At the Blue Taleh. We hear uber bartender Matt has been juiced as in fired, as in finito. Was it because he took so long crafting his sake to me martinis that we needed to order a beer in the meantime? Nope. Industry insiders say the affable mixoman was cut loose for other reasons. File this under crushed ice. He poured good drinks tho. Leanne is still there and she can shake it as good as any tender in town. The purple rain is a fine sip as is the reverse cosmo. And I know many social imbibers who swear by their mojitos. Is this drink too 2004? They used to make great mojitos at the Naked Fish in Billerica. What happened to that lively chain?
As far as mass-produced restaurants go, NF was a fun one. They served mojos w/ a sugar cane stick. Very Brazil. So now that Lowell’s star shaker has exited the bar, who will take this title? Whose your favorite barkeep in the LA?
I don't think we need to call drinks "last year" or "2004" if someone likes a drink let them enjoy it, don't be a hater.
As for Naked Fish, I was up from Miami when they opened the one in Billerica and went in one evening for a Cubano and a Cuba Libre, neither of which was on the menu. I "adiosed" that place then and there.
BTW, Bread House makes a good stab at the cubano, as does Lois Tiante at "El Tiante" outside Fenway Park!
That's an easy one, Dennis at Ricardo's is the best bartender around!
Funny, I was just thinking about Naked Fish the other day. Their "Latin Love" drink was unbelievable! NF was always one of my fav restaurant chains but, for the price of the meal, I determined I'd rather go to a non-chain restaurant like East Coast Grill in Cambridge (far away but worth the trip).
My new favorite cocktail is the Caipirinha...it's a Brazilian drink made with Cachaca (Brazilian rum), muddled limes and sugar and it's better than a mojito because you don't have to worry about the mint getting stuck in your teeth!
Since my husband and I are now regulars at Beerworks, I would have to say Matt at Beerworks is our new favorite "tender." I know he's not mixing up fancy drinks but he pours a delicious watermelon beer!
I know this is probably too 1970's, but the Long Island Ice Tea at Ricardo's is the best I've ever had. Can't swear that it's not premixed, but it's better than any I've ever tasted. And it's consistent. If only somone could figure out a lower calorie version it would be perfect!
Awwwww...... I liked Matt! I wish someone would post the scoop, tho.....I love scoop!
Great stuff~
Can I get a three-fer??
1 Dennis @ Ricardos is truly a great bartender, the most learned in Lowell and a great conversationist. But what makes him one of the best bartenders in Lowell (and there are a few) is that he would NEVER let his conversation, or ego, stand in the way of making a drink for a waiting guest. Spare me the lemon peel and the unsolicited story, and get me my damn drink! :)
2. Shame on anyone who begrudges a business owner a weeks vacation, at whatever time they choose! They work REALLY hard, and they close with great trepidation for the lost business and the inevitable disappointment. July 4th week in DTL is as slow as "molasses in winter". Good for you "guys". Give'em a break folks!
3 Wouldn't the best Sangria in Lowell be at...well...Sangria's?!
splath
I agree with downtown girl...Dennis is the BEST!! But, Gert at the SAC Club runs a close second. She pours a good Miller Lite.
It's too bad that Lisa is no longer at Blue Taleh. She has a fun personality and a great mix-tress. Maybe she can be wooed back??
One critisizm I would have to provide for the Blue Taleh is the service in general. I've sat at the bar many times and have seen completed sushi entrees just sitting at the end of the bar for at least 10 minutes waiting to be picked up and delivered to the dinning room. When the place is packed, I never recommend getting a mojito or any other fancy drink. While the bartenders have always been really friendly, it does take them forever to make a complicated drink. I stick to the Effin and Sprite. It's a cherry vokda that I haven't seen anywhere else and its always delivered promptly.
Wow, that is really a bummer about Matt, he really made our first trip to BT a memorable one with his great personality and even better drinks!!
I still like NF, it's pretty good for a chain even though it has changed since I first went there in 2000.
Another vote for the Caipirinha, I've been ordering them all summer where I can, strong and delicious!
I made some inquiries and the restaurant week IS ON. It's 2 weeks long and begins right after the folk festival. There's a big fund-raising kick-off with TV Diner's Billy Costa and all of the participants providing some of their offerings.
Details are at www.merrimackvalleyrestaurantweek.com
Apparently not all the menus are available yet so they're not all on the website.
I think this thing can use all the "help" we can give it.
At least I know 2 weeks worth of places that won't have a "Sorry, Closed" sign up when I get there!!
Sangria's sangria is far from the best in Lowell. As a result, they should be forced to change their name.
