Big J.'s Profile

Here, I'll be fast, quick and simple in regards to one of my favorite bars in our fair city.

- Great Staff.

- Cash Only.

- No Orange Tanned  douchebags in "Tapout" t-shirts, ever.

- Same goes for the girls that love the above douchebags.

- They have Chimay Red & Blue

- It's literally right next to the last affordable parking lot near the Fenway area.

- Always great music playing here, and it's always awesomely loud. So much so, that it always annoys someone, which is a plus in my book.

Bukowski's is what that rat-hole Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Sq. WISHES it could be.

If you don't like Bukowski's, you probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

This whole review is going to seem somewhat contradictory, so I'll apologize for that in advance.

See, the meal I had, while tasty and tiny was also immediately forgettable.
I really can't put my finger on it with this place, but I just know I didn't really like it all that much, even though my entree was damn delicious.

First, it feels like you're eating in a hotel restaurant.
Yeah, I know, it IS a hotel restaurant.
However, with all of the hype I had heard/read, I STILL expected it to not FEEL like I was eating in a hotel.

For starters I had the overpriced ($17.00!) 5 cheese plate which was average at best. It was served with a fruity kind of bread that may or may have not been "When Pigs Fly" brand.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some "When Pigs Fly" bread, but only when I'm toasting it in MY toaster.

Sensing (pun intended) that this foo-foo joint was going to have tiny portions (and oh, DID they) I also opted for the Baby Romaine & Lobster Salad.
The lobster pieces WERE tasty and large (I even got half of a tail!) but the lettuce was embarrassing, and tasted like licking a penny.

My entree was the Loin of lamb in black olive crust, squash blossoms, couscous, goat cheese, with lamb jus and orange zest.
And um, yeah. It was pretty fucking awesome actually.

The lamb was perfectly cooked, the black olive crust WAS just that. Crusty, salty, and just a delicious (and somewhat odd) addition to the meat.

It was also the length and width of about 4 "Twizzlers".

The lesson here?
Don't come to Sensing expecting to leave full.

Our dinner party walked over to Hanover St. where one of the annual "Feasts" were happening, and honestly?
I wish we nommed on Arinchini's and Calzones and Pizza over there, rather than eating at Sensing.

They're just trying WAY too hard.
I don't mind a "yuppified" restaurant. I really don't.
Just back up what you're trying to do.

Sensing doesn't.
They're TRYING to be pretentious, and they can't even do it correctly.

I can't really recommend this place to you.
NOT with Fiore, The Daily Catch, Lucia, and Bricco right around the corner.
They're WAYYYYYY more deserving of your hard earned dollar.

Yesterday afternoon was probably the 5th or 6th time I've eaten here, and like all of the previous visits, I left the Marliave more than satisfied and feeling like it's one of the more criminally overlooked (or is it perhaps unknown?) restaurants in our great city.

Everyone else that likes this place has already written all the superlatives that I would put here, so I won't bother doing it again.

So, just do yourself a favor if you want to go to a great place for a "date night" or if you're looking for a nice meal before a show at the Orpheum.

Go here, and NOT the Beantown Pub (ew. Like any of us actually call it "Beantown".) or even K.O. Prime (overrated, and Marliave has a GREAT steak menu, even though they're not a steak house)

Oh, while it's still Summertime (and on a day it may actually not be fucking raining for once) do make sure to eat out on their new outdoor patio, that they built only a couple of months ago.

Seriously, don't overlook the Marliave. It's one of my (and my gal's) favorite places around.

Wow, what a bummer.

Was I expecting the quality of Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles when I stepped through the door?

Hell no.

There isn't a fried chicken & waffle joint better than Roscoe's on the planet Earth.

Still though, I expected more that what I got.

I went with a leg and a thigh, and while the seasoning on the chicken WAS tasty, the meat was dry, and the breading wasn't NEARLY as crispy as I thought it could have been.

Based on other reviews here, I also opted for the multigrain waffle.
It TOO was as dry as a bone, and lacking any real flavor.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like this was the worst meal I've ever had. I mean, it's fried chicken. It's still tasty and I did everything short of licking my plate.
It's just that it wasn't as great as it's been hyped to be.

Give it a try, and see if I just had a bad experience.
I know I won't be back.
If I need a fried chicken fix, I'm going to go where I at least KNOW it's amazing.

Jasper White's Summer Shack.
(I know what you're thinking, and I thought the same thing. But yeah, The Summer Shack randomly enough has some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. And I HATE saying that, because I despise that ego-maniac Jasper White.)

I've been here twice for beers, and the simple, yet retardedly delicious soft pretzel served with beer cheese.

Based on these booze fueled times, I literally thought that's just about all they had to offer.

That is until I went there today and realized the following..

- They have a drink menu that would make Marliave (love that place btw) or Drink (incredibly overrated) jealous. It's now my mission to try every one on the drink menu, liver be dammed. Still though, I don't see it happening, considering that they serve MOSCOW MULES!
   Holy shit, they've got Moscow Mules. Unbelievable. Do yourself a favor and get one.

- They also serve quite possibly the tastiest, crispiest, juiciest wings I've ever had. Yeah, I know. Sure. Wings are just kind of a throwaway app, but I'd be happy with these as just a meal.  Not TOO greasy, and very meaty. I was very impressed.

