John "There Ain't No Time Like The Present" A.'s Profile

This certainly isn't the place to go if you're looking for a woodsy nature type experience.  Wompatuck State Park is located on the site of a WWII era munitions depot.  The woods are littered with old foundations and railroad tracks criss crossing the park.  The history is interesting but all of the old manufacturing junk in the woods is a bit of an eyesore.

There are very few hiking trails at this park.  Most of the "trails" are actually paved roads from old the manufacturing days.  Perhaps Wompatuck is best suited to people looking for a day of biking without having to worry about cars everywhere.  The park is somewhat quiet though.  I was here on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I was very surprised that I rarely saw many people outside of the visitor center area.

Stopped in here on New Year's Eve with the lady to get a nice dinner.  We were promptly seated by a well dressed, serious looking man (the owner?) and had a great dining experience.  The service was attentive but not overbearing and the decor was typical North End Italian chic but not tacky.  

The food was the most memorable part of the meal.  I had veal wrapped in proscuito with mushrooms and alfredo rigatoni.  Awesome!  Why do baby animals taste so much better than big animals?  My lady had the lobster ravioli and it was equally awesome.  Previous reviewers of Riccardo's have complained about the food but I found it to be above average italian.  My only minor complaint is that they don't have any tasty brews on tap but I'm a beer snob and most people don't really care about what's on tap or in the bottle.  Riccardo's was semi-affordable and I would recommend this place to anyone looking to experience North End dining.

Improv Asylum is an awesome date location.  I had my second trip to Improv Asylum on New Year's Eve and it was another laugh out loud event with an entertaining cast and tasty cheap beer.  The cast has a good time getting the crowd involved and making them part of the improv.  Also, I appreciate that the staff at Improv Asylum runs a tight ship.  The shows start right on time and they don't let late arrivals just walk in a disturb the show.  I recommend booking your tickets a few days (maybe a week) in advance to make sure you get some good seats.  Definitely a fun time!

I'm having trouble understanding how this place won a Best of Boston award.  Going in, I expected a decent dining experience with great food but got something completely different.  The pho was forgettable.  It was as if the chef just threw a bunch of exotic vegetables and random beef parts into some soup stock and called it a day.  Very bland and not nearly comparable to some other soup joints around town.  

The waitstaff was very aloof and our waiter never came around once to check on us.  I spent most of my meal needing soy sauce but never actually got it.  Poor performance for the waitstaff.  

I don't think I'll be back to give this place another chance and with all the asian restaurants in the Allston/Brighton area there's probably no reason for you to be at this one.

I'm writing this up as 5 stars for a place to sell old clothes.  I've never bought clothes here but everything looked decent.

So anyways, to get rid of old clothes you have 2 choices.  You could either give them to Goodwill or get some cash for them at Buffalo Exchange.  The process was super easy.  I walked in with a bunch of old stuff that I don't wear anymore and walked out 5 minutes later with $20 bucks.  Cha-ching! Even the little hipster girls behind the counter weren't that annoying. Easiest $20 bucks I ever made.

The one thing I really want to make clear in this review is that dinner at Craigie on Main is fun!  It was an absolute blast.  The menu is like a culinary safari with some things that I've never seen before on a menu.  For example, you can get fried pig tails as an appetizer, cock's comb (you know, the rooster mohawk thing) and braised bone marrow.  

This was probably the best meal I've ever had.  I started with mushroom ragout, had the pork three ways as an entree and ended with the homemade sorbet.  I never knew that pork could taste so good.  The entree was served as pork rib, pork confit and braised pork belly.  I feel like all of the other pork dishes I've ever eaten was just not cooked right or completely sub par.  Quote of the night from my girlfriend: "I didn't know food could taste like this."

Oh and let me tell you about the service.  Awesome!  Our waitress was super attentive without being over bearing and she even came through with some great drink recommendations for my lady.  

Make sure you check your bankroll before going though because you'll be dropping at least 2 bills on dinner for two.

It's certainly difficult to keep the tap lines fresh at a place like Sunset Grill.  I think I was here on an off night because the tap brews tasted a bit soapy and flat.  They had some of my favorite IPA's on tap but when they arrived at the table they just didn't have that crispness or characteristic floral, hoppy aroma of an IPA.  I'm looking forward to giving the tap brews at this place another try because it's definitely one of the best lineups in Boston.

Yes, the tap beers are hit or miss but the food is very good for pub type fare. The menu is extensive and the portions are huge so you'll never go home hungry.  The atmosphere is good if you're looking for a louder more upbeat place.  I recommend this place for anyone looking to have a few drinks with friends at a non-uppity bar. Show owner comment »

Blew out a tire yesterday in Cambridge and reluctantly went into Cambridge Bicycle because it was the only bike shop in the area.  From a previous experience and from their terrible reputation, I wasn't expecting much.  However, I was pleasantly surprised when my flat was fixed quickly and I was back on the road in 5 minutes.  The employees were attentive and took care of me right away.  I'm not sure if Cambridge Bicycle is turning over a new leaf with customer service but this experience gets them an extra star from me.

Shout out to Scotty the most chill bartender in New England.  This guy can hold a conversation with the best of 'em and turns an otherwise average bar into a great place to grab a few drinks.  

Picture this...there's an eclectic crowd at the bar made up of scruffy Appalacian Trail thru-hikers, uppity Williams students in their pearls and bowties, old locals and tourist just passing through.  Scott managed to make all of us feel welcome and part of the conversation and the atmosphere.  Job well done.

Spice Root provides good Indian food at reasonable prices.  We sampled the Lamb Saag and Chicken Korma and found both too be very good but not the best we tried.  The service however was excellent and makes Spice Root one of the better Indian food restaurants that I have been too.  It seemed like everyone around us was in a good mood.  

The ambience was light and fun with plenty of bright decorations and an ethnic feel.  I can imagine Spice Root being a warm cozy place to get a good meal during the cold western Mass winters.  I would definitely stop by Spice Root again if I'm in the Williamstown area.