August 21, 2025 • 37 mins
Bradley Jay Fills in on NightSide
The New York Times is telling the world and Bostonians alike what the top 25 restaurants in Boston are with their “Where to Eat: Boston” list. Are we going to listen to what NEW YORK has to say about our restaurants? What do real Bostonians think are the best restaurants in town?
The New York Times is telling the world and Bostonians alike what the top 25 restaurants in Boston are with their “Where to Eat: Boston” list. Are we going to listen to what NEW YORK has to say about our restaurants? What do real Bostonians think are the best restaurants in town?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling you Boston's Beat Radio. Well it's now eleven
o six. What a fun time we've had so far.
Tonight we had David Bieber in a cultural archivist, and
if you were there, you know he brought in items
that jogged memories of Boston in the seventies, everything from
(00:25):
music to sports to politics, and then at Simkiss brought
us through the evolution of wrestling. I'm a little bit
afraid that he got me interested in pro wrestling, and
don't I don't want that to happen because I have
enough drains on my time as it is. This is
a just about the first hour of the week where
(00:47):
it's almost open lines and you can give me a
call and chat six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty.
And it's kind of about food and restaurants. I was
perusing the internet and came across a list of Boston's
(01:09):
New York Times list of twenty five restaurants right now,
and I went through it, and sure, the restaurants are good,
I imagine, but you know, once they get into a
list like that, they're two crowded, and also they're probably
really expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm looking for your your gem, in your neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Where are you from, Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park, eastd.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Maverick Square.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
What's the best restaurant in each of those towns, and
hopefully one that doesn't constant harm in a leg? Six, one, seven, two,
five for ten thirty. I have some that I like,
and I'd love to hear about yours.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I guess one of mine is kind of a tourist place.
I won't call it a tourist trap because it's legit.
And this is some of my personal recommendations. And I
want you to join me with some of your personal recommendations.
And the reason is it's not just an academic exercise.
I want to experience some new restaurants, and I don't
(02:21):
want to pay an arm and a leg. I want
neighborhood restaurants where the food is good, in some cases
a little different, and it feels like a good deal.
You like going in and it feels like a good deal.
Do you have any of those in your neighborhood? Please
let me know. This is a low risk call you
(02:42):
very easy to call and talk about this. You don't
need to be nervous. You can't be right. You can't
be wrong. And as you know, I do a lot
of I have done a lot of traveling in my life,
a lot. It's hard work. Somebody's got to do it,
and I do it. And I during the pandemic, I
put together a travel channel, and that, of course took
(03:05):
a lot of money and time. And now I'm looking
for a new place to go and I don't have one.
There's no place that interests me. Instead, I'm taking the
time and the money to explore Boston restaurants. But I'm
a little bit ignorant on it. And I need your help,
(03:25):
and we all need your help. We all want to
know where the deals on restaurants are. So as you
listen to this, it might behoove you and I don't
really like them, or it'd behoove because people used to
say that to me.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It used to be irritating. It would behoove you to
pay attention.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, it would behoove you to get a pencil and paper,
or drop things down in your phone or something. As
we do get folks calling in with recommendations for restaurants,
and as I say, I'll go first. When my significant
other Shannon and I go out, we go. I guess
(04:01):
the number one favorite place is Union Oyster House. And
I know it's a tourist place, but somehow they managed
to keep it cool. And I'd like to go to
the bar and uh, Chef Rico is still the chef there.
And the lady that's at the podium there greeting you,
(04:22):
she's been there forever.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It's old school, let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And I love as you know, I love Boston history.
And that horseshoe shaped bar, that semi circular bar is
for one thing. The place is so old that that
bar is low because people were shorter than and it's
so old that it's a place where Daniel Webster, Yes,
(04:45):
the Daniel Webster, the Devil and Daniel Webster, that guy,
he used to go there and he used to drink
copious amounts of brandy, a number of brandies, and with
each glass of brandy, he'd have a plate of oysters,
not a couple a plate. It seems I feel like
he probably had thirty oysters at a crack and he's
(05:09):
just hanging there right there where you can go and
hang as well. Also, they have fish tacos. That's my
favorite dish to fish tacos. It's a fairly priced dish,
and there's a zing to them, kind of a limey,
lime tasting zing. I like to get a special martini.
And they also have a Sam Adams there that was
(05:33):
made specifically for them, and that that is the only
place that you can get it. I believe they are
one of the first adopters of Sam Adams, and Sam
kind of reward Sam Jim. The company rewarded them by
letting them continue to have this beer that's only available there.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I'll give you one more.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
When I liked Japanese food because I can eat it,
and I really don't want to. I really want to
lose weight, and they have they have seven dollars my ties,
and I'm I can't stand paying eighteen bucks for a drink?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Can you do that?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't if I were,
you know, multi, if I were elone Musk, I would
not buy. I don't think I would buy an eighteen
dollars cocktail. I feel like a fool. I feel like
I'm being taken advantage of. I feel like a sucker.
Don't you like if it really cost on that amount,
and then there we have if they really had to
(06:39):
charge that amount because it really cost that much more. Okay, maybe,
but then it still wouldn't go because I could make
it at home. The other the other restaurant I was
going to mention that I like is It's called o
maori is a kaya. I hope that's how you pronounce it.
And it's in Brooklyn Village, right at the corner of
Station Street and Harvard Street, across from the post office.
(07:02):
Seven dollars my tie, at least for now.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I don't know how long that will lasts.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Now, don't everybody rush over there at once or I
won't be able to get a table.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So here we go.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I got my pen, Do you have yours. We're going
to find out some restaurants. Let's go to flor first.
It's Florence in Groveland. Hi Florence, Hi Hall are you
oh great?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Thanks for being with me.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah. My restaurant, my favorite isn't in Boston because I'm
in Grove. When I don't go to.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Boston, it's good.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
We want to know about the neighborhood, so that's great.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Yeah, And I don't drink other than I change it rail.
