Charity Auction!
August 15th at 8 pmClub Cafe

Art Bar's "Madonna Birthday Bash" to benefit the Boston Living Center is approaching fast. We have awesome items not only from talented local artists, but from the Hyatt, LA Sports Club, Boston Sports Club, Jean Therapy, Uniform and More!

This event will start at 8pm and go until 1 am. DJs will be spinning current to classic Madonna all night in the Video Bar. For all the details, visit www.artbarboston/madonna

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A Motley Crew
motley home
652 Tremont St
motley
623A Tremont St
Boston, MA 02216

As this blog has mentioned before, Tremont Street is becoming the new Newbury Street ion the same way that the South End is becoming the new Back Bay. The two sister stores of motley and motley home only add to this slowly firming truth. Motley is the perfect boutique for men. Tee shirts, books, gadgets and fragrances fill the small space in an eclectic mix that is kept fresh and new. Like Uniform down the street, motley boasts great service because, unlike the chain “boutiques” on Newbury, the owner take such pride and care in his store.

More fun for me was motley home a few blocks up. I am moving soon (albeit across the hall from myself) and all the things in motley home were so damn unique and nice. I was particularly drawn to the placemats that looked like pebbles. If I had an outside garden and table, I would have bought a set of four! Simply put, the store is filled with cute things. From vases to pillows and everything in between, motley home is the best place to find a hostess gift or something interesting and distinctive for your own home.

I would recommend a trip to both stores sometime soon. Turn a lazy Sunday afternoon into a little trip to the South End. Hit up Uniform, the motley stores and check out all the little cafes and restaurants along the way. We would recommend staying away from Sibling Rivalry these days. The staff has become overly pretentious and bothered. When we went in we were promptly looked up and down and treated horribly, so we left straight away.

Bottom line: Both motley and motley home are great place to find one of a kind gifts, whether it be for the home or for the body!

Johnny Cupcakes!
Newbury St
Boston, MA

While most boutiques are fleeing to greener pastures in the South End, Johnny Cupcakes becomes one of the newest boutiques to hit Newbury Street. Selling tee-shirts, underwear and shorts, the small boutique is more of a novelty than a clothing retailer.

Started as an Internet tee-shirt store a few years ago, Johnny’s now has two physical locations (the other is in Hull). The Johnny Cupcakes brand can also be found in select retailers across the country. The designs all play off a skull and crossbones meets cupcake logo that adorn every item in the store. It is a cute logo, and a few of the tee shirts would make a nice addition to any collection.

The over all shopping experience is fun as well. All the clothing is presented on baking sheets, in coolers, freezers and bakery displays. The entire store looks like a small bakery that has freshly baked and prepared clothes. While this is a kitschy and cute concept, the displays seem to over power the clothing simply because there is so little of it. There seem to only be a dozen or two different items in the store – so the ‘bakery’ looks as if it just had a Christmas Eve rush on fruitcake.

Overall, the store is primarily is for people who want to see as if “they are in the know.” All of the designs are printed onto American Apparel brand clothing; so if there is an item of clothing you like but hate the Cupcakes’ design, head over to American Apparel across the street and get one in ‘plain.’ But if you do make a purchase, you will be rewarded with an actual cupcake!

Bottom Line: The store is interesting and unique, with a few cute shirts here and there. But work on those actual cupcakes because they weren’t tasting too fresh! That would be like if Legal Seafood served us rotten fish, Uno’s soggy pizza or if Mike’s served Little Debbie!

Underground Fun ?
Foundation Lounge
Hotel Commonwealth
Kenmore Square

Off the entrance to the Lobby of the Hotel Commonwealth there is a big, subterranean bar named the Foundation Lounge. We will get the good out of the way first. There is often live music in a jazz, lounge vein which is quite enjoyable. The drinks are pretty strong, if too often under poured. The space is extremely comfortable – couches, low chairs, ottomans and booths fill every square foot of the space and lend themselves perfectly to an after work, a “let’s get the evening started” drink or a night cap to wind down a wild night. Foundation is not a destination unto itself though.

Now for the bad. The drinks, while strong and tasty, are extremely overpriced for the area. The 12 dollar martinis are glaringly more expensive than the drinks at Eastern Standard (in the same hotel!) that start from around $8. The limited food menu is disgraceful. Why trendy bars deem it necessary to “do sushi” is beyond me. You would do better getting sushi at the Star Market than at Foundation. Always served creepily warm, and never tasting fresh and crisp, the sushi simply is a waste of 14 dollars. That’s right, a spicy tuna maki roll can cost over $14! To say it ludicrously overpriced is an understatement.