I hope additional restaurants will participate in Merrimack Valley Restaurant Week. there are plenty of establishments not on either this list or the Boston Restaurant Week list.
I noticed as well, which is why I suspect this thing can use our "help."
Perhaps some restaurants didn't want to commit to being open! LOL
But seriously, if this things is a bust we'll never see one again! Help out people! Go get a good meal for a great price!
It's endorsed by another newspaper which I suspect may be the reason behind the silence on this particular board?????
Paradiso makes a great drink...but the bartender's always have a terrible attitude. Not a fan.
But I keep going back for that espresso martini. How can you not?
I posted a pan of the bartender on this site when the Blue Taleh opened. Too bad nothing changed. I hate when your appetizer comes out before your drink.
I thought I was in for the same situation at The Black Orchid in Nashua but the Bartender was chatty, funny and prompt!
I'm just beer drinking dude, so I like a bartender who knows how to stop yapping and get me another one. If your sitting at the bar you shouldn't have to ask the bartender to get you a drink. A good bartender scans your bottle and asks if you want another before you finish the current one. If more bartenders did this they'd make more $$.
Hmm, Restaurant Week does indeed need a little help from the looks of the web site. We need more info, more choices, more menus, and then... let's eat!
Nobody's begrudging a person for taking a vacation. We all get them and need them. But since when does an owner of a muli-employee establishment going away mean the place has to shut down? If you can't trust your staff for a week, you're in deep doo-doo over the long haul, in any business.
JJF...Geez Jack...12-16 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, 51 weeks a year...and just one full week of peace of mind!! I can't speak for others, but @ Cobblestones I greatly trust my staff and take vacations while we remain open. Trust isn't the issue. The one week that we shut down each August (8/17-8/22) enables all managers and staff to vacation at the same time, so others don't have to work doubles (those twelve hours a day), while also allowing us to paint, re finish floors, shampoo carpets, etc. If you know of a way to let all of our beloved guests know ahead as to avoid disappointing anyone, we'd love to hear it. For those who we do disappoint, moonstones will be open that week! (and so again Ricardos, Centro, La Boniche...)
Scott Plath, Cobblestones
SPlath I have great admiration and respect for you and all that you have accomplished...but three major restaurants could and should coordinate a week off - especially the new ones.
It makes sense on so many levels. Also, what has happened to the crab cakes at Cobblestones? Not a good thing!
I LOVE Athenian Corner, but if the Merrimack Valley Restaurant has the same dinner price as Boston, $30.02, than it seems like dinner there would be much more expensive than any night through the rest of year. I go there for the quantity, quality and great price. Appetizers, dinners and drinks usually comes to about $50 when I go.
Maybe I'm missing out on the new restaurant trends, but when you get into the business, you do so knowing it's a 52-week a year commitment. Day off here and there for Christmas or Thanksgiving, but not 1-2 weeks. Think of every long lasting restaurant not just in Lowell, but anywhere else. How many close for a full week? Again, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking of all the biggies along Route 1 that have been around forever. They don't close. Best I can tell, they do their cleaning and carpet washing overnight.
In the end, I guess the decision is up to each owner. I hope you enjoy your vacations and if it works for you, all the better. At least you're established at Cobblestones, as is Riccardo's and LaBoniche. Centros may want to rething the idea.
Will you be closing Moonstones for a full week?
Jeannie...
Interesting thought I guess...one restaurant calls the other two, finds out whats good for both of them, then checks with family and friends, then looks for beach house based on other restaurant owners preferences...I guess it could work! (curious..do you know any one else who coordinates vacations with their "competitors"?
Re the crab cakes...it would be ok ANYTIME you have a problem @ the stones to talk directly to me or a manager, but in answer to you and all readers...I DON'T KNOW!!! :) They used to be so great, and of late something has changed. We are aware and I assure you, we are reworking the recipe this week and they will be great again...very soon.
Thanks so much for you nice words.
splath
Speaking of Cobblestones, I have to put Jon's name in the ring as best bartender in Lowell. He remembers everyone's names and what their favorite drink is, most of the time having it ready as they sit down. He's well spoken, funny, and makes a great drink.
JJF, you say the things we think!
Not all of us think this way. Wow, you guys sound like the agents that ran the Lowell mills in the 19th century. Everyone should take vacation/break. Yeah, maybe the 99 takes off 2 days a year, but I don't have any problem with a non-chain restaurant closing for a short period of time, esp given the flair these smaller places add to the community.
Anon, I assume you're talking about Restaurant Week?
If so, it's an issue we're very well aware of and why we opted out of the lunch portion.
We aren't the ones who set the prices. The event organizers did. We had to go along with the promotion. The entire thing is kind of messed up and far from perfect, but in the end, we decided to stick with it and use it as a practice run for when Lowell does its own RW. I believe we're the only Lowell place still in.