But I like a cozy little place for many years
to Newburyport and it's called the Groat.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Oh my good one.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Very very cold. It's very cosy and the main floor
when you can win, it's a small area and they
have a few little tables and a few booths, and
then you can go downstairs and they have little newsic
(08:19):
entertaining and the food is great and I really like
it a lot. And the other restauring a New Report
is Michael's Harborside right, which is very popular.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It's right on the water, right on a dock.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Yes it is, and you can go outside on a
deck and have your meal and it's nice, yeah, really nice.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
I like Newberry Report.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Well, thank you for those I used to for three
years lived on Plum Island. It was my dream and
it's one of those things I actually made it happen,
and so I would spend a lot of time in
New Report and I can't.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
I have a friend done Plumb Island.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
She was.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
And she worked to stay Hopes, so I can.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Vouch for the grog being fantastic.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Yes, okay, everybody right there, yes, oh yeah, oh yeah,
I love it.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
It's very very warm environment, warm feeling, the decorations it is.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
I would say co see perfect.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, perfect, Florence, thank you so much. Everybody write that
down grog and new report. That is perfect and after this,
by now Florence and after this we're going to go
talk to it says, is that is that a type
O RA before.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I say it? In Middleton?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Okay, Okay, it's Pelvis, Pelvis in Middleton. You can see
why I would want to check that. Let's uh do
this and we'll talk to Pelvis. WBZ it's Night Side
with Dan Ray on wb Boston's news radio. Well that
(10:10):
was as short break. Yes, we're talking restaurants, and we're
talking about the little places that you know about in
your town. As I mentioned, there's a big New York
Times list of the best Boston restaurants now, and that's.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Kind of arbitrary.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I mean, did they anyway If it's in their list,
on their list, if it's not already mobbed, it's probably
going to be.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
And I went to one the other day that happened
to be on the list. It was.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Well, I'm not going to name the name because they
don't need the plug because they got it in the time,
so I believe. But the thing is it was just
packed mobbed even on a Tuesday. It was mobbed and
it was pretty expensive. The food was exquisite. It was
a high end Mexican types of food, and uh, you know,
(11:04):
did I like it?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
It's a little precious. You know.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It's filled with young professionals who have a lot of
money and they're kind of showing off, it felt like,
and that's who goes to these kind of restaurants and
these lists the best doublest. But I'm not into that.
I'm into what Florence said. I'm into the like the
Grog in New Report, a place where you feel like
(11:29):
it's a good deal.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
How about you? Do you have something like that?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Now it's Pelvis in Boston. Then we go to Wolfgang
So Pelvis not a typo.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Pelvis and Middleton in Middleton, North Sure.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Okay, so what do you go.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
I'm gonna hit I'm gonna hit a couple of them.
Your your my Thai list and your fresh Chinese food
is the Villa in Middleton on sixty two. Good all
around food with sorry prime rib, good mix of food.
It's the Century House in pebd And for seafood, go
up into Essex, the Blue Marlin, the Boat House and
(12:09):
my friends on the Farm, bar and grill that has
pulled pork barbecue in fish tacos. So you'll hit all
of those in that location. They're all within a quarter
mile of each other. Up there, that's on twenty two.
In Essex, there is the Blue Marlin, the boat House
that's the same owner. He owns the Choate Street over
in Ipswich another cozy spot. You get a ton of
different options, but for the my tie and all that stuff,
(12:32):
the Villa, Middleton Villa and Middleton and fresh Chinese, no MSG,
none of that, but good my ties, good good quality dranks,
good atmosphere, and.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You feel like you're getting a fair deal.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Oh yeah, yeah for what you're paying for sure, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
All right, I'm making a list. I'm gonna keep it.
That's a great one. Pet Pelviston, Milton, thank you very much. Yeah,
speaking of he's a Chinese food. You know this isn't
small and it's not a secret, but I was up.
I did a gig, a Beatles oriented gig with Chachi
and a Beatles magician. We do these these shows, a
(13:11):
lot of them call come Together. But then he does
them in restaurants as well, and we did one at
the Kowloon with Barons Whitfield and Salve Baglio in an
all star band. They recreated the Beatles set at Suffolk
Downs in nineteen sixty six. So it was a really
fun thing. But I'd forgotten how good the food is there.
(13:34):
And my Yal Shannon said, can you give me some
egg rolls? And I and now I know why. Man,
the egg rolls were fantastic, and that's gotta be.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It's huge, but somehow it feels cozy and it's it
is quite an experience and so I just I'm gonna
put Kowloon on the on the list here they're gott
to be doing something right because it's mobbed all the time.
Now it's Wolfgang and Boston. Is that me that said Boston?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Hi? Wolf King.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Bhi.
Speaker 6 (14:06):
Maybe I'm not aware of how you run on the show,
but I called forty minutes ago with a wrestling question
our comments. Dan usually lets us talk to the guest too,
you know what I mean, So it would make more
sense if he was still here. Do you want me
to say it all? Because I don't have a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Uh, I guess if you've waited that long, go ahead
and say.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
What do you what you got to say?
Speaker 6 (14:29):
Well, and when he answered the phone, I said, I
have a wrestling comment, and he said, oh, thank you.
Just hang on.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Let me explain to you what happened.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
There are two monitors in here, and one partially blocks
the other one, and I didn't see your call.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
You were there forty minutes and we just finished the
wrestling segments, so go ahead. And what was he want
to say about the wrestling?
Speaker 6 (14:51):
Well, I grew up in Foxborough and my father used
to bring me to Jack Witchies. Are you familiar with that?
No Sports Arena North at Bo that's where wrestling, that's
where we started seeing it. He was talking about Bruno
San Mantino. He was like, he was like Hulk Hogan
back then. And you're just learning now that wrestling may
(15:12):
be scripted.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
No, not at all.
Speaker 7 (15:14):
Oh just it chounded like.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
You were asking like really, well, here's the thing and
Jack Witchie's you know, they were oct enemies in the ring,
but then they had to cut through the crowd to
go into the same locker room together. So even when
I was six years old, I knew something was up.
You know, those two hate each other. And they're going,
I mean, that's how it was. Eventually it burned down,
but as far as it's being scripted, well, later on
(15:39):
we did learn that, you know, in that bleeding in
the ring, it's because they had grays of bullets and
cut themselves and everybody was appalled at that. And my
accumen is they're doing it to entertain us. You know
what I'm saying, why why would you cut yourself that.
I'm sure it's not in the contract. You got to
cut yourself ten times a week or something.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
You know, they don't have to.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
People like violence, I guess, so, thank you.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
No, No, it's just the restaurant. I'm just saying the
wrestling they're really on. I mean, when they're bleeding in
the ring and you I guess you're just finding that out.
They would have little razor blades. No, didn't you see
the movie with Mickey Rourke.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
Yes, that's kind of like what it is.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
Like he was even saying it, like you guest said,
like they would whisper to each other. You know, Okay,
now you flipped me. It was it was really like that,
and I think Mickey work he would cut himself with.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Okay, Well, thanks for that Wolfgang. I appreciate that. No,
there must be a misunderstanding. I knew it was fake.
We even talked about it's fakeness and in what ways
it was fake before the show, and but it wasn't
always fake, and maybe that's where the confusion came. Now
was back to the restaurant recommendations again. The reason I
(16:52):
didn't get to you was this situation where the one
monitor blocks the one with the calls on it, and
I didn't see it until I looked up and I
said forty wow, I better get to him. So Laura Junior,
Lauro Junior, and Lynn, what do you got Linn for restaurants?
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Hey, how you doing? Mason Taxio? Again, I wish you
your happiness as well as all your listeners. Your next listener,
I wish then to happiness, whoever that is. So I
have two recommendations. One is a Harvard Avenue over in Austin.
It's called Kung Fu Tea. So the first thing on
(17:33):
the list. The first time I went there, I saw
black honey tea and I ordered that.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Wow, so good.
