Hop to It
Boston restaurants have found the perfect way to celebrate leap day — by putting frog legs on the menu. “I jumped at the opportunity to hop into a frog leg dish,” said Brian Poe, -executive chef at Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake (384 Boylston St.; www.rattlesnakebar.com).
And yes, it tastes a lot like chicken, Poe swears, and it’s served on a tortilla.
“You can have a taste of something you don’t normally get to try,” he said. “Bostonians love an excuse to go out for a good bite. It’s just a fun play on leap year.”
Poe’s dish, Frog Leg Confit -Tostadas, is a fusion feast. “It’s … French meets South American meets Asian cuisine.”
After marinating frog legs in duck fat overnight, they’re covered in a chipotle confit spice then cooked on low heat for about an hour before the meat is removed from the bones. Poe then whips up his -saffron/-jalapeno/citrus crema, and salsa, which are served with the frog legs on the tortilla. (Cost is $12.)
“By putting it into a taco, you can have a tasty and nice meal without going crazy on the price,” said Poe, adding that he’ll leave the item on the menu through the weekend.
At Tryst restaurant (689 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington; www.trystrestaurant.com), chef Paul Turano’s fried Buffalo frog legs are making a one-night-only appearance. For $8, customers can convert their usual spicy Buffalo chicken appetizer into a froggy -affair — coated with Buffalo sauce and a little bit of honey.
“It’s like a frog lollipop,” said Turano. “It’s sweet and spicy. It’s Southern and French.”
Served with blue cheese and -celery sticks, Turano’s frog legs are coated with Rice Krispies, which, he said, “gives it a little crunch, a little textural element to it.”
“We’re always trying to keep things fresh and current,” Turano said. “It’s not for everybody, but it’s something different.”
FRIED BUFFALO FROG LEGS
4 frog legs
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 T. Sriracha
3 T. buttermilk
1 c. flour
1 c. Rice Krispies
1 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. Frank’s RedHot sauce
2 T. honey
1 chopped shallot
Oil, for deep-frying
Marinate frog legs with salt, pepper, Sriracha and buttermilk, and allow to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove meat from legs, dredge in flour, salt, pepper and Rice Krispies, dip in buttermilk mixture and recoat with remaining flour and Rice Krispies.
Deep-fry at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until fully fried. Remove and lay on paper towels to drain oil.
In a bowl, mix together butter, hot sauce, honey and chopped shallot. Toss legs in mixture and serve with Stilton blue cheese and celery sticks.
For chef Brian Poe’s recipe for Frog Leg Confit Tostadas and great Leap Day deals around Boston, check out bostonherald.com’s Fork Lift and Stylize blogs.
Joann Flaminio, president of Boston Athletic Association, and Bill Rodgers (center), four-time Boston Marathon champion, joined Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch today at the brewery’s Jamaica Plain headquarters to announce the creation of a new beer, Samuel Adams Boston 26.2 Brew, to commemorate the 2012 marathon, and to start its brewing.
The beer, which will be light in body and low in alcohol, will be available at race-related events, and at pubs and restaurants in the Boston area, particularly those along the marathon course, which runs from Hopkinton to Copley Square.
They also announced that the Boston Beer Co. is the official beer sponsor of this year’s marathon. The full announcement is below:
The Boston Beer Company, brewers of Samuel Adams beers, announced today that it’s helping to celebrate one of Boston’s greatest traditions – The Boston Marathon.
The brewery will be the official beer sponsor of the 2012 Boston Marathon, one of the most revered and challenging races in the world. To celebrate, the Samuel Adams brewers are developing a special commemorative beer to mark the heralded event. This is the first time Samuel Adams has partnered with the Boston Athletic Association for the Marathon.
“Our partnership is a perfect fit because of our shared history: a Boston-born brewery joining the biggest of Boston traditions,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “I released my first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager to the public on Patriots Day in 1985, the day of the Marathon right here in Boston. I faced a lot of challenges getting that first brew packaged and distributed in time, but I had set Patriots’ Day as my deadline. About half of our first 25 accounts were within three blocks of the finish line. So, the Marathon’s finish line was my starting line,” added Koch
The brewers of Samuel Adams beers have been working hard to develop Samuel Adams Boston 26.2 Brew,” a special beer which will be available at race-related events, as well as pubs and restaurants along the Marathon route and around Boston.
