Brick and Mortar

"Why are they discouraging water consumption?" asks the woman sitting next to me at the bar at Brick & Mortar (no website?).  You certainly have to wonder when you look at the tiny glass they served water in compared to the inappropriate and large glass in which they served the manhattan (I apologize for the quality of photo - is it better to not post photo or post a bad one; that is the question of the day).  

But let's start from the beginning - I was looking forward to a meetup planned here after reading the recent Globe article.  I wander up and down Mass Ave trying to find the address.  Of course they don't have a number on the door, but this is not that unusual.  But folks, this is not New York City.  Put a sign up, will you?  After 3 passes, I ask a man standing in front of the door next to Central Kitchen (no number on their door either).  Turns out he is the doorman - yeah, the doorman.  Get over yourselves already. 

So I grab a seat at the bar next to the aforementioned woman.  She has some pink iced drink.  I inquire about the bourbon and rye options.  Several ryes to choose from so I'm feeling pretty positive and several more bourbons.  I settle on Buffalo Trace and am offered an orange twist.  Sure, I'll try that.  The drink arrives in a giant tumbler (4" tall by 3" wide) and about an inch of liquid.   The bartender makes a grand ceremony of pouring each of us a tiny drink of water.  Should, when confronted with such a shocking lack of appropriate barware, one inquire?  Should one insist on a proper glass for a cocktail that costs $11.75.  I didn't.  However, I did ask for a large glass of water and was told to order it from a waitress when I went to join my friends who were not at the bar.  Apparently Brick & Mortar did not appreciate a meetup group of 40 or so over 40's who just dropped in (and I'm not sure I blame them) but another woman from the group was told she could not sit at the bar when she tried to order her drink.  Several people in the group suspected ageism.

I don't want to write this place off completely.  The drink itself was fine and I liked the orange twist but I was sorely disappointed in the ambiance.

Clarke's at South Station

What can you say about Clarke's at South Station on a Friday at 5 pm? It really, really crowded and really really loud; so much so that you can't hear your companions speaking once you hit a certain age. This is a lot of people grabbing drinks, etc. before they get on their trains to the suburbs.

We are lucky enough to get a booth which makes ordering manhattans a little more challenging. The cute blonde waitress just gives me the blank stare when I ask what kind of bourbon they have. I offer a hint - Maker's Mark. Yes, we have that. Would you mind asking what else you have? The basics - Maker's, Johnny Walker something...nothing else that really rocked my world. That said, the manhattan with Maker's Mark was not bad.

The nachos, on the other hand, were pretty dreadful in the looks and and taste department. Shouldn't nachos come with beans and guacamole? These had neither. It's basically chips with melted cheese, some hot pepper slices which I remove, salsa and sour cream on the side. In their defense though, these guys used to serve a decent hamburger so try to remember that next time.

My companion pays so you have to be grateful for that plus catching up with her is lovely. Around 6/615 the place empties out and I can hear again. Pretty shortly after that she hops on her train to hubby and kids in the 'burbs.

Pigalle

Meeting with friend for drinks in the new bar area at Pigalle didn't start off very well. The new and improved bar seems to be barely either. They may have increased the seating at the bar but there are at most 8 stools and it is very tight. I quickly grabbed the two seats at the end where the servers place their orders for the dining room since those were the only two available. Then the bartender ignored me and ignored me and ignored me some more. A simple nod of the head would have been sufficient. My friends arrives and we finally get menus and a "What can I get you?" I start my usual spiel. What kinds of bourbon do you have? Do you have any unblended rye? She hands me one of the 3 menus for the list of whiskeys. I have to say this is a pretty extensive list but Death's Door (White) stops me in my tracks. I tell her Maker's Mark is my default. What is Death's Door like? She offers to do a taste test and I see her pour the Death's Door. Oh, it's white. She instructs me to close my eyes which promptly changes my mind about her and I comply. She puts one drink in my left hand, one in my right. I smell, I taste, I guess correctly, I order the Death's Door. Death's Door is a Wisconsin brewery which makes this whiskey, a gin and a vodka. Does it have a hint of almond smell and taste?

As we look at the food menus, I see what is different about Pigalle bar area. They have a bar menu with a burger and fish and chips. But I settle on Grilled Baby Shrimp "matignon" of vegetables, creamy caraway polenta, whole grain aïoli & red wine sauce. My friend gets the clam chowder. Expensive at $17 each but we're here to use a groupon. We do see the angus burger (with sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, fried onions, house made condiments & fries) pass us and it's about a mile high and $12. We settle into our drinks (Bombay Sapphire martini for my friend) and happily await our food which is, as expected, delicious. For dessert we have lemon merinque tart (rosemary & almond tart, lemon curd, candied beets, brûléed meringue & fried mint) for $9 and Chocolate Stuffed Poached Pears (ricotta crema, peach sorbet, cocoa nib & red wine reduction) for $8. Poached Pears were better; lemon curd in the tart was very loose and candied beets? Don't recall seeing them or the brûléed meringue.
By the end of the night we were on a first name basis with Bernadette, the bartender. Biggest surprise was that the drinks costs $10 each; a bargain anywhere probably but especially in Boston.