Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I'm back! (with some good deals to share, of course)

Well folks, I tied the knot and now it's back to business! Thanks for your patience :)

First things first - Happy Halloween!! What a great time of year to be in New England...the leaves crunching underfoot, the smell of pumpkin muffins baking in the oven, and the opportunity to pull out all the boots and sweaters you've been dying to wear! Not to mention the 5 lbs of candy that is currently in my belly...whoops.

So you ask - where to? Well as luck would have it, I recently moved to the outskirts of the city and have been hard at work discovering some gems in Brighton, Brookline, Newton and Watertown. We'll start with the last - to Watertown we go!

Amid the wonders to be found at the Arsenal & Watertown Malls (home depot, target, express, forever 21, and a decently stocked dollar store to name a few), J and I passed by Miller's Ale House a few times and it piqued my curiosity. Now apparently this place is a chain, but if I had to put their food up against Chili's or Applebee's, they'd win hands down, any day of the week.

This particular branch is less than a year old, so they are still getting their feet wet, but I'll give you five good reasons to check it out:

1. We Love Sports In Boston: The trouble is that a lot of the sports bars are tiny and crowded. And while I admit that sticky floors and waiting in line with 15 other ladies to use a tiny, gross bathroom has its charm - I don't mind having an alternative. With dozens of big screen TVs, 2 full bars, high tops, booths, and tables, this place can accommodate a you and all your besties on game day.

2. Free Parking All Night Long: The Ale House is attached to a huge public parking garage. We casually asked the host what would happen if our car should remain in said garage for an entire evening, and we were to come back for it the next day. He told us it wouldn't be a problem. So that's just hearsay, and I haven't tried it yet because I haven't needed to - but free parking, with the option to cab it home and find your car safe and sound in a garage the next morning? Yes, please.

3. Better Than Average Chain Food: I won't say this place has blown my mind with their dishes - but I will say their prices are reasonable, and everything I've tried has been tasty. Packie had a "Zingers Salad" last night, which is just a nice big salad with boneless buffalo wings on top. She ordered them medium, and they didn't have much kick at all. I'll report back when we man up and order them hot. RedBull got herself some fajitas and they definitely held their own. My cobb salad was nothing fancy, but it was ginormous and had all the proper toppings. I suppose the point here is - food is definitely not a reason NOT to come here.

4. Trivia Tuesdays: Before you tell me you suck at trivia, or that you're a Stump! trivia pro and it's available somewhere else on Tuesdays - let me just tell you, neither case is applicable here. This isn't Stump!, and it isn't a crappy spin off of Stump!, and it's worth going just for the entertainment value even if you do, in fact, suck. This bad ass dude in a leather hat comes in and asks for letters, numbers, categories, 90s sitcoms...you get the idea...literally ANYTHING you come up with, he has a trivia question for. Everyone at the bar can participate by just shouting out answers, and the first to get it right wins a tshirt, or a hat, or if you're really baller and win the last question - a cocktail shaker. Between Packie, RedBull and I, we ended up with 3 new shirts. Here's the one I got right: Category was cars. Question: "What car could most easily be affiliated with Steve Erwin?" Answer: Sting Ray. :)

Still not sold? Well, drum roll please for my last and final pitch...

5. Cheap Alcohol: Ding Ding Ding!! This place has the most amazing drink specials I've ever seen. A small Absolut and soda is $3.50...a tall is $7. They have $2 tall boys, $6 pitchers of Miller Light, as well as specials on Jameson, Captain, Cuervo...you get the idea. Last night we had dinner and drank through the entire Celts game for a grand total of ~$35 each (and I don't think I need to explain how much I like to drink and that this is a pretty sweet deal?)

Anywho - I'm clearly all amped up about this place and have yet to find a fatal flaw.

That's all for now!

Mrs. Little B ;)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A Break from Blogging - but a Few Good Spots to Try!!

Hi all,

I know it's been forever since I posted, but I have good reason!

I recently got engaged and between work, wedding planning, and all the dining/drinking you know I love to do, my blog seems to have taken a backseat. :(

But not to fret! Every day I find more wonderful places that I can't want to tell you all about, just as soon as this wedding business stops taking over my life!

So hang tight...I'll be back...

In the meantime - check out the awesome gems in the city I've discovered in the last several months:


Tavern in the Square in Allston - lovingly also called "TITS"...this is a HUGE bar where the Kells and another building used to be so they knocked down the wall in between, absolutely huge...great bartenders, trivia mid-week, great place to watch a game, OH and they also have a decent brunch on the weekends!




Red Lantern - asian fusion restaurant next to backbay station, a bit on the pricey side, but very cool ambiance...would be great for a big group dinner as they have the lazy-susan wheels to share food


Temazcal Cantina - awesome new mexican place in the Seaport District. Their menu is an ipad - which is very cool because you can look up all ingredients (in case of allergies), or find out the history of the dish (in case you're a huge nerd like me!). they have waterfront tables, I highly recommend it for a romantic evening


























Osaka Japanese Sushi and Steak House - super fun idea for a birthday party...this place is a hibachi steakhouse. the food was reasonable and decent - but you really go here for the show (i.e. food flinging and sake spraying into your mouth, onion volcanoes, and my favorite - scorpion bowls!

If you have questions/comments on any of these places, by all means let me know and I'll be happy to give you more detailed info!

Ci vediamo (we'll see each other soon)
Little B