Speaker 7 (17:40):
So if you know like Snapper raspberry iced tea, it
almost tastes like that, but it has some little kick toy.
It's very good. It's well worth it for like even
if you're coming from far away, it's well worth it
just to have that. It's a small place and not
too big. It's called kung Fu Tea and it's their
public transit from bus from Bus fifty seven outer Kimbore
(18:04):
Square or the green line the b trained Harvard Avenue
in Austin koch Fu Chee. And also in Lynn where
I'm from one one A North. Uh, that's on Blossom Street. Uh.
It's on the four in the clock tower. It's called
(18:26):
Buzzies Low spief So Bradley. So back in the day,
right when.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I was Lynn, I didn't know that I knew the
Buzzies roast beef that was in Boston by mass General.
Is it the same? Do you happen to know if
it's the same Laurel or different Buzzes.
Speaker 7 (18:46):
It's just it's just opened, like it just opened like
two years ago. So so when I was in junior
high school and in high school, I had this Greek guy,
this Greek guy that was in my home room. So
home room is that you go when you go to school,
stay there for like a half hour, the teacher market
(19:07):
absent are here.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
So this guy was in my home room all throughout
high school and in my last year of high school,
both of us was in the same gym class and
there was only two of us in the same gym class,
and we used to go sneak to the gym, like
even when we had like study hall. We was in
the same study hall, and he said, yo, let's go
to the gym. Okay, So we played basketball together and
(19:33):
gym and it's so only two of us in our
senior year. It's time we sneak out. We'll go to
the corner store. And after high school finished, I always
wondered what happened to this guy? What happened to this guy?
So last October I went there right when I first
opened and then I'm sending nothing library, he's here. And
(19:53):
when probably I want to say, like around earlier this
year and I see this picture in the new I'm like,
why is that face too familiar? And I saw the
name and I remember his Greek name, and I saw it.
My son will say, why do I know that name?
And then I looked, I'm like, oh, shoot, sadly he
passed away. And I always say, wow, I could not
(20:17):
believe that, Laura.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I have to I have to move on because I
have a bunch of people to get to it and
I have a break. But thank you so much, and
thank you for the kind words that you that you
use every time that you call. I appreciate that. It's
laua junior, very nice guy. Pete in South Carolina. I
love to hear from South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
How are you, sir?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I am well.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Can I ask a couple of questions before we get
to the food part. Is it oppressively hot in South
Carolina all the time?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
How do you do it?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I could live so oppressibly hot. My wife and I
have not left the house for three days.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
That's no way to live, is it? Is it worse
than it used to be?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
I mean today I went into the garage. It was
ninety degrees in the garage and it is brutal and
I unfortunately I have to go north next week for
a funeral. But I'm hoping it cools off a little bit.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Are you gonna stay there? You're going to go and
come north?
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Man?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I couldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
No, No, I'm retired here retired and Dan knows me
and we talked baseball, We talk all kinds of stuff.
And when I worked, I was stationed in Boston for
the summer of two thousand and five, and I made
it a point I walked over to the North End
(21:39):
every Tuesday and had a beautiful Italian dinner at a
little place called lemon Cello. Oh it's right next to
the Paul Revere home.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
I'm writing it down. I'm writing it down.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Absolutely. It was wonderful then, and I'm sure it's still
wonderful now.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Can you tell me a little bit about what made
it wonderful any particular.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Well.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Number one, I grew up in Italian, in an Italian household,
so you know they made the veal and the and
the and the chicken palm, and the chicken marsala and
the ville marsala or the fra diablo lobster, the seafood
that you could get from Boston. It was just a
quaint little Italian place, nice little small tables, good wine selection,
(22:35):
just a nice little meat rest.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
That's a good one, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yeah it uh. When when I heard the the subject
of discussion tonight, I said, I usually I called Dan
when it's an when it's a non political thing that
doesn't involve Boston, because I don't like to take up
the time for people who need to get their voices heard.
But for some them like this, I'll call in and
(23:02):
uh give my two cents for lac.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Well, I'm glad you did.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
It's I'm always curious about which and anyone wants to
help me out with this kind of side issue is
there are many restaurants in the North End.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It's a cool place in the.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
North crazy crazy love it.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
However, a lot of the restaurants there are tourist restaurants,
and they're not the best food.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
This is not this was not a tourist drug.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Well, that's what I need to know from anyone that
really is familiar with.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
The North End.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Said, I was. I was hired by John Hancock for
a consulting job for seven weeks basically Memorial Day to
Labor Day, and I will I said they. I walked
over to the North End every Tuesday, had my Italian dinner,
(23:59):
and then I took the walk back and I would
stop and see some of the history points of Boston, which,
as you know, there aren't that many. Yeah right, Yeah,
So I really enjoyed my stay. I considered Boston my
second home.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Oh well that's a pretty nice second home.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
One of these days, I'm going to get in my
car or take the train, and I'm going to find
mister Ray because we talked so much baseball. But see
between his son and him rooting for the Red Sox
and the Moose Socks and me rooting from the Phillies
because that's where I grew up. We have some good,
(24:41):
good off air discussions.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Well that should be fun. Thank you so much, Pete,
and hang in there. Falls are coming. It should cool
down a little bit. I'm glad he brought up the
North End. This can be a side thing. Anybody familiar
with the North End? What are the real restaurants there,
the ones that really focus on high quality food and
not just the you know, the person flying in getting
(25:04):
some Mike's pastry in a box and heading out. Where
are the real restaurants in the North End and in
your neighborhood? What's your go to place? Where are the
people in your neighborhood, your Boston neighborhood, or even outside
of Boston.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Let love to go.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I'm making a list because I myself want to go
to these places. East Boston South uh South End six
one seven is WBS.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
My friends, it's great to be with you. I'm Bradley
Jay in for Dan. He will be back soon.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
And we're talking about local eateries because this big list
came out in the New York Times with all these
fancy places, and that's not any help to me. And
I'm looking, I'm actively looking these days for restaurants in
the neighborhoods and that list, so that list wasn't very
(26:07):
much help. But you are helping me a lot. I
do have a couple of recommendations. And before I give
the recommendations, here, here are the qualities I'm looking for
in a place.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
It's got to be kind of cozy. I'd like it
to not be new, but it can be new.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
And I guess, I guess comfort food is important, but
I kind of like something other than just the't meat,
the potatoes, some different twists, some different take on food
and old school dishes. And I have a couple here
you might have forgotten about. Let's take a trip to
(26:45):
Harvard Square and Cambridge, which unfortunately has become so generic.
It used to be very interesting place back on Pete
Wolf used to hang around there, places like the Worst
House and oh oh my. But there's still one place
there from back in the day. It hasn't changed that
much and it still has all the qualities that used
(27:07):
to have. It's cool. It's really a good deal as
comfort food. It has the double cheeseburger special, which hasn't
changed much. I think it comes with fries, but I
asked them to sub cole Slaw for the fries, and
then I put the Coleslaw in between the two burgers
(27:29):
and then smear it all with ketch up and eat
it with a fork and a fork and knife and
get a PBR. That, my friends, is Charlie's Kitchen. I
don't know if you have ever been there, or if
you haven't been there in a long time, but it
is exactly the same as the first time I went there,
(27:50):
maybe in nineteen eighty. Same place, same good prices, same vibe.
