Friday, January 4, 2013
Boston once again tops The Daily Beast's list of hard-drinking cities. Is it a fair rap?
Give us your keys, Boston. According to The Daily Beast, Boston's sozzled residents consume an average of 15.6 drinks per month. It also classified fully one-fifth of the population as binge drinkers. The city tops a list that includes Milwaukee, New Orleans, Chicago and other cities known for their thirst. The rankings were set using data from Experian Marketing Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What do you think? Does Boston really deserve the moniker of drunkest city in America? Is it possible that Boston's more bleary-eyed than other drinking powerhouses like Milwaukee and New Orleans? Are you embarassed by the designation? Proud? Tell us in the comments below!
Monday, October 8, 2012
A spanking new Irish pub shines on Washington Street.
There are a lot of Irish pubs in Boston? You don’t say. But where are the best Irish pubs in town? The debate might ignite a drunken brawl or two, but brand-spanking new Eugene O’Neill's in Forest Hills shouldn’t expect too many haters. This place has some serious charm. O’Neill's opened last month on Washington Street, across from the Forest Hills T stop, courtesy of restaurateur John Jacobs, who recently unveiled the Irish-themed eatery Napper Tandy’s in Roslindale. Jacob and his wife Niamh have also owned and operated the franchised Napper Tandy’s in Norwood for nearly a decade. “Jamaica Plain seemed like the right place for us," says the affable Jacob. “There’s a great neighborhood vibe here, and this is the type of place I think …
42.30073
-71.11304
3700 Washington St, Jamaica Plain, MA
/articles/jp-eats-eugene-o-neill-s-in-forest-hills-has-serious-irish-pub-charm
/locations/7976369
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
“Happy hour is a very bad thing for our industry," says one.
CORRECTION: The position of the Restaurant and Business Alliance was misrepresented in the previous version of this article. Their true position is reported below. The state's alcohol control board is looking at lifting the ban on happy hour but Massachusetts restauranteurs are largely against the idea. About two dozen of them showed up to a hearing on the topic in Boston Tuesday, and all but one spoke against legalizing cheap drinks. "The majority of them were in favor of maintaining the happy hour ban," Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, told Patch. What the board heard in Boston largely mirrors what it has heard in other parts of the state at the three previous hearings on happy hour, Carlisle said…
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Three of this summer's Best of Patch Readers' Choice Jamaica Plain contests are about drinks. Vote for them all here in one place.
Voting for this summer's 25 Best of Patch Readers' Choice contests is underway! Three of this summer's topics are about drinks. For your convenience, here are all three polls, one after another, in one place. So you can get back to enjoying the neighborhood's best cocktail, chatting with your favorite bartender or perusing JP's best beer list. To see all the categories, please visit this page, which lists them all. Thanks for voting!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
At Streetcar Wine & Beer, owner Michael Dupuy aims to please, helping customers discover new libations alongside their time-tested favorites.
On an evening a few days before opening its doors, Streetcar Wine & Beer had a quiet sort of anticipation in the air, its shelves waiting to be stocked with the libations due to arrive later in the week, dust still settling from construction. Finishing touches were being made to the interior, as proprietor Michael Dupuy prepared to realize his dream of opening his own shop. Dupuy stumbled into the wine business in 2002 after graduating from Tufts University with a degree in English. But it wasn't long before it became clear that it was serendipity. Shortly after taking a job in the wine department at Marty’s in Newton, he recalls telling his roommates: “I think I could be in the wine business for the next five years.” Ten years and several…
42.31855
-71.112312
488 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA
Streetcar Wine & Beer
/articles/michael-dupuy-celebrates-traditionally-made-wine-and-beer
/locations/7380272
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley calls for examination of alcohol licenses and how attaining them economically affect businesses.
