a little late around these parts, but here's my low down of the boston area. also, if you're gonna swing through town at all, let me know, i'd love to meet up for a drink or something. i'm a social enough guy and not really that much of a prick.
food:
they keep promising us a ruth's steak house sometime soon (october, they're saying now) by state street station in boston proper. if you've ever had this place, you understand the importance of eating at this place if it is an option.
jake's boss barbeque: i've never actually been here personally, but this is apparently worth the atrocious t trip into jamaica plain. it's located at 3492 washington street, and it is allegedly the best bbq in town. after hearing dozens of testimonials and seeing the phantom gourmet's rating, i'm willing to believe it.
soundbites: there's a reason there's a line out the door here. i'm a man who loves his breakfast food, and this is probably the best in the area. it's in somerville at 708 broadway.
the grecian diner: standard, cheap breakfast stuff. a block down harvard from the corner of commonwealth ave in allston. see also: steve's kitchen, a few doors down.
the hi-tide: it's a royal pain to get to, but it's the only place where you can get breakfast (including coffee and tip) for under $5. it's in winthrop, and i don't know much about their bus service and whatnot.
little stevie's: this place is on boylston street just past berklee. greasy, nasty pizza, but they give you a quarter of the damned thing for next to nothing, and they keep insane hours. definitely the place to go with the 2:00 am drunk munchies.
inbound pizza: this place is near the corner of harvard and commonwealth aves in allston. more of the same as little stevie's, except better food and slightly weaker hours (they close at 2 am).
ana's taqueria: there's a few around; there's one in porter square and one on harvard ave a few blocks into brookline away from comm ave. if you can find a better burrito, i would love to try it.
qdoba (sic), another chain, is an adequate substitute.
drinks/nightlife:
great scott: this place has been the center of my universe lately. it's located just over the allston/boston line by the intersection of harvard and comm ave. they have a decent selection of beers, ok prices, and typically really good bands. some recent bands that have been by there include lightning bolt, the information, and the bon savants. and, of course, *cough*, the 8mm fuzz.
friday nights are especially great, they have a new wave/punk rock/indie rock dance party called
the pill. they have one band play, and then djs spin blur, bloc party, the smiths, the cure, depeche, gang of four, etc. it's a great scene to meet people (like attractive indie boys/girls? this is the place to be), and it's a total blast.
the avenue: right across the street from great scott and they have a selection of dollar drafts. pregaming central. 'nuff said. on a side note, i saw mikey welsh from weezer there a few weeks back, and he denied that it was him (i've met him a few times, he's around town often, so i know who the hell he is). weird, weird, man.
the middle east: yadda yadda ya, the big club in town. located in central square (actually, mark sandman square, right next door) in cambridge. the upstairs room is for more local stuff, and they book surprisingly weak acts often. the downstairs does have some cool stuff going on; i went to an all-ages xiu xiu show there a couple weeks back that started at 2 pm. but generally, this place is overrated; their restaurant is often the best part of any given evening there.
t.t. the bear's place: slightly better than the middle east, in my humble opinion, is its lesser-regarded next door neighbor. they like to boast that nirvana played there, but they have had quite a few great acts on their stage. i saw mclusky there twice last year, and it was the perfect venue for that band. booking here can be almost as difficult as the middle east, however, so if your band is gonna tour, i'd try either great scott (very friendly to touring acts) or the lovely o'brien's (see below), depending on what your band's bag is.
o'brien's: located on the corner of harvard ave and cambridge street in allston. this is the place to go if you're into a.) metal and/or punk, b.) bands that fuck shit up, and c.) a dirty and disgusting venue. the same booking agent from the middle east books this place, but he's a bit more open and uses it as a test to see how well you draw. short of the rat (r.i.p.), this is probably the nastiest club in town. just gross.
the paradise: interesting design (wide rooms with balconies and mezzanines) and one of the best sound systems in town. the big room typically books solid bands, but the lounge is spotty.
i'd avoid the abbey lounge; while they have a great stage and decent sound system, they don't book many solid acts. their booking agent performs there several times a month, which goes to show where their head is in that regard. plus, their sound guy was terrible to my drummer; like we're talking rude, condescending comments that are not only unprofessional, but mean.
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