Oh real great mix of people too. You get here,
you got your geezers in there, and you got your
students in there, and you know how Harvard is. It's
it's you never know who you're gonna run into. In
Harvard Square at all. It could be a future president
(28:13):
or a future rock star, or absolute and absolute absolute nobody.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
But somebody very very nice. So I like Charlie's Kitchen.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Six one, seven thirty is a number to call and
share the restaurant in your neighborhood, the gem we did
hear about the Grog. I'm so glad that Florence talked
about the Grog.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Now there's a place in.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
East Boston that I've never been, and I can't remember
the name of it. But if you're an East Boston person,
maybe you're gonna help me with this. You gotta get
a reservation. And it looks like kind of a house,
a home. It doesn't look restauranty. What's the name of
that place? If somebody can help me out with that,
I'd love to go there. I went, you know, as
(29:03):
I mentioned, I like to travel, but you don't have
to travel far to travel sometimes to fairly exotic situation.
I went to Maverick Square because I go out with
the Boston Harbor pilots when they take the harbor pilots
out to bring in the big ships. And while I
wait for them, take walks and I get some breakfast
(29:23):
and I don't know the names of these places, but
there are some places that are very South American with
fried plantains and the menu I don't even know if
the menu.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Is in English.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And that really feels super legit. And yeah, it's a
great deal. Like Juavos Rancheros, man do I love a
good Wavos Rancheros. So those those restaurants on the side
streets in near Mavericks, Maverick, I love those too. Now
we have Mike and foot devns. How you doing, Mike,
(29:57):
thanks for being with us in w you do it?
Speaker 5 (30:00):
You you mentioned East Boston. I don't know if these
are the places, but Renos it's really good.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yep, that's it. Can you tell me only more about
that because.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
I've never been well, Reno's is great, famous. They got
a lot of famous people that have been in there,
and it's it's a cozy, comfy you know, it's it's
a great pot and uh and parallel to it is
uh Kelly's Place. That's what I originally thought you were
talking about. But you got Kelly's Place in East Boston
and Reno's Sunny Dodo's left there, but they were very good.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So tell me about what can you tell me about
that Kelly's.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Kelly's Place is similar to Renos, except it's uh a
little little different, little different clientele. But but it's neighborhood
barb you know, neighborhood Bob and restaurant been there this
kazillion years, a lot of good people there. You never
know who you're going to meet there, and the celebrities there,
(30:59):
and you knows, you know, they got the pictures on
the wall all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
But uh, I guess it's hard to get into. It's
hard to get into Renos, right.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Well, well, yeah, no, like on the weekends, weekend nights. Yeah,
it's gonna be a busy place. But go during the week.
You're gonna get the same the same quality during the
week as you do on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
By the way, since you know so much about easty,
what's the best where's the best pizza?
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Best pizza? Uh? It used to be Santafios, But I
don't know. I guess I'd probably go with some tapios.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
But not as not as one hundred percent as you
used to be on that no, because I.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Don't live there anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Okay, Well, thank you for that. I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Heads up on I figured, so it was a Reno's
who you were thinking about, Yes, it was you gotta
hit up probably Jay, You'll love it.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Okay, thanks, I'm gonna go for my birthday. It's tough
to find things to do for your birthday, and it's weird.
I get to do anything I want on my birthday,
but my birthday is around Christmas time, so all the
restaurants are booked. You can't go on any trips, all
the resorts are booked because you know, the kids are
(32:17):
out of school. I like going up to fancy hotels
and white mountains and or maybe go to Provincetown something special,
like an overnight for your birthday, but it's it's too crowded.
I remember one night I wanted to go to a
fancy uh sushi restaurant in the South End and it
(32:37):
was packed. And then we tried to go somewhere else
they were all packed. Just walked around and then gave
up and went home. Just gave up and went home.
It was very sad, very very very sad birthday. So
the number six one, I do want to thank last
night's guest Jason J. Smart, who called us live from
(33:02):
Kiev in the Ukraine in Ukraine because I wanted you
to kind of bond with the folks who are struggling
in New Ukraine as they're being attacked by aggressors who
have invaded them a country just like any other real
sovereign nation, just trying to wipe them out. They talk
(33:26):
about wanting to an exit, but it seems awful genocide
like to me. And this podcaster who is really good
and has gotten two hundred thousand subscriptions in three months,
he came on after spending a night in a bomb shelter.
It was six am their time, eleven am our time.
(33:51):
He spent all night in a bomb shelter, not sleeping
because there are so many explosions overhead. And then the
explosions subsided in the morning and he came out of
the bomb shelter and he called w b Z and
he talked to you. He talked to me about what
it's really like there and about how just stay strong,
(34:14):
put the foot in the gas, and Russia can't hold
out very long. And one person did ask, why should
we care? That is a very important question. Why should
we care? And the answer is this that Russia believes
it's at war with the United States. This is not
just about what's going on there. Russia has believed that
(34:39):
for a long time since the Cold War. They got
the feelings heard after the Cold War and they blamed
us for that, and they've been at war with us
since and now they're really at war. And that's this
is just phase one. It's not even phase one. It's
like phase two.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
And if.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
They lose, then loose territory at all, that will be
a staging round for the next attack because they know
that the West doesn't have the wherewithal to take care
of that. And then next will be Lithuania and all
the Baltic states. And that doesn't mean much to you,
but there are people just like we are. If you
went there, you'll see. And the other reason why, because
(35:22):
there's good and there's bad. There's good and it's evil,
and we're good and they're evil, and it's our job
to fight the evil. You can't just go not on
my street. I'm not gonna worry about it. It won't
take me. It wouldn't take much. Just that, just the
knowledge that the United States is going to stick in
(35:44):
there and we win, and China would see we won
in North Korea, would see we won. If we don't,
if we cave, we're weak. They know it, they smell it.
And nothing is as dangerous as being perceived as weak.
So that's why it matters to you. And I want
to thank Jason J. Smart for crawling out of his
(36:05):
bomb shelter after a night, after a night of being
attacked and taking the time to call here.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
He's got a really good podcast.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
If you want to know what's going on there in
detail in a granular way, you should.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Check that podcast. And I was excited.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I must admit that he mentioned us in his podcast. Also,
I was excited. He said he got a bump of
eight over eight thousand new subscriptions in just over forty
eight hours, So that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
And there you go on that. It's truly the end
of the show.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And I really think I'm like, yes, David Bieber and
Ed sim Kiss, and I'm looking at you folks like GEO.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
If you would like to connect with me a little closer,
and if you'd like to see that video that I'm
going to do of the articles that David Boble brought
in that we're that we use to reference important Times
in the seventies in the Boston area. That's how my
WIB on my Facebook page and you can access that
through BRADLEYJA dot org. Quite straightforward, BRADLEYJ dot org, Bradley J.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
Y dot r G.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
I'll talk to you tomorrow here on news radio ten
thirty WBZ.