There is a cap on how many alcohol licenses are allowed in Boston, and sometimes restaurants wait months for a license to become available. City Councilor Ayanna Pressley feels the system is antiquated and hurts the economic viability of Boston's main streets. "I'm not talking about turning main streets into Bourbon Street. I'm talking about fostering small local environments for a nice glass of wine to celebrate a birthday or a graduation. We need libraries and supermarkets, but we also need quality places for people to socialize in all neighborhoods," said Pressley, who wants to lift the cap on alcohol licenses permitted in the city. There are several types of alcohol licenses, including one-day special licenses, but Pressley's gaze is …
42.310789
-71.114628
The Real Deal
736 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA
/articles/does-boston-need-more-alcohol-licenses-b41c1ac5
767206
/locations/7217461
Saturday, June 16, 2012
There are plenty of watering holes in JP. Which one pours the best cocktail?
There's nothing better than a well-made cocktail on a warm, summer night. Tell us where to go for the best cocktails in JP. We took nominations through July 9; voting runs through Aug. 17.
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Behan and Doyle's edged James's Gate in this week's Best of Patch Readers' Choice contest.
Just in time for the holiday this weekend, we have a winner in the "Best Place to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day" contest. Well, make that two winners. Doyle's and The Brendan Behan tied with the most votes in our poll. Both of them are classic Irish bars, albeit with slightly different vibes: dogs are welcome in one while politicians are tolerated in t'other! James's Gate also had a good showing, coming in third on votes but getting bonus points for having reviews on their Places listing. Galway House also polled well. We really have a good collection of Irish pubs in this neighborhood. (And, I should add, we'll have another one soon as Eugene O'Neill's opens in Forest Hills. It was to have been called Napper Tandy's, but the owner said he …
42.30657
-71.10736
F.J. Doyle's Braddock Cafe
3484 Washington St, Jamaica Plain, MA
/articles/behan-doyle-s-win-best-places-to-celebrate-st-patrick-day-in-jamaica-plain-contest
766500
/locations/6600723
42.32219
-71.109249
Brendan Behan Pub
378 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA
/articles/behan-doyle-s-win-best-places-to-celebrate-st-patrick-day-in-jamaica-plain-contest
766951
/locations/6600724
Monday, March 12, 2012
Vote in our poll, defend your choice in the comments section and on the bars' Places pages. The contest ends at 9 a.m. Friday.
In recent weeks, we've been asking JP residents to tell us what the best businesses in the neighborhood are. Last week, our Readers' Choice poll focused on day care/pre-schools, with The Mosaic School and Pine Village Preschool sharing top honors. The week before that, J.P. Licks took home the title of "Best Smoothie/Batido." This week the category is: Best Place to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Here's how it works. Vote in the poll below. Add comments supporting your decision and influencing other residents to see that you're right, after all. The poll closes at 9 a.m. Friday. Because this poll isn't scientific, it isn't the sole consideration in choosing a winner. The winner will be determined by the Patch editor (that's me, Chris Helms…
Monday, February 6, 2012
Tim Wallace of Bostonography used a heat map to visualize the liquor licenses held in the Boston area, including JP.
While the number of JP watering holes is growing, we still aren't one of the city's epicenters for bars. That's one thing that jumps out from Tim Wallace's amazing maps of liquor licenses and distance to liquor in the Boston area. For a discussion of the methods and meanings of the maps, please visit Wallace's blog, Bostonography, which explains things much better than I can. These maps are only for restaurants and bars holding liquor licenses. They do not include packies, convenience stores and grocery stories that sell alcohol. Construction continues on JP's two newest bars/restaurants, Tonic and Napper Tandy's, which are being finished in the Forest Hills neighborhood. For a quick guide to bars in JP, visit our Places listings for …
Whit
1:25 pm on Thursday, August 23, 2012
This is nonsense. Of course the "Restaurant Industry" doesn't want to have to add a new level of competition to their problems. They want every restaurant to be able to charge 10 to 12 bucks for a cocktail. Why would they want to change that? Why are they even bothering to hold a meeting about this. Did anyone think for a second that the board would approve this? It's too much to hope for. But I … more ›