Dante
5 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, Ma
(right across from the Galleria and in the Royal Sonesta)

Who am I to pass up a free night of drinks and food, especially at what is being toted as Boston's latest "need to be seen at" hotspot? One of the perks of working with Art Attack and Art Bar is most assuredly all the free parties that I get invited too. If I, as an aspiring Boston socialite, can go out 3 nights a week for free, I wonder how awesome it must be for celebrities in Hollywood. But, I digress...

The Players Party, presented by Stuff@Night, was one of the many kick-off events for Dante that have occurred over the past week, and was the event I was lucky enough to attend. Reyka Vodka flowed free of cost all night and let me just say, "Watch out Grey Goose and Ketel One!" Reyka had to be the smoothest, best tasting and clean vodkas I have ever imbibed. And with drinks expertly made by Jennifer (the beautiful, curly haired Bartender formerly of Bomboa), the night would have been complete even before the food arrived.

Boston's star chef, Dante de Magistris presented Stuff partygoers with a fantastic array of appetizers that seemed to never stop coming! How often have you been at an event and had the appetizers suddenly stop short? I hate when that happens and think the key to making people want to come back is to feed them the best you can. The hors d'oeuvres were so good that I will go back to Dante sooner than later to try a proper meal.

Things kept getting better at Dante. If the food and drinks weren't enough, the views and patio also made a good night event better. Huge windows over look the Charles and with ample patio space, Dante does not seemed confines by walls. Rather, the restaurant easily spills outside and as the sunsets, the city literally lights up before you eyes. The decor inside Dante may be nothing spectacular (It is your typical "trendy-urban-chic" lounge feel), the overall atmosphere transcends the commonality.

Bottom line: Get over to Cambridge, saddle up to the bar, and tell Jennifer that Kurt says hi!

Art Bar Calendar

Make sure to check out the Art Bar home page to get all the latest on our upcoming events!
Our summer schedule is starting to become finalized, and as it does, more and more great events will be posted.
On May 7th, check out the selections of art and jewelry that the city has grown to love from Art Attack at the May Fair. And on this June, we will hold a fantastic event at Bomboa.

Jeans that Finally Fit!
Jean Therapy
Kenmore Square
Hotel Commonwealth
Boston, MA 02215

Jeans never fit me right; they either hang loosely off my legs and make my butt nonexistent or they are skin tight to my chicken legs and push up rolls of fat to make me have love handles. This is not hot... Even the more commonplace high-end jeans like Seven (for all mankind), Diesel, A/X, Emporio Armani and Versace Couture do nothing for me. Until today, I thought there was no hope.

At Jean Therapy, owner and jean expert Leah Eckelberger found me a pair of Michael K's (yeah, I had never heard of him either) that gave me a great butt and were form fitting enough to make me fashionable, but still managed to not make my legs look like pencils. At six foot two and pretty thin, that is a hard thing to do! Not only did she find me one pair of jeans, but there were several others that I loved and making the final decision was very difficult; but at close to $200 a pair I was only going to treat myself to one (this week that is!).

Do not let price be a deterrent though! The amount of money I have spent on jeans that are "all kinds of awful" is nothing compared to getting a few great pairs from Jean Therapy. Believe me, you are going to want to wear these jeans everyday! And ladies, Leah can find the perfect jeans for you no matter what you're shape. I have seen her fit girls into jeans that transform their entire bodies and look. Leah will ask you a barrage of questions and in minutes has found the ideal pair for you!

The only bad thing about getting a pair of jeans from Jean Therapy is that now I think all my other jeans are gross...

Preview of this Weeks entries...

In Art
revisiting an old favorite - a trip to the ICA

In Food and Drink
find out if all the fuss over Dante is worth it

In Fashion
where to find the perfect jeans in the city

33 - What a Great Surprise!
3 Stanhope St
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 572-3311

The Art Bar staff headed to 33 for the evening this Friday and were pleasantly surprised! I have eaten here before, and let's just say I wasn't impressed. I much preferred neighboring restaurant Bomboa, whose interesting blend of Franco-Brazilian fare always is a treat for the palette. But on Friday night, 33 put out!

