Blue 22, 1237 Hancock Street Quincy

October 27, 2010


Jill and I stopped in for trivia on a Wednesday night. The trivia was ridiculously hard but the beer selection was good and cheap. Nothing great at this bar but nothing bad.


Extra points for the fun halloween decorations. This picture is from Jill, she's so mature!





2 1/2 Stars





http://www.blue22-barandgrille.com/

The Gallows, 1359 Washington Street

October 20, 2010

Nicole and I stopped in at The Gallows because it was close to work and it was new. This place fits into the new "Gastro-pub" category. Not exactly sure what that means, but we know we liked it. The decor was Vermont Barn meets trendy city restaurant. All the specialty drinks sounded good, but I stuck with the Italian wine. We had the cheese puffs which were little cheese biscuits of heaven and then one of the best burgers I've had in awhile. The place started out very quiet but as it got closer to 8 pm, the place started to fill up. After a couple failed restaurants in this location.... this place might have a chance. Definitely worth the visit, and good value for the quality. We left with only spending $40 bucks!

4 stars

http://www.thegallowsboston.com/

House of Blues, 15 Landsdowne Street

October 15, 2010

Finally made it to the new and improved House of Blues (former Avalon) on Landsdowne. I was expecting a brand new facility with all the bells and whistles. I quickly came to realize they only renovated the outside and made it one story higher. It was the same old Avalon with a new balcony level. Still a great place to see a show... the sound was good and there was never a wait at the bar.

Special guest to the blog this week- Andy F and a surprise appearance by Kristen Z!

3 stars

www.hob.com/boston

The Publick House 1648 Beacon Street Brookline

October 1, 2010

After several recommendations, I got a group together to check out the Publick House in Brookline. Known for their extensive Beer Menu and Mac and Cheese, I knew this place would be great. The place filled up quick with an after work crowd on the rainy Friday night. Our server was very knowledgeable, she came ready with recommendations which were all good. We all tried new beers but my favorite was the St. Bernadus ABT 12 made by some monks in Belgium. Another tell tale sign for a hard core beer place...their glassware selection, and Publick house did not disappoint!

The food was really good too. Mac and Cheese had all sorts of add ins to choose from.

Overall great crowd, great food and incredible beer selection!

Special Guests - Greg, Dave, Luke, Megan, Carolyn and John

4.5 stars

http://www.eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com/

Lord Hobo, 92 Hampshire Street Cambridge

September 10, 2010

Tonight was a very special night for 52 in 52. We tackled 3 new bars in one night. It was a Sugarbush on the Charles outing, so there were many special guests to the Blog.

Lord Hobo is one of those places that you keep hearing about and was one of the first bars I wanted to check out for the Blog. The bar is between Inman and Kendall Square, so leave the cars at home, parking is tough.

This is the former B Side Lounge reincarnated as a Beer connoisseur's paradise. The beer menu is crazy, mostly European imports and each served in a particular glass. This hipster hangout has a buzz...we got there at 6:30 and by 7:30 there was a line to get in. This unfortunately meant most of our group didn't stick around, so we finished our beer and moved on. I will definitely return to Lord Hobo to continue exploring their fantastic beer selection, but will avoid the crowded weekend nights.

3.5 Stars

http://www.lordhobo.com/

Bar #2 Tommy Doyle's Irish Pub, 1 Kendall Square

This was a Ruby Tuesday's Irish cousin. Glad they had Octoberfest but everything else was pretty bad. The best part was the company - The Sugarbush crew in full force.


1 Star



www.tommydoyles.com

Bar #3 Cambridge Brewing Company

Right next door to Tommy Doyle's was the CBC. Pretty good brewery with a selection of 6-8 varieties. I'd recommend the Pumpkin.

2 Stars

http://www.cambrew.com/

That weird guy at the end of the bar is with us, Nate were you sleeping?

Jerry Remy's Sports Bar and Grill, 1265 Boylston Street

September 4, 2010

After a game at Fenway, a group of us went over to Jerry Remy's. Being next to Fenway Park of course its all about sports...it's a wide open space, with tons of huge TV's and a raised seating area away from the bar. What sets it apart from all the other sports bars in the area is that it could handle the after game crowd and we didn't feel cramped. We could even sit at a table just to get drinks. I suppose the crowds could be smaller because of the Sox's record :(

You may even spot a few of the Players... we discovered as we were leaving that at the next table was Buchholz and Varitek.

4 Stars

http://www.jerryremys.com/

Special guests ~ Mike B and his wife, Jill, John E and Rob

Bricco, 241 Hanover Street

August 27, 2010

Crazy that I've never been to Bricco before this, but I guess that's the reason for the blog. My choice in the North End is always LoConte's on Salem street, so thanks to Jaime for suggesting a new place. Nicole and I met Jaime on the first night of St Anthony's feast. We only heard the parade as it went by because the longer we stayed at Bricco the less we wanted to go outside. We started at the bar with wine. They carry my favorite wine from the Italy trip which is hard to find around here. COS Nero d'Avola- try it if you find it!

Apps were amazing - Scallops, brie with prosciutto, and giant shrimp cocktail. For dinner - I recommend the gnocchi, but everything was good. After dinner we returned to the bar. The bar is small and open to the dining room so it can be loud inside. Decor is dark and sleek, with big windows that open to street. The place was packed, but we never had to wait long for a drink. There was wine, espresso martini's and Lemoncello shots to complete the night. Overall it was a great place and I'll have to add this to my favorites in the North End.

4 Stars

http://www.bricco.com/