“We at the B.A.A. are very pleased to be partnering with another Boston institution,” said Joann E. Flaminio, B.A.A. President. “The Boston Marathon is all about Boston and all about competitive success in a challenging environment. The same is true of the folks at The Boston Beer Company and Samuel Adams. They are our neighbors here in town, and they have gotten where they are through the same hard work that we see from all of the athletes from around the world who work hard to qualify to run the Boston Marathon each year. We are delighted to join with Jim Koch and all of his colleagues in saying to 27,000 competitors from around the globe, ‘Welcome to Boston’, ‘welcome to our home town.’ We’re proud to have you here and to enjoy what we have to offer.”
By Steve Greenlee, Globe Staff Re-posted from Boston.com
There’s one thing we know for sure about the 84th Annual OSCARS –Billy Crystal will host, and we will be in good hands. The rest is up for grabs. Here are my stellar predictions, a skill honed practically in the womb and refined during my grammar and high school years as I sat glued to the TV wondering if Liz Taylor’s periwinkle gown really did match her violet eyes, and how could Barbra Streisand wear those see-through pants? And OMG — Sidney Poitier for LILIES OF THE FIELD!!
So here goes. These are my PREDICTIONS for OSCARS 2012:
BEST PICTURE: I predict THE ARTIST, though it’s practically neck and neck with THE DESCENDANTS in my estimation. THE ARTIST is a love letter to movies, and the academy loves that.
BEST DIRECTOR: I predict Martin Scorsese for HUGO– a much admired tour de force in 3D which is another valentine to movies by a brilliant filmmaker much revered but not as often honored. My choice: The reclusive Terrence Malick for the astonishing THE TREE OF LIFE which attempts to convey the meaning of life– and almost does.
BEST ACTOR: I predict George Clooney. He has replaced Jack Nicholson as the reigning King of Hollywood and he also gives the best performance of his career which looks better and better every time I see it, and I have seen it three times. Clooney is also my choice. Only Brad Pitt could upset him. But not in real life.
BEST ACTRESS: I predict Meryl Streep– though this is THE toughest race to call, and the strongest category. The fact is, Streep gives a jaw-dropping performance and I don’t think anyone in the academy can stand to see her lose for the 15th time. I would be pleased if she were to win, though I’d be just as pleased if Michelle Williams won for her turn as Marilyn Monroe, and I know Viola Davis would make me weep if she were to win for THE HELP, and then there’s feisty little Rooney Mara who braved all those tattoos and then some in THE GIRL WITH THE … well you get the picture….
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: I predict Christopher Plummer for BEGINNERS. He’s a marvelous actor in a weak field, getting on in years, and never won an Oscar. Not my choice. Boring film and he was barely in it. I like Jonah Hill as the geeky numbers cruncher in MONEYBALL. But I’m the least excited about this category.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: I predict Octavia Spencer who was just fine in THE HELP. Everyone’s talking about her, her character was extremely likeable and the academy will want to honor this film. But my choice, hands down: Melissa McCarthy who made me scream, so original was her character, so off the wall funny was her delivery.
So there it is. I’ll be glued to my set, tweeting through the night, wincing at every lame joke, laughing at every fashion faux pas (please Bjork– come back!) weeping at every sappy acceptance speech, and feeling like a kid with stars in her eyes again. Watch with me!
Hockey has had an erratic shelf-life in American sports. While it hasn’t had as hard a time of pushing itself into the public eye as the supreme sport of Planet Earth, soccer (aka football), it hasn’t yet broken into the top tier of American pastimes such as football, baseball, and basketball. Maybe hockey is taboo because only half of the country has ever seen ice, much less strapped on blade-soled shoes and skated around on it. Maybe watching twelve guys float around on the ice hitting a black piece of rubber with a stick just isn’t that interesting. Maybe hockey isn’t as respected as it should because it came to the United States from Canada, and it’s hard to relate to anything that has to do with Canadians and Mounties and ice-fishing, eh?
Today, professional ice hockey is having a surge of popularity. Is it the cohesive strategy of teams creating plays in order score more than three goals? No. Is it the exquisite dexterity displayed as players dance across the ice and force the puck into the minutest of holes that the goalies will allow? No. Is it the replacement of ice technicians dedicated to maintaining the ice between periods with half naked cheerleaders baring snow shovels? Well, maybe.
