Month: March 2018
Crawl In DTX (Part 1)
When we’re not organizing bar crawls, we still find ourselves visiting bars and fun spots around the city.
Downtown Crossing (Part 1 as there are a ton more bars that we need to visit in this area)
Recently we had a birthday party to attend at JJ Foley’s on Kingston Street, so we took the opportunity, as we are wont to do, do have a little bar crawl before hand. We visited some of our favorite places in the Downtown Crossing area for some pre-party food and drinks.
We started at one of our favorites, Marliave. Marliave is a great gem in Downtown Crossing. It’s very old school and French influenced, with a great cocktail program, and daily dollar oyster specials from 4-6 and 9-10. This is one of the few dollar oyster places that will give you a choice of oysters, and not just a single kind. They’re well shucked and were great with the Henry Marliave cocktail (vodka, Lillet Blanc, Chambord, prosecco, lemon). We also split and order of Henry’s Soup. This is a French onion soup filled with tender short rib and melted Gruyere. It was delicious and warming, especially on the cold winter night we were there. It tastes long simmered, with the decadent short rib and melty cheese. Bonus points for the beautiful old fashioned footed crock it comes in. They happily offered to split an order into two bowls, which we weren’t expecting, but was a nice touch. This is truly one of the best French onion in Boston!
After our soup, we headed next door to Barracuda Tavern. This place feels sort of divey, without really being a dive. It has a great beer selection as well as wine and liquor. The staff is very friendly, and they have a solid, seafood leaning food menu. They have a nice selection of bar snacks, and we split an order of bacon wrapped scallops which were tasty and went well with our beers. This is a great, casual hangout in DTX.
Next stop was Mast’ (the confounding apostrophe isn’t a typo). This is a Italian spot that prides itself on its Neapolitan pizza. To start, we had an espresso martini (made with real espresso, not flavored liquor), and a Nutella martini, that, while good, should have been ordered for dessert. We split a pizza with prosciutto, artichokes, and black olives. It was fine, but the sauce was kind of watery, and the crust didn’t seem as crisp as it could have been ,coming from a wood fired oven. It was fine, but there are better pizzas in the area.
We left Mast’ and headed down Province Street four next stop at haley.henry wine bar. This is a charming, tiny restaurant that has friendly staff, and a particularly amazing 90s soundtrack. This restaurant specializes in tinned fish, charcuterie, and wine. The staff is always happy to talk about their wine, and apart from the menu of wines by the glass, they’ll open any bottle as long as you have two glasses. We got the tuna pate, which was served with a whole grain mustard and pickled onions. Before we’ve sampled other tins as well as the charcuterie board, and we’ve never been disappointed. We’re looking forward to the sister restaurant this team is slated to open in Fenway later this year.
Our final stop before the party is the iconic Omni Parker House. There are two bars here, Parker’s and The Last Hurrah. Both are very old school, and specialize in classic cocktails, and playful twists, such as a Boston Crème Pie martini. We suggest getting the real thing if you’re here, the classic Boston crème pie is something not to be missed. Both of these bars cater to locals and tourists alike, and it’s worth a stop in.
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Early Bird SOLD OUT for the Pirate Crawl
Thanks all. You’re the best. The Pirate Crawl / Boston Harbor Party Cruise early bird tickets are now sold out. We’re very much looking forward to seeing you.
Regular tickets are now available.
Cheers -C.I.B.
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Under 10 Early Bird Tickets Left
Just a quick update regarding the Pirate Crawl this June. We’re under 10 early bird tickets. We expect to run out later today or early tomorrow so save your money and sign up now. Cheers -C.I.B.
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Kidding Around for Boston Children’s
This super fun event that benefits Boston Children’s Hospital. Let your inner kid out for a night of games, tasty treats, and all the feel-good memories of when you were young. The best part? Just by acting like a kid, you help sick kids at Boston Children’s Hospital have a chance to play again. See for yourself! $75 for all you can eat, drink and play (ticket prices increase April 1st)! Learn more at HERE
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St. Patrick’s Day Pudding Shots
I always bring something for the Southie Parade Parties. And the St. Patrick’s Day pudding shots are always a crowd favorite.
Here’s the recipe I use
1 small box of INSTANT vanilla pudding
3/4 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Vodka
1/2 Cup Creme de Menthe
8 oz Cool Whip
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The Pirate Bar Crawl / Boston Harbor Cruise
What happens when you mix a Bar Crawl, a Party Cruise and Pirates?
You get the Crawl In Boston Pirate Crawl…YEAR 10!!!!!!!
We never thought we’d make it this far. On Saturday June 16, we’ll be bringing you the 10th edition of the finest themed bar crawls that Boston has to offer. It’s time to kick off the summer with the return of the Pirate Crawl. We are so excited.
One of the stops will take us onto a boat for a scenic trip of the Boston Harbor.
Same as last year, our boat will not be out of the Seaport but instead closer to the Faneuil Hall bars. That said…it’s a smaller boat.
So tickets will be VERY, VERY limited. We will have 50% less than usual.
After the party cruise, we’ll be navigating around Boston to the best bars the city has to offer.
Still not sure? A picture tells a thousand words and we’ve got hundreds of those.
So get your Pirate outfit together and come join us as we Crawl In Boston.
Or if you can’t think of an outfit, we have shirts available on Threadless
Limited Tickets Available between $25.00 – $30.00. The price will increase as the event gets closer and tickets get low.
