Bahston & the Breakfast Nazi

After stressing about James for the better part of last week, we managed to pry ourselves away and drive north. We got to our friend's house in Somerville by dinnertime. While relaxing over the meal, we hear Doug scream from the back room. He had suddenly noticed that he'd misread the concert tickets, and that the show starts at 6pm, not 8pm like he'd thought (It was around 7:30 at this point.). So after some mass hysterics over his discomfiture, we piled into the car and headed for the show. Luckily they had two bands go on before their set, so it worked out well -- we arrived just at the beginning of their set. The show was at the Avalon Ballroom, across from Fenway Park. Having never seen either before that was pretty neat.

The DropKick Murphys fall into the punk category, or Celtic/Irish rock I guess. If you like Flogging Mollies, Black 47, the Pogues etc, then this is right up your alley. Their latest CD, "Blackout" is known by heart by everyone in the house, it's fantastic. If you ever get the chance to see them perform, I highly recommend going. The atmosphere in the show is controlled chaos, folks get rowdy but not out of hand. Everyone of all ages seems to know all the words to every song, they belt them out along with the band and are encouraged to sing along and even with the bandmembers. There's no fancy costumes or stagesets, and they seem to be exactly what they portray -- a bunch of Irish brawlers who are having a good time. It was a blast. They're playing on the Jimmy Kimmel show on St. Patrick's Day.

Saturday morning (well afternoon really ) Doug insisted on taking us to breakfast at this place called SoundBites. He had us read a menu before we left because he said they're ... kind of funny about wasting time there. We get to this tiny hole in the wall to find a line waiting to get in that goes all the way up the block. Everyone seemed to take it in stride, sipping hot coffee, reading the paper and chatting. Never mind the fact that there was a huge diner not a half a block away. Doug (who eats there several times a week) tells us that it's run by some Moroccan brothers and that they're famous for their breakfast, but that they have some quirks to keep it all running smoothly. Get your own coffee, but don't make a mess, waste, or use more than you need each time. Know what you want when they come. Be prepared to leave as soon as you're done. All I could think of was Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi."

It must work for them, since we moved through the line in about twenty minutes and were seated at a table in the cramped quarters. The staff all knew Doug and were very friendly, even bringing us a fresh fruit bowl. All I can say is OMG -- the food was unbelievable. Chris had french toast made on thick challah bread, that was stuffed with cream cheese & fig preserves. I had a version of Eggs Benedict with real Hollandaise sauce and smoked salmon . We got to watch a few shocked patrons get informed that there will be no cell phones during other people's meals (hooray!). In short it was fabulous and quirky and a kick. But boy, as SOON as my fork was down on the empty plate, the table was cleared and the check on hand. It gave a new twist to fast food. If you're ever in the Somerville area of Boston, bring your appetite but leave your cell phone in the car or "No eggs for you!"

Saturday night we went to The Sunset Grill for dinner, they have an astounding array of beers. The highlight was one called Samichlaus. Brewed in Austria, it's considered one of the rarest beers in the world. They only brew it one day a year -- December 6th. It's one of the strongest lagers in the world, averaging 14% alcohol content. It was syrupy and damn, really good. And I am far from an afficionado. We then went to a pub called Burn's for some traditional Irish music before calling it a night.

Now that I've thoroughly bored everyone to tears, all I can say is I NEEDED THE REST. ;)