It's Night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling you Boston's Beat Radio. Well it's now eleven
o six. What a fun time we've had so far.
Tonight we had David Bieber in a cultural archivist, and
if you were there, you know he brought in items
that jogged memories of Boston in the seventies, everything from
(00:25):
music to sports to politics, and then at Simkiss brought
us through the evolution of wrestling. I'm a little bit
afraid that he got me interested in pro wrestling, and
don't I don't want that to happen because I have
enough drains on my time as it is. This is
a just about the first hour of the week where
(00:47):
it's almost open lines and you can give me a
call and chat six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty.
And it's kind of about food and restaurants. I was
perusing the internet and came across a list of Boston's
(01:09):
New York Times list of twenty five restaurants right now,
and I went through it, and sure, the restaurants are good,
I imagine, but you know, once they get into a
list like that, they're two crowded, and also they're probably
really expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I'm looking for your your gem, in your neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Where are you from, Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park, eastd.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Maverick Square.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
What's the best restaurant in each of those towns, and
hopefully one that doesn't constant harm in a leg? Six, one, seven, two,
five for ten thirty. I have some that I like,
and I'd love to hear about yours.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I guess one of mine is kind of a tourist place.
I won't call it a tourist trap because it's legit.
And this is some of my personal recommendations. And I
want you to join me with some of your personal recommendations.
And the reason is it's not just an academic exercise.
I want to experience some new restaurants, and I don't
(02:21):
want to pay an arm and a leg. I want
neighborhood restaurants where the food is good, in some cases
a little different, and it feels like a good deal.
You like going in and it feels like a good deal.
Do you have any of those in your neighborhood? Please
let me know. This is a low risk call you
(02:42):
very easy to call and talk about this. You don't
need to be nervous. You can't be right. You can't
be wrong. And as you know, I do a lot
of I have done a lot of traveling in my life,
a lot. It's hard work. Somebody's got to do it,
and I do it. And I during the pandemic, I
put together a travel channel, and that, of course took
(03:05):
a lot of money and time. And now I'm looking
for a new place to go and I don't have one.
There's no place that interests me. Instead, I'm taking the
time and the money to explore Boston restaurants. But I'm
a little bit ignorant on it. And I need your help,
(03:25):
and we all need your help. We all want to
know where the deals on restaurants are. So as you
listen to this, it might behoove you and I don't
really like them, or it'd behoove because people used to
say that to me.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It used to be irritating. It would behoove you to
pay attention.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, it would behoove you to get a pencil and paper,
or drop things down in your phone or something. As
we do get folks calling in with recommendations for restaurants,
and as I say, I'll go first. When my significant
other Shannon and I go out, we go. I guess
(04:01):
the number one favorite place is Union Oyster House. And
I know it's a tourist place, but somehow they managed
to keep it cool. And I'd like to go to
the bar and uh, Chef Rico is still the chef there.
And the lady that's at the podium there greeting you,
(04:22):
she's been there forever.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It's old school, let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And I love as you know, I love Boston history.
And that horseshoe shaped bar, that semi circular bar is
for one thing. The place is so old that that
bar is low because people were shorter than and it's
so old that it's a place where Daniel Webster, Yes,
(04:45):
the Daniel Webster, the Devil and Daniel Webster, that guy,
he used to go there and he used to drink
copious amounts of brandy, a number of brandies, and with
each glass of brandy, he'd have a plate of oysters,
not a couple a plate. It seems I feel like
he probably had thirty oysters at a crack and he's
(05:09):
just hanging there right there where you can go and
hang as well. Also, they have fish tacos. That's my
favorite dish to fish tacos. It's a fairly priced dish,
and there's a zing to them, kind of a limey,
lime tasting zing. I like to get a special martini.
And they also have a Sam Adams there that was
(05:33):
made specifically for them, and that that is the only
place that you can get it. I believe they are
one of the first adopters of Sam Adams, and Sam
kind of reward Sam Jim. The company rewarded them by
letting them continue to have this beer that's only available there.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I'll give you one more.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
When I liked Japanese food because I can eat it,
and I really don't want to. I really want to
lose weight, and they have they have seven dollars my ties,
and I'm I can't stand paying eighteen bucks for a drink?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Can you do that?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't if I were,
you know, multi, if I were elone Musk, I would
not buy. I don't think I would buy an eighteen
dollars cocktail. I feel like a fool. I feel like
I'm being taken advantage of. I feel like a sucker.
Don't you like if it really cost on that amount,
and then there we have if they really had to
(06:39):
charge that amount because it really cost that much more. Okay, maybe,
but then it still wouldn't go because I could make
it at home. The other the other restaurant I was
going to mention that I like is It's called o
maori is a kaya. I hope that's how you pronounce it.
And it's in Brooklyn Village, right at the corner of
Station Street and Harvard Street, across from the post office.
(07:02):
Seven dollars my tie, at least for now.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I don't know how long that will lasts.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Now, don't everybody rush over there at once or I
won't be able to get a table.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So here we go.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I got my pen, Do you have yours. We're going
to find out some restaurants. Let's go to flor first.
It's Florence in Groveland. Hi Florence, Hi Hall are you
oh great?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Thanks for being with me.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah. My restaurant, my favorite isn't in Boston because I'm
in Grove. When I don't go to.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Boston, it's good.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
We want to know about the neighborhood, so that's great.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Yeah, And I don't drink other than I change it rail.
But I like a cozy little place for many years
to Newburyport and it's called the Groat.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Oh my good one.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Very very cold. It's very cosy and the main floor
when you can win, it's a small area and they
have a few little tables and a few booths, and
then you can go downstairs and they have little newsic
(08:19):
entertaining and the food is great and I really like
it a lot. And the other restauring a New Report
is Michael's Harborside right, which is very popular.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It's right on the water, right on a dock.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Yes it is, and you can go outside on a
deck and have your meal and it's nice, yeah, really nice.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
I like Newberry Report.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Well, thank you for those I used to for three
years lived on Plum Island. It was my dream and
it's one of those things I actually made it happen,
and so I would spend a lot of time in
New Report and I can't.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
I have a friend done Plumb Island.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
She was.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
And she worked to stay Hopes, so I can.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Vouch for the grog being fantastic.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Yes, okay, everybody right there, yes, oh yeah, oh yeah,
I love it.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
It's very very warm environment, warm feeling, the decorations it is.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
I would say co see perfect.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, perfect, Florence, thank you so much. Everybody write that
down grog and new report. That is perfect and after this,
by now Florence and after this we're going to go
talk to it says, is that is that a type
O RA before.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I say it? In Middleton?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Okay, Okay, it's Pelvis, Pelvis in Middleton. You can see
why I would want to check that. Let's uh do
this and we'll talk to Pelvis. WBZ it's Night Side
with Dan Ray on wb Boston's news radio. Well that
(10:10):
was as short break. Yes, we're talking restaurants, and we're
talking about the little places that you know about in
your town. As I mentioned, there's a big New York
Times list of the best Boston restaurants now, and that's.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Kind of arbitrary.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I mean, did they anyway If it's in their list,
on their list, if it's not already mobbed, it's probably
going to be.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
And I went to one the other day that happened
to be on the list. It was.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Well, I'm not going to name the name because they
don't need the plug because they got it in the time,
so I believe. But the thing is it was just
packed mobbed even on a Tuesday. It was mobbed and
it was pretty expensive. The food was exquisite. It was
a high end Mexican types of food, and uh, you know,
(11:04):
did I like it?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
It's a little precious. You know.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It's filled with young professionals who have a lot of
money and they're kind of showing off, it felt like,
and that's who goes to these kind of restaurants and
these lists the best doublest. But I'm not into that.
