Stuff Boston : At Night

A Real Trip

Erin Byers Murray — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:10:00 GMT

Having grown up in Cambridge, Jessica Good, a frequent traveler, thought it was only logical to open her travel boutique, Passport, in the heart of Harvard Square. The store is stocked with easily packable gear and clothing, most of which she’s tested personally over the course of her own journeys. Now that she’s a store owner, her passport is getting a much-needed rest and she has an excuse to spend her nights hanging out around Harvard Square.

@ 6:15 p.m.: I’ll still be shutting down the store and locking up. I’ve been trying to get my friends over to the Square because there’s so much to do, so I’ll have them meet me at the store before we head out.

@ 7:30 p.m.: I like to eat pretty late, so first we’ll do something fun, like take in a movie at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. I love old movies and they just did a Bette Davis series.

@ 9:45 p.m.: Afterward, we like to go to Z Square, especially while the patio is still open. They have the best crêpes, all different kinds, so we’ll split a couple, both savory and dessert ones. And they have great key lime martinis.

@ midnight: From there, I might head over to Charlie’s Kitchen and hang out for a couple beers in their beer garden if it’s nice.

@ 2 a.m.: I’m a late-night person and would probably come home and check my work email. My two best friends usually come back and hang out at our place, so we’ll have one more drink before bed. Then, eventually, we’ll crash.

Jessica Lynn @ Night

Erin Byers Murray — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:44:00 GMT

A shoe-in

Since she opened her South End shoe boutique, Leokadia (named after her mom), in April, Jessica Lynn’s personal collection of footwear has gotten a boost (her personal pick for the fall is a pair of Badgley Mischka ankle booties). Lynn, who previously worked at Beacon Hill’s Moxie, is enjoying owning her own space and exploring her new neighborhood on the weekends. When she’s not at the shop, you’ll find her prancing around the South End in her favorite new pair of shoes.

@ 6:15 p.m.: We usually close the store at 7, but if I’m going out, I might close down a little early so I can get home and get ready.

@ 7:30 p.m.: It usually takes me awhile to get dressed, but we’ll be out the door by 8 to grab a drink in the South End. Stella is great, and they have incredible martinis. I like mine extra dirty.

@ 9:45 p.m.: For dinner we might head over to DaVinci, where they have the most amazing Italian food. When friends and I go out, we usually end up sitting around the table talking well into the night.

@ midnight: If I can rally everyone after dinner, we’ll go to Underbar for a little house music and some late-night dancing. I’ve probably danced on just about every Boston bar at some point. It just depends on whether or not I’ve got a little dancing fever.

@ 2 a.m.: We might go back to someone’s house and listen to music for the night (I’ve been known to stay out until the morning hours), but most likely we’ll just go home and crash.

Tim Collins @ Night

Erin Byers Murray — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:59:00 GMT

Music man

Well-known Lansdowne Street DJ fixture Tim Collins used to work solely with the Lyons Group. Now he’s out on his own, and his creative juices are running rampant. His spanking-new Saturday-night gig at Lucky’s Lounge features a mix of house, beat, and world music, while his partnership with Rafanelli Events has him coordinating music for some of the city’s finest fêtes. Later this summer, he’s teaming up with old-school Boston DJ Anastasia to start pumping out monthly events. All this, and he has a three-month-old daughter at home. When he and his wife have a night off, naturally, they like to go searching for some music.

@ 6:15 p.m.: We’ll start off having a couple drinks at Lucky’s Lounge so I can watch a few innings of the Red Sox game.

@ 7:30 p.m.: By about 8 p.m., we’re on our way to Bukowski’s in Cambridge to snack on some appetizers. They have those great glass doors that open to the street when it’s nice. And they have an incredible beer list.

@ 9:45 p.m.: We’ll make our way over to the Enormous Room next. The music there is really good, and there’s always a great group of different cultures mixed in. They use the same DJs but they switch it up where you’re not getting the same Top 40 music. It’s always fresh.

@ midnight: The Franklin Café is our next stop for some late-night dining. I love the grilled calamari, and Karen, one of the bartenders there, is one of my favorites in the city.

@ 2 a.m.: We’ll start wandering home to South Boston around 2 or 2:30. With my daughter here, I’ve become a morning person. But I still won’t get to bed until around 4 a.m

Kristi McNeil @ Night

Erin Byers Murray — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:50:00 GMT

Late again

She spent three years tending and managing the bar and the past year as general manager at Noir at the Charles Hotel, so Kristi McNeil is most certainly a night owl. The Somerville resident generally closes the bar five nights a week, which means she gets as much sleep as she can on her days off. She still enjoys a night on the town, but instead of club-hopping, she prefers to have a nice meal and lay low so, she says, “I can enjoy being on the other side of the game.”

