A Jamie’s Ice Cream Co. scoop is prepared in Brookline in June 2022. (Photo: Jamie’s Ice Cream Co. via Instagram)

An oasis is coming to the ice cream desert of Mid-Cambridge near the Somerville line, with construction begun on what will be a Jamie’s Ice Cream Co. at the site of a former laundromat at 86 Kirkland St. It will be Jamie Siracusa’s second shop after a Brookline site opened in 2020 as an expansion of the Brothers & Sisters Co. café.

“I have two separate businesses, a coffee shop and an ice cream. We’re looking to bring that concept together to the Cambridge area,” Siracusa said.

Situated between Union and Harvard squares, Jamie’s will serve Mid-Cantabrigians and residents on the west side of Somerville’s Ward Two frustrated by having no ice cream in easy distance – the location is encircled by shops such as Gracie’s in Union Square, Christina’s in Inman Square, J.P. Licks in Harvard Square and Honeycomb Creamery in Neighborhood 9, all between 0.6 and 0.9 miles away.

The Kirkland Street location is undergoing a total renovation for half of the first-floor building space, with construction approximated to end in mid-September or October. While no menu has been released for the new space, Jamie’s ice cream is made from scratch and will likely include similar flavors as in Brookline, including Milk Dunk Cookie, Cold Brewed Chip and dairy-free Honey Cinnamon. Cambridge license commissioners were told Tuesday that Jamie’s will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and seat up to 25 people inside and 15 on an outside patio.

Jamie’s pints are stocked at some Cambridge shops, including the Black Sheep Market in Cambridgeport and Montrose Spa in Neighborhood 9 near Harvard Square.

Top Mix on CambridgePark Drive

A Caribbean-style cocktail bar in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain – think plantains, mofongo and chicharron de pollo with steaks tips and chicken and waffles – is carving out space in the land of life-sciences companies and luxury apartments around Alewife. The bar is set to occupy 50 CambridgePark Drive. Once completed, that address will hold 400 homes, with Top Mix on the ground floor with entertainment and seating for 221 indoors and 84 on a patio, according to the License Commission hearing Tuesday. The bar will be open all week from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., with food service stopping Thursday through Sunday at 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 1 a.m. “It’s an up-and-coming area in which they’re building 2,000 new residential units,” manager Joseph Correia said. “Top Mix would be a flagship restaurant for the area, and for the residents.”

Remnant Brewing outside Inman

Somerville’s Remnant Brewing has been approved to open as expected in the former Atwood’s Tavern at 877 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington outside Inman Square, offering beer, coffee and a pared-down but “full menu and dining experience,” Remnant’s Joel Prickett said. “We’re excited to carry on the torch and put our twist on things and continue to provide that community space with events and music, and just be a nice place for people to go. We’re adding coffee service and potentially lunch service earlier in the day to provide additional options for folks.” The space will be open Sunday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday until 2 a.m., with alcohol service starting at 10 a.m. The Cambridge location will be able to sit 66 people inside and 40 outside on a private patio.

Patio returning to The Druid

The Irish pub The Druid, at 1357 Cambridge St., Inman Square, has received approval to bring back its Covid-era patio, albeit to a lesser degree: The recent construction of bike lanes has downsized the seasonal patio to 17 seats. A construction timeline was not mentioned in Tuesday’s commission meeting.