I was only going to comment on the dancing/clubbing aspect of the restaurant, but the food is just too good to omit. Without going into detail, the meals were excellent! The taste and quality was superb, and the truffled macaroni and cheese is to die for. A bit on the pricey side, with most meals matching the restaurant's name in cost, 33 nonetheless was worth the price.

Come for the food, stay for the lounge. After your dinner, head downstairs and have an enjoyable night of dancing, drinking and NOT being surrounded by barely 21 year olds and immature college girls. While you can definitely tell you are in a basement and it's not a place for the claustrophobic, the lounge at 33 can be a welcome place of solace compared to the "Roxyplex" and Lansdowne clubs. Check out the lounge's website and pick the night that's right for you!

The Lounge at 33

Art Bar staffer's are headed out to check out the dancing and lounge scene at 33. So make sure to check back this weekend for the scoop on 33 and our newest tip of the week!

A Great, I mean GREAT Burger!
Mr Bartley's Burger Cottage
1246 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138-3820
(617) 354-6559

Surprisingly, I loved the atmosphere at Bartley's Burger Cottage. I am a self-admitted snob, and my idea of a Friday night dinner usually involves my boyfriend, a cocktail, three-course meal and a bottle of red wine. So, when I was expected to go to what my roommate affectionately called, “A Burger Joint,” I felt a little skeptical. Condiments, including sliced onions and homemade sweet relish, decorated the tables in lieu of the single flower and flickering candle that I am used to. Instead of paintings or art prints on the walls, we were bombarded with bumper stickers, beer posters, celebrities and one very scary Hilary Rodham Clinton in bondage gear. The wait staff was courteous, attentive and smiley; the pretension that I grown accustomed to is absent at Mr. Bartley’s. Completely out of my element, I felt unexpectedly at home.

Waitresses yell your order out across the room, using that classic 50's diner lingo and it is truly amazing that you get what you ordered. A hilarious menu tantalizes the taste buds of beef lovers! Burger’s named after Teresa Heinz, John Kerry and even Saddam “Insane” fill a menu that not only tempts the palette, but tickles the funny bone. A roast beef sandwich, free of fat, is named after Britney Spears and promises that the diner will become a slave for it. Several other ‘celebrity’ sandwiches provide alternatives to ground beef.

In and out, we completed the whole dining experience in under 30 minutes – a completely different feel from my typical two hour meals. I still had a whole evening to partake in, but not the money to do so. Fifty dollars for a burger, two sandwiches, a milkshake, onion rings and tip seemed a bit steep. I paid my bill to the cashier at the door and walked to the car. On that walk, as I grabbed my temporary gut and let my belt out a few notches, I realized that while the prices were not as low as a typical “burger joint,” the quality of the food and overall experience were worth the price. Go back to Bartley’s for a greasy escape, butgo with the knowledge that you are paying for more than just fast food. You pay not only to eat great burgers, but to get that old fashioned and nostalgic feel that eludes almost every downtown eatery.

Bartley's allows you to let loose, pig out and just relax. At least once in a while you've got to drop those socialite airs. Forget the fancy Newbury St gallery scene and Back Bay restaurants and sneak over to Cambridge and eat at Bartley's. Put on those big sunglasses and a scarf if you must....

Pants underneath skirts... Why?
All over Boston, everday!

There has been a trend as of late where girls have taken to wearing leggings or pants beneath their skirts. While this look is "interesting," I have never met a boy (gay or straight) who thought this look was fabulous or hot (respectively). Maybe I am out of the loop, but I did read in (my friend's) Cosmo that this whole leggings look was out this season.

The weather is getting better, but not quite warm enough for a skirt I know. But please, let's wear pants until the time for skirts - we don't need to combine the two!

Whether its UGG boots or popped collars, don't forget that you can post your own comments about a fashion trend that is driving you mad! ;)

Avalon… America Dances Here?
Lansdowne Street
Boston, MA

A few of us from Art Bar headed out clubbing at Avalon last weekend. In the past, Avalon was the hippest, hottest club in town. The line stretched around the block, there was a happening VIP section and an untouchable upstairs where only the coolest and most connected of the Boston nightlife elite were allowed to venture. Times they are a changing’. Lost in a sea of “growing up Gotti” hair, we felt strangely out of touch with the crowd we saw before us. The music was sub-par at best – a poor blend of drum and bass, house and dance made me want to start handing out glow sticks to the 18 year old wannabe rave kids. Don’t get me wrong, I love dance music more than most people – just not this dance music.

