Melissa "the destroyer" T.'s Profile

OK, besides the fact that this is the (now second-) closest bar to my house (see also: Lord Hobo), there are so many other reasons why this place rocks. I will list them:

1. NO COVER.
2. But there IS always, always live music.
3. Said live music is also GOOD! Generally bluegrass, and lots of it.
4. There is food served until really late, and it's delicious (personal favorite: mussels).
5. Great beer selection.
6. Room for dancing, room for chilling with a beer in front of stage, and room for chilling with friends in the back (plus room at the bar to be in the middle of it all).
7. Rarely packed.

This is one of the few places in Cambridge that I deserves the full 5 stars, and I am very happy to give them.

I have recently been frequenting Razzy's for weekend karaoke and have yet to be disappointed. We showed up around 8 on Friday this weekend and the upstairs was dead originally but filled up with in 45 minutes (which was perfect for slipping a few karaoke requests in before the crowds rushed the DJ). The karaoke selection is a little lacking compared to other places like Courtside, but overall it's still decent.

Before karaoke-ing, I asked how the burger was at the bar, and was instructed to get the chicken sandwich instead, which was a complete win. I'm a big fan of being what to told what to get at places where the bartenders have actually tried the food they serve (which also speaks to the fact that the food in general there doesn't suck).

It's a little dive-y (a plus in my book), shots are cheap ($4.50 -- which definitely worked *against* me on this particular evening, but that's a more different ass), and the staff is really friendly and wiling to deal with me and my drunken hooligan friends. I would give them 4.5 stars if I was able.

Yay Razzy's!

So happy with this place!  Lots of good things to write.

1. The most important: food was delicious.  We were actually the last table they seated, so we didn't order any appetizers but went straight to main courses. We had a bottle of exceptionally reasonably priced wine (a red blend) along with it, and I got scallops.  We're talking five HUGE scallops with pumpkin gnocchi and squash in a delicious sauce.  Anywhere else this would be well upwards of $30, and here it was but $16!  My friends got pork, fish (forget which kind, but it was light and flaky), and the vegetarian dish, and they were all impressed.  I couldn't resist the lemon sorbet and coffee for dessert, both of which were quite delicious.

2. The ambiance: the space was really big, and there were a lot of tables but even so, huge spaces were maintained between them. You actually couldn't hear the conversation at any table but your own, which I really appreciated. Plus, there were a range of table sizes, so a part of 10 could easily dine at a nice round table.

3. The service: our waiter himself was a bit slow, but he told us it was his second time ever waiting on a table (and he was very nice). The man who seated us also checked on us a few times.  I had just fallen off my bike on the way (silly bag got caught in wheel), and he even gave me bandaids and neosporin (with aloe!).

All-in-all, an excellent place to dine, and there was a fancy looking wine tasting class going on in the room next door which makes me wonder if I should pop in as a student sometime and try to learn a thing or two!

Let me just list why this place is amazing.

-Open till 3, and by 3 I mean until whenever you want to leave (for us, it was 3:45).
-$3.50 Jack. And $2.50 PBR.
-$1 gets you three plays on the juke box.
-There were 3 other customers plus the one bartender when we came in at 2am on a Saturday.
-Room to dance.
-Incredible decor.
-CHEESE BALL.
-And spicy mustard with pretzels.
-They had three PBRs left when we came in.  When we left there were zero.  They came out of a brown paper bag.
-Bartender was awesome. Fliffed me an extra $1 so I could play the juke box.

I have decided to reconsider Kokomo as a permanent residence.  OK, that was a blatant lie, but the rest was extremely truthful.

OK.  So, MIT may be one of the world's (possibly THE world's) premiere science research institutes, but apparently at some point the students of the university got their shit together and said, "OK seriously guys.  Even mad scientists gotta get their drink on sometimes."

Come on -- you have got to give them mad props for having such awesome (and CHEAP) on-campus bars.  While the Thirsty Ear has the advantage of offering a (much) larger food selection, the Muddy Charles is clearly the cooler place to hang.  I mean, it's got free food pretty much any night I've been there, OR you can bring in / order your own; many games, including dominoes, select from while you down a quick after-school/after-work beer; *plus* the added bonus of being right across the street from the river and thus the perfect place to come after a quick sail in the evening.

If that weren't enough, it's also got a cozy, cuddly atmosphere, usually isn't too packed (although on free wings night, watch out), AND it has *ridiculously* cheap beer!  CHEAP beer.  On tap and in bottles.  Also sometimes cheap champagne.

