The stretch of land that houses Haymarket is best known for cheap fruits and veggies on market days; the lively Irish pub scene is left to its bustling Faneuil Hall neighbors. But leave it to John Joe Somers, the forward-thinking head of Somers Pubs, to predict the future: that when the Rose Kennedy Greenway is complete, the spot that once housed divey Pete's Pub will become prime real estate. So Somers snapped the place up and has turned it into Durty Nellie's (108 Blackstone Street, Boston, 617.742.2090), named for his Irish grandmother and the shawl she never washed for fear that it'd only get "durty" again. The two-level space includes a cozy Irish pub - serving well-poured pints and a full Irish breakfast - on the ground floor, and a handsome 18th-century dining room, featuring a dinner menu that changes daily, on the second. At press time, construction was still underway, but all should be complete by the end of the month.
