaya, of Waltham, said the pizza shop will be a family run business with a focus on customer service. This will be Kaya's third restaurant. Kaya said the menu will keep the popular food Villafranca offered combined with a host of new options.

Wilmington

New Restaurant Joining Wilmington Business Community

Hungry Wilmington residents will now have a new option for lunch or dinner in town. George Rozopoulas met with the Board of Selectmen and received approval of his common victualer license for Rizzo’s Roast Beef & Pizza, which will be located at 3R Church Street near the intersection of Church and Main Street. Rozopoulas runs Rizzo’s locations in Peabody and Salem as well.

North Andover

Winter Beers Arrive in North Andover

As the season changes from autumn to winter, many restaurants and bars are no longer offering the sweet and delicious pumpkin flavored beers that we enjoy with cinnamon sugar rims. Instead of mourning the temporary loss of these brilliant brews, let’s celebrate the new seasonal beers that will surely warm up our winter. When it comes to food and beer, we at Patch are big proponents of going local. So here are some local restaurants that are serving local, seasonal beers.

Tripoli: A Regional Treasure in North Andover

For over 90 years, Tripoli Bakery has been a Merrimack Valley destination. Its Sicilian pizza, countless bakery goodies, and family vibe have been drawing customers for generations. Since opening up its doors in Lawrence, Tripoli has spread out to Salisbury Beach, Seabrook, New Hampshire, and now Route 114 in North Andover. “We’ve been open for a year and a half now,” said Arthur Lacerda, of the North Andover edition of Tripoli. The Tripoli experience begins with its unique pizza that many dub "beach style."

Andover

New Pizza Takeout and Delivery Opens in Andover

Pizza Connection, 38 Park Street, opened last month in the former location of Dominos Pizza. Coincidentally, owners Jeffrey Wise, Joseph O'Leary and Ryan O'Leary (no relation) all worked together at Dominos more than 20 years ago. Charles Silva, manager of the new establishment also managed the Andover Dominos, now at 63 Park Street. But that is where the similarities between the two pizzerias end, according to Wise. 

Cupcake Café Opens in Andover

Enjoy Christmas decorated cupcakes and wreaths made from cornflakes from Pink Tree Sweets, 89 Main Street, Andover Village Square. The new cupcake bakery opened a couple of weeks ago in the space next to Lantern Brunch, and across from Andover Bookstore. Owner Annie Wu, Topsfield, said she always wanted to open a cupcake bakery and cafe. After two years of planning, taking classes, and researching the business, she said she chose Andover because she likes the town, and her daughter attends Pike School.

Westford

The Second Westford Market Basket is Open

It's official: Westford's second Market Basket is here. The long awaited anchor store for the new Cornerstone Plaza saw a flurry of activity on Sunday, opening a store with a layout more comparable to its other newer stores in New England than its first location in town at Westford Valley Marketplace.

Acton

Restaurant Owner Offers to Cook Christmas Dinner to Those in Need

Not everyone will be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner this year, but one Acton business owner will try to make it happen for at least a few families in Acton and Sudbury. Rose Saia, owner of The Local Table in West Acton, is offering meals to those in need ... specifically a Christmas dinner and cookies at no charge. "We’d prepare the meals and they could pick them up to re-heat at home, or, if it is someone who is unable to get to the restaurant, we could deliver it," she said.

Concord

WATCH: Crucolo Day in Concord is Wicked Cheesy

On the third annual Crucolo Day in Concord, the Cheese Shop's proprietor, Peter Lovis, welcomes a 400-pound wheel of crucolo cheese—reportedly the largest in the Western Hemisphere—to his store by serenading it down Walden Street aboard a horse-drawn carriage and then rolling it down the red carpet. 

Bedford

Panera To Fill Vacancy at 213 Burlington Road

At their Nov. 27 meeting, the Planning Board voted 5-0 to grant a special permit for a Panera Bread, specializing in take out and delivery, along with atrium seating for up to 36 patrons, in the lobby at 213 Burlington Road. The Panera will include a takeout counter, where customers can pick up orders they placed online, several iPad terminals which will remember a returning patron's previous orders as soon as they swipe a credit card and 36 seats in the atrium of the building to be used as common seating.