I think you are technically supposed to show MIT ID to get in, but come on, who's checking?  This place rocks, and makes me proud to be an MIT student.

So maybe it's because I went during the middle of the week, or maybe it's because the location is a little bit deeper into Somerville than I'm accustomed to visiting, but I was blown away by this bar for a couple of reasons:
1) Cheap bear was available, but they also clearly had some nice little cocktails;
2) the weekly Tuesday night spelling bee, complete with sound effects, was quite charming;
and 3) the usual screamy atmosphere of any dive-y Cambridge bar was GONE.  You could hear yourself think!  You know what, scratch that; even better, you could hear what other people were saying.

It's a small-ish place, but it felt roomy due to the layout (some booths/tables on one side, bar on the other, some seating by the windows which are open when it's warm).  Add coziness given by the warm lighting and the brick walls, and Highland Kitchen seemed like it would be a great place to serve as a neighborhood bar (which it certainly is not for me; the bike up the hill had me panting for a beer by the time I got there).  I will definitely be back.

I somehow always manage to forget about this place when I'm trying to think of tasty, moderately priced spots around Central Square.  When I do remember it, my mouth starts watering and I get a little more excited than is called for.

Thai food is best, of course, when absolutely ravenous, for only then can I even begin to eat half an order of panang curry -- which is deliciously filling and excellent for leftovers.  Of course, this is if I haven't devoured the entire order of crab rangoon that I always get to "share" with friends before the meal.  Oh god, the things I want to do to it.

Getting back on track, Pepper Sky is also good for medium-sized groups, and they also take reservations (which is probably only necessary for larger parties).  Service is good, staff is friendly, food is delicious, and for me it's right down the road.  Two thumbs up.

I've only been to the Druid a couple of times, and each time I have had the sensation that I *should* like the place -- fairly typical Irish pub, dark, a bit smarmy, y'know -- but it never really leaves an impression.

However, this last weekend, the impressionability picked up as I walked in with a group of friends around midnight on a Saturday.  Springtime (or perhaps summertime; are you confused, Cambridge?) has finally come to the area, and it was a nice night, almost balmy.  However, upon entering the Druid, the nice balmy feeling of the outdoors turned sour as we walked into the loud, hot, slightly stinky (not necessarily in a bad way; perhaps the smell of fish? or varnish? was permeating the air) bar.  Now, I like the dark wood of the booths, and don't get me wrong, there is certainly a time and place for brash music and beers, but our group was not quite ready to make the large transition from the cool and lovely spring evening to the not-quite-so-pleasant atmosphere to be found here.  We walked down the street to Bukowski's instead.  Druid, I'll give you another chance sometime, but for now, you're getting only two stars.

I stopped here on the way to a Celtics game this past weekend (don't get me started on them...; however, this review isn't about them).  I must say that they delivered one of the tastiest little prosciutto sandwiches I've ever eaten on this side of the Atlantic (and on a really tasty, perfectly crisp baguette too).  Mozzarella was fresh and delicious.  Balsamic was just right.  This little grocery store is A-OK in my book.

(Next on to-do list is to stop by and actually taste one of those banana smoothies...)

***REVISION***

SMOOTHIES = TASTED. Verdict = wowzas!  When we asked the guy making them which was best (we couldn't decide between mango and strawberry/banana), the teenager behind the counter suggested that we get an s&b with a hint of mango (he was right). Only fresh fruit go into these babies, along with a little ice, so they are smooth and creamy and thick.  Che buono!

I must admit, this was the first time I had ever been to a gay bar.  As a straight woman, I have long been curious. [Admittedly, I must say that for the large part, my curiosity was mostly piqued by the likes of the Sex and the City foursome venturing out to the clubs of NYC.  I know, I know, very lame; but what's a poor midwestern girl got to do other than fantasize about exotic nightlife and watch outdated "risqué" television?]

Estate did not disappoint.  There was a drag queen show (actually, just one dancer) at 1am which was, in a word, fabulous, and the cage dancers got up on stage just afterward to do what appeared to be a tribute dace to Michael Jackson (and possibly Kris Kross).  Combine this with confetti and glitter pouring down from the ceiling, and this midwestern chick was having a ball.  Minus the girl in leather sitting on top of the air conditioner.  But what can you do.  Much dancing and merriment to be had here -- no matter your gender or sexual preference.