- A pretty decent, well priced menu.
 My lovely gal nommed down a burger that looked to be cooked to perfection, and I had what equated to a Muffaletta sandwich (Italian cold cuts, Italian cheeses, chopped olive spread on a tasty, buttery roll) and both were succulent.

- An outdoor patio.
  Granted, those two prior times I was here, I was bombed and probably didn't even realize it WAS here, but it's very nicely put together and perfect to sit out on an a nice Summery Sunday afternoon like today.

- Attentive staff.
  Who in the hell expects prompt water refills at a bar/restaurant that's more bar than it is restaurant? I sure as shit don't. Granted, that's probably because I've become jaded from terrible service when I dine out (I'm looking in your direction, terrible Charlie's Kitchen) but let's just say I was pleasantly surprised.

I love this place, and I wish I had a place like it near me in the 'burbs.
My co-workers (and OOOOH, SANDBOX CELEBRITIES!) Fletcher and  Special Ed of the Sandbox (Mornings on WFNX 101.7. Yeah, it's a plug) are lucky bastards to have it right down the street from them.

Oh, and why not 5 stars if I loved it so much?

- Good luck finding a parking spot, ever.
- I mean, it's in Allston. Unless you're Brazilian or a College kid or my aforementioned co-workers, why in the hell would you ever go to Allston?

So this is affectionately known to me as "my Starbucks".

I start every workday with the same thing.
Venti coffee with 4 shots of espresso.
Some of the better baristas never even have to ask me my order, and it's very much appreciated.

So, why just 3 stars?

Well, because this Starbucks is ALWAYS MOBBED.

ALWAYS.

See, being located in the burbs, means that do-nothing, chatty fatty soccer moms and just came from the gym (or the lake) milfs are gumming up the line every goddamn morning, ordering their equivalent to an ice cream sunday. (Seriously. What's wrong with people? A Frappucino for BREAKFAST?!)

Not to mention, being located by 95 means that every other asshole like me that lives around here is seemingly starting their day here as well.

Look. It's a Starbucks. You know what you're getting, and the staff here is actually pretty friendly and they bang it out as best they can.

But again, it's ALWAYS mobbed.

Consider yourself warned, if you're in a rush.

My buddy is kind of a regular here, which is more sad than anything.

In the 5 or so years that he's been going here to run up a $90.00 nightly bar tab by himself, I think I've gone to meet him 4 times.

In those 4 times, I've said the same thing to myself under my breath.

"Jim? This is where dreams come to die."

The bar scene (if you can call it that) at the Dockside is a sad mix of alcoholic sports fans screaming in your ear, gross old ladies trying way too hard, Wakefield and Melrose townies, random "Ya dudes" with orange spray tans, and the sluts that love them.

In those aforementioned 4 times I've been, I also hit my personal tilt around drink number 2.
Seriously, it's that bad.
I DESPISE this place.

Don't even get me started on the food, either.
Seriously, how hard is it to make decent pub grub?
They serve pizza rolls, that are LITERALLY the frozen "Geno's Pizza Rolls".
Just embarrassing if you ask me.

Do yourself a favor, and avoid this place like the plague if you have any self respect.
Check out Harrington's in downtown Wakefield if you need a local drink that badly.

The hands down best pie in Melrose (and Wakefield, for that matter)

They're always consistent, and they use REAL garlic, not that gross chopped garlic that's sitting in some gross bath of vinegar that one would find in your local supermarket.

I'd recommend doing one up the way I like 'em.

Large pie, with extra sauce, extra garlic and bacon, cooked well done.
Order up a couple of sides of bleu cheese for dippin' (don't give me that look. You KNOW this is delicious.) and engulf and feel guilty about it later.

Other things that Petrone's that don't suck.

- Egg Salad on Wheat (is there a more underrated sandwich than egg salad? Me thinks not.)

- Large order of boneless Buffalo wings

- Steak Tip dinner (surprisingly not awful, and extremely filling)

Give 'em a try, if you're new to the city.
I'm telling you, you won't find a better pizza in Melrose.
Well, save for the Za Za from Caruso's, but who wants to go in THAT guy's place and deal with that egomaniac.
No thanks.

O-Ver-RA-TED *clap, clap, clap clap clap*

My chubby, meat loving co-workers have been eagerly awaiting this chain's arrival, telling me "It's as good as In-n Out!" (It's not.) and "You're going to want to eat here everyday!" (I don't.)

Are the burgers tasty going down?
Absolutely.

Can the same be said about the french fries?
Yup.

Are both easily the greasiest, artery-clogging foodstuffs I've ever put in my body?
You betcha.

I can't really recommend this place, because as another poster has written, I too can make a better (and healthier) burger on my grille.
I also can't remember feeling SO terrible after eating a meal.
I'm not kidding, my poor stomach was DEVASTATED from eating from this place, and I felt terrible for a couple of days.

With that, I wouldn't be back.
You should give 'em a try, but I really think this place is all hype.

Since my prior review, I've eaten here at least 6 more times, and it just gets better.

Folks, look at the other reviews. They're no joke. This is the best Asian/sushi restaurant in the suburbs and possibly even the state.

As of last night they have a new appetizer item on the "specials" menu that you ABSOLUTELY have to try.
The "Crispy Ribs".

Upon the very first bite, my friend Al and I looked at each other with a look of "You've got to be kidding me."

They're unreal, and so is everything else here.

Also make sure to have the "Chef's special Seafood Salad" from that same menu, and try some of their Blue Point Oysters.

I'm drooling about it as I type this...