Without going off on a rant about the decline of the ‘dance club’ in general, let me say that if Avalon is any representation of clubs across the country, I can at least understand the decline. Trendy bars and martini lounges that play better house a la Deep Dish, Colette, Kaskade, etc, and often serve better, stronger and more interesting drinks. Electronic music fills the air of these bars, yet dancing is not the focal point of the night, and people tend to sway in small circles than groove around the dance floor. Therefore, what is a dance music, dance loving kid supposed to do? Not quite sure yet!

Stay tuned as Art Bar checks out more and more clubs in Boston on its now quest to find the new default club. Because, while Avalon was always still a little bit cheesy and overpriced, at least it was fun and you knew what you were getting into. So now, instead of going to Avalon where the VIP section is nonexistent, the once pristine leather couches need patched, and the lighting system was once so cool, check out her sister clubs Embassy, Axis and the Modern. At these three clubs you know what you are getting when you go to them; they are literally what they purport to be on their websites. At Avalon you would expect the most interesting and worldly crowd ever assembled if you read www.avalon.com. Instead, you are greeted with a mish mosh of barely legal suburbanites, confused college sophomores and those hangers on who wont let Avalon go (myself sometimes included).

PS – If you do decide to go to Avalon, make sure you know it’s a DJ you like and that it is 21 plus.

Every Sunday, Art Bar will post a tip of the week! So visit here weekly (at least!) to get all the best insider info there is!

Schlow Shows Greatness:
Great Bay lives up to the hype - Scott Kearnan

Though none of us have consistent schedules that allow us to attend on a weekly basis, my friends and I have tried to schedule somewhat regular “Thursday night drink” evenings at a rotating series of venues around town. From high-end lounges to dive bars, each spot serves as a different backdrop for us to catch up, talk about our weeks, and stave off the emotional distance that often grows between busy twenty-somethings when they no longer have the time (or money, or energy, or…) to devote themselves to regular socializing.

Except Art Bar, of course. There’s always time for Art Bar. Ahem.

Anyway, one of our most recent (and well attended) cocktail outings took place at Great Bay, the second of chef Michael Schlow’s upscale Boston eateries. (For those too lazy to scroll down, I’ll refresh your memory: My last blog entry visited Radius).

It’s always fun to meet up with my motley assemblage of local pals. I’m inclined to describe each of them, idiosyncrasies and all, in luscious detail… but I’d rather not get a martini in the face next Thursday, when I’m harangued for referring to Friend Z as “the delightfully eccentric one.” Any pair of overly sensitive XX chromosomes will undoubtedly interpret that as “you called me the crazy bitch!” So I’ll just cut this one off at the pass.

Great Bay is a great place to meet up for an informal occasion like this. Though the atmosphere is fairly upscale, the décor and service is completely unpretentious and unassuming. There is none of the hoity-toity posturing that greets you at Radius. It only strengthens my growing opinion that, at least in this city, attitude often works in inverse proportion to quality: The more self-assured the place seems to be, the less self-assured they have a right to be. Of course, there are exceptions… but often, there’s a Napoleon complex going on behind the scenes, and attempts are made to veil middling quality with a whole lot of SASS.

None of that was necessary at Great Bay. We were all able to kick back, relax, and take in the open, airy décor and high ceilings while comfortably sipping our martinis (for the record, I recommend “The Poe”). And though only a few members of our dozen-numbered party decided to add food - as well as vodka - to their palate, there was a no-pressure attitude that suggested we could stay all night and get just as schnockered as we pleased. That’s my kind of place.

Naturally, being one of the fatties of the crew, I did have something off the menu… a surprisingly delicious Olive Oil Poached Halibut… a heavenly taste of the aquatic. I say “surprisingly delicious” because I was taken completely off guard by how well the added garnishes of pumpkin and house cured bacon complemented the dish. But then, I guess that sort of thing is Schlow’s forte, not all. He cooks it up, I’ll just rub my belly, sip my drink, grin with delight, and catch up with some pals.

Like my delightfully eccentric friend (sorry, sweetie).

After a disappointing first round at Radius we can declare Great Bay a VICTORY for the Schlow trinity!