Two Nights in Boston - Need great beer and grub?

[yankeefan]

I will be in Boston from Sunday to Tuesday and am looking for the best selections to hit in that Ill be there on my own for business and would love to hit a place with good food (preferably some simple seafood offerings) and an amazing beer selection.

I will probably one night hit the Publick House in Brookline for a couple mussel pots and some amazing Belgian beer on tap. Thats almost always a must-hit whenever I drive into the area from NJ. Ive had good experiences in Boston and would love to try something new.

I will be staying at the Westin Copley and will have a car. Close would be nice but Id be more than willing to drive for somewhere worthwhile (Cambridge, etc..)

Thanks to all the beantown hounds- please ignore my chow ID.

[cardoza.k]

A quality local spot with a sizeable beer menu and solid grub can be had at Penguin Cafe in Brigham Circle. With over 200 beers (almost 40 on draft), your beer desires will be met with a full ranging menu including some very hard to find bottles. The Penguin is a pizza joint. They do some interesting styles of thin greasy pizza, including my favorite, the Duck Confit. They also have a good selection of wraps, paninis, and pasta dishes. The beer crowd rolls in later in the evening, but if you want good beer and solid grub, Penguin is a great take.

[mick_t]

And there's the Squealing Pig out near there too, with some of the cheapest prices in imported beers, and quite good bar food. The beer list isn't as big as the Publick House, but it's quite extensive and a fair bit cheaper and the food might even be a bit cheaper.

[jgg13]

A relatively newer option that hasn't been mentioned is Atwoods in East Cambridge (on cambridge st). Their beer list isn't as phenomenal as the Publick House and not as broad as Bukowski or Sunset, but the atmosphere (and quality of the beer) is better than the latter two places. Their food has been a hit every time I've been there (plus many other favorable reviews that I've seen). Also, scanning down the list of other responses, their beer list stands up I'd say "at least on par with" all of the better beer places mentioned in this thread and is heads & tails above some of the wackier selections.

It does tend to get pretty crowded/loud during "drinkin' time" but if you're there for dinner it'd be a great place to go.

As for your name: I'm just assuming you really dig people from above the mason-dixon line!

[PaulB]

More beery than food but my favorite local spots for interesting draft beer lists beside Publick House are Redbones BBQ (Davis Sq Somerville) and Deep Ellum (Allston). Check Beerfly for Boston on Beeradvocate.com for more suggestions.

[mick_t]

And Deep Ellum's food is (or was last time I went) somewhat better than Redbones.

[globalevent]

Second Deep Ellum for beer selection.

[ghostcat]

Hi YankeeFan-- I'm sorry about my directions, I thought you were staying at the Eliot form something I had read earlier. It's still easy to get out to Kenmore Sq. Just take the T outbound from Copley, or if you drive, they have valet. Enjoy!

[mick_t]

By the time he drives there, goes past Kenmore square and find an intersection where he can make a turn he could have walked there. My advise is; Boston is small enough to walk, or T it and get a taxi back, and then you can really enjoy the beer to it's fullest! ;)

[ghostcat]

B&G Oysters is very good and very expensive. I sugguest that you head to Eastern Standard at the Hotel Commonwealth. The "G" of B&G is Garret, former partner of Barbara (Lynch). Great selection of wines and beers, an outdoor patio that is the best in town, I've seen a group of well dressed educators (I'm guessing) having an outdoor lunch there in January under the heated lamps. If you sit in the patio, please leave your Yankee hat under the table if the hordes from a Red Sox game pass you by after a game. Depends on how late you dine. There is a good assortment of seafood dishes to chose from, but the mussells are great. It's a ten minute walk from your hotel or one stop away on the Green LIne outbound from the Hynes Station.

[brentk]

I just had dinner and a beer at Eastern Standard last night. While it was very good, I did not mention it in my previous post as there was not much seafood on the menu. There was a salmon entree and a few apps, including mussels and fried calamari - that's it.

I did have a nice bottle of Hop Rod Rye with my dinner, though.

[Dax]

Is there not still a raw bar?

[yumyum]

There is still a raw bar. Now that you mention it, though, I didn't notice it listed on the menu. But I wasn't really paying attention last Friday night.

[sailormouth]

I've been pretty happy with ES' beer selection as well, not massive but there are always at least a few I haven't tried, along with a few standbys (I like the Maudite a lot). The raw bar is good, if a little on the steep side. It's a nice walk or a cheap taxi to your hotel, so it would be a good spot to have more than a few and not have to worry about driving.

[cimui]

especially if you're heading to brookline anyway, go to washington square tavern and kill two birds with one stone: it has excellent beers and wines and excellent food to match. it can get crowded, but if i remember correctly, you can call ahead to reserve.

the tavern is right off of the green line. since parking's hard to find around there and you don't want to have to worry about driving, after, anyway, it's not a bad idea to take the train.

[vballgal]

i second the washington square tavern rec for great food and atmosphere - they also have wonderful mussels although the menu isn't super heavy on seafood offerings

[steinpilz]

Publick House has an amazing seafood waterzooi (more shrimp, scallops, mussels, and fish, in a beer/cream sauce, than I could eat comfortably in one sitting) plus their famous beer selection and great atmosphere.

Charley's Kitchen in Harvard Square has a good "twin lobster roll + fries" for $10 and good beers.

Salty Dog at Quincy Market has good oysters and fried seafood (scallops) w/beer.

East Coast Grill in Inman Sq has a variety of very good grilled fish/seafood (with decent beers) and Bukowski's next door has a great beer selection.

Bukowski's in Back Bay has the same great beer list and the Summer Shack next door has decent oysters, fried clams, and lobster.

Neptune Oyster has very good oysters and fish, good beers, and also good wines.

[brentk]

I went to Neptune Oyster tonight for dinner. Great crab cakes caprese and lots of good raw bar stuff.

Beer selection was just OK, however. I had an Allagash White. Like I said, you have to make a compromise between great seafood and great beer.

[jgg13]

I assumed that with him saying "good food" and "amazing beer" that any compromise would lean towards the beer :)

[yankeefan]

Yes, that I agree to. that is why Publick House is always the fallback.

[brentk]

B&G Oysters in the South End.

http://www.bandgoysters.com/

A little bit more upscale than the typical seafood joint, but they also have a few nice beers on the list as well.