@ 6:15 p.m.: As much as I’m at Noir, it really is a good place to go early in the evening. You can sit on the patio and just relax. People associate it with a late-night atmosphere, but I start my night there. And I’m sort of obsessed with the liquor St. Germain lately. We just put a drink called Scarlett Street on the menu, with blood-orange purée and Champagne. I’ll start the night off with one of those.
@ 7:30 p.m.: I go to a lot of my favorite places again and again, and one of my most favorite spots right now is East Coast Grill. It’s so relaxed in there. I always get the same thing: the mahi mahi with rice, beans, and plantains.
@ 9:45 p.m.: Being in the industry, a lot of the people I know are bartenders or in the business, and I can usually see a lot of them at once at Eastern Standard. I’ll usually let them whip up whatever they want to whip up over there.
@ midnight: The B-Side Lounge is another favorite, so I’ll head over there for a bourbon on the rocks. It’s just something easy, and I’m into the more classic stuff.
@ 2 a.m.: I don’t go to bed until pretty late because of my hours, but at least I’ll be home by now. My phone starts going off at 9 a.m., so I have to be up and ready for it.

Nicole Cronin @ Night

Erin Byers Murray — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:18:00 GMT

With the expansion of her two-year-old South Boston shop, Ku De Ta, Nicole Cronin has doubled her retail space. But she’s not done yet. The InterContinental-dwelling city girl hopes to open a few more stores at some point in the future. In the meantime, when she’s not at the shop, Cronin hits the town in search of spicy Indian food and drinks with friends.

@ 6:15 p.m.: I’m still at the boutique until we close down at 7. Lately, we’ve been having these girls’ night out private parties where women come in for after-hours shopping. I’ll stay until everyone is settled and usually head off to meet my husband, Jon, from there.
7:30 p.m.: We usually meet for a drink at MKT downtown. Not many know about it yet, but they have cool lounge music, so we can kick back and unwind.
@ 9:45 p.m.: By now we’re probably at dinner. We both love Indian food, or anything hot and spicy, so we usually head to India Samraat on Mass Ave. It’s a really small, family-run place, and the food is excellent.
@ midnight: When we’re out, we’re out, so we’ll meet friends at Mr. Dooley’s in the Financial District. It’s a great Irish pub and they sometimes have live music, so we’ll hang out there for a while.
@ 2 a.m.: We like to head home before RumBa, the bar in our building, closes. We’ll bring our yellow lab puppy downstairs and head outside where there are big couches on the patio. That’s where we’ll hang out for one last nightcap.

Greg Reeves @ Night

Erin Byers Murray — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

After several years behind the line at B&G Oysters and the Butcher Shop, Greg Reeves moved on to the executive chef position at Green Street, where he’s been comfortably settled since earlier this spring. The commute to his Somerville apartment is much shorter these days, but he still makes his way back to the South End for cocktails and bites on his nights off.

@ 6:15 p.m.: I’ll probably have a cocktail at my house with my girlfriend. I like to drink Negronis and Manhattans; I’m much more of a cocktail-and-beer drinker than a wine drinker.

@ 7:30 p.m.: By now, we’ll definitely go grab a bite to eat. I’ve been going to East Coast Grill for their ribs and oysters lately. I may have a margarita or a beer to fit the food there.

@ 9:45 p.m.: If I’m going out for a big night, I’ll head over to check out Toro in the South End. I like to get over there and have a few more small bites and see the cocktail list.

@ midnight: Usually if the Sox aren’t in town, I go to either Eastern Standard for one last drink or the B-Side Lounge so I can get a little closer to home.

@ 2 a.m.: I’ve been out since 6 p.m. I’m either home or definitely should have been by now.

Leah Ikeda @ night

Erin Byers Murray — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Leah Ikeda is a self-proclaimed South End girl. “I’ve been here for 10 years and love rolling around this neighborhood,” she says. As a manager at the Beehive and sake consultant for Pho Republique, she’s usually running back and forth between the two spots both when she’s working and when she has a night off.

@ 6:15 p.m.: By now, I’m usually on my way to Pho for a can of sake. Greg Griffen bartends there on Fridays, which is my night off, so I definitely go down for a drink and a tuna spring roll.

@ 7:30 p.m.: I’ll usually meet up with a friend and go to Orinoco for an arepa and a glass of Torrontés. I like going in to see the owner, Andres [Branger], and hanging out on their patio.

@ 9:45 p.m.: I like to go visit Josh [Childs] at Silvertone around 10 p.m. That’s when it’s still quiet enough to have a conversation, so it’s a good time to stop in for a visit.

@ midnight: I do like music, so by now, I’ll probably go into the Beehive. This is a great time to catch the second act because that’s when the artists and everyone else there really gets into a groove.

@ 2 a.m.: I’m absolutely still out. I’ll definitely swing by the Franklin. They serve food late and I love their turkey meatloaf — that’s a staple of my week.