Sweet and Sour in Boston

Quick! What are your two favorite things? If you’re anything like me, those two things are BEER and BACON. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered eatBoston’s Beer and Bacon Festival! It started at 2 so at around 1:45 we walked over to the Trolley Barn and got into line. The line, btw, was ridic. Can’t say I’m surprised, who doesn’t love beer and bacon? We ended up getting into the barn around 2:30ish and by 3:45 the line had all but disappeared. So what to do first? Eat? Drink? We ended up drinking first because that was closest. We tried a tasty organic beer by Peak Organic and then made our way to Gaslight’s table for beignets dipped in mustard. SO tasty. Since we were in early enough, every table still had food. We tried pork belly BLTs, bacon with potato chips, and then my second favorite, chocolate covered bacon. Heaven. We made our way around and tried Fisherman’s beer from Gloucester, pork belly Viet syle from 51 Lincoln, beer from Moby D (“it’s just beer”), and then wandered around some more. We tried Myers and Chang’s “Banh Mi”.I wouldn’t consider it a banh mi, per se, but it was still very tasty and very spicy and the bread was right. This is where things begin to get fuzzy. I blame the Narragansett…We tasted these awesome steamed buns stuffed with egg, cheese, and bacon and topped with candied bacon. If I could eat these every day for breakfast I’d be a happy girl. I’d also, however, be the size of a house and probably die from cardiac arrest.
Next up, a giant line. What is this line? We have no idea, but since it’s long it has to be something good, right? We waited for an eternity…or at least after all the beers I’d had it felt that way. Seriously though, what are we going to eat? No one knows. And those walking by just keep saying, it’s totally worth it. We get to the line and it’s…RIBS! Scrumptious. I ate them in about 30 seconds all the while wishing I had more, but not wanting to wait in the line again.
We noticed Tiffani, the newest chef at Rocco, and Top Chef Season 1 finalist. I had heard she was the new chef and, to be honest, upon hearing it, I wasn’t that impressed. She was mean on that show and I wasn’t sure if her food could trump her attitude. Amazing what Bravo’s editing can make you believe. Anyway, so we see her table and try her bacon. It’s DELICIOUS and by far my favorite bacon of the night. It was perfectly cooked bacon, crispy with a bacon ranch horseradish (I think) aioli on top. We chatted with her for a bit and she was very pleasant. Now that niceness could be an act, but it was enough to make me want to at least try her cooking at Rocco.
We hung around a little bit more and ate and drank what was left. While standing there, we people watched and I found some of my favorite T-Shirts. The winners are:
3. A slab of bacon with a “Hello my name is Kevin” tag.
2. A hamburger with a voice bubble that says “I want to be inside you”
And then my favorite of the day:
1. Reelect Clay Davis – Maryland State Senate

While people watching, our attractive and hilarious friend Sarah laid eyes on a handsome chap. He was wearing a gray cardigan with a green and yellow design piping the button area. By the time she got up the courage to speak to him, he was gone! He was with a taller gentleman in, I believe, a blue shirt. If you are him, or know him, get in touch! You should meet my friend!

I definitely had a BLAST at BEER AND BACON Fest. I hope they have another one next year because I would definitely attend again! Thank you eatBoston for a great event!
I give it a 4.5 out of 5!

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Top 5 (okay 6) favorite bars. This is a small list as most of my favorite bars are mentioned in my top ten restaurants to frequent. (i.e. On the Hill Tavern, Bonfire, etc)

Again, it’s not in any particular order as my tastes and moods are always changing.

Bacco. North End. Also known as “The $11 mojito place”. They make the best mojitos I’ve had in Boston. They also crafted a drink after the coconut-chocolate girl scout cookie. I think they’re called samoas. It’s sweet and tastes just like the cookie (!) but unlike the cookie, it gives you a great buzz (bonus!). The bartenders are friendly and also make terrific Belvedere and tonics. At least we think they do…It’s a cool bar if you’re in the mood to have a couple of drinks, but if it’s one of those nights where you’d like to drink a lot, I’d suggest going someplace cheaper. It’s very easy to stay at this bar for hours, just adding drinks to your tab and come midnight when your tab is over $200, it's a bit of a downer. However, by this point you’ve had 5 or 6 (or 9) drinks and you can fret about the cost in the morning.

Kennedy’s. Downtown Crossing. Cold Guinness. Irish bartenders. And Ken. Kennedy’s is a chill bar with good people, good beer, good food and nudie hunt. My favorite nights are the nights when Ken plays cover songs. If you go, ask him to play Crazy, the Gnarls Barkley version, not the Seal version, although that’s good too. Chances are, I’m there and I’ve already requested it, but hey, more requests won’t hurt. He also plays a mean version of TLC’s “Waterfalls”. His version is so stellar, you’re halfway through the song before you realize what you’re singing along to. I also like going on random nights when it’s not too crowded. Kennedy’s is a bar you can go to with a date and actually hear each other talk. And if conversation is lacking, you can always play erotic photo hunt for 50 cents.

JJ Foleys. South End. PBR on tap. I don’t need to say anything further. But I will. No frills. I like that my feet stick to the floor, less chance of me slipping if I’m stuck. Bartenders are always nice. Haven’t eaten off the menu, but don’t really need to. There are games in the back. And like On the Hill Tavern, there is always a game shown on TV. On St Patty’s they serve corned beef sandwiches and a pint. Heaven.

Pho Republic. South End. If you can get a spot at the bar, it’s awesome. If you have to stand, it’s still awesome, but you have to watch out for the busy waitresses running drinks and food. The bartenders make excellent mixed drinks. Recently I tried the cherry sake mojito. Splendid. Their prices are on par with the area ($10-$12) for specialty drinks. However, their vodka & sodas are under $10 which was a pleasant surprise. Griff and Lisa work Thursday & Friday nights. They are exceptional bartenders. Their personalities are as fantastic as the drinks they mix.

Boston Beerworks. North Station. Maybe it’s because I’m sappy and JP and I had our first date there. Maybe it's because it’s the first time I ever watched the Sooners play. Maybe it’s because their beer is so tasty. Who knows? Whatever the reason, I like this bar. They have homemade brews, which I love. I love breweries. I also love when they allow you to have samples of 4 or 5 of the beers on tap. I can try more without paying more! If I get two samples, that’s 10 brews for the price of 2! Obviously it’s the same amount of beer as 2 beers, but who cares? Variety is the spice of life or something like that. The food is pretty good too. Nachos, burgers, chicken fried steak. Something for everyone, unless you’re a vegetarian, but no one really cares about them anyway.

Peoples Republik. Central. Cool crowd, cheap beer, and they have darts. Lots of them. So you can have tournaments against your friends and make them buy you beer when you win. The food, especially the o-rings, is tasty. Their assortment of beer is delightful; I’m a happy girl when I can find Magic Hat on tap. Another plus is the bathroom. Generally it’s clean and it’s larger than most bathrooms. Just be careful if you’re walking to it, you can walk right into the middle of a dart game and take one to the head. Not that that’s happened to me or anything.



Honorable Mentions: Goody Glovers (for trivia!), The BHP, Delux, The Times, An Tua Nua (any bar that allows for flip-cup tournaments gets an A in my book)