I'm into what Florence said. I'm into the like the
Grog in New Report, a place where you feel like
(11:29):
it's a good deal.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
How about you? Do you have something like that?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Now it's Pelvis in Boston. Then we go to Wolfgang
So Pelvis not a typo.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Pelvis and Middleton in Middleton, North Sure.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Okay, so what do you go.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
I'm gonna hit I'm gonna hit a couple of them.
Your your my Thai list and your fresh Chinese food
is the Villa in Middleton on sixty two. Good all
around food with sorry prime rib, good mix of food.
It's the Century House in pebd And for seafood, go
up into Essex, the Blue Marlin, the Boat House and
(12:09):
my friends on the Farm, bar and grill that has
pulled pork barbecue in fish tacos. So you'll hit all
of those in that location. They're all within a quarter
mile of each other. Up there, that's on twenty two.
In Essex, there is the Blue Marlin, the boat House
that's the same owner. He owns the Choate Street over
in Ipswich another cozy spot. You get a ton of
different options, but for the my tie and all that stuff,
(12:32):
the Villa, Middleton Villa and Middleton and fresh Chinese, no MSG,
none of that, but good my ties, good good quality dranks,
good atmosphere, and.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You feel like you're getting a fair deal.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Oh yeah, yeah for what you're paying for sure, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
All right, I'm making a list. I'm gonna keep it.
That's a great one. Pet Pelviston, Milton, thank you very much. Yeah,
speaking of he's a Chinese food. You know this isn't
small and it's not a secret, but I was up.
I did a gig, a Beatles oriented gig with Chachi
and a Beatles magician. We do these these shows, a
(13:11):
lot of them call come Together. But then he does
them in restaurants as well, and we did one at
the Kowloon with Barons Whitfield and Salve Baglio in an
all star band. They recreated the Beatles set at Suffolk
Downs in nineteen sixty six. So it was a really
fun thing. But I'd forgotten how good the food is there.
(13:34):
And my Yal Shannon said, can you give me some
egg rolls? And I and now I know why. Man,
the egg rolls were fantastic, and that's gotta be.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It's huge, but somehow it feels cozy and it's it
is quite an experience and so I just I'm gonna
put Kowloon on the on the list here they're gott
to be doing something right because it's mobbed all the time.
Now it's Wolfgang and Boston. Is that me that said Boston?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Hi? Wolf King.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Bhi.
Speaker 6 (14:06):
Maybe I'm not aware of how you run on the show,
but I called forty minutes ago with a wrestling question
our comments. Dan usually lets us talk to the guest too,
you know what I mean, So it would make more
sense if he was still here. Do you want me
to say it all? Because I don't have a restaurant.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Uh, I guess if you've waited that long, go ahead
and say.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
What do you what you got to say?
Speaker 6 (14:29):
Well, and when he answered the phone, I said, I
have a wrestling comment, and he said, oh, thank you.
Just hang on.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Let me explain to you what happened.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
There are two monitors in here, and one partially blocks
the other one, and I didn't see your call.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
You were there forty minutes and we just finished the
wrestling segments, so go ahead. And what was he want
to say about the wrestling?
Speaker 6 (14:51):
Well, I grew up in Foxborough and my father used
to bring me to Jack Witchies. Are you familiar with that?
No Sports Arena North at Bo that's where wrestling, that's
where we started seeing it. He was talking about Bruno
San Mantino. He was like, he was like Hulk Hogan
back then. And you're just learning now that wrestling may
(15:12):
be scripted.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
No, not at all.
Speaker 7 (15:14):
Oh just it chounded like.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
You were asking like really, well, here's the thing and
Jack Witchie's you know, they were oct enemies in the ring,
but then they had to cut through the crowd to
go into the same locker room together. So even when
I was six years old, I knew something was up.
You know, those two hate each other. And they're going,
I mean, that's how it was. Eventually it burned down,
but as far as it's being scripted, well, later on
(15:39):
we did learn that, you know, in that bleeding in
the ring, it's because they had grays of bullets and
cut themselves and everybody was appalled at that. And my
accumen is they're doing it to entertain us. You know
what I'm saying, why why would you cut yourself that.
I'm sure it's not in the contract. You got to
cut yourself ten times a week or something.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
You know, they don't have to.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
People like violence, I guess, so, thank you.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
No, No, it's just the restaurant. I'm just saying the
wrestling they're really on. I mean, when they're bleeding in
the ring and you I guess you're just finding that out.
They would have little razor blades. No, didn't you see
the movie with Mickey Rourke.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
Yes, that's kind of like what it is.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
Like he was even saying it, like you guest said,
like they would whisper to each other. You know, Okay,
now you flipped me. It was it was really like that,
and I think Mickey work he would cut himself with.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Okay, Well, thanks for that Wolfgang. I appreciate that. No,
there must be a misunderstanding. I knew it was fake.
We even talked about it's fakeness and in what ways
it was fake before the show, and but it wasn't
always fake, and maybe that's where the confusion came. Now
was back to the restaurant recommendations again. The reason I
(16:52):
didn't get to you was this situation where the one
monitor blocks the one with the calls on it, and
I didn't see it until I looked up and I
said forty wow, I better get to him. So Laura Junior,
Lauro Junior, and Lynn, what do you got Linn for restaurants?
Speaker 7 (17:11):
Hey, how you doing? Mason Taxio? Again, I wish you
your happiness as well as all your listeners. Your next listener,
I wish then to happiness, whoever that is. So I
have two recommendations. One is a Harvard Avenue over in Austin.
It's called Kung Fu Tea. So the first thing on
(17:33):
the list. The first time I went there, I saw
black honey tea and I ordered that.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Wow, so good.
Speaker 7 (17:40):
So if you know like Snapper raspberry iced tea, it
almost tastes like that, but it has some little kick toy.
