Boston After Dark - Boston 2009 - page 233

Garden. Festooned with sports memorabilia and TVs, it's a madhouse before Celtics
and Bruins games—and a promising place to pick up an extra ticket. 166 Canal St.
& 617/720-4455. www.thefours.com. T: Green or Orange Line to North Station.
Game On! Sports Cafe Yes, it's actually in Fenway Park, and no, you can't just
sneak into the stands. The overgrown sports bar and restaurant boasts the latest techno
toys, including high-def TVs and a booming sound system, on two deafeningly loud
levels of a onetime bowling alley. On game days, the line stretches out the door. 82
Lansdowne St. & 617/351-7001. www.gameonboston.com. T: Green Line D to Fenway, or B, C, or D to
Kenmore.
Grafton Street Deftly accommodating party-hearty students and demanding
Cantabrigians, this Harvard Square veteran is a classy watering hole with a superb beer
selection. It's also a busy restaurant, but I prefer a snack or sandwich at the bar to a
meal in the dining room. Open daily until 2am. 1230 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
& 617/497-0400. www.graftonstreetcambridge.com. T: Red Line to Harvard.
Grendel's Den A vestige of pre-franchise Harvard Square, this cozy subterranean
space is the place to celebrate turning 21. Recent grads and grad students dominate,
but Grendel's has been so popular for so long that it also gets its share of Gen Y's par-
ents. The food is tasty, with loads of vegetarian dishes, and the fireplace enhances the
comfy atmosphere. 89 Winthrop St., Cambridge. & 617/491-1160. www.grendelsden.com. T: Red
Line to Harvard.
The Hong Kong This fun hangout is a retro Chinese restaurant on the first floor,
a bar on the second floor, and a small dance club (starting at 11pm nightly) on the
third floor. It's also the home of the scorpion bowl, a rum-based concoction that has
contributed to the destruction of countless Ivy League brain cells. Nevertheless, you
might see Harvard football players here. Never mind how I know. 1236 Massachusetts
Ave., Cambridge. & 617/864-5311. www.hongkongharvard.com. T: Red Line to Harvard.
Pho Republique The chic factor soars as the numbers on Washington Street get
higher. The lounge is the place to be at this trendy Vietnamese restaurant, which serves
creative cocktails and pan-Asian nibbles to a stylish after-work crowd. 1415 Washington
St. & 617/262-0005. www.phorepublique.net. T: Silver Line bus to Union Park St.
The Place Is it a Financial District hangout? A sports bar on (pardon the expres-
sion) steroids, with flatscreen TVs all over? An after-work destination for bankers and
lawyers and the men and women who love them? Yes, yes, and yes. 2 Broad St.
& 617/523-2081. www.theplaceboston.com. Cover $5 Thurs-Sat after 9pm. T: Orange or Blue Line to
State. Validated parking available.
The Purple Shamrock Across the street from Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Pur-
ple Shamrock packs in wall-to-wall tourists of all ages. This is a rowdy, fun place that
schedules DJs and cover bands. 1 Union St. & 617/227-2060. www.irishconnection.com. Cover
$5-$10 Thurs-Sat. T: Green or Blue Line to Government Center, or Orange Line to Haymarket.
Radius The high-tech bar at this hot, haute restaurant offers almost everything the
dining room does—the chic crowd, the noise, the perfect martinis—without the
sky-high food bill. The bar snacks are pricey but worth every penny. 8 High St.
& 617/426-1234. www.radiusrestaurant.com. T: Red Line to South Station.
Silvertone Bar & Grill One of the few real hangouts in the Downtown Cross-
ing area, this tiny, subterranean bar attracts an incredibly loud after-work crowd. The
dining room is noted for reasonably priced comfort food (try the sublime macaroni