The biggest reason that hockey is having a renaissance is the fights. The upcoming film Goon, coming to On Demand February 24th and theaters March 30th, commits this love for fighting in hockey in ways usually reserved for heavyweight battles in boxing and mixed martial arts, just with ice skates. In anticipation of this film tribute to hockey enforcers everywhere that bleed for their teams, I present five hockey fights that have a special place in my bloodthirsty heart.
Hockey is the only team sport that that not only refrains from tossing every player out of a game for throwing a punch, but almost encourages fisticuffs on the ice. When two hockey players throw down their gloves and square off in the rink to beat the crap out each other, refs step aside until there is an apparent victor. Only then are the gladiators separated and sent to the penalty box for a few minutes before they have a chance to get back on the ice and do it all over again, as long as they aren’t bleeding so badly that the rink gets watered down.
Starring Seann William Scott (American Pie, Role Models), Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder) and Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Goon is a sports comedy that tells the story of Doug Glatt, a genuinely nice simpleton who just happens to be really good at absorbing punishment and cracking skulls, who is invited to play on a minor league hockey team as an enforcer. With the help of his friend Pat and a prerequisite training montage, Doug “The Thug” Glatt becomes a hero to the team, their fans, and their women by crushing heads instead of pucks, until he must face the league’s reigning supreme goon, Ross Rhea.
1) Marty McSorley VS Bob Probert
When you are given the title, “Wayne Gretsky’s Bodyguard”, there can be no debate that your talent for beating people to a pulp in the hockey rink is not only respected, but coveted. That respect was given to Marty McSorley, and it followed him no matter what team he played for and whose back he was watching. Bob Probert was no slouch either, finishing his career in the NHL with the 3,300 career penalty minutes, the fourth highest in NHL history at the time.
So it was destind that, if these two players found themselves on the ice together, a battle of epic proportions would ensue. That destiny was realized, as the McSorley and Probert fought for one minute and forty-two seconds, a lifetime in hockey-time. This may very well be the battle that inspired the showdown of Doug “The Thug” Glatt and Ross “The Boss” Rhea.
2) Jesse Boulerice VS Aaron Downey
While not nearly as epic as Marty McSorley VS Bob Probert, this short exchange between Jesse Boulerice from the Carolina Hurricanes and Aaron Downey from the Dallas Stars not only exhibits the power that some of these players are exhuming from their fists, but how referees allow these fights to be engaged. Just look at how Boulerice and Downey check for the official’s blessing before engaging.
3) St. Louis Blues VS Chicago Blackhawks
Hockey fights aren’t always limited to a stand-off between two players. This game between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks, nicknamed “The St. Patrick’s Day Massacre”, started off with rival players antagonizing each other with hits and penalties. Thing escalated in 2nd period, as the game became a battle royale. After Dave Manson and Scott Stevens finished off their bout at center ice, other players started pairing off to bludgeon each other. The game resulted in 278 penalty minutes, including 24 minor, 12 major and 17 misconduct penalties, a record that the Halifax Highlanders took too long to try and break.
4) Micheal Haley VS The Pittsburgh Penguins
These days, you can’t say “goon” in New York without referring to the New York Islanders’ Trevor Gillies or, until just last year, the New York Rangers’ Sean Avery. There is one young scrapper that could take the title, provided he stuck around the NHL long enough: Micheal Haley. This kid may not be much good with a stick, taking a year to score his first goal and spending most of his time with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but he sure can bang. In this game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Haley had already racked up a fight earlier in the game before he took on Maxime Talbot followed by Penguins goalie Brent Johnson. At the end, he still had the strength and composure to skate off the ice and on to the dressing room.
5) Derek Boogaard VS Jody Shelley
Derek Boogaard, aka “Boogeyman”, was one of the most feared NHL enforcers in the past decade. The sheer size of this 6’ 7”, 265 pound sasquatch from Saskatchewan had opposing goons either on the ground or skating for their lives. In one battle, Boogaard shattered Todd Fedoruk’s cheekbone. In another, Boogaard knocked out Trevor Gillies with an uppercut. Derek Boogaard was so intimidating that another feared hockey enforcer, Georges Laraque, retired, stating “I knew sooner or later he would get the better of me. And I just—I like my face, and I just didn’t want to have it broken.” Derek Boogaard even went as far as to open a hockey fighting camp with his brother Aaron in Saskatchewan.