The décor, while comfortable, is bland and the grays, blacks and oranges simply seem bleak. The back room is so overfull of ottomans that it becomes nearly impossible to navigate. Service is at best “iffy.” The servers, while all friendly and courteous, are too few and far between and it doesn’t help that bar service is very, very slow.

Bottom Line: Stop in for an after work drink, but avoid the food at all costs. Remember, all those weekly papers you read that claim certain things about restaurants write their reviews for advertising partnerships. If you trusted the buzz, you would think the food at foundation was the best sushi in the city. And if you do stop in, get one drink or else you will regret it once the check rolls around!

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Setting the Standard
Eastern Standard Kitchen
The Hotel Commonwealth
Kenmore Square

A lot has been written about Eastern Standard since it opened last summer. And like most of what has been written, this short review will be good. The whole staff of Art Bar likes, if not loves, ESK.

The ambiance is perfect. High ceilings, great art and hug cushy leather booths and seats fill the interior. The restaurant has a very established and old New England feel despite its only having been in the city over a year. Divided into 2/3 restaurant and 1/3 lounge, ESK is a perfect place for dinner or after work drinks.

I frequent the restaurant for both purposes. Lunch and dinner are great, and reasonably priced. Downtown a meal like one at ESK would cost nearly double and you would not get the attentive and courteous service I always receive at ESK. Should be head waiter BJ (I don’t know his last name) does a SUPERB job at making everyone feel welcome and knows the drink and food menus inside and out. If you have no idea what oysters to get from the raw bar (and you definitely should), then make sure you ask for BJ. He will tell which ones are the best!

The food at Eastern Standard is exactly what the name says; it’s standard eastern fare through and through. You won’t find trendy fusion foods, couscous and experimental dishes here. What you will find is excellently prepared steaks, pork, seafood and one pasta dish. ESK offers no nightly specials per se. Rather, they offer specials in a daily schedule. Instead you know that every Saturday is Beef Wellington Night and every Sunday you can feast on a Suckling Pig – visit for an exact menu of the daily specials.

Most meals come with the incomparable Eastern Standard mashed potatoes. Considering myself a sort of mashed potato connoisseur, I think that ESK has by far the best in the entire city – followed closely by Mistral. They are buttery, creamy and hand mashed – yes they have those small little lumps that make them taste just like Nana’s! No “garlic smashed” or any other trendy potatoes here! In fact, spices or extraneous flavors at ESK overwhelm nothing. The fine quality of the meat, vegetables and fish speak for themselves.

With all this talk of ESK, I think that I need to make reservations for this Sunday night’s dinner!

BONUS! If you are staying in the Hotel Commonwealth, you can order ESK 24-hours a day; they provide room service!

Why we love DTR!
DTR Modern Galleries
167 Newbury Street

DTR Modern Galleries has done it again; an refreshing and enjoyable exhibit. Aptly titled, "The Three Spaniards", this exhibit showcases the works of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. Every DTR show is like a small museum showcase of modern masters! Its nice to know what your are getting at DTR; you get artists that you either know you love or you know you hate. Usually, for me at least, the former applies. I can come to a show here and know I am going to have a good time. The staff is friendly, if not overly knowledgably, and you can feel at home whether you are there to browse because you love art, or you are there to make a purchase!

When you first walk in, you are immediately confronted by two amazing suites of Dali; Japanese Fairy Tales and Signs of the Zodiac. At first, it is hard to believe that these are by Dali. The Japanses Fairy Tales seem to be very reminiscent of a Dr Seuss drawing. As you look at the Signs of the Zodiac, you will want to find your sign. When I noticed that my sign wasn't there, the consultant told me that they originally had all 12 signs, but with weddings, graduations and similar events going on at the time, many of them had been bought as presents. They are now down to only 5 – perhaps less by now.

Equally as impressive is their Picasso showing. On a lone red wall hangs a phenomenal linocut titled "Le Danseur." It is comparable to the linocuts currently hanging at the MFA's "Degas to Picasso" show. It is truly museum quality – like most of the shows and pieces at DTR. I posed the question, "Where do you get your pieces from?" Our consultant told us that most of their works come directly from the estates, the family members, the foundations or the publishers. In fact, a majority of their Picassos come directly from Marina Picasso or Diana Picasso. They have such a good relationship with the Picasso family that Diana Picasso attended one of their openings at the Harvard Club in the fall and gave a talk. Their current showing has everything from pieces from the 347 series, the Vollard suite, the 156 series and the Lysistrata suite.

