Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar

Look, I'm a regular, here, I venture in on Sunday afternoons (for lunch), and Wednesday, late afternoons (for Happy Hour).  Yesterday (Sunday, July 14th, 2013), I stopped-in to have lunch with my favorite bartender, Jackie.  BIG MISTAKE!  You see, Boston's is in the middle of a "rotation."  When I arrived, PROMPTLY, at eleven o'clock in the morning, I was greeted by the manager, who informed me that, "my bartender didn't show up, this morning."  Hhhhhmmmmm, I said to myself, THAT'S not like Jackie!  As it turns out, Jackie's regular shift was now going to be worked by "John."  Who was late.  THAT'S what a "rotation" is, as I learned.  The hard way.  So, I was handed a Miller Lite pint draft by a server.  So, I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally, a rather tall, young man took his place behind the bar (11:30?).  He said his name was John.  After re-filling my pint glass, he went to work setting-up the bar.  As he worked, I asked him, "how much notice did they give you, this morning, that you were working for Jackie?"  He replied, that he knew since the week prior.  Hhhhhhmmmmm?  And he's late?  Hhhhhhmmmmm?  This bit of information didn't bode well for the afternoon!  So, John continued to set-up the bar.
I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Hey, I'm just a customer, I've got LOTS of free time on my hands!  When John, the bartender, was done setting-up the bar, he took my food order, which was a triple decker Club Sandwich, with french fries.  Did he give me silverware, to eat with?  No.  A napkin, to wipe my hands with?  Again, no.  Condiments (ketchup) for the french fries?  Again, no.  Did he socialize with me?  No.  Did he try to make nice with me?  No.  When my food order arrived (via the same server who brought me my first beer), I had to get-up, and walk halfway around the bar in order to get ketchup for my french fries.  John, you see, was too busy for me.  I was his ONLY customer, by the way!!  So, after simmering for a spell (I was getting pissed-off!), I asked John, the bartender, for my check.  I paid it, leaving John a thirty-nine cent tip, and then I strolled-out, visibly angry!!  I also left a half-eaten meal.  Will I return?  Yes, when Jackie (or one of the OTHER regular bartenders) is on duty.  If I EVER return and find "John" behind the bar, though, I'm going to "rotate" myself out the door, and down to Mulligan's Tavern, on the other side of town!

I came here with a few people to wait on the rest of the group. What attracted me to this place was that they had 2 dollar beers. I do love a good bargain for fun so we sat by the bar and ordered some wings and the queso dip. The cheese dip was DISGUSTING.It was like really bad cheese mix cooked down way too much. After 5 minutes of it being at the table it solidified into a glob of hell. The "chips" they give you are just fried flour tortillas that tasted a bit weird. HOWEVER the wings were not that bad, We ordered half roasted and half fried. I was trying to behave since I was having beer. The fried wings were definitely better( of course I had to try one) But I think the roasted ones would have been better if I asked them to cook them well done so that the skin was able to crisp up a bit. The skin was so soft and not very good.

In conclusion: Get the 2 Dollar beers.. after 8 on Tuesdays the Miller Lights are 50 cents a pint(WOW) and get the wings fried or try them well done roasted. BUT PLEASE DO NOT get the cheese dip !!!!!

Boston's is about three miles from where I live, and in all the time it's been open, I believe I've been here on three occasions.  On each of those, it was because I was dragged here by an old friend who likes to watch hot, sweaty men roll around on the floor and dry hump one another, by which I mean he is a fan of the UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship.  There may or not be more to that affinity, but it's none of my business and I don't care one way or the other.  

I, myself, am not a fan.  But I am always happy for an opportunity to have a few beers outside of my home, finding as I do that the number of said opportunities shrink at a rate  inversely proportionate to my advancing age.  For you UFC types that are not interested in the blatantly homoerotic aspect of the sport, that means the older I get, the less I get to go out, and I ain't that choosy.  I was going to add a "duh" somewhere in there, but instead, I will simulate the sound of knuckles dragging on pavement.  This I will do by pulling two frozen Cornish Game Hens by a string while walking across concrete and breathing heavily through my mouth.  [insert link to mp3 audio clip]

Okay, enough about UFC.  I doesn't matter to me what sport anyone is interested in, what orifice they breathe through, or whether they watch it from a closet or a barstool.  To each his own.  Back to Boston's.

I've never eaten here, so I can't comment on the food, though there is something on the menu called Loaded Cactus Cuts that is described as "Thinly sliced potatoes lightly tossed in chipotle seasoning, crispy fried and topped with Alfredo sauce, diced tomatoes, bacon, mozzarella cheese and green onions. Finished with a drizzle of hot sauce and ranch dressing."  They sound utterly disgusting and awesome, and I could be tempted by them.

They have a pretty typical selection of staple and seasonal draughts from what I could see, with no groundbreaking offerings; when I was in here the other night and inquired as to what they had on tap, the response was a terse "A lot."  That will tell you something about the service.  They were also $6 a pop, which I think is a bit expensive for the neighborhood in the off season.  I ended up ordering what I was able to see that wasn't totally run of the mill, which was firstly a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (yuck), followed by an Angry Orchard Cider.  Then, the band came on, which forced us to leave.  They were an AC/DC cover outfit whose name escapes me, probably because I blocked it out.  I don't like AC/DC when it's the real thing, so a crappy knock-off wasn't doing it for me at all.  My friend was on the other side of the coin: he does like them, and his ears were offended and insulted by every note they played, each one far too loud for such a small space  Plus, it turned out, they weren't even showing the fights.

The bar is large and square with ample seating.  There are booths along one side, cafe tables along the other, and the room is way too well lit.  Every seat has a view of a flat screen television, so it really is a good place to watch a sporting event.  There is also a cool little porch out front with a gas fireplace and overhead ceramic heaters, creating a cold weather haven for detestable smokers like myself.  The restaurant is completely partitioned from the bar, so I imagine that if you came to sit down and eat, you would be well insulated from the goings on next door.  Perhaps tellingly, the bar was packed, and the restaurant was empty.

My friend moved away this very day, so I may never have occasion to set foot in Boston's again.  If I should, I'll make sure to try those chips so can offer some kind of an update or a tip.  As it stands, my tip is patronize McIntyre's instead.