Establishments

Rambling about some recent ambles:

Coffee Shop

Bard Coffee, Middle St. in the Old Port

I wandered into this charming café last Sunday afternoon while strolling around the Old Port, per a housemate’s recommendation. Although I don’t drink coffee, I do enjoy working/writing/reading in coffee shops while sipping tea or hot cocoa, so I’ve been on the hunt for a café worthy of becoming my “regular spot”. Bard meets all of my conditions: yummy chai tea (and a good price for the size), friendly staff, good music mix, plenty of seats and moreover a variety of seats (tables and chairs in the corner by the window or leather sofa and chairs around a coffee table with local newspapers and other publications), a bulletin board showcasing flyers about upcoming events, and lastly, homemade gelato which you can sample for free and not feel boorish about not buying a scoop. Since I just had a book to read (Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw) I decided to not take up a table and sat on the comfy sofa. I can definitely see myself returning regularly with my class work.

Bar

Dogfish Bar and Grille, Free St. in the Old Port

Wednesday is Open Mic night at this casual bar and restaurant, where local artists can perform live in front of an eclectic audience. A classmate of mine has a friend from Bowdoin College who was the featured artist this week, so I joined them to take part in the tradition. There was no cover charge, and I learned a lot about guitar harmonics from a peculiar fellow in an Elmo T-shirt. Oh, and they have Shipyard Pumpkinhead on draft. Enough said.

Food

Whaddapita!, Forest Ave.

Located just a few blocks from my house, this Mediterranean restaurant’s vibrant colors are illustrative of the bold flavors found on the menu (I’m not cut out to be a food reviewer, am I?) Ever since returning from a semester abroad in Greece, I’ve been searching high and low for a Greek restaurant that serves gyros with fries stuffed in them, as is the custom in Athens. You can imagine how my eyes lit up when I saw on Whaddapita!’s menu board “Gyro Pita, …wrapped with a combination of homemade fries, tomatoes, red onions…” Score! And, it cost only $4.39. It was kind of small (there’s a deal to buy two for $8.29) but the Mediterranean folk are all about small portions. The pita was a little soggier than my liking, and the service was slow given that there only a handful of other people. In the hospitable Greek spirit, though, they offered me two pieces of baklava--for free!  This will definitely become my favorite lunch spot, especially since it’s so close to my house and campus.