Still, my favorite Boogaard bout came against Jody Shelley, as Boogaard not only knocked a tooth out of Shelley’s head, but broke his helmet…with his fist of God!
Now that you’ve been fully titillated with men beating each other’s brains in for the good of sport, let’s go watch some hockey to get ready for GOON!
After headlining the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show, Madonna has revealed plans for her 2012 world tour. The pop music icon will hit Boston for a show at the TD Garden on Tuesday, September 4. Tickets for the show, which range in price from $47.50 to $357.50, will go on sale Monday (2/13) at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.
Madonna, 53, will be touring in support of her forthcoming release, MDNA. The pop legend’s twelfth studio effort and first since 2008′s Hard Candy is scheduled to hit stores on March 26. Pre-orders have already catapulted MDNA to #1 on iTunes in 51 countries including the United States and United Kingdom. Last week, she debuted the album’s lead single “Give Me All Your Luvin” featuring guests vocalists Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. The video for the new hit is streaming below.
Fans will receive their choice of a digital or physical copy of MDNA with every ticket purchased online to a US performance.
In related news, the Madonna directed film “W.E.” will open in select theatres this weekend. In Boston, fans can catch the biopic about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson at the AMC Loews Boston Common 19. Madonna won a Golden Globe Award earlier this year for the song “Masterpiece”, which is featured on both the film’s soundtrack and MDNA.
Ever wonder why women always seem to be eavesdropping on your chats with the bartender? Well, the truth is, she’s probably judging your drink. Maybe she knows, for example, what drinking whiskey says about you, even more than you do. Or what drinking beer says about you. Or what–shudder–drinking screwdrivers says about you.
Perhaps it’s time to revamp your glass. Or at least evaluate what your cocktail says about you. Here’s what she’s hearing…
What drinking whiskey says about you
Whiskey draws to mind a burly sort. This means that however well-groomed and well-versed you are, you’ve got the soul of a backwoodsman. What does drinking whiskey say about you? Whiskey implies to a woman that you’ve got the chutzpah to hammer down a door and hang a ceiling fan or, at least, ride a horse. It’s not important that you’re capable of any of these things. It matters more that you’ve got the dark mind, isolated heart and gritted teeth to bear the bitter taste; this is what a woman expects from whiskey. And it’s generally acknowledged that bosses respect whiskey drinkers more so than drinkers of almost any other sort.
What drinking martinis says about you
If you order a martini, you’re practically plastering a sign on your face that reads, “I have good taste. I have good money. I’m exhausted from my high-paying, suit-requiring career.” Martinis are no little thing. It’s not often a woman hears a young man ordering a martini. A martini means specificity, style and a small desire to be James Bond. In fact, it’s wise to only drink martinis straight up if you’ve got such broad shoulders, dashing suits and natural charm. Otherwise, go for on-the-rocks (and non-fruity-flavored types), which will slightly tone down the bold statement and relieve you of feeling watched while you’re sipping. Martinis are a general hit with executives and clients of any kind.
What drinking mojitos says about you
Mojitos can be tricky, because mojitos served at various restaurant often resemble different drinks. If the glass is simply prepped with mint leaves, a lime slice, ice and the drink itself, you should be fine. In fact, this would give an impression of relaxed exoticism (i.e. confident and intriguingly adventurous.) However, if the glass arrives and seems to steal attention from your appearance rather than add to it, meaning that it magnetizes eyes over its frilly, brightly colored features, go the bathroom and drain it as quickly as possible. There’s no need to subject yourself to whispers for sipping what seems to be a peculiar cocktail too flavored to get you favored by onlookers. Unless you are vacationing at a vast beach resort or lunching at an ethnic restaurant, try to avoid the mojito if you want to meet women.
What drinking screwdrivers says about you
No beautiful woman ever starts the story of how she met her husband with these words. “I saw him across the bar, drinking a screwdriver…” No boss ever clasped his prize employee’s shoulder and toasted their screwdrivers.
