Charlestown: Cops, Robbers, Beer, Boats and Historic Pub Food

Well, it’s been a minute since I took you on a trip through Boston. I’d apologize, but my friends have done a pretty great job in my absence. And while they’ve been doing that, I’ve been… well… busy with other things.

(Not really me. But! Like… it might as well be. So… yeah.)

Yes. My back pretty much went on strike for a few weeks. But, now that I’m up and around, I’m ready to put on my (soft-souled, back-protecting, shock-absorbing) tour guide shoes and hit up an area that’s not technically Boston but deserves a shout out here at BP6.

Today, we’re goin’ to Charlestown.

Itinerary:

Morning: Sleep In
Noon: Lunch at Warren Tavern
Afternoon: Historical stuff at USS Constitution
Evening: Dinner at Papagayo
Late Night: Drinks at Tavern at the End of the World

Now, a lot of people know Charlestown from that Ben Affleck movie with Gossip Girl and those bank robbing nuns who get chased around by Don Draper.

(Some nuns use a ruler, others use an assault rifle with a silencer.)

(If all FBI agents looked like Jon Hamm, I’d probably rob a lot of banks just to get his attention.)

But, these days, Charlestown is less of a crime den and more of a family-friendly destination where you can get a lot of history and some of the best pub food on the planet.

Just because I’m me and I do what I do, morning’s are still reserved for my bed and – eventually – a short amble over to Dunkin’ for my morning coffee. But, once I’m up and around, our first stop is lunch at Warren Tavern.

Now, the place offers up a whole bunch of historical stuff about the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Bunker Hill. But, for this slothful oaf, that’s just background noise. The real story here is the beer and the food.

As I said earlier, if you’re looking for great pub food and that perfect blend of dive bar and sit-down restaurant, this is your place. Stick around for a bit and have your fill of the local beers on tap.

(Pull up to the bar and drink your way through history.)

Once your belly’s full and your buzz is on, it’s time to walk it off. And, as the weather warms up, Charlestown is the perfect place to soak up the sun as you stroll over to another bit of history, the USS Constitution.

But, I’m going to be honest. While it is a sight to behold and you’ll definitely want to take a few photos for facebook and Instagram, I’m basically just using this as a pit stop between meals. So, once you’ve proven to your social network that you do sometimes do history-ish, learning kinda things, it’s time to grab dinner. And, after a day spent time traveling through Boston’s history, it’s time to leap straight into modernity at Papagayo.

Yeah, a Mexican restaurant may seem like a strange pick for a walking guide of Charlestown. But, when it comes to night life around this part of Boston, it’s the place everybody’s talking about. And going to. (Word to the wise: Get a reservation before you head over.) The food is out of this world. But, what they’re most famous for are their margaritas. Now, I’m not a huge fan of tequila (one bad experience in college = permanent place on my drinking shit list) but even I can tell these things are fantastic.

(Sorry. I drank it all before I remembered to get a picture. So, I ordered another one … and forgot again. Rinse. Repeat.)

And, once you’ve got your taste for the strong stuff, it just won’t feel right if you call it a night too soon. So, why not head over the perfect final destination for our trip: the Tavern at the End of the World.
(Note: The end of the world is kinda dimly lit.)

So, after a quick side trip to Mexico, we’re right back in true, Irish-Irish Charlestown at a bar that simultaneously feels intimate and open to everyone. Check out their beer selection and be sure to bring a designated driver because it’s one of the only place in Charlestown (or anywhere in Boston) that offers free parking to its customers.

And that’s my trip through one of the truly best kept secrets in Boston. Having just gone through a torturously long and brutal winter, we’re due for a bright, sunny summer. And once it finally shows up, do yourself a favor and take a trip through my itinerary.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, my back is killing me…

Jamesbp6
My work week is scheduled down to the second – from sun-up to way after sundown. If I’m not at work or in class, I’m sneaking in some time at the gym. So, I make sure my weekends are shot on structure and long on leisure. Whether it’s grabbing last minute tickets to a standing room only show at the Middle East or just hanging out at a great, undiscovered bar, I’ll show you how to kick back and relax all over the city.

#trivia #music #LGBT #film #awesomebar

Boston’s South End: Breakfast, Brunch and People Serving Drinks in Their Pajamas

As you may have learned from our last get together, I’m all about taking it easy and not stressing too much about having a real “itinerary” on the weekend. But, as this whole blog is dedicated to, you know, giving you an itinerary of things to do in all of Boston’s neighborhoods. So, I decided to actually get up, get dressed and head out to my old stomping grounds, Boston’s South End. (But, don’t worry. I’m gonna keep the not-drinking-and-eating stuff to a minimum.) Here’s the breakdown:

Itinerary:

1. Morning: Breakfast at South End Buttery
2. Noon: Franklin Park Zoo (weather permitting)
3. Afternoon: SoWa Market
4. Evening: Dinner at Anchovies

