Earl of Sandwich and Vine Brook Tavern Opens, Woodward's New Menu

Kyle Ketchum, executive chef at Woodard

By Naomi Kooker

Before you head out for your weekend, heads up. If you’re out and about and near the Boston Common and jonesing for a sandwich, you’ve got a new spot to try: The Earl of Sandwich, a Florida-based quick-serve chain, has quietly opened this week at the corner of Boylston and Tremont streets on the Boston Common in the building dubbed the "Pink Palace." It’s that funky building where many a Boston restaurateur has put in a bid for dibs. The menu includes hot and cold sandwiches, from an Italian, tuna melt to roast beef, ham and Swiss, and more, each for $6.99. It’s a takeout window only, with seasonal outdoor seating. Hours are seven days, 11 AM-4 PM for the winter season, with expanding hours come spring (617-426-1395). An Earl of Sandwich is also in Boston Logan's Airport, Terminal E.

According to its website, Vine Brook Tavern, a New American in Lexington Center, is slated to open November 13. Stay tuned for more info.

In menu news, Kyle Ketchum, a Texas native and executive chef of Woodward in the Ames Hotel in Downtown Boston, has rolled out a new fall repertoire. Among the new dishes: four-hour braised pork shank with herb gnocchi, glazed carrots and braising jus ($28); seared scallop cassoulet (chorizo, French green lentils, winter root veggies, $30) and cinnamon spiced butternut squash soup ($8). Ketchum comes most recently from The Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa in Newport, R.I., and spent a few years before that at The Chanler at Cliffwalk, also in Newport. What makes his cooking different here? “I’m trying to do more straightforward food, clean and refined,” said Ketchum, 40. “Clean and simple.” Ketchum has been with Woodward since the summer. Woodward at Ames Hotel is open for dinner only seven days (617-979-8200).