Craigie on Main Chef's New Somerville Restaurant and More Nearby Bites

We know Arlington 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.

Somerville

"Craigie on Main food is one of the themes that I have, and the other theme is the more rustic food that I cook for my family on Monday nights. It's a little more family style, and still great ingredients," Tony Maws, chef of Cambridge's Craigie on Main, said on WBUR's Radio Boston.

That's what restaurant fans can expect when Maws opens his new restaurant in the Somerville space formerly occupied by Kirkland Cafe, which closed in 2007.

Quick Look: Lotus Xpress Restaurant Opens on East Broadway

Lotus Xpress, a new Asian restaurant that specializes in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, opened Jan. 31 on East Broadway, and so far, "It's been going well," according to the restaurant's manager.

At 167 Broadway, Lotus Xpress opened at the former site of a KFC that closed at the end of 2011. The building has been renovated for the new restaurant.

Union Square Donuts to Open Thursday

The Union Square area is getting a new donut shop. Union Square Donuts, by the people behind Culinary Cruisers, makes donuts in flavors like chocolate chipotle, maple-bacon, and honey glazed with toasted almonds.

It officially opened its doors at 201 Somerville Ave. in mid-February.

Lexington

Nourish to Serve Local Fish Dinner with a Side of Science

Serving up local fish dinners with a speaker is nothing new for Nourish, the socially conscious eatery in Lexington Center. But for its “Eating with the Ecosystem” dinner last month, science had a seat at the table.

The dinner, with a menu designed to explore some lesser-known treasures fished from the waters stretching from Buzzards Bay to the Long Island Sound, featured narration from scientist Nathan Rebuck and fisherman Katie Egan.

Belmont

The Cop at Belmont's Newest Dunkin' Donuts

There is the popular notion that if you need to find a police officer, go to a Dunkin' Donuts. What's not expected is that the officer will also be serving coffee, listening to customers and sweeping the parking lot.

But for Cambridge Police Sergeant Brandon Woolkalis, being a presence at the Dunkin' Donuts store slated to open this year in the small strip mall at 70 Concord St. – the site of the former Murray Sandler Skate Shop at the corner of Bright Road – is all about serving the community.