What drinking gin and tonic says about you
Gin and tonics are definitely a step up from the screwdriver. Even if only because they do not contain a fruit juice but instead a bitter liquor and seltzer water, because they look elegant and are served in stylishly simple glasses, and because they call to mind a man who appreciates an easy time inebriating himself without under-appreciating the process. Gin and tonics are the B version James Bond (or James Bond on his day off in a dark saloon.) Gin and tonics are fairly nondescript, because a large collection of younger kids, women, ancient men and even depressed mothers drink them. This means you aren’t trapped in anyway, but you also haven’t made any kind of dashing statement, which means more work for you.
What drinking a godfather says about you
There’s not much explanation necessary for the godfather. When women discover what’s in the drink they’ll raise an eyebrow, and maybe later their skirts. When your boss hears you order it, he’ll raise an eyebrow and possibly your position in the company. The godfather, a solid and simple combination of one part scotch, one part amaretto, says you like it strong, with a kick and close to ‘much too intense for everybody else.’ The godfather makes you a standalone man, not only because many people rarely order them these days, but because you’ve managed to put a classic (scotch), with a semi-eccentric (amaretto). This means good things all around. Moreover, you can drink a godfather in a tux, tattered jeans or denim jacket and it won’t matter. The drink itself speaks so highly of you and your undeniable, masculine strengths, that to fret over your clothes would undermine everything.
What drinking beer says about you
Founding Father Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” That’s what women see in handsome guys drinking brews. They see proof that God exists. And that he wants everyone in the bar to be happy. Sooner, rather than later.
Whitney Houston was one of the last things we could all agree on.
Whether it was unabashed fandom or a secret guilty pleasure, there was probably a Whitney Houston tune that set your toes tapping or keyed into something in your heart. Her glossy style or song choice may have been antithetical to the tastes of some, but thanks to the power of her magnificent instrument and the way she controlled it, there was no argument about its quality.
I once saw David Byrne of Talking Heads sing the most exuberant version of Whitney Houston’s hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).’’ There was no irony or winking in his delivery, only delight.
And that is part of the reason that Houston’s death on Saturday of unknown causes was such a punch to the gut, in ways we haven’t experienced when other singers have passed: We collectively lost common ground on a global scale. We lost a voice that united races, ages, genders, and disparate music lovers.
You could be a teenager dancing around your room, trusty hairbrush in hand, trilling along to “So Emotional’’ with complete abandon, relating wholly with the song’s jubilance and confusion. Like Houston, you didn’t know why you got so emotional, you just did. You could be nursing a romantic wound and hear “Where Do Broken Hearts Go’’ and be reduced to tears, wondering alongside her how, if somebody loved you, could they take that love away? You could be at a party and the sassy “Queen of the Night’’ would come on and take you higher.
Houston’s death also cuts so deep because, before she shrank into the darkness, there was no greater advocate for the light. When she sang “there can be miracles, when you believe,’’ you felt that she was a true believer. Unlike other artists with similar problems, there was a belief that if anyone was going to be able to sing themselves well, it was Houston. She was simply not supposed to go out like this.
While it was not expected that she would return to the top of the charts as she had done so many times before, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that she would never make music again. There was hope that she would at least recover and simply be there. That she would build on the hope of her final album, 2009’s “I Look to You,’’ and right a ship that had once sailed so smoothly. I always envisioned an older Houston, a grand diva, the Aretha of her generation, majestically sweeping into awards shows and resting comfortably on her considerable laurels, a beacon of quality to which other artists would continue to aspire.
Shortly after her death on Saturday, a video of what was likely Houston’s last performance began circulating on the Web.
In the brief clip she shares a microphone with Kelly Price to sing a snippet of “Jesus Loves Me.’’
For a singer raised in the church both musically and spiritually, there is something fitting about that as an elegy. Throughout her career Houston would repeatedly return to songs of praise and worship, to draw strength.
It was that background of channeling feeling into song that made her such a gifted interpreter, the reason her cover versions soared so high. Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You’’ is gorgeous in its own tremulous right, and Houston took it to a place of resolute resilience. She gave a shout-out to all the ladies in her version of Chaka Khan’s ecstatic paean to sisterhood and self-love, “I’m Every Woman,’’ paying tribute to the singer in the process. She took Annie Lennox’s “Step by Step’’ several bouncy steps further.