Leaving the wall of Picasso, we meandered into their back room which is all Miro. Staring you right in the face is Miro's "Polyglot Man". An impressive piece, if not a bit creepy – a bit outside the norm of what you would expect from Miro. But the rest of it is true to form. Occupying one wall is the "Melodie Acide" suite. DTR has 2 complete suites – one is framed and one is unframed. Our consultant showed us the unframed suite, which was still in its original box from the publisher. On the other walls, there are equally as beautiful pieces. Mostly larger, signed pieces from the 1970's. One of these gems is an aquatint. You don't generally see Miro aquatints, but they have one!

Overall, this is an amazing show. As I stated before, it is so refreshing that DTR is able to come off of an 80's show to a show like this! They do not pigeonhole themselves into always having the exact same type of art such as a gallery like Axelle Fine Arts. Compared to the fantastic pop art show we had previously written about, one feels like you are in a completely different gallery now. It is extraordinarily well balanced and very well presented.

When we asked about price points, we were told that there are Miros starting at $1600 - Picassos starting at about $4500 and Dalis starting at $4000. Our consultant was telling us that they "have something for everyone - in every price range." They work with the beginning collectors and the serious collectors, which really gives validation to their catch line, "Putting Masters in Your Reach." Many of the galleries on Newbury demand that you pay thousands for people you may have never heard of, and will never hear from again.

If you have a chance, try to stop in and see it. It will be hanging until July 27th when their gallery will turn into a Chagall exhibition. It is so nice to have a gallery in Boston where when you go in, you never see "repeat art". There is always something new and it is always an enjoyable visit.

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Vinalia - July 18th

Over 100 art lovers attended Art Bar's event last night at the Vinalia Wine Bar in Downtown Crossing. With over half of the pieces being sold, the event was a stellar success for both Art Bar and the Artists. There was so much "mixing and mingling" that I am sure everyone made great new contacts and potnetial customers. If you saw anything you liked last night, and would like to further inquire about it, please email us at info@artbarboston.com.

The venue setting was ideal and Vinalia provided complimentary snacks while offering reasonably priced wine at the bar. To see pictures from this event visit our website!

Our next event is at the Hong Kong on July 29th. For more information please visit www.artbarboston.com/evenground

Lume Eclipse
Harvard Square

This Just in from Lumen Eclipse. If You haven't heard of them, check them out here. I don't want spoil the surprise, so I won't go into detail about how cool this whole project is. Expect a full, detailed entry soon!

Hey folks,

Just a quick note to let everyone know we've got a great July show up in Harvard Square and on our website: www.lumeneclipse.com

This month we're honored to exhibit excepts from Rebirth of a Nation by Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, as well as a hilarious short by Grant Orchard in honor of the World Cup. (Sorry, no head-butting here.)

Other amazing art in this month's show:
Geoff Adams's Birdbeat (Fugue)
Adam Chapman's Legible Nature
Irving's Situation
Aleigh Lewis + Joel Corelitz's Spectrum
MK12's Untitled 02: Infinity
Alejandra Olivares Domenzain's Cellula Mater

Also, we've just redesigned our site, which now includes interviews and more. Feel free to send over your art-related news and announcements so we may continue to support both our artists and viewers.

For all our friends in the Boston area, don't miss the Roxbury Film Festival, July 26 - 30 www.roxburyfilmfestival.org

...and for those of you swinging through Harvard Square: enjoy a cold beer, fruity sangria --or whatever your poison-- on the sidewalk patio over at Grendel's Den . http://www.grendelsden.com/

Thanks, everyone, for your continued support,
Ryan, Rory, Jen, and Heather

Madonna is in Town
TD Banknorth Garden

Madonna performs her final show tonight at the Garden. There are still some tickets available (limited view), and there will always be scalpers outside! The show was truly amazing last night, as most of the Art Bar staff that was there will attest. But if Madonna isn't really your cup-o-tea, then worry not! Boston offers tons of great summer entertainment!

This past weekend was even more star studded as Sheryl Crow spent sunday shopping on Newbury St after her sold out gig with Dave Matthews at Fenway Park. And with Lance Bass (formerly of N'Sync) and companion in P-town over the 4th, it seems that Boston really knows how to bring in the celebs! Tonight sees wanna be singer and popstar, Ashlee Simpson at the Bank of America Pavilion (yeah, i wanna call it Harbor Lights too!), while tomorrow British singer/songwriter sensation Katie Melua brings her unique voice to the Paradise. Chicago, Chris Isaak, The Dixie Chicks and an awesome 80's show featuring Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Loverboy and Scandal are just some of the acts coming through the city over the summer.

As you know, Art Bar stresses diversity in all aspects of life. Whether it is in our art, music, movies or friends, Art Bar enjoys the eclectic. All art forms should be enjoyed no matter if its Madonna singing Like a Virgin on stage, the Pops performing on the Esplanade, the new show at DTR or the latest installation at the MFA. Get out into Boston this summer!

