rob "i drank what?" c.'s Profile

Since my colleague and i were early to arrive at the Roadhouse on a Friday afternoon, and killing time before a friend joined us, we were systematically perusing the beer list and carefully considering the most important decision of the day.  The ensuing discussion made it especially clear why so many were so excited about the folks from the Publick House opening a similar establishment--the waitress' knowledge of the (numerous) beers on tap was predictably deep and broad.  

Two strong beers in, it was time to eat, and it's hard to think of something that's more enticing to the pleasantly buzzed than barbecued meat and its accoutrements.  The barbecue is very solid, and the side of mac and cheese was the best idea ever, 'cause i could drown it in more barbecue sauce.  because barbecue sauce is the über-condiment.

Anyway, the Roadhouse is not cheap, and between a meal and the beer, it is far from the cheapest outing, but after the first pint it totally doesn't matter; there is no saying no to the smell of barbecued meat at that point.

Even in a bar crowded with soccer fans refueling at halftime, even though i wasn't even really standing at the bar, the bartender spotted my near-empty Guinness and proffered another.  That says a lot to me about what kind of quality bar the Banshee is.  The kind that likes to give you beer.  They pour an outstanding pint of Guinness, and the place is crawling with people who seem like they're probably spending their whole day there.  In a good way.  Also, they were kind enough to host a pile of Revolution supporters (for a lousy match against TFC) for a few matches (how weird that a bar owner would want to invite a bunch of soccer fans) so they're doubly okay in my book.

In a town with so many Irish bars and bars that are Irish with established traditions, it might not be a daunting thing to open up a brand spanking new one.  You're up against established haunts with tradition and (in some cases) deep-seated authenticity.  On the other hand, you can never exactly have too many of them, and when you have a location across from Fenway, maybe you don't need tradition.

To that end, the Lansdowne is quite a bit better than it really has to be.  Other than the size (it's vast), and the new-car smell, its rich interior is warm and welcoming, but with the added benefit of being able to deal with huge numbers of game-day yahoos.  

Some friends and i went on a quiet Saturday afternoon with the Sox out of town, and were practically the only ones there, save for a band setting up for later (all clad in pink shirts).  The waitstaff was, accordingly, more than attentive.  Their Guinness pouring is superb, with a good head on it and fine flavor, and they've got a decent selection of local and imported beers on tap (including, at the time, Guinness' 250th anniversary brew).  

The menu is probably a little too 'authentic' for their own good, with traditional pub fare far outweighing American type pub fare. The pot pies and stews might not go over so well with a game day crowd headed to sit in the bleachers on a 95 degree day.  On a cool Saturday with an eerie fog swallowing the Pru as we walked down the street, the chicken pot pie was delicious, and the soda bread is worth the trip by itself.  Not too expensive, either.

While i might say i'd be back soon, considering its location, maybe i'll wait until winter.

After running a nearby 5k, some friends and i were rather predictably hungry, and headed to a nearby breakfast place that was supposed to be good.  Sure enough, there was a line out the door, which is a characteristic that defines good breakfast places.

That was okay, though; ample time to cool off, stretch out and get good and hungry while waiting for the no-nonsense hostess to find room for six people and a cute kid.  

Given the need to undo exercise, though, it was good we waited, since there were delicious unhealthy breakfast items to consume.  i went with the garlic-mashed-potato omelet.  a great invention and i thank them for it.  since i am weird and take a tall glass of soda with breakfast as often as i do coffee, i was glad they had big glasses and free refills.  

the portions are huge, the prices cheap to reasonable, and the wait is worthwhile.

i didn't realize this place was supposed to be healthy until i'd already placed an order.  otherwise that might have been enough to turn me away.  as it happened, though, i was reasonably sated by the breakfast burrito i had.  eggy, with lots of good quality cheddar cheese.  the turkey sausage tasted good, but i'd like to take this time to point out that i like turkey sausage and turkey bacon all right, but i'd like them more if they didn't go around calling themselves sausage and bacon.  they're totally setting themselves up for comparison with a superior food product and will lose. every. time.  okay, rant over.  as it happens, i was full until i boarded a plane for moscow four hours later in chicago and that's a good thing.  even if it was healthy.

Ironically, on a night when the Red Sox were playing, McGreevy's wound up packed with a couple hundred soccer fans.  The Revolution hosted a viewing of an away game, and took over the place, back to front, with the crazy soccer fans.  i'm guessing that people were a little taken aback by the singing, particularly considering the occasionally profane lyrics.  It was a good place to have it, though.  As for the bar, there are two bars, which is nice, but the one at the back seemed a little disinterested.  $5 gets you what seems like a pretty small Guinness; i got one in a small glass, one in a normal glass that was filled well short of full.  i'm not sure what the deal with that was.  One thing that did seem pretty cool was the vast variety of Red Sox memorabilia on the walls; particularly the fact that it's all numbered (and presumably catalogued).  i suspect it's a pretty comfy place to watch a ball game, especially when it's not crammed full of weirdos like me.

i don't even like Indian food, so you should probably not bother to read further.  Little India is a small place that seems to specialize in buffets at lunch.  i only say this because after seating us in a somewhat forlorn back room, there was no sign of menus, or for that matter, waitstaff, until the water needed refilling.  i can't vouch for the rest of it, but the naan and the rice were okay.  It seemed pretty busy, with folks who were plainly of Indian descent, natch, on an early Sunday afternoon, so perhaps that's an endorsement of sorts.

The old House of Blues in Cambridge was a tiny place to see tiny acts.  The Avalon was a classic venue; i'm sure like everyone else i've got dozens of memories, of everything from 80's revivals to grunge to techno.  It's the place that first ruined me on sitting at a concert.  

To it's credit, most of what made the Avalon great remains.  A big place to get pretty close to popular, up-and-coming music.  The sound is as good if not better (my jeans were vibrating with the bass), and it's easy to get a good place to stand.  Actually, i'm 6'4" so anywhere is, but with the tiered standing area, it's better than it used to be, even.  I can't vouch for the cost of beverages, but i'm going to go out on a limb and assume it's ridiculous.  The balconies are pretty cool looking, although i'm not sure if you need a different ticket to get up there.  The decorations range from interesting to amusing to lame hippie crap.  Also, as an improvement, there are signs directing people on the way out, so the coat check line doesn't clog up the whole works like it used to.

Four stars are basically earned because despite being part of the ongoing increase in lameness on Lansdowne St., it's functionally equivalent to the Avalon for seeing a concert; aspects of the venue other than sight and sound are incidental in this case.

i am reasonably sure that every show i've seen at TT the Bear's has been way too big for it.  Not in the sense of the popularity or fame of the performers, but rather that they seem to fill the uniquely tiny place and make it seem like no matter how obscure they might be, the place is bursting with their music.  Standouts include an unhinged (and wasted) British Sea Power parading through the room with drums and climbing the speaker stacks, and more recently, the Danish seven-piece band Efterklang, who piled the stage high with instruments and ended the show in the crowd with a foot-stomping singalong.  

TT's is a great place to turn a band you kinda like into a new favorite.

A dark, dimly lit, cozy basement, the Lizard Lounge is enjoyably low-key.  The stage is just a central area where performers take as much room as they need.  It's small and comfortable, especially if you can find a seat in the corner, and the sound is surprisingly good, too.  The central location of the stage and its proximity means the impact of chattering audiences is minimized, if you're there for the music alone.  Also, they share the same beer list as the Cambridge Common upstairs, and this is a very good thing.