The Suffolk University Task Force for the project on 20 Somerset St. held its last public meeting on Wednesday, January 7, before the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) will vote up or down on the project on January 29. However, the task force will meet again in February when board members will discuss the remaining architectural details for the new building.
Patrick Todisco of the architectural firm led the board members through the drawings of the buildings but left several options open concerning the lights on Roemer Plaza or the exterior material that will be used at the corners of the Somerset Avenue and the Garden of Peace as well as Roemer Plaza.
The facades at both Roemer Plaza and Garden of Peace will be more reflective of the abutters, with a more subdued façade facing the Garden of Peace, and the main entrance, landscaping and a glass façade revealing the classrooms, studios and activity within the area facing Roemer Plaza.
The sidewalk on Somerset Street in front of the building will be widened from five feet to 12 feet. Roemer Plaza will probably hold street activities that aren’t held on Temple Street. Suffolk University and state park rangers will oversee the policing of the plaza, which will memorialize the legacy of the Metropolitan District Commission.
Financing must be in place before any demolition of the existing building or construction can occur, according to an agreement with the Mass. Historical Commission and Boston Landmarks Commission. “We are proceeding with caution, but believe we can finance this project as presented,” Suffolk University Vice President John Nucci told the members.
A few board members expressed reservations about approving the project with architectural details and a mitigation package for demolition and construction to be nailed down. “The BRA must approve the construction document in design, and any changes must be approved by the BRA,” said BRA spokesman Gerald Autler. “Suffolk cannot make major alterations to the project.”
“What lies ahead for the task force?” asked Rob Whitney of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. “The big issues are dealt with. We will now focus around the design issue.”
All members agreed that the efforts of longtime Beacon Hill resident and activist Billie Lawrence who died a month ago should also be permanently recognized somehow in the final design of the project.
Nucci said he looks forward to the task force staying engaged to help with the final design elements.
“This has been a great process to work with,” Autler said. “The task force is so interested in detail, and it was great to be part of the process.”

Fred’s Videos on Charles Street may be only a nice memory, but Fred Rose is still kicking around the Hill, doing real estate and still sharing his Fred’s Picks.
We thought we’d ask him what the best movies of 2008 were.
“I generally go for more offbeat or indie films, but this seemed to be the year when some of the more obvious, commercial films really shined - definitely, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Iron Man’-- two genre pictures that really transcended their comic book origins and delivered on every level. A ‘popcorn’ movie, if done right, not only grabs the box office but also attracts A-list stars, like Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Heath Ledger. It kind of legitimizes popular films, and can help merge commerce and art.”
For a "popular" comedy, he chose “Tropic Thunder,” which he said was “another example of having zero expectations, and pretty much being blown away.”
For drama, he chose “Doubt” and “The Reader”.
For DVD reissues, he was thrilled to get “LA Confidential” and “An American In Paris,” while the 2008 DVD release of “American Gangster” tops his list for a "new" release.

He also recommends the 2008 books by Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Robin Cook, Dean Koontz, and Jeffery Deaver; and for music, he really likes the new Killers CD, as well as Bruce Springsteen’s "Magic," new releases by old grade-school faves the Pretenders, B-52s and Debbie Harry. He also discovered online Gaslight Anthem, a new band, and Great Big Sea out of Newfoundland.

