Monday, July 13, 2009

P.F. Changs Bistro


Reason for going out
Headed to PF Changs (Prudential Center) on a Friday night to grab dinner and catch up with a female friend. I was headed to the Cape after dinner, so the mood was more relaxed and I was looking to stay mostly sober.

Atmosphere
PF Changs does present itself with an aura of fine dining. The walls are dark and adorned with classy pieces of Asian art and decor. The ceilings are high, giving the restaurant a lofty, almost cathedral feel to it. The place is absolutely spotless. Even the chick from the old pine sol commercials (Diane Amos) would have been at a loss for words when it came to PF Chang's janitorial prowess. The one problem I had with the place was the amount of tables. The table arrangement was tight and didn't leave much room for private conversation. However, problems aside, PF Changs does have a very nice, elegant feel to it.

Drinks
PF Changs does offer a select menu of specialty cocktails that looked appetizing and even a bit fun, but not the stereotypical array of sake bombs and scorpion bowls. They had a medium sized wine list, and the usual collection of domestic and imported beers. Come prepared to pay a premium for your drinks, but you definitely won't leave dissatisfied (or completely sober).

Menu Category: Classy Family Style Chinese
This is the mother of all awesome classy food places. (Dorothy Mantooth is a saint!) First, the food is delicious. Second, the dishes ride the line between traditional American-Chinese food and innovative dishes that should be traditional American-Chinese food. Finally, they bring out enough for everyone to share. I have eaten at PF Changs numerous times with anywhere between 2 and 5 people. Never have I sat at a table where all the food could be eaten. It is a glorious feeling and you will definitely feel like you have received your money's worth. (even when they call an ambulance to get you out of your food coma.)

Service: Medium
Our waitress messed up a few times, but was very apologetic and corrected the mistakes promptly. The entire staff is very friendly, and waiting time for food is quite short.

Personality: Classy
Leave your ripped jeans and Rolling Stones t-shirt at home. This place requires a little more elegance and class, but don't feel the need to get too dressed up. Most people sported nice jeans and a polo shirt. I'm sure in the warmer months you could also get away with shorts.

Cash Monies: Medium
Expect to spend around $35-$40 per person. Yes a bit pricey, but not the priciest.

Chick Talent: Low
The wait staff is cute, but don't expect you're waitress to sacrifice tips to try and get your number. Save your cheesy one liners for the after dinner activities. (How much does a polar bear weigh?)

Chick Friendliness: Low
See above

Group Friendliness: Low
I'm a friendly guy, but even I would get upset if someone tried to barge into my dinner. If you're short on friends, you might want to take your dinner elsewhere.

Would I bring a date here?: Yes
Great place to impress the date and keep things fairly intimate. Close proximity to your neighbors might make flirty conversation awkward, but a natural exhibitionist should feel right at home. PF Changs also has a four course dinner for two that makes family style dinner feel even homier. (wow really surprised that word didn't come up in spell check)

Would I hang out here with my guy friends?: No
Too classy, expensive alcohol, and an atmosphere that isn't very conducive to a loud and obnoxious crowd. Unless you are looking to start the night off slow, which you and the bros aren't, then bring the dude dinner party somewhere else.

Would I hang out here with my lady friends?: Yes
Classy, delicious alcohol, and an atmosphere that isn't very conducive to a loud and obnoxious crowd. Also, I find my lady friends really enjoy the family style aspect of this place. Great place to bring the friends without having to worry about running interference on the creepy old dude with a Cape Cod t-shirt.

BLUF
PF Changs is a sure thing if you are looking for a great, affordable, classy dinner in downtown Boston. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of local places, but Changs does a great job of providing excellent quality as a chain restaurant. You'll be satisfied with every bite of your meal, and you get to share each portion of it with your company. Look for PF Changs the next time you are looking for an excellent dining experience.

Did I have fun?: Yes

Prudential Center
800 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02199
(617) 378-9961
* approximate times
pfchangs.com

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pour House

Reason for going out
This was stop number three on an all-night bender with a mixed crowd of gals and guys. Although it was the third, we still managed to drag ourselves to another venue.

Atmosphere
Dive, Dive, Dive, Dive, Dive. The place itself is really cramped if you are trying to stand, but there are plenty of tables around if you can get there early enough. I don't specifically recall how the place was decorated, but there was definitely random stuff hung up over the walls. It was dimly lit and kept pretty clean, but a classic dive bar for sure.

Drinks
Nothing but the usual assortment of booze here.

Menu Category: Bar
Again, nothing out of the ordinary here. If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, you're better off looking for a Yankees' hat at Fenway park.