Rest assured, you will still get plenty of bang for your buck...or should I say 33 bucks and 2 cents. We haven't stayed in business for 34 years by not taking care of our customers.
Since our prices, includung apps, soup, salad, entree and dessert won't add up to 33.02 per person, we plan on offering added items to even things out...and then some. We Greeks are known to be a tad hospitable (wink, wink)
So if you come for RW, be sure to bring your appetite and your thirst. The dancin' shoes might come in handy, too!!
TeddyP:
Since the Athenian Corner is one of my favourite Mediterranean rests, I cannot wait to see what you will serve up during Rest Wk!
SPlath...do not mean to offend, but my chef/friends in Boston and NYC are a close knit community and they do communicate with one another and do not usually close...not even Tony Bourdain! I am looking forward to trying the crab cakes again. Jeannie
Thanks for the info Teddy. Look forward to eating there as always!
Thanks Peter. I call them as I see them. Doesn't make it right or wrong. Only how I see them.
Craig I don't know if expecting restaurants to stay open all the time is akin to what the mill girls went through, but whatever. Here's a better analogy for you. A restauranteur complaining about having to work long hours is like the guy who buys a Store 24 and then complains cause he can't find enough help to work the midnight to six shift. It's part of the territory. Can't stand the heat. Get out of the kitchen.
Pardon the play on words here, but all things that flair eventually flame out.
My point is simply that I am very glad to have places like Cobblestones, Boniche, Centro, Blue Taleh, OTM, etc making their go of it in Lowelll. Flair is not the right word to describe what they add to the community. I certainly hope they don't flame out and I will not begrudge them (even the new ones) for talking vacations. I am thankful they here instead of yet another hair salon or dollar store.
JJF...Certainly you didn't think I was complaining?! Complaining is not my style...and "no" we chose not to close moonstones in our first year, as to avoid disappointing folks looking to try us the first time. But that's me. And I have many manager's to keep me from getting (overly) surly. But I stand firm that you, and others, are unfair to criticize those who choose to take a week's vacation. Cut them slack, and visit when they re open. Judge them on their food and service. Not their choice to take a week for themselves. And, finally, I disagree with you again. A restaurant owner is allowed to sign on for only 51 weeks a year. Bravo to them who have the guts to do so, and to brave the relentless judgement of a demanding, often anonymous, public!! (who I imagine vacations as liberally as they can afford to!) splath
With regards to vacation shut downs. Cobblestones, like many small businesses, are a close family who because they are closed on Sundays; barbecue together, throw birthday parties for eachother, baby showers, wedding showers and enjoy vacationing together. Why not close down for a week to regroup, do repairs and enjoy each others company. The morale and appreciation the staff feels from the Plaths keeps them motivated throughout the year. We must remember it's not about the almighty dollar. The Plaths lose thousands of dollars to give this courtesy to their staff (family).
Steve S
Danny "the hammer" Hicko is the best bartender in the leaguer (Longmeadow, Molly Kays). While you may not want to go to either venue without protection, he's still the best.
Try the "tree house".
Scott, if you're not closing Moonstones for a full week to not disappoint people, aren't you basically agreeing with my argument? Or is it OK to disappoint your Cobblestones clientele since you've been there a while now and feel you are established?
Jack;
Our opinions regarding sound business decisions may be similar on one point. Where you and I differ most is your willingness to criticize hard working people who have risked much, against the odds in DTL, (ask Cafe Aiello) in a public forum, without having walked in their shoes. And in anonymity. It's mean, and overly critical. They took a vacation! Splath
PS I have trust that we have built a majority of clientele at Cobblestones in 15 years who are more forgiving than you good sir! I hope I am right, despite my annual misgivings.
Don't be so sensitive Scott. I don't begrudge anybody taking a vacation or working hard. We're all entitled to it. I didnt' bring up the discussion. Others on this board did, which tells me I'm far from alone in my views.
The original discussion was whether it's a good idea for places to shut down for vacation, especially multiple places at once and new places in particular.
Try as you might to educate those of us who haven't walked in your shoes about the rigors of the business, I can assure you I've spent a lot of time supporting those of you in this business and also worked in it for a long time. Therefore, I have a pretty good idea why some places succeed while others fail.
I feel sorry for the owners of Cafe Aiello and any other place that shuts down. But if they didn't go into this without the resources to survive startup costs and growing pains, they weren't going to survive anywhere, never mind a competitive city like Lowell. Does anyone know if they took two week vacations?
JJF...I guess I must trust you when you say you support us...how would I know!? We certainly appreciate the support!
Splath