The death of a lounge
I was respectfully holding off reporting about the B-Side Lounge’s imminent closing, but the news is more-or-less officially out. Boston-area dining critic (and drinkboston contributor) MC Slim JB started a thread about the matter on Chowhound last week. On Thursday, the Globe’s Dishing blog broached the subject.
It is true that the B-Side is being sold. The buyer is apparently Daniel Lanigan, who has long been seeking a Boston-area spot for a sibling to the two western-Mass. beer bars he owns: the Moan and Dove in Amherst and the Dirty Truth in Northampton. As far as I know, the date for the switchover has not yet been set, though the word is that it could take another month … or two or three.
People have reacted strongly to this news, and rightly so. The B-Side is a great bar — great cocktails, great bartenders, great vibe. Not only that, the B-Side is solely responsible for reviving the classic cocktail in Boston. There are at least a half-dozen places around the city where you can get, say, an Aviation. In 1998, there was only one. I join the many mourners who will grieve when the B-Side gives its last last call.
That said, the bar on the corner of Windsor and Hampshire streets in Cambridge is not going to be occupied, as some commenters have anxiously speculated, by ’some lame sports bar.’ Lanigan’s beer bars are pretty kick-ass, with a vibe every bit as genuine as that of the B-Side. Scott and I make a point of drinking at the Moan and Dove whenever we’re out that way. I have only one request for the new proprietor: Daniel, I now you’ve been to Deep Ellum, which is the first beer bar in Boston to also serve classic cocktails. Make yours the second bar to do this, and I think we’ll all be happy (eventually).
I’ll post updates on the switch from B-Side to beer bar as they come my way. And stay tuned for a “save the date” for an informal drinkboston gathering there.
Tags: B-Side lounge, bar closings, beer bars
September 1st, 2008 at 2:45 pm
i think i’d spend more time at the b-side if they had better beer… hopefully as much of the same staff as possible stays behind the bar…
September 4th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I think I know where I’m going to be spending a lot of time. Daniel runs an excellent bar, and the Moan and Dove, which I patronized for two years, is one of my favorite places in the world.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
The B-Side is a hidden gem. I really hope they don’t ruin it. As a transplant to New England, it’s one of the only places I’ve been that hasn’t given me that locals only crap attitude. Punks, hipsters, yuppies, nerds, “normals”, townies, and students all drinking together; and no one has attitude. I hope the atmosphere doesn’t change. And damn if the cocktails aren’t some of the best.
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
The Dirty Truth is a fantastic beer bar. I’d be more than happy to have a place like this in Cambridge. Currently, I have to go to The Publick House in Brookline to get good beer (no offense, CBC).
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Well it is official. The B-side Lounge is no longer as of 2:00 am Monday, November 3rd. It will be sorely missed by many.
Thanks to Patrick for all the great years of a great establishment as well as the short lived, but “good while it lasted” venture at 608.
Thanks to all the great waitstaff through the years.
Cheers to Rob and Dave for a great “A List” of bar tenders for the past 5+ years, and cheers to Dylan, Joe, and Paul for a prior years of top notch bar tending!
Good luck to you all in your next endeavors and thank you for all the great years of “Drinking and Thinking”.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:25 am
I lived a block away from the B-Side during my 3 year tenure in Cambridge, and that bar is the closest thing I’ve had to a home outside of my own house. I have never found a bar with such great staff, drinks, food, and customers. I’m not sure what I’m going to do the next time I’m in Cambridge, but apparently it won’t involve foul tequila heated in a frying pan and lovingly poured into a rocks glass, or a Schlitz tall-girl to wash it down.
I assumed that a place as unique and perfect as the B-Side would never close. It will be missed, as will all the great people I met there over the years. Thanks. I hope the new owner can find a way to let the awesomeness of the B-Side I knew live on.