A new release
He still has the old Fred’s Video sign that was taken down when he shut the doors in 2007 when cable, Netflix and rising rents started rolling him the closing credits. He had bought the store 11 years before, the former Beacon Hill Video on Charles Street, where he began working while an Emerson College student. He continued to work part-time after graduation, and bought the store in 1996. When times got tough, he moved from Beacon Hill to Quincy to save on rent, so he could continue working in the neighborhood.
“The year-plus since I closed my store has been a definite transitional period for me, and I miss being part of what was a destination spot for so many people in the neighborhood,” he said.
He turned 40, got a tattoo, tried dyeing his hair black again, took up listening to country music, started writing a novel – a psychological thriller -- and eventually began selling real estate for Marston Voss a year ago this past fall, so he’s still connected to the neighborhood.
“The switch to real estate was a logical jump, neighborhood-wise, and I love that I am still Beacon Hill-centric, despite living in Quincy these days,” he said. “Business has been good, despite the ups and downs inherent in this market. I sold three places over the summer, and do lots of rentals throughout the year.”
Beacon Hill “is my favorite place on earth,” he said about the place where he lived and worked for nearly 20 years. “It still feels like home to me, and it always will … It’s a thrill to introduce potential new residents to this wonderful enclave, and I love hearing feedback from clients I have placed here.”
Does he miss the video store? Not so much. “I miss seeing all the old familiar faces that were my ‘regulars’. I would have people come in and shoot the breeze for 10 or 20 minutes, constantly. I miss talking movies with people, and turning people on to films I loved. The ‘Fred's Picks’ section of my store lives on in my apartment. I started stealing from myself once I realized I would be closing up shop.”
He also misses playing hide and seek behind the counter with the neighborhood kids, but not the feeling of working in a dying industry. “I did very well for much longer than many other ‘brick and mortar’ shops, but that last year was pretty scary,” he recalled. “Of course, the economy now is such a huge question mark, so there are some flashback moments to that period, definitely...”
And in a weird twist, his old store is now a real estate office, albeit not his.
Fred Rose is now blogging about his favorite movies and other cultural obsessions at http://fredspicks.blogspot.com/.

CAPTION: Avila Chef Murillo sparks up some Halloumi cheese using ouzo.

Students from the area come into Avila for the beef carpaccio, and brunches are very popular among area families here. Chef Rodney Murillo is the new dad of a two- month-old boy, so his mind is on making his restaurant more family friendly.
“You have to bring the kids to a restaurant, so they get used to it,” he said. They have a children’s menu, but Murillo said most parents just order what they want and share it with their children to introduce them to new tastes. “Pastas are kid-friendly – they love a spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, or truffled macaroni and cheese. We don’t want to freak them out too much, but we want to get them to a different level,” he added. They’ll also customize recipes to accommodate food allergies.
Avila is also providing different price points to make it more affordable for families, with wine bottles starting at $26, bar tastings at $5, quality entrees starting in the low $20s. “You get cheese, pasta, and a dessert, and you can walk out of here in less than $50 for a great meal,” Murillo said. “We are trying to be an everyday restaurant.”
Murillo lives in Boston with his wife, who recently graduated from law school, and their son, Joaquim; his sister’s in town helping with the baby, and making some of Murillo’s childhood favorite foods, like empanadas and radish salad, which got him thinking about how far he’s come. “I went from plantains to truffles,” said Murillo.
Murillo grew up on a 110-acre coffee, pineapple and cattle farm in Costa Rica, with regular fishing trips out on the ocean with his grandfather. While out in the field with his dad and workers, they hunted for some food and only came up with a wild pigeon. Murillo, then 10, offered to cook it up for the crew. Amused, they sent him back to the shack to give it a try. Remembering how his mother prepared chickens, he killed the pigeon, dressed it, and five hours later, when the workers and his father arrived, he had prepared a meal. “They thought I would have made a soup,” Murillo recalled. “I made this big pot of arroz con pollo, with only two ounces of pigeon on top, for eight hungry guys.”
It was funny. But his father also knew back then that his son was probably going to become a chef. Since then, Murillo was cooking for the crew with more generous ingredients.
When he was 16, Murillo relocated to Boston to pursue a culinary career, staying with his uncle who worked in food service for Sheraton. He picked up English as well as cooking tips while washing dishes at Davio’s, and worked his way up in the kitchen, being named sous chef in 1997 in both the Boston and Cambridge Davio’s locations. When Davio’s Boston relocated to the much larger space at 75 Arlington Street, Murillo was promoted to chef de cuisine.
In anticipation of the opening of Avila Modern Mediterranean, the self-taught chef spent time with Guillermo Pelion of Pasion in Philadelphia and Daniel Boulud of Daniel in New York City. He also did a tasting tour with Davio’s owner Steve DeFillipo, dining in Michelin-starred restaurants in Portugal, Spain, and France. He also tries every new restaurant, reads up on recipes and techniques on the Internet while his family sleeps, and visits New York as much as he can.
Avila Modern Mediterranean offers the flavors of Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Greece, made in an open kitchen.
The restaurant has a few special promotions this month, including offering a $50 bottle of Veuve Clicquot, a Sunday $28 three-course prix fixe menu called Sabor de España.
And on February 17, Murillo will host a “Young Guns of the Industry” five-course dinner, with wine pairings. Diners will be able to meet Marc Orfaly of Pigalle & Marco, who will prepare the hors d’oeuvres; Tony Susi of Sage, who’ll create a pasta dish; Dante deMagistris of dante, who will serve up the fish course; Murillo will do the meat dish; and Tom Ponticelli of Davio’s will serve dessert.