Check out the Phoenix and Boston.com for great up to date listings on all things Boston!

Even after all the years, it still delivers
Sonsie
Newbury Street
Boston, MA

Sonsie is one of the most consistently crowded restaurants in the city. With one of the best people watching views in the city, Sonsie could easily rest on its location and reputation and do just fine. But unlike that other “S” restaurants a few blocks down (that’s right, we hate you Stephanie’s!), Sonsie actually bothers to supply pleasant service, no snobbery and pretty good food.

Sonsie has become one of those go to restaurants for a lot of people in the city; its consistency and location make it perfect whether your have friends in town or just need somewhere to get dinner during the week. You can go one of two routes at Sonsie; you can opt for the entrée (price from around 15-30 dollars) and appetizer route, or you can got for one of their brick oven pizzas (around 11 dollars each). Either choice affords you entirely different experiences and makes eating at Sonsie monetarily affordable almost any night of the week.

Last night a friend and I went to sit in the café and catch up. I chose the Mahi with sweet potato puree while she dined on Eggplant Parmesan. We both shared an order of Fried Calamari. The food, cocktails and company were all fantastic and we had a wonderful evening that didn’t hurt the wallet as much as some other places in the area would have! I am by no means saying that Sonsie is a real bargain, but like Eastern Standard, it tends to give you a big bang for your buck!

This Sunday, we are bringing you a fun tip of the week about Sonsie’s wine cellar. Open everynight of the week (except Sunday), the wine cellar is a great (for the right price private) room located downstairs… well in the cellar I suppose. If the upstairs bar is too crowded, head downstairs where you can get almost a full meal; the entrees are not served downstairs, but the pastas, appetizers, pizza’s and salads are!


Bottom Line: Next time you need a place to eat on Newbury or just want a fun place to grab a cocktail, head to Sonsie.

Tomb
186 Brookline Ave
Boston, MA 02115

Tomb is sort of like a haunted house meets the Indiana Jones stunt show at MGM. Archaeologists, that’s you, have unearthed the entrance to Pharaoh’s long lost tomb right here in Boston! The group, led by hilarious Tomb employees/amateur thespians, must penetrate the tomb door, solve mind-bending puzzles and move through the inside of this elaborately constructed crypt. There are 4 rooms in all, counting the outside of the tomb, and the task of getting through is not to be taken lightly.

The guides are there to mainly supervise you and explain what your little adventure is all about. While they may lend some helpful suggestions to the group, they are not afraid to let the expedition fail and all of you “die.” So, as they say, keep your wits about you! I have done tomb 3 times and my group has never failed. Therefore, my friends and family are either all geniuses, or the guides help more than they let on. I think the latter…

The entire tour takes roughly 45-60 minutes, but weekend “shows” sell out rather quickly. I would suggest calling ahead or going in early in the morning and picking the show of your choice for later in the day. And HURRY! With the new Trilogy condo complex opening up next door, and expanding rapidly, I think tomb will be gone by the fall!

Not to fret though, once this 5-Wits production of tour is over, a newly themed and similar style adventure will open somewhere else in the city!

Bomboa
Stanhope St
Boston, MA

Bomboa has twice been mentioned in out “Tips of the Week,” and for due reason! Last week I celebrated my 24th birthday with a group of 14 or so friends at Bomboa. As usual, the staff was friendly and not the least bit intimidated by such a large party for dinner. Known as much for their cocktails as their food, Bomboa never ceases to amaze me when it comes to originality. Whether it is the new “Clyde Baxter” (a cocktail named after Bomboa owner Kasey Anton’s newborn son) or the now classic coconut bread pudding, the flavors at Bomboa always come together in a pleasant and interesting way.

The Brazilian/French fusion is unique and always delicious. The drinks are some of the best in the city, and their fruity, sweet flavors are perfect for the summer. I have been a loyal customer for the past 4 years, and I have yet to be disappointed!

I chose the Pumpkin Ravioli as my entrée, a relatively new addition to the menu. They were simply decadent, and the topping of ricotta cheese only added to the rich and colorful palette. Fellow diners got café steak, steak frites, vegetable spring rolls, beef brisket empanadas, and cauliflower risotto to name a few. I believe the only meal we didn’t enjoy was the aforementioned side dish of cauliflower.

Bomboa also boasts a fantastic patio, where you can enjoy fine outside dining without any interruption. Stanhope is a small street with no traffic, and outside dining here is all about the food and the company, not the people watching. In my opinion, this change of pace from Newbury St is quite welcome.

Bottom Line: If you have never been to Bomboa, go! If you haven’t been in a while, go!