It's very good. It's well worth it for like even
if you're coming from far away, it's well worth it
just to have that. It's a small place and not
too big. It's called kung Fu Tea and it's their
public transit from bus from Bus fifty seven outer Kimbore
(18:04):
Square or the green line the b trained Harvard Avenue
in Austin koch Fu Chee. And also in Lynn where
I'm from one one A North. Uh, that's on Blossom Street. Uh.
It's on the four in the clock tower. It's called
(18:26):
Buzzies Low spief So Bradley. So back in the day,
right when.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I was Lynn, I didn't know that I knew the
Buzzies roast beef that was in Boston by mass General.
Is it the same? Do you happen to know if
it's the same Laurel or different Buzzes.
Speaker 7 (18:46):
It's just it's just opened, like it just opened like
two years ago. So so when I was in junior
high school and in high school, I had this Greek guy,
this Greek guy that was in my home room. So
home room is that you go when you go to school,
stay there for like a half hour, the teacher market
(19:07):
absent are here.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
So this guy was in my home room all throughout
high school and in my last year of high school,
both of us was in the same gym class and
there was only two of us in the same gym class,
and we used to go sneak to the gym, like
even when we had like study hall. We was in
the same study hall, and he said, yo, let's go
to the gym. Okay, So we played basketball together and
(19:33):
gym and it's so only two of us in our
senior year. It's time we sneak out. We'll go to
the corner store. And after high school finished, I always
wondered what happened to this guy? What happened to this guy?
So last October I went there right when I first
opened and then I'm sending nothing library, he's here. And
(19:53):
when probably I want to say, like around earlier this
year and I see this picture in the new I'm like,
why is that face too familiar? And I saw the
name and I remember his Greek name, and I saw it.
My son will say, why do I know that name?
And then I looked, I'm like, oh, shoot, sadly he
passed away. And I always say, wow, I could not
(20:17):
believe that, Laura.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I have to I have to move on because I
have a bunch of people to get to it and
I have a break. But thank you so much, and
thank you for the kind words that you that you
use every time that you call. I appreciate that. It's
laua junior, very nice guy. Pete in South Carolina. I
love to hear from South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
How are you, sir?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I am well.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Can I ask a couple of questions before we get
to the food part. Is it oppressively hot in South
Carolina all the time?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
How do you do it?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I could live so oppressibly hot. My wife and I
have not left the house for three days.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
That's no way to live, is it? Is it worse
than it used to be?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
I mean today I went into the garage. It was
ninety degrees in the garage and it is brutal and
I unfortunately I have to go north next week for
a funeral. But I'm hoping it cools off a little bit.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Are you gonna stay there? You're going to go and
come north?
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Man?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I couldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
No, No, I'm retired here retired and Dan knows me
and we talked baseball, We talk all kinds of stuff.
And when I worked, I was stationed in Boston for
the summer of two thousand and five, and I made
it a point I walked over to the North End
(21:39):
every Tuesday and had a beautiful Italian dinner at a
little place called lemon Cello. Oh it's right next to
the Paul Revere home.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
I'm writing it down. I'm writing it down.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Absolutely. It was wonderful then, and I'm sure it's still
wonderful now.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Can you tell me a little bit about what made
it wonderful any particular.
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Well.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Number one, I grew up in Italian, in an Italian household,
so you know they made the veal and the and
the and the chicken palm, and the chicken marsala and
the ville marsala or the fra diablo lobster, the seafood
that you could get from Boston. It was just a
quaint little Italian place, nice little small tables, good wine selection,
(22:35):
just a nice little meat rest.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
That's a good one, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yeah it uh. When when I heard the the subject
of discussion tonight, I said, I usually I called Dan
when it's an when it's a non political thing that
doesn't involve Boston, because I don't like to take up
the time for people who need to get their voices heard.
But for some them like this, I'll call in and
(23:02):
uh give my two cents for lac.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Well, I'm glad you did.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
It's I'm always curious about which and anyone wants to
help me out with this kind of side issue is
there are many restaurants in the North End.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It's a cool place in the.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
North crazy crazy love it.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
However, a lot of the restaurants there are tourist restaurants,
and they're not the best food.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
This is not this was not a tourist drug.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Well, that's what I need to know from anyone that
really is familiar with.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
The North End.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Said, I was. I was hired by John Hancock for
a consulting job for seven weeks basically Memorial Day to
Labor Day, and I will I said they. I walked
over to the North End every Tuesday, had my Italian dinner,
(23:59):
and then I took the walk back and I would
stop and see some of the history points of Boston, which,
as you know, there aren't that many. Yeah right, Yeah,
So I really enjoyed my stay. I considered Boston my
second home.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Oh well that's a pretty nice second home.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
One of these days, I'm going to get in my
car or take the train, and I'm going to find
mister Ray because we talked so much baseball. But see
between his son and him rooting for the Red Sox
and the Moose Socks and me rooting from the Phillies
because that's where I grew up. We have some good,
(24:41):
good off air discussions.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Well that should be fun. Thank you so much, Pete,
and hang in there. Falls are coming. It should cool
down a little bit. I'm glad he brought up the
North End. This can be a side thing. Anybody familiar
with the North End? What are the real restaurants there,
the ones that really focus on high quality food and
not just the you know, the person flying in getting
(25:04):
some Mike's pastry in a box and heading out. Where
are the real restaurants in the North End and in
your neighborhood? What's your go to place? Where are the
people in your neighborhood, your Boston neighborhood, or even outside
of Boston.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Let love to go.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I'm making a list because I myself want to go
to these places. East Boston South uh South End six
one seven is WBS.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
My friends, it's great to be with you. I'm Bradley
Jay in for Dan. He will be back soon.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
And we're talking about local eateries because this big list
came out in the New York Times with all these
fancy places, and that's not any help to me. And
I'm looking, I'm actively looking these days for restaurants in
the neighborhoods and that list, so that list wasn't very
(26:07):
much help. But you are helping me a lot. I
do have a couple of recommendations. And before I give
the recommendations, here, here are the qualities I'm looking for
in a place.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
It's got to be kind of cozy. I'd like it
to not be new, but it can be new.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
And I guess, I guess comfort food is important, but
I kind of like something other than just the't meat,
the potatoes, some different twists, some different take on food
and old school dishes. And I have a couple here
you might have forgotten about. Let's take a trip to
(26:45):
Harvard Square and Cambridge, which unfortunately has become so generic.
It used to be very interesting place back on Pete
Wolf used to hang around there, places like the Worst
House and oh oh my. But there's still one place
there from back in the day. It hasn't changed that
much and it still has all the qualities that used
(27:07):
to have. It's cool. It's really a good deal as
comfort food. It has the double cheeseburger special, which hasn't
changed much. I think it comes with fries, but I
asked them to sub cole Slaw for the fries, and
then I put the Coleslaw in between the two burgers
(27:29):
and then smear it all with ketch up and eat
it with a fork and a fork and knife and
get a PBR. That, my friends, is Charlie's Kitchen. I
don't know if you have ever been there, or if
you haven't been there in a long time, but it
is exactly the same as the first time I went there,
(27:50):
maybe in nineteen eighty. Same place, same good prices, same vibe.