More impressively, Houston was an elevator of the highest order; whether taking generic pap like “One Moment in Time’’ and imbuing it with passion, or refashioning old standbys we all knew and took for granted, like “The Star-Spangled Banner,’’ into something at once fresh and comforting.
And when singing her beloved gospel music, she was a converter. Even if it was only in three-minute increments, it was hard to resist the allure of the divine power she believed responsible for the gift that allowed her to sing as she does on “I Go to the Rock’’ from the soundtrack to “The Preacher’s Wife’’ – perhaps the most overlooked release in a career of inconceivable commercial success.
Houston was not a road warrior; I only saw her live once at the Wang Theatre in the summer of 1999, on the tour for her deliciously slinky hip-hop and reggaefied “My Love Is Your Love’’ album.
She had canceled her last two performances to rest her voice, and those cities’ losses were Boston’s gain. On her first tour in five years, Houston was pitch-perfect, musically; and gracious, spunky, and elegant as a presence. Endearingly, there was little vanity as she worked up her famous sweat and contorted her face to wring emotion from her songs, throwing her whole body into the work ofparsing love andpraising the Lord. The immaculate Whitney of the studio that might have been dismissed by pop music snobs was replaced by the gritty, undeniable Whitney of the stage, living her songs in a new, more tactile way.
And even as her voice lost some of its power and towering height, that spirit remained.
On the title song of “I Look to You,’’ Houston sings with understated grace. Perhaps that was a matter of necessity and not choice, given the diminished capacity of her voice at the time. But that matters less than the feeling that remained, the shimmer she still had when singing songs of devotion and praise.
At a time when fans are mourning, it is a blessing that they have Houston herself to look to – her currency was uplift. She was in the business of making us feel better, and it’s a devastating shame that she couldn’t do the same for herself.
It’s possible for us now to take solace in the songs, to relive memories of parties, proms, graduations, love affairs, weddings, and hard times that she helped to soundtrack, and to celebrate a tremendous gift not only of stunning technical facility, but of immense feeling, of real connection from gut and heart to song. This is where the broken hearts go, to her music.
By Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff- Re-posted from BostonGlobe.com
In part one of this series, we discussed how to dress, behave etc. on your first date at the Best Boston Restaurant you can afford. In particular, we were discussing appropriate attire. Be sure to inquire about the dress code before you meet at the restaurant. You don’t want to show up at a business-casual bar wearing a tux. In fact, I think it’s pretty safe to say that you should leave the tux in the closet no matter the venue. It is, however, my personal opinion that it is always better to be a little over dressed than a little under dressed. Some of my (scrubby) friends wholeheartedly disagree with me on this point but in the end it comes down to how you carry yourself. If you know how to walk, talk, and generally be confident and suave, you could walk into Abe and Louie’s Steak House and convince half the guests that you own the place.
I know you’re wondering, “How do I walk, talk and be confident?” The key, as far as I can tell, is faking it until you make it for real. If you don’t feel confident during the date, she’s going to notice and so will the other people. Keep your posture straight. Allow yourself a little self-satisfied smirk now and then to get people wondering, “Wait a second why did he smile like that? Was he laughing at me? What’s he got up his sleeve?” You want everyone else, including your date, on his or her toes while you appear to be squarely on your feet. The whole confidence thing takes some practice so don’t worry if you cannot nail it right off the bat. You will get better the more you apply it.
Now you are walking tall, looking sharp, and talking smooth.
Not a bad start if you ask me. Take some time to affirm yourself as a big shot to the lady and capitalize on this new image. Try mentioning how you frequent some of the Best Boston Restaurants and don’t hesitate to talk about your accomplishments. You need to make the most out of your strong suits. If you’re a funny guy, keep her laughing. This is a tried and true method for success. If you’re an intellectual, bedazzle her with your enormous vocabulary or talk at length about literary analysis. If your utterly bland but have tons of money, don’t despair. Talk about your phenomenal wealth and your endless garages full of cars that cost more than a large house.
OK guys; listen up because this is a very important part of your game. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to end up doing some listening. In fact, you are going to be doing a hell of a lot of listening. That is a good thing, though. The more she talks, the less opportunity you have to say something unforgivably stupid and ruin the evening. If I had to summarize my advice into a few main points I would offer this: Focus on things you know you can talk about. Learn how to dress well at any cost. Do some research on your restaurant ahead of time so you can impress her and make a positive and lasting first impression.
