Porter Square and Beyond

Tuesday night was the first live show in 2010 for us guys in Not Lame Minus.

After an eventful ride on the Red Line (the train stopped and the power went out for half a minute between Alewife and Davis Square), and a long trudge up ten flights of stairs at the Porter Square stop (thank god for the escalator saving me from the other 7 flights), I met Jay at 5 pm across the street from our destination: Toad. A local musician named Tom Thumb was making his only New England appearance this spring (and Toad never has a cover charge), so I wanted to hear his show while catching up with the guys.

Toad is a small, yet very cool and well-kept bar. As you walk in the door, you're immediately greeted warmly by the bartender (Jeremy in this case). The bar itself takes up the entire left hand side of the place, seating about 20 people, and the right hand side of the room is lined by a long bench and six or seven cafe tables, with the beer list printed out neatly on a big chalkboard above the bench. The stage takes up two thirds of the rear of the joint, and a door to the left leads to three unisex bathrooms. Finally, the bay window at the front of the bar gives a fantastic view of a brightly-lit Porter Square.

Toad has a convenient relationship with Christopher's next door. I walked over and ordered the English Burger* with hand cut fries and a pickle ($8.95), which was delivered to me at the bar less than 15 minutes later! It was fantastic, and went well with the beer, and the stereo's cool college radio spins.

As Jay and I caught up on the fall and the holidays, he enjoyed a few Fuller's ESBs, and I decided to try the Opa-Opa IPA from Southampton, MA. It had a great scent, and a light fresh taste, but lacked a certain bite. It was a bit dull for an IPA, but still delicious. I switched over to good old dependable Smuttynose IPA for my next two beers, and was quite happy with the richer flavor. When Brian arrived around 7:15 or so, he had a Guinness, I gave the Opa-Opa another try (yep, not quite as good as Smutty, but serviceable), and Jay headed home a bit later.

While the music didn't start until after eight (despite a posted time of 7 pm), Tom Thumb was worth the wait. He played guitar on several quiet songs (the place was oddly and reverentially silent as he played), and then moved over to his little electronic piano. I am glad I got to see him perform. After nearly an hour of good music Brian was getting restless, and I'd heard enough to be satisfied, so we headed out into the Arctic cold to find another place to check out.

We were going to hit the Lizard Lounge, but the walk was so freezing and windy that when we spotted Cambridge Common, we ducked in there instead. What a great place! Several tv's were located strategically yet unobtrusively around the place, a HUGE rectangular bar took up the center of the room, and a very friendly staff was attentive all evening. We spent a couple of hours catching up while Brian ate some sirloin tips (surrounded by a mountain of green beans - yikes!) with a Cambridge Amber, and I had a couple of Lost Sailor IPAs from the Berkshire Brewing Company. Lost Sailor was the best of the IPAs I'd been drinking all night - full-flavored with a good bite and a bold hoppy aroma. I'd recommend the beer and the bar to anyone wandering down Mass Ave.

Overall it was a fantastic evening in Cambridge with two of my best friends, some good live music, and several great local beers. It was the best Tuesday of 2010 to date! ☺

*English Burger: Coleman natural beef burger marinated in ale and grilled, with cheddar and Applewood smoked bacon, served on a large English muffin.