Oh real great mix of people too. You get here,
you got your geezers in there, and you got your
students in there, and you know how Harvard is. It's
it's you never know who you're gonna run into. In
Harvard Square at all. It could be a future president
(28:13):
or a future rock star, or absolute and absolute absolute nobody.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
But somebody very very nice. So I like Charlie's Kitchen.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Six one, seven thirty is a number to call and
share the restaurant in your neighborhood, the gem we did
hear about the Grog. I'm so glad that Florence talked
about the Grog.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Now there's a place in.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
East Boston that I've never been, and I can't remember
the name of it. But if you're an East Boston person,
maybe you're gonna help me with this. You gotta get
a reservation. And it looks like kind of a house,
a home. It doesn't look restauranty. What's the name of
that place? If somebody can help me out with that,
I'd love to go there. I went, you know, as
(29:03):
I mentioned, I like to travel, but you don't have
to travel far to travel sometimes to fairly exotic situation.
I went to Maverick Square because I go out with
the Boston Harbor pilots when they take the harbor pilots
out to bring in the big ships. And while I
wait for them, take walks and I get some breakfast
(29:23):
and I don't know the names of these places, but
there are some places that are very South American with
fried plantains and the menu I don't even know if
the menu.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Is in English.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And that really feels super legit. And yeah, it's a
great deal. Like Juavos Rancheros, man do I love a
good Wavos Rancheros. So those those restaurants on the side
streets in near Mavericks, Maverick, I love those too. Now
we have Mike and foot devns. How you doing, Mike,
(29:57):
thanks for being with us in w you do it?
Speaker 5 (30:00):
You you mentioned East Boston. I don't know if these
are the places, but Renos it's really good.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yep, that's it. Can you tell me only more about
that because.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
I've never been well, Reno's is great, famous. They got
a lot of famous people that have been in there,
and it's it's a cozy, comfy you know, it's it's
a great pot and uh and parallel to it is
uh Kelly's Place. That's what I originally thought you were
talking about. But you got Kelly's Place in East Boston
and Reno's Sunny Dodo's left there, but they were very good.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So tell me about what can you tell me about
that Kelly's.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
Kelly's Place is similar to Renos, except it's uh a
little little different, little different clientele. But but it's neighborhood
barb you know, neighborhood Bob and restaurant been there this
kazillion years, a lot of good people there. You never
know who you're going to meet there, and the celebrities there,
(30:59):
and you knows, you know, they got the pictures on
the wall all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
But uh, I guess it's hard to get into. It's
hard to get into Renos, right.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Well, well, yeah, no, like on the weekends, weekend nights. Yeah,
it's gonna be a busy place. But go during the week.
You're gonna get the same the same quality during the
week as you do on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
By the way, since you know so much about easty,
what's the best where's the best pizza?
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Best pizza? Uh? It used to be Santafios, But I
don't know. I guess I'd probably go with some tapios.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
But not as not as one hundred percent as you
used to be on that no, because I.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Don't live there anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Okay, Well, thank you for that. I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Heads up on I figured, so it was a Reno's
who you were thinking about, Yes, it was you gotta
hit up probably Jay, You'll love it.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Okay, thanks, I'm gonna go for my birthday. It's tough
to find things to do for your birthday, and it's weird.
I get to do anything I want on my birthday,
but my birthday is around Christmas time, so all the
restaurants are booked. You can't go on any trips, all
the resorts are booked because you know, the kids are
(32:17):
out of school. I like going up to fancy hotels
and white mountains and or maybe go to Provincetown something special,
like an overnight for your birthday, but it's it's too crowded.
I remember one night I wanted to go to a
fancy uh sushi restaurant in the South End and it
(32:37):
was packed. And then we tried to go somewhere else
they were all packed. Just walked around and then gave
up and went home. Just gave up and went home.
It was very sad, very very very sad birthday. So
the number six one, I do want to thank last
night's guest Jason J. Smart, who called us live from
(33:02):
Kiev in the Ukraine in Ukraine because I wanted you
to kind of bond with the folks who are struggling
in New Ukraine as they're being attacked by aggressors who
have invaded them a country just like any other real
sovereign nation, just trying to wipe them out. They talk
(33:26):
about wanting to an exit, but it seems awful genocide
like to me. And this podcaster who is really good
and has gotten two hundred thousand subscriptions in three months,
he came on after spending a night in a bomb shelter.
It was six am their time, eleven am our time.
(33:51):
He spent all night in a bomb shelter, not sleeping
because there are so many explosions overhead. And then the
explosions subsided in the morning and he came out of
the bomb shelter and he called w b Z and
he talked to you. He talked to me about what
it's really like there and about how just stay strong,
(34:14):
put the foot in the gas, and Russia can't hold
out very long. And one person did ask, why should
we care? That is a very important question. Why should
we care? And the answer is this that Russia believes
it's at war with the United States. This is not
just about what's going on there. Russia has believed that
(34:39):
for a long time since the Cold War. They got
the feelings heard after the Cold War and they blamed
us for that, and they've been at war with us
since and now they're really at war. And that's this
is just phase one. It's not even phase one. It's
like phase two.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
And if.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
They lose, then loose territory at all, that will be
a staging round for the next attack because they know
that the West doesn't have the wherewithal to take care
of that. And then next will be Lithuania and all
the Baltic states. And that doesn't mean much to you,
but there are people just like we are. If you
went there, you'll see. And the other reason why, because
(35:22):
there's good and there's bad. There's good and it's evil,
and we're good and they're evil, and it's our job
to fight the evil. You can't just go not on
my street. I'm not gonna worry about it. It won't
take me. It wouldn't take much. Just that, just the
knowledge that the United States is going to stick in
(35:44):
there and we win, and China would see we won
in North Korea, would see we won. If we don't,
if we cave, we're weak. They know it, they smell it.
And nothing is as dangerous as being perceived as weak.
So that's why it matters to you. And I want
to thank Jason J. Smart for crawling out of his
(36:05):
bomb shelter after a night, after a night of being
attacked and taking the time to call here.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
He's got a really good podcast.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
If you want to know what's going on there in
detail in a granular way, you should.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Check that podcast. And I was excited.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
I must admit that he mentioned us in his podcast. Also,
I was excited. He said he got a bump of
eight over eight thousand new subscriptions in just over forty
eight hours, So that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
And there you go on that. It's truly the end
of the show.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And I really think I'm like, yes, David Bieber and
Ed sim Kiss, and I'm looking at you folks like GEO.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
If you would like to connect with me a little closer,
and if you'd like to see that video that I'm
going to do of the articles that David Boble brought
in that we're that we use to reference important Times
in the seventies in the Boston area. That's how my
WIB on my Facebook page and you can access that
through BRADLEYJA dot org. Quite straightforward, BRADLEYJ dot org, Bradley J.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
Y dot r G.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
I'll talk to you tomorrow here on news radio ten
thirty WBZ.
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