The Bull and Finch
I just walked in the door. I’m back from a fun filled weekend in Boston where I had to explain that living in New York doesn’t automatically make you a New Yorker (evidently there is some rivalry between New York and Boston concerning some sports teams).
The easiest way to get a beer in Boston is to wear a New York Yankees cap. People will be zinging bottles of Sam Adams at you. If you are good you might even catch a few.
To escape the New Yorker bashing I ducked into the Bull and Finch, a little pub just across from the Public Garden on Beacon Street. As soon as I walked in everyone turned around, waved, and yelled, “Donavan!”
The exterior of this pub was made famous by the television show Cheers. Even though the show hasn’t been on TV for years there’s still a steady crowd lining up to get their picture taken in front of this cosy little pub.
Inside the Bull and Finch is more like a Cheers theme park with several gift shops and life sized cutouts of all your favorite Cheers regulars. If you are looking for this place on the web, just Google “Boston Tourist Traps“. (It’s the nearest thing to Bubba Gump’s that I could find in Boston.)
The Bull and Finch had a decent pub menu including a kids menu. The specialty seemed to be the bowl of New England Clam Chowder so that’s what I had with my lineup of Sam Adams beers. The Sam Adams seasonal is the Summer Ale which in some Boston pubs is served with a lemon.
I finished out my meal at the Bull and Finch with a Sam Adams Boston Ale (not the same as the Boston Lager). The Boston Ale is maltier and darker than the Lager. It’s a treat if you can find it on tap.
Next time in Boston take a trip over the river to Cambridge (a 4 minute “T” ride from the Bull and Finch) for some of the best cocktails you’ll ever have (and darn good food, too).
Misty at the Green Street Grill in Central Square is one of the best cocktail bartenders I’ve ever had the pleasure of ordering from. And/Or you can head to the B-Side Lounge in Cambridge on Hampshire and have Dave fix you an Old Fashioned.
If you must stay in “Boston Proper” try Silvertone’s or go upscale big time at No. 9 Park.
Cheers!