West Side Lounge
A weekend brunch can be the perfect start to the day. Hence, we headed over to the West Side Lounge (WSL), a pleasant five minute walk along Massachusetts Avenue from either the Harvard or Porter Square T stop.
Central Kitchen
Where to eat in Central Square? A bevy of new eating options has accompanied the gentrification of this gritty neighborhood. But on an overcast Saturday evening in May, after a lengthy day in the lab, we chose to return to an old favorite — the Central Kitchen. This small bistro-sized space has been drawing Central Square hipsters and guidebook-clutching tourists alike for 11 years and seems to continue strong. The restaurant describes itself as “devoted to the rustic Mediterranean style,” particularly of France, Spain and Italy, although French influence seems to be the strongest at present.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ A Poignant and Conflicted Playboy
The International Playboy is a short interlude into an individual’s journey towards self-discovery and strips away the glamour of what everyone envisions as the ‘perfect life’. The whole span of the movie is a mere 92 minutes.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ In Spite of Anachronisms, Ice Age 3 Exceeds Expectations
The new installment of the Ice Age franchise is a wonderful surprise for kids and adults alike, successfully overcoming the dilution effect that commonly plagues many sequels. Although the anachronistic premise — mammoths facing off dinosaurs — is quite hard to forgive, the movie is imbued with delicious humor, snappy dialogue, and a freshness of ideas that is bound to satisfy even the pickiest audiences.
Addis Red Sea
The adventurous date would love the idea of Addis Red Sea: enjoying Ethiopian cuisine with your hands, huddled on stools around woven tables called mesob.
28 Degrees
After hearing that oysters are an aphrodisiac, I decided to give them a shot at 28 Degrees during the one dollar oyster special, which runs 5-7 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, and 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Franklin Cafe
At first glance, Franklin Café seems like a safe choice for a first date. With its black leather booths and deep red walls, the ambiance is spot-on.
Tapeo
When my friends took me out for tapas the first time, I was told it was like Spanish dimsum. Unlike dimsum, though, tapas make a great evening date. I prefer eating tapas at a bar for the prompt refills of my sangrias. In Boston, many restaurants offer cheap tapas specials at the bar. Tapeo’s go for $5.
Union Bar and Grille
On the recommendation of a friend, I ventured to Union Bar and Grille for a good meal on a pleasant, late spring morning. Placing our reservation for 11 a.m., my girlfriend and I trekked to the trendy restaurant in South End. I immediately noticed that with my polo shirt tucked into khaki slacks, I had overdressed: All around me, hipsters were wearing tight-fitting t-shirts or wife beaters with skinny jeans.
I PHUCKING LOVE THIS BAND
In front of me, someone’s taking an early pre-show hit from a marijuana pipe; behind me is third base. I’m shivering in the light drizzle of the 50-degree weather as thousands of people pour into Fenway Park. Everyone’s wondering the same thing: What song will they open with?
ARTS FEATURE Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Donal Fox to Teach at MIT
For musicians, it’s easy to get caught up within a genre. Classical musicians tend to find jazz messy and undisciplined. Jazz musicians find classical music square. Pop musicians find both groups stuffy and academic. Both groups stereotype pop as superficial and uninventive.
CD AND WEBSITE REVIEW Stellar Songs From the Purple One
So first you have to figure out how to get in.
RESTAURANT REVIEW The Wine Cellar
School is finished, and the summer is upon us. Who wouldn’t want to visit the cheese capital of the world — beautiful France — with her rolling countryside and complex wines? Fortunately, Thierry Charles of The Wine Cellar, the fondue restaurant located conveniently across the Harvard Bridge, has brought France to Back Bay. With its exposed brick and wrought iron, The Wine Cellar is a very cozy place, perfect for intimate gatherings of close friends and family and even better for getting to know a new group of people. The cook-it-yourself fondue style fosters conversation and makes the meal feel more like a group activity than a simple dinner.
RESTAURANT REVIEW Great Appetizers and Outstanding Entrees
The moment you walk in the door of KO Prime, the well-acclaimed steakhouse near the Park Street T stop, you feel trendy, surrounded by a funky chocolate and red decor complemented by faux cow skin chairs and zebra-striped pillows. KO Prime feels more like a modern lounge than a restaurant, and indeed, the spacious dining room is adjoined by a classy bar and couches. While fun and upbeat describe the atmosphere itself, the food is nothing less than elegant.
THEATER REVIEW Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby
Based on the 1891 Frank Wedekind play of the same name, <i>Spring Awakening</i> is a modern musical focusing on age-old issues. It confronts sex, love, and everything in between through a musical score that is much more akin to radio rock songs than the classic music characteristic of shows like <i>Les Miserables</i>.
BOOK REVIEW Make Yourself Useful
What is the good life? More to the point, what is an attainable good life given our current cultural and economic circumstances? How do we develop and practice what is best in ourselves despite the forces arrayed against us?
INTERVIEW Mens et Manus
<i>Matthew B. Crawford runs a motorcycle repair shop. He is also a writer and enjoyed a multi-year affair with academia in political philosophy. In his new book </i>Shop Class as Soulcraft<i>, he considers his experiences as white-collar minion vs. self-employed manual tradesman. Crawford argues that for many, the second may be both more economically rewarding and fundamentally satisfying.</i>
CONCERT REVIEW MIT Symphony Orchestra Performs with MIT Chamber Chorus
Maybe it’s glib to say, but I have a hypothesis that the volume knob has led to the destruction of classical music. The fast-forward and the rewind button too, but the volume knob more than anything else: Music can be painfully loud or imperceptibly soft, but modulating volumes for the sake of homogeneity of the listenable somehow disrupts the ultimate message. Extremity in music makes a very important point, even if it’s uncomfortable to listen to.
RESTAURANT REVIEW The French-Cambodian Culinary Wedding
Though there were no elephants to be found at the Elephant Walk in Boston, my date Eric and I were pleasantly surprised to find a place that serves up elegant Cambodian cuisine as well as original French dishes. The extensive menu is a bit overwhelming at first, but it is well organized into Cambodian, French, and even Vegetarian and Gluten-Free (a rare find in the Boston area). Chef and owner Nadsa De Monteiro, originally from Cambodia, delivers traditional meals but has also created her own inspired recipes that still preserve the flavor of Cambodia.