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the “most talented sibling” by his youngest brothers — and while he may not have movie star good looks or hordes of diehard ‘90s fan-girls screaming for his autograph, he’s good at what he does: making burgers.
The show is a behind-thescenes look at the goings on of one of the most popular families in Beantown, and a lot of the focus is on their Hingham, Mass.-based burger business co-owned by Paul, Mark and Donnie. After its grand opening in 2011, the restaurant, which pays tribute to the family’s humble upbringing, really took off. It’s become not only a hub of activity for the locals, but also home base for the eccentric family and their old neighborhood crowd, including Mark’s old buddies Johnny “Drama” Alves and Henry “Nacho” Laun.
Paul Wahlberg is about as unassuming as you can imagine, and the TV cameras usually make him look frantic and worried. While this all may be true for television, he also tends to be calmer and rather humble about his sudden rise to fame.
“For the life of me I can’t figure out what people are interested in with me,” he said in a July interview with “Boston Magazine.” “I just do my thing.”
Nove, named after his mother and her nine (nove) children. It was shortly thereafter that he got into the gourmet burger biz, and thus Wahlburgers was born.
The family matriarch, Alma, plays predominantly in the life of her children. (I mean, she really has to. Someone needs to bank teller and a nurse’s aide, she now works as a greeter and hostess at both Wahlburgers and Alma Nove, bringing with her a great sense of humor and exuberance. Of course, while Paul may have the official title of “head chef” at both restaurants, it’s quite clear who really runs the show.
For season 2, two more Wahlberg brothers are thrown into the fray as well as a host of other special guests. With Donnie and Mark focusing more on other creative endeavors (but don’t worry, they’ll be around!), eldest brother Arthur and Bob, the seventh of the nine Wahlbergs, will be stopping by the restaurant to lend a hand to the mayhem that’s sure to ensue. Wahlberg nephew Brandon is also set to swing by, as will New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Of course, it’s all fine and dandy that there’s a host of big names behind the burger joint, but are the burgers actually any good? When you look at the menu, it’s certainly tough not to start salivating just a little bit. From a Thanksgiving Burger that features a ground turkey patty with stuffing,
Paul’s homemade orange cranberry sauce and butternut squash (Mark’s favorite), to a BBQ Bacon Burger with bacon, white cheddar cheese, fresh jalapenos, avocado and barbecue sauce (Donnie’s favorite), there truly are plenty of options.
If you like to go by what people on the Internet are saying, it looks like Wahlburgers is getting plenty of loving. As of press time, 43 people left reviews of the Wahlburgers restaurant on Google. They were overwhelmingly positive, with the restaurant getting a 4.1 out of 5 average rating. Out of 368 reviews on business review site Yelp, Wahlburgers received three out of five stars on average. Lastly, restaurant information and recommendation website Urbanspoon had 82 per cent of 103 people who voted say they “liked it.”
As the restaurant continues to grow and burgers fly out fast and furious, A&E’s “Wahlburgers” surges ahead, keeping viewers engaged in one of Boston’s most famous families. Catch the season 2 premiere of the hit Emmy-nominated reality series Wednesday, Aug. 13, on A&E.
ACROSS
1 “Airwolf” star, __-Michael Vincent
4 “__ the Boss?”
8 Lettered designer fashion label
12 ‘Prop’ suffix (Fuel)
13 Morning talk’s Kelly
14 Farewell, to Catullus
15 Go off course
16 Granny’s portrayer on “The Beverly Hillbillies”: 2 wds.
18 Sean Bean stars on this new TNT series based on master spy novelist Robert Littell’s work
20 Ands, in Paris
21 Ms. Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow’s actress mother
23 Wood used for longbows
25 Run the cloth under the water again
26 __ of judgment
30 “Best Song __” by One Direction 31 Hurrays!
32 __ __ good (Wasn’t helpful)
34 Root used in perfumes
35 Freddy’s scary Street
37 Shakespeare: “Sleep that knits up the ravell’d __ of care...” - Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2
38 ‘Environmental’ suffix
41 “Witches of __ __” on Lifetime, based on novelist Melissa de la Cruz’s bestselling work
43 1986 to 1993 sitcom, “Perfect __”
45 Novelist Mr. Levin
48 “__ Remini: It’s All Relative” on TLC
49 Prefix to ‘syncrasy’ (Mannerism)
50 Landscaper’s roll
51 “You __ _” by Lady Gaga
52 __’_ Crunch (Breakfast cereal)
53 Mr. Byrnes of 37 Down DOWN
1 Mr. Leno
2 Actress Ms. Ortiz
3 Game show classic, “The __ Game”
4 Acclaimed architect, Frank Lloyd __
5 New employee
6 Receptive
7 Olivia’s “Grease” (1978) role
8 TV show taper, e.g.
9 “The Danny __ Show” (‘60s variety series)
10 _. __. (Line above the equator)
11 Hankerings
17 Donkey: German
19 Forever, to a poet
21 Born and __
22 Dolly’s surname in Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!
24 Younger actor brother of actress Shirley
27 Contestants from past ‘Bachelor’ or ‘Bachelorette’ shows are back on ABC’s “Bachelor in __”
28 Switchblade
29 Feminine suffix
33 The Tourist author Mr. Steinhauer
34 Nellie __, “Little House on the Prairie” character
36 __ act (Type of “America’s Got Talent” performance) 37 “77 Sunset __” 38 Filmdom’s Ms. Fisher 39 Anna __, Gary Cooper’s leading lady in “The Wedding Night” (1935) 40 Time-honored or customary [abbr.]
42 Jon __ (Det. Antonio Dawson’s portrayer on NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”)