You worked up the courage to ask out the pretty blonde from work and now it’s game on. Now you are driving yourself crazy looking over a guide to find the Best Boston Restaurant because you want to impress the heck out of this broad. “How fancy should it be,” you ask yourself. “What should I wear,” you say as you dig frantically for your best clothes. The problem is, while your skinniest tie and sport jacket certainly won’t hurt, it is really all about how you carry yourself when it comes to scoring big points with the ladies. Fine dining establishments give men the opportunity to act like they are cultured for an evening and, seeing as first dates are often very telling, you need to be ready to knock this one out of the park.
There are a few things you’re going to want to plan for as your prepare for your big date.
The first thing, and some would say most important of all, is to plan for awkward pauses in the conversation. They may come at the beginning of the evening as you’re getting to know each other or at the end as you slowly begin to run out of small details to discuss and the hideous blush of awkwardness begins to settle over your conversation. Don’t worry, though – this is why we are creating a contingency plan. This will be an emergency discussion topic to be used only once you have thoroughly exhausted such engaging talking points as the weather, her preference for dogs or cats, and viciously gossiped about every possible person at work. Your emergency topic must be engaging enough to carry you until the end of the meal or at least get you back on course. One tried and true idea is sharing with her your hopes and dreams. Women love a man who is ambitious, so share your plans to conquer the world and start your own company. You should probably leave out the part about yachting your way across the globe with a boatful of Megan Fox lookalikes. There is such a thing as too much ambition.
The next preparation you will want to make is learning a few words in the language of whatever restaurant it is you end up at. Some of the Best Boston Restaurants are Italian and French, so you will want to know just enough to order the wine in whichever language, because women dig that stuff. Maybe you can even learn a bit about the culture. A few historic facts or pretentious comments about architecture can go a long way. Don’t let them go too long, though. You may end up putting her right to sleep and now is not the time fore that.
I mentioned dress a little earlier and I would like to touch on that again. The bottom line here is that you need to dress to kill. If your not sure how to go about doing that, ask a girl who knows fashion to go shop with you or if your strapped for cash, ask her to dig through your closet and do her best. Continued in part 2…this Friday!
You had your fun in college. Now it’s time to stop drinking crappy beers. Pour yourself a good micro brew from Vermont or Colorado and take a few lessons here. If you’re 25 or older and drink any of the following beers, you’re simply stuck in the past. You’re one of those hangers-on. All your friends are talking behind your back and speculating about when you’ll get a job and get on with your life. Some are even placing bets. It may also help if you stop crashing on the couch of the fraternity house and get a real apartment, you deadbeat.
Milwaukee’s Best. Milwaukee has produced some nice things, such as the Violent Femmes, but don’t give this sinister little city too much credit. The devil moved into town in 1849 to entice the nation with the most abominable beer imaginable-Old Milwaukee. Some experts contend that this horrible brew was even warned about in the Bible. If you enjoy gagging and even puking before the point of being drunk, this just may be your beer.
Keystone Light. Rejected Coors. Do you need to know any more about this god-awful drink? Coors Light, in its superior condition, is watered-down piss water. When something goes wrong with the flavor or color, the company bottles it as Keystone Light. The only thing worse than this Colorado beer is that some states sell a special version that contains no more than 3.2% alcohol.
Budweiser. This beer was cool in your college days. After 25 years old, however, don’t drink it. Everyone seems to pretend that it’s a good beer, at least when they’re too loaded to know otherwise. It does get you wasted, after all. If you’re going to drink Budweiser after your prime years, take a trip to Canada to do it. Canadians get a whole different version that is right up there with the finest microbrews.
Busch. Busch is about as wack as the president it was named after. OK, so the beer was not actually named after a president. In fact, it came many decades before the oil guys hijacked America. Who knows what it was named after, and who cares? One thing that is certain about Busch is that this beer is just horrible, more so than any president.
Schlitz. Holy Schlitz, this beer is bad! Who cares that it’s a high-proof malt liquor? It produces so much foam that you’ll hardly be able to drink much of it anyway. You may drink this beer with impunity if you’re either a Texan, a teenager or a punk rocker. Otherwise, grow up and drink something of higher stature. Schlitz is just wrong.
