Posted on Fri, Oct 16, 2009
by Sully
Boston’s Mayor Menino recently held a press conference in our back yard (literally, right outside our window, on Fay Street in the South End). Menino was in our ‘hood to announce a new initiative with the Boston Police Department to proactively address neighborhood issues with crime and work to improve the neighborhood’s overall quality of life.
You may be asking yourself, of all the streets in Boston, why Fay Street? It’s because the residents of East Berkeley, Fay and surrounding streets are some of the most conscious of their surroundings. Residents recently formed a neighborhood watch program that is the most proactive in the city – demanding that the city and police department listen and react to their requests. Kudos to them for making a difference and getting results.
The conference was a call to action for Boston residents. The city would like its people to take an active role in reporting petty crime and social and physical disorders like abandoned buildings, graffiti, litter and vacant lots. As city dwellers, we sometimes become accustomed to metro living and ignore empty lots, graffiti, etc. Maybe you aren’t accustomed to it – maybe you are actually sick of it. Well, this is an opportunity to take more of an initiative to clean up your home, and actually see results. The BPD will compile, review, analyze and map this data to identify “hot spots.” The city can then focus on those areas that generate the biggest amount of citizen complaints for quality of life issues – addressing small problems before they become bigger ones.
This is great news for many neighborhoods in Boston that often see a lot of the same issues – loitering, street harassment, vandalizing, etc. The BPD will enlist and dispatch Community Service Officers, who will use community meetings and visits to help solve these recurring problems. Take advantage of this and get involved! If you see anything in your neighborhood or around the Bean, contact the Mayor’s Hotline (617-635 -4500) or by visiting the City’s website or reading the release.
Thanks for the drop by, Menino!
Posted on Wed, Aug 19, 2009
by Mariana
We are in the middle of an economic recession and if anyone has felt its harsh effects, it is the restaurant business. To be more specific: upscale, pricey restaurants. You can walk into many places that once had waiting lists seven days a week, to find empty tables and servers walking around with nothing to do. For this reason, many restaurants now rely on Restaurant Week to bring in more customers.
More than 200 Boston-area restaurants participate in Restaurant Week. For $33.09 (Dinner) or $20.09 (Lunch), guests can choose an appetizer, a main course and a dessert from a prix-fixe menu. Considering that these are the prices of just one dish at many of the places, this is a fantastic deal.
As someone who has worked many Restaurant Weeks over the years at the recently closed, South End icon, Icarus, I can report that the clientele for Restaurant Week has changed given the current economy. Many folks that used to eat at fine dining establishments on a regular basis now have no choice but to dine only during specials like these.
The good news is that since Restaurant Week does such a great job of bringing in diners, places such as Pigalle, Sibling Rivalry and Sel De La Terre have extended the special through the whole month of August. Don’t miss your chance to try out some good eats, but rest assured that with the economy as it is, there will probably be many more affordable prix-fixe menus to come.
Posted on Thu, Jul 16, 2009
One of the best things about living in Boston is access to fresh seafood. You can get fresh fish and chips year round and dollar oysters on the half-shell. There is NO excuse for eating bisque or chowder out of a can. After all, nearly every restaurant has its own take on the New England recipe.
For the past 28 years, Fourth of July weekend has meant three things: fireworks, sunburns and Chowderfest! Eight Boston-area restaurants competed this year, serving up hot chowder during one of the first sunny and warm weekends of summer. The Yankee Lobster Fish Market’s mascot donned a bright red lobster costume, complete with oversized claws, while handing out coupons to patrons. Maxi dresses, boat shoes and fanny packs stood in line to try each restaurant’s offerings. Even children scampered around looking for their own taste of chowder.
Much to my dismay, the samples were similarly “child-like” and not given out by the bread bowl. One of my best friends from Maryland came in town and was excited until she saw the lines. Actually, the $10 cover did not even buy a full bowl of chowder since the samples were given out in two or four ounce cups. You could, however, taste your samples with all the hot sauce and oyster crackers you wanted. Chowder tasters made comments about the spices, the consistency of the base and the potato-to-clam ratio, and voted as they exited the event. Our favorite was from the Algonquin Club, who sadly, did not even make the top three. They were the only offering with bacon! We weren’t alone in our feelings of disappointment. Several comments were made via Twitter about the event.
@Cavecibum shared our love for bacon and disappointment with some of the showings, “Thoroughly enjoyed Chowderfest, even though most of the samples were not great http://bit.ly/nXigY
@Hot_in_Boston said, “If you like crowds, tourists & waiting in lines for little cups of chowder then DEFINITELY go to Chowderfest.”
@Munchmylunch said, “I feel robbed that Ned Devine’s won Chowderfest (http://bit.ly/W5ZiL). Yankee Lobster Co. was the best hands down!”
That’s right, the final count awarded Ned Devine’s Irish Pub the first place title. Ned Devine’s also won first place in 2004 and 2005, earning them a place in the Chowderfest “Hall of Fame,” which means they are no longer eligible to compete.
Do you have a favorite place to eat chowder? Nominate them for Chowderfest 2010 by emailing festival@bostonharborfest.com!
Posted on Thu, Jun 18, 2009
by Sully
I love the Paradise. (Affectionately, thedise.com) It’s a great venue to see both up-and-coming and established acts, right in the city. You can buy tickets at the box office and avoid the additional fees from Live Nation. You can always find a great place to stand during the show, there’s hardly a bad view in the house. Maybe I love it so much because I’ve always seen stellar performances there… Well, either way, every Bostonian should experience a concert at the Paradise, so go do your part!
This Wednesday, I had the pleasure of listening to a few hours of tunes from the French alternative rock band, Phoenix. Playing together since 1996, their first album was released in 2000, featuring one of their most popular singles “If I Ever Feel Better.” They knew they wanted to be popular in the U.S., so despite French being their first language, wrote and recorded all of their songs in English. It may have taken them a while, but nine years and five albums later, the band is really starting to take off in the States. In fact, they just played on SNL on April 4… Check ‘em out!
Posted on Mon, Apr 06, 2009
by Sully
You probably read about it this morning on the T, or maybe you overheard people speculating at Dunkin’ Donuts… Is the Boston Globe shutting down and moving to online only? A Boston staple; imagining this city without its daily print publication is like imagining Fenway without the Green Monster. Some say it’s just a threat, that it is merely a tactic the Times is using to scare the Globe into making severe cuts, and fast. Nevertheless, no paper is safe and it will be interesting to see what concessions the paper makes to stay in the game.