The registration bar will be e-mailed to ticketed customers the week of the event. The full schedule is released at time of registration. 5 – 7 bars will be included on the event. We don’t release the bar schedule ahead of time as people used to post our schedule online and we got lots of party crashers which made the bars way over capacity.
Admission onto 90 minute Boat Cruise
Pirate Flag
Koozies
Temporary Pirate Tattoos
Photo Booth
No cover charges at any participating bars
Tickets are Will Call meaning your name will be on our Guest List at the door. You can pick up your tickets at one of the scheduled bars beforehand or at the dock.
Tickets include admission onto the ship but there will be cash bar. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable unless the cruise is canceled.
Registration bars will be e-mailed to ticketed customers the week of the event. Always visit crawlinboston.com for the most up to date information.
You will receive the entire schedule when you register in person at the event. We will have 5 – 7 total bars participating. Tickets include admission onto the ship but there will be cash bar. Tickets are non-refundable unless the cruise is canceled.All the bars will be in the Faneuil Hall and Financial District areas. We will let you know your registration bar before the event, and you’ll receive the full schedule when you check in. We want to keep this event as exclusive as possible for your own comfort. Please note, the bars have the right to refuse entry to anyone due to bar capacity or personal incapacity.
Please, please, please don’t wait to join this incredible event. Cheers! -C.I.B
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Crawl In Davis
It had been awhile since I had ventured out to Davis Square so I made the trek across the river. It was a fun day of new, innovative places, and well as old favorite haunts—and in once case, an interesting melding of the two.
I started at a brunch favorite, The Painted Burro. This is a Mexican restaurant, with delicious food, fun drinks, and cool art to look at while you enjoy them. One of the standout brunch drinks is the Hair of the Dog. It’s based off horchata, which is a Mexican rice drink. This version is an iced coffee horchata with shots of RumChata and espresso liquor. It’s sweet and refreshing and does the job implied by the name. We also got a brunch special, El Montanero “Superbeasto”. It’s a hefty plate with 2 fried eggs, fried plantains, rice, beans, chorizo and chicharron, topped with Baja cream and chipotle mayo. This is not for the faint at heart (and probably not good for your heart), but it’s filling, tasty, and provides a good base for a day of mixological adventuring.
My next stop is a Davis mainstay, Sligo. This is a quintessential dive bar in all the best ways. Dark, kind of dingy, with graffiti on the walls, this is a great place to get a cheap beer and hang out. Their food offering involve a selection of chips, so you’re welcome to bring in your own food (note- we don’t know if this is an official policy, but people were bringing in their own food with abandon and no one said anything, so it seems legit). One note, this place is cash only so hit up the ATM before you head in (they do have one inside in case you forget).
Our next stop was Meju, a new Korean spot on Elm St. It’s a clean, bright space with a bar and a fairly big dining room. The menu features Korean favorites such as bibimbap and bulgolgi, along with dumplings and steamed buns. Here we had a bottle of soju, which is a Korean distilled liquor we had been newly acquainted with. It comes either plain for flavored, and we had grapefruit. You drink it neat from small cups, reminiscent of sake.
We ventured to Orleans, which a little outside the square on Holland St. This is a casual spot with lots of happenings, like Taco Tuesday, forty cent wing night on Thursdays, and live music through out he weekend. It’s a good, casual standby.
Next we went to Sacco’s candlepin bowling alley, or, as it’s now known, Flatbread Company. Flatbread Company took it over several years ago and added a wood fired pizza oven and an expansive bar (made out of the bowling lanes that used to be there. They have an extensive beer and drink list. In addition to beers, we tried the chocolate raspberry martini (which was sort of thick, like a milkshake consistency), and an absolutely delicious warm apple cider with whiskey, served in a koozie-wrapped Mason jar. This place was hopping, and would be a great night out with good food, good drinks, and candle pin bowling.
We continued to Saloon, a speakeasy located under Foundry on Elm. This is a dim, sleek space, with a well though out layout. The bar is small, but the corners are rounded out so small groups can sit comfortably. The drinks here are well crafted and thoughtful, without sacrificing deliciousness. One of the standout drinks we tried was the Cask of Amontillado (we can never pass up a Poe reference), which made with rye, Amontillado sherry, cacao, and pimento. We also had some surprisingly fun bar snacks for such an upscale place, including the tasty fried pickles and the chef’s popcorn of the day, which on this particular day was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. We would highly checking this place out if you’re looking for a great atmosphere and really well made drinks.
Our penultimate stop was Rosebud Café, a well known staple of Davis. Here we had the most whimsical drink of the day, the PB&J, made with Rittenhouse Rye, Peanut Butter Orgeat, Lejay Cassis and lemon, and topped off with a mini PB&J sandwich. Drinks with a snack area always a plus, but this was a very adult take on the childhood staple.
Our final stop was another classic Davis establishment, The Burren. This is a classic pub with live music. It’s a spirited, fun atmosphere. It’s a staple for a reason, and it’s hard not to enjoy yourself when you’re there. On this stop, we enjoyed some good beers and some fun Irish music up front, while the line built up in anticipation of the opening of the back room.
Our day in Davis was lively and full of great drinks with good friends, and we hardly scratched the surface. There are scores of other great places in the area that are worth checking out. If you don’t get to Davis very much, make the effort to get there, it has a lot of fun to offer!
crawlinboston.com 