As I said, just a few years ago, I used to call the South End home. And, honestly, after having lived in almost every neighborhood in Boston, there really is no place in the city more beautiful than the South End in the summer. (So, it’s a little unfortunate that we’re taking you there in March. But, still!) And, as the resident gay dude in the group, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the South End has often been called Boston’s “gayborhood.” A few years ago, it was home to several bars and restaurants that catered to the LGBT community. However, the area between Clarendon and Mass Ave has seen a lot of changes lately. Single men with small dogs and pairs of ladies with large dogs have gradually given way to wobbly, wailing children in $450 outfits. But, like the dogs they’ve replaced, they’re still on leashes. And, as the city’s growing number of young, monied married couples came looking for the perfect condo a stone’s throw from their job in the Financial District, the South End became the perfect destination. As such, many of the “old haunts” from the LGBT community have shut their doors. Fritz, for instance, the city’s only sports bar for the LGBT community, used to be favorite watering hole for my flag football league. (Interestingly, the league has since relocated to Dorchester and adopted a “non LGBT bar,”  The Blarney Stone, as its new haunt. You may remember it from Diana’s tour of Dot a couple weeks ago.) closed shop just last month with plans to reopen under new management and cater to a “more diverse” crowd. So, RIP Fritz…

But, time marches on and, if you head just up the street (Clarendon), you’ll find the latest iteration of one of the South End’s most popular coffee shops – South End Buttery. With a smaller layout and menu than its flagship location at 314 Shawmut Ave (also in the South End), the Clarendon location boasts a salted hot chocolate that the staff deem the very best in Boston. And, after sampling it for myself, I’m inclined to believe ’em.

(The process…)

(…the product.)

Moving on down the road, you run into what has long been the main drag (sorry… too easy) of the South End – Tremont Street.

(The sun shines on the South End.)

If you hang a right and head up the street – and it’s between 11am and 3pm on a Sunday – you pretty much have to stop by Tremont 647, which sits directly beside (and is connected to) its sibling, Sister Sorel, and offers the best thing in the entire world for a lazy guy like me who hates getting dressed but still loves a good mimosa…. Pajama Brunch. Because, whether your there to eat, drink or serve it all up – pajamas are the uniform of the day.

(Two restaurants. One mean mimosa.)

I stopped in, pulled up a seat at the bar and watched my bartender (decked out in an understated but elegant plaid number) serve up a killer Sunday morning pickmeup with juuuust the right about of booze and a whole bunch of freshly squeezed OJ.

Then, it was time to eat. And, after a brief wait – which was, of course, spent nursing another mimosa – out came the best server in the world, Jimmy, with a plateful of the South End’s best huevos rancheros. Seriously… throw on your pj’s (it’s definitely encouraged) and get the hell over there this Sunday! Best brunch in Boston.

(Get to know this man. And that plate of food.)

Once you’ve had your fill of breakfast food and booze, even a lazy layabout like me can’t resist getting out and getting a better look at the neighborhood. And, with spring and then summer on its way, I’m going to time travel just a bit… and suggest that if you’re in the between May and October, you better get your butt to the SoWa Open Market.

With literally dozens of permanent and pop-up shops selling their wares down on Harrison Avenue, you can literally walk around all afternoon and still not see everything there is to offer. From antiques to food trucks (for the love of God, track down the Cookie Monstah truck), the utterly “everything and the kitchen sink”-ness of it all has to be seen to believed. (I’m pretty sure you can buy a kitchen sink there, too.) There’s also a ton of up-and-coming shops and designers to check out including the man you met earlier, Jimmy Bishai, whose line of 80’s inspired clothes and watches called Watchout! has gotten a lot of attention in the Boston fashion and business scene. If watches aren’t your bag, I’m sure you can find something else. Like… literally anything else. Check it out.

So, after that uncharacteristic fit of physical activity, it’s time for dinner. And, though the South End boasts an incredible list of incredible places to get your grub on, there’s a tiny, hole-in-the-wall kinda place with the most amazing Italian nachos you have ever or will ever experience – Anchovies.

With an impressive beer and wine list and a menu full of hearty, rich Italian food, this place isn’t Atkins friendly. But, it’s pretty damn friendly to folks who want to eat some of the best Italian food this side of the North End. The wait can get close to an hour on Friday and Saturday nights. But, Sunday tends to be just slightly less packed – unless the Pats are playing or the Red Sox are in the playoffs. Then it’s every man for himself. But, again, those nachos!

Again, for my money, in the summer – when the sun is shining the patio-dining options are plentiful – there really is no place in Boston as beautiful as the South End. So, as the temperatures (FINALLY) start ticking up the thermometer, make some time to head over and check it out. My suggestion? Make it a Sunday and bring your pajamas.

Jamesbp6
My work week is scheduled down to the second – from sun-up to way after sundown. If I’m not at work or in class, I’m sneaking in some time at the gym. So, I make sure my weekends are shot on structure and long on leisure. Whether it’s grabbing last minute tickets to a standing room only show at the Middle East or just hanging out at a great, undiscovered bar, I’ll show you how to kick back and relax all over the city.

