Allston's Hidden Slice of Texas

You wouldn't guess it by the dark, unmarked exterior, but Lone Star Taco Bar is a vibrant, cozy place to warm up with gourmet tacos and Mexican beer. Everything about it echoes Deep Ellum - they're both owned by the same people - to the point that if feels like you're in some kind of Texan parallel universe next to its sister bar. And I have just as many good things to say about Lone Star as Deep Ellum.

It barely seems possible, but Lone Star is a little smaller than Deep Ellum, but in a cozy way. The old cowboy westerns playing on a TV above the bar, mounted bison head, and dim lighting (at least when we went around 9PM last Thursday) made you feel like you may have just stepped into Texas. Not a cheesy Hollywood version of Texas, but a cool, slightly upscale version where hipsters go for conversation and delicious food. There must be hipsters in Texas, right?

Lone Star was crowded when we got there, so we grabbed the last two seats at the bar, but by 10 it had nearly emptied out and we could hear the music again. The music was chill, but probably the only piece of the puzzle that didn't fit the authentic Texas feeling.

I couldn't resist trying the Chelado - the Pacifico on draft mixed with lime juice over ice with a salted rim. It managed to taste refreshing but not watered down at all. Brittany tried the Chica Facil (haha), a delicious blend of tequila, aperol, lime, agave, and orange bitters.

Baja Fish and Carnitas Pork Tacos

Then we moved on to the difficult food decision - everything on the taco menu looked great, but we could only eat so much (especially since I had already technically had dinner). I got the Baja Fish of the Day while Brittany chose the Carnitas Pork and the Grilled Avocado with Griddled Queso. She had been to Lone Star before so she prepared me for how great they would be, but I was still in awe. The balance of hot/cold, sweet/savory in my fish taco was exactly right.

Brittany and I followed up our first drinks with Pacifico on tap - only $4 for a pint of a decent Mexican beer.

It was a great place to catch up and adventure into some unique TexMex flavors. The Lone Star bartenders were great, too - attentive and clearly skilled at their job.

Although the tacos were gourmet, we were a little disappointed to learn after eating from one of our bartenders that the real deal at Lone Star are the tostadas: only $5 for a heaping pile of delicious ingredients. Not as gourmet or as meticulously made as the tacos, which are in a class of their own, but still delicious and at a great price.

I feel like I say this about most bars I visit... but I'll definitely be going back.

P.S. For those keeping track, no, we didn't go to jm Curley like we promised in our last blog post. By the time Brittany was done with classes and work on her long-day Thursday, we went for something closer to home. But jm Curley is still on the to-do list!

French Fries and Hemingway

The combination of french fries and Hemingway can only mean one thing, if you're familiar with Boston bars: Deep Ellum.  An early Thursday night at this small spot in Allston ended up being much more indulgent visit than we expected.

After starting with a couple bottles of Blue Moon and Leffe Blonde at home  (and after a lot of debate about where to go), we made our way to nearby Allston for a drink or two. Those familiar with the center of Harvard Ave in Allston may not have heard of Deep Ellum - it's tucked a little farther down Brighton Ave, past Silhouette, in the small corner of Union Square. The exterior is fairly nondescript and blends in with the surrounding Allston drab, but the menu is something else entirely.

From what I had read, I knew Deep Ellum would have a good list of craft beers, bottled and on tap. I had been here once before and also remembered the bitters-filled mixed drink offerings. The restaurant has a comfortable atmosphere, feeling like a dive with class thanks to the dim lighting, dark wood and brick walls, and classic martini menu that made me feel like I was time traveling in Midnight in Paris - all the while balanced out with the tattooed servers, young crowd, and rock music that let you know you're definitely still in present-day Allston. The added touch of a longhorn bull skull above the bar speaks to (surprise!) their inspiration from the original Deep Ellum, a cultural hub in Dallas.

The menu wasn't too long or complex but had such diverse and unique offerings that it took us some time to decide. Wanting to try both a beer and martini, we were immediately drawn to the Hemingway Daiquiri (Santa Teresa Rum, grapefruit, Luxardo Maraschino, lime) because it looked great and just seemed to fit with the atmosphere. We also agreed that the Clown Shoes Clementine (Belgian Style White Ale - 5%) sounded delicious - and it's local to Mass!

Luckily for us, both of our choices were good ones. The martini had a muddled look with lemon twist right in the drink. It managed to be sweet, tart, and bitter at the same time - a delicious balance to sip on. The Clementine was a great choice as well; the smell of clementine (or orange, how can you tell the difference?) was strong, as was the taste. It had a bolder flavor than Blue Moon and went down smooth.

The food menu also looked pretty good, and a recent Boston Magazine article had pointed us in the direction of truffled gorgonzola fries. When we asked our waitress for advice, she didn't hesitate to recommend them as well, so we went for it. We weren't expecting the massive plate of unbelievably delicious fries that came out, crispy and doused in a white truffle sauce with chunks of gorgonzola. We couldn't stop shaking our heads in disbelief at how tasty they were. It was a little heavy for us to finish after dinner, but we did, and it was so worth it. And worth every penny (and more) for $6!

With my 6:30 wake-up time, we decided to head home early. Our stomachs were full, but we could have explored Deep Ellum's drink menu more. And we were disappointed when we realized we missed out on the cute outdoor patio in back. It's definitely a place to go back to again (and again).