Service: Medium
Drinks came fast at the bar, and the food came fast to our table. The place was crowded, so there wasn't much interaction with the wait staff, but they kept things moving.

Personality: College
Definitely a younger crowd hangs out at this place. Probably not the place for you if you were born before Animal House came out. ( July 28, 1978)

Cash Monies: Medium
This isn't a place that will force you to start cutting corners for beer money.

Chick Talent: Low
Don't come here looking for a 10. Although the chicks were there in decent numbers, they weren't terribly pleasing to the eye.

Chick Friendliness: Medium
While ordering a drink, I was able to strike up a convo with a lovely lady standing next to me. Around the bar it seemed like most of the chicks were doing the same.

Group Friendliness: Low
Pour House is primarily a sit down type of bar. Therefore, interactions between tables is very limited.

Would I bring a date here?: No
Dive bar = no second date. Unless you are trying to scare off a future clinger, stay far away from the Pour House.

Would I hang out here with my guy friends?: No
I'm not too picky when it comes to where I hang out with my friends, but this place just doesn't do it for me. There is nothing special about the drinks here, and sitting at tables makes it difficult to interact with the ladies. In addition, there are a handful of other bars within walking distance that could accomplish the desired outcome under better conditions.

Would I hang out here with my lady friends?: No
This place doesn't have a single quality that I would want my lady friends to experience.

BLUF
Overall a pretty unimpressive bar. It offers nothing that sets itself apart from any typical bar on Boylston. If I had the choice between staying home and going to Pour House, I would still go to the bar, but would make my exit as quick as possible. Stumble yourself to another venue if at all possible.

Did I have fun?: No

907 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02115-3139
(617) 236-1767
www.pourhouseboston.com
* approximate times

Monday, July 6, 2009

Whiskey's

Reason for going out
My roommates, some of my boys, and I were looking to celebrate the start of a three day weekend. Naturally, that meant we were out to hit the bars, and the booze, pretty heavily. The night ended with me gouging my hands and one knee on a cement sidewalk after thinking it was a good idea to run through a field of sprinklers...Mission Accomplished.

Atmosphere
Whiskey's is definitely a college dive bar. The classic recipe is there. Combine a dimly lit room with poorly cleaned floors and tables, add random decorations and spice things up with some arcade games. Bake at 350 degrees and in a half hour you'll have unlimited servings of a typical dive bar.

Drinks
Nothing out of the ordinary here. The usual beers are on tap, and they have enough hard liquor to concoct any sort of wild alcoholic creation you may be contemplating.

Menu Category: Bar
Their menu is slightly larger than the typical bar boasts. On top of the burgers, nachos, and other greasy options, Whiskey's does offer each hungry patron a small variety of sandwiches, steaks, fajitas, and some interesting BBQ dishes. The menu skirts the line between classic bar and classic restaurant, but my gut feeling says to keep it under the bar category.

Service: Medium
Service is good. Drinks can be retrieved rather quickly, and on busy nights, cocktail waitresses walk the floor bringing prompt drinks to the lazier bar dwellers.

Personality: Preppy College
If you want a glimpse back into your glory days at college, throw on your polo and sox hat and stumble your way down here.

Cash Monies: Medium
Woke up the next morning with the usual hole in my pocket.

Chick Talent: Low
This place had serious ratio issues. You could barely see the dudettes in this sea of dudes.

Chick Friendliness: Low
Even the few that dragged themselves into this dude-fest were not pleasant enough to make up for a lack of their gender.

Group Friendliness: Medium
I was surprised by how open the people at Whiskey's were to engaging other people. Don't expect to make best friends at this place, but come here with a small group and you will never be short on conversation.

Would I bring a date here?: No
This place has less charm than the Double Deuce from Road House. (It's not that bad, but you get the point) So make sure to keep this, and Patrick Swazye's mullet, out of your next date.

Would I hang out here with my guy friends?: Yes
This is a great place to get hammered and not feel out of place. The food is greasy, they have enough liquor to take down an army of bros, and the place is loud enough to mask your drunken toasts to the fake things you will never do to hot celebrities. Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage's Sloan) beware!

Would I hang out here with my lady friends?: No
The last word that comes to mind when I think of Whiskey's is classy. Bring the girls somewhere else.

BLUF
College dive bars are good for one thing and that is making sure you don't remember what happens at the bar. Whiskey's is the perfect venue for that. Because of this, it doesn't lend itself to attracting the type of women we all want to make bad decisions with. However, this is a great place to start your Friday night conquest of Boylston.

Did I have fun?: Yes

885 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 262-5551
* approximate times
www.whiskeysboston.com