#trivia #music #LGBT #film #awesomebar

Sunday in Southie: Eat, Drink… Repeat

Well, 2013 was an interesting time in South Boston. The neighborhood we know as Southie enjoyed a brief and, let’s face it, pretty unfortunate few minutes in the national spotlight last year, spawning not one but two of the very worst, most embarrassing indictments against humanity “reality” shows on tv. (Mercifully, neither seems to have been renewed for the 2014 season.) On a more hopeful note, Hollywood seems to have loftier goals for Southie, with two films set to start filming here in the next few months. (Though neither seem likely to elevate South Boston’s national reputation as a hardscrabble crime den.) But, none of that is the South Boston I recognize. The thing nobody tells you about Southie is just how livable and suburban it feels despite being a part of Boston proper. Though the high rise towers of Back Bay and Copley Square peer down silently from the other side of I-93, South Boston retains the kind of quasi-Norman Rockwellian charm of small town America. So, I wanted to put together a real, lazy guy’s guide to having a perfect Sunday in Southie.

First, though, as you may have gleaned from our bio page, my whole “deal” around here is that I like to keep things simple. Between a full time job, a part time MBA program and long term relationship (that’s getting dangerously close to “where’s the ring” territory), my weekdays are pretty regimented. So, I like to keep my weekends as devoid of structure as I possibly can. So, though I give major props to those who like to get out there and seize the living shit out the day during the weekend, that just ain’t my style. (For instance, just reading Alex’s recap of his Kenmore expedition wore me out. I could, however, probably get onboard with the pub crawl. Though, how can a blog made by BU MBA students put together an impromptu bar crawl through Kenmore/Fenway and not include Cornwall’s? Sacrilege!) So, my version of a great day out won’t include a trip to a museum or any attempt at becoming a more well-rounded, self-actualized human being. Instead, I’m going to tell you how to eat amazing food, find a great beer and where to watch whichever of Boston’s myriad world-beating pro teams are playing that Sunday. Sound good? Great. Join me, won’t you?

Itinerary:
1. Morning: Sleep in like the good Lord intended
2. Late Morning: Brunch at Local 149
3. Afternoon: Lunch and a game at Stats
4. Evening: Dinner at Lincoln

There is really no reason to get out of bed, well, at all on Sundays. (Blankets are warm. I have a tv right there. I mean, c’mon.) But, if I absolutely have to (and this happens pretty much every Sunday, which is really annoying) I like to leave all the work to someone else. Namely the work involved in feeding myself. Luckily, I live in Southie, which is a pretty great place find a great meal.

After I muster up the strength to wash up, throw on some clothes and head out into the world, my favorite place to grab brunch (because, let’s be honest, by this point it’s probably 1:30pm or so) is Local 149. It’s located a few blocks off of Broadway – just far enough to keep its status as a relatively hidden gem – and offers a killer brunch menu. My recommendation? Chicken and Waffles.

Chicken ‘n Waffles – Southie Style

As a recovering Southerner (Georgia), chicken and waffles have definitely made a dinnertime appearance at several of my most favorite get togethers. But, Local gives it a nice twist that elevates it from being a novelty and into something totally their own. If that’s a little too heavy, you kinda can’t go wrong with the pancakes. Oh, and since this is me and brunch is nothing without a little booze, order up a bit of The Antidote and thank me later.

Now, even though I’ve been pretty militant about keeping things low-energy on Sundays, I do believe in a healthy lifestyle. That’s why, for the next stop on the itinerary, I suggest that you walk the half mile or so between Local 149 and our next stop, Stats. (That is, once you’ve had a couple drinks and, you know, are ready for your next meal. And even then, I mean, just call a cab. Who needs that kind of hassle, right?) You’ll find Stats tucked right in the crook of the road where Broadway becomes West Broadway. Like Local 149, it’s popular with the locals, so be prepared to wait in line on game day. The décor is pretty standard for a sports bar if I’m being absolutely honest. You can catch pretty much any sporting event on the planet on one of the dozen or so HD flatscreens that form a tight, digital rind around the top of the bar. But, there’s something about the location, the locals and the atmosphere that makes this place special. If you’ve timed your day just right, you’ll be hungry enough to take on their signature dish, the Pretzel Crusted Chicken Sandwich.

After an afternoon spent yelling at the screen and dropping your R’s, it’s time for dinner. Luckily, one of the best new restaurants in Boston is about a block away. As more and more young professionals make their way out of the South End and into Southie, Lincoln has quickly become the go-to haunt for “new Southie.” Though the place really gets goin’ on Friday and Saturday nights, Sundays offer up a slightly more low key place to unwind before the work week. (Or, in this case, cap off a long, meandering day of eating and drinking your way through the neighborhood.) The menu has a little something for everyone whether you’re the mood for something fancy and filling (i.e., the oven braised short ribs with a side of truffle mac and cheese) or down for something simple and satisfying like wood-fired margherita pizza.

A simple and delicious take on Margherita Pizza.

Plus, the bar is stocked with a fairly wide assortment of beers either on tap or in a bottle, making it the perfect place to wrap up a lazy man’s day out in Southie.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s much more to do in Southie than simply eating and drinking. But, I’ll leave that to my colleagues. But, if you’re looking to really earn those gym days during your next work week, take a trip through my South Boston itinerary. Once again, you’ll thank me later.