Sammy Davis Jr. is alive and well in the Beacon House, where The Showman entertains residents and Back Bay Station commuters.
The Showman is actually Eric McIntyre, who not only lives there, but organizes talent shows for appreciative residents. There’s only one Showman on the Hill – he’s the one who wears spats and a three-piece suit, his hair neatly tied in a ponytail under a showman’s hat.
At 66, McIntyre is thankful for the opportunity to make people smile. One of 10 kids in New York, he left his crowded home at 16 to hitchhike around the country and pick up odd jobs. “I’ve lived in over 50 cities,” he said. “I’ve been a longshoreman, a stevedore, done construction…I did everything from dishwashing to warehouses, to a shoe factory. Whatever they threw at me, I did it.” More recently he was doing security for Verizon here, until he was laid off three years ago. He has a son who is 38, and family around the country.
He always liked to tell people funny stories about things that happened to him, like the time he was slapped by a monkey when he was a kid. But he was in his 40s when he discovered he was funny, and worked for years as a standup comedian around town and in New York, as “Rick the Flip”. He performed at Catch A Rising Star, the Famous Blue Note, Boston Comedy Club in Greenwich Village, the Cantab, and others, and shared the stage with Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes and George Benson.
But for years, people kept telling McIntyre that he looked like Sammy Davis Jr., so when he was 58, he gave in and learned how to imitate the star. “I was sort of forced into doing it,” said McIntyre. “I was doing construction, and everywhere I went they said I looked like Sammy Davis Jr. I didn¹t even know if I could sing.”
To his surprise, he found he could. He started studying Sammy Davis Jr.’s voice, and soon he not only looked like him, he sounded just like him. “I got it down to a science,” he said. “I enjoy doing it.” In an odd coincidence, McIntyre is actually blind in the same eye that Sammy Davis Jr. was, although instead of a glass eye, McIntyre used an eye patch for a while.
He used to do his Bojangles act around town, sometimes with Rat Pack look-alikes, and even auditioned for “America’s Got Talent”. As the “Candy Man” and “Mr. Bojangles,” he’s appeared at fundraisers and Vegas style events, even on Horizon’s Edge casino cruises of Lynn, along with an Elvis impersonator. “I never got around to getting over to Vegas,” he said.
You can also hear him perform at Back Bay Station, where he sets up an amplifier, microphone, and CD player, usually on Mondays and Fridays. “I do my little thing there, to keep a couple dollars in my pocket,” he said.
Otherwise, he only performs now for charity. A pious man who always travels with his small Bible and a rosary around his neck, he’s a regular at Beacon Hill Baptist Church, which helped find him a room at the Beacon House when he needed it. “The good Lord comes through for me in my life,” he said. “Entertainment is secondary. The church is a big part of my life. I was going through a hardship, and the Beacon House came through for me. Hanging out with my pastor is like hanging out with Jesus Christ. My dream is to become a deacon.”
He had been trying to run a talent show for years at Beacon House, where he’s active on the Tenant’s Board, and finally got it off the ground in October. His recent show on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve drew about 60 residents, and they want more of his Sammy Davis Jr. impersonation. “A lot of people showed up,” he said. “I had 12 performers, a poet, singers - they gave me some money to give out for the winners for first, second and third, and I let the audience choose the winners to take the weight off me,” he said. Poet Bill Barnham won first place.
“I’m just trying to put a smile on their faces. I put some music on in the building and make people feel better. It worked - now they won¹t leave me alone. They want me to do another one,” he said, adding that he¹s working on it.
“I love performing,” he said. “I do it because it keeps me going, instead of sitting around the building. The audience is the biggest part of my performance, putting a smile on their faces and making them happy. Sammy did all these happy songs, like ‘Singing in the Rain,’ and ‘The Candy Man,’” which he said little kids just love to hear.
To hear Eric McIntyre online, go to his website, www.theshowmanofboston.com.