While the Wayside Inn has the feel of a special-occasion place, the Warren Tavern is a completely different animal, instead being a rather small watering hole located in one of the most congested neighborhoods in Boston, though also one of its most beautiful.
Drinks
FIRST LOOK: ELM STREET TAPROOM
Elm Street Taproom—which is not a brewery, by the way—is so scarily like Democracy Brewing in look and feel that the two appear to be like doppelgangers, almost like beer-based versions of, say, Larry David and Bernie Sanders.
ILIADMATIC: ODDS BODKIN BRINGS BARDIC STORYTELLING TO A TRANSFORMED GRENDEL’S DEN
Besides the voices, the sound effects, like wind or foot-stomps and the open-tuned guitars, Bodkin introduces his shows with the sort of accessible yet scholarly lore that eases listeners into his worlds.
FIRST LOOK: EAST OCEAN RESTAURANT IN NORTH QUINCY
On the menu: pork blood with chives, steamed beef tripe, spicy jellyfish, cold chicken feet, pork blood congee (a type of rice porridge), jellied tofu, and shark fin and pork dumplings.
MEET THE NEW SPOTS… SAME AS THE OLD SPOTS
Longtime institutions are closing, but could a new batch be primed to replace them?
UNLIKELY BEVFELLOWS: HOPTEA IS UNEXPECTED, UNNECESSARY, AND MY FAVORITE NEW NONALCOHOLIC INVENTION
Compelling isn’t the most flattering word for a soft drink. It’s not a compliment that I would ordinarily use to describe something meant to be swallowed, but it’s necessary here, because HopTea isn’t something that we knew existed, or that we needed.
HOLIDAY DRINKS: TIKI CHRISTMAS, BOOZY HANUKKAH
Read on to ensure that visions of Kris Kringle Coladas and Manischewitz cobblers dance in your head.
HOLIDAY EATS: ESSENTIAL PIT STOPS AND HIDEAWAYS FOR GREATER BOSTON SHOPPERS
Boston has some vibrant, interesting, and charming neighborhoods where people can do their holiday shopping in a much more enjoyable manner, and there are typically plenty of cozy little local spots to duck in out of the cold to grab a bite to eat or drink.
‘I SAW THOSE ON TV’: METAL CANS, SANTO BLANCO SHOTS, GOOP, AND AL PASTOR TACOS WITH CHIEF PARTY ROCKER GUY FIERI
“I’m a big nacho guy,” Fieri told me. “Who isn’t, right?”
FIRST LOOK: HORSE THIEVES TAVERN, DEDHAM
While some places simply say that their takes are inventive or modern and then offer what everyone else is offering, this spot really does have some interesting takes on New England classics.