Top 11Davis Square Confessions

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

It’s a slow, tiresome Monday, so as I approach my 9th year as a Davis Square resident I have some confessions. These are "confessions" because these things make me feel like the bitch I am! My list goes to 11.

Do you have any confessions? Perhaps later in the week I’ll feel perky and refreshed and post my top 11 loves -though it will be hard to think of only 11.

1. I’ve been secretly rooting for Kick Ass Cupcakes to fail, and I’m boggled that they still survive.
2. While I like McIntyre and Moore in theory, I never use them and won’t miss them.
3. I hate Mike’s, its terrible – even with the cheap beer, I don't get the popularity of this institution - I liked it better when they were crappier inside with the old signs.
4. Chipotle has won my burrito bowl dollars, I never would have seen that coming Anna’s! Anna Anna, please forgive me!
5. While I love Deisel, I’m going less and less now that the same 5 crazy people rotate ownership of the good chairs/couches and NEVER leave.
6. I don’t miss Someday Cafe, I liked it in theory, but it was a dirty filth hole.
7. I don’t miss the junkies in front of share group on Dover St (not that all of them were junkies), but I do miss the times they would interact with the Mormons.
8. I really don’t want to see Sacco’s close, but yet I never give them any business, and I was opposed to the Community Connections Center for no other reason than I thought it was a dumb name.
9. As fiercly opposed as I was to CVS opening, I now shop there all the time.
10. I want all bars except Joshua Tree to get a 2am permit!
11. Even though it’s a lame joke I still find it funny that Store 24 is not open 24 hours, and that Bread and Butter Konvience is, but has  a weird name.

Comments

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

3. AGREED. It was actually a part of why I moved out here.

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

Great thread. My thoughts:

1) I am also secretly rooting for Kickass to fail. We had a potluck at our apartment a few months ago. Someone brought an assortment of WeakAss cupcakes, and somebody else brought a cupcake roughly the size of Guatemala from Lyndell's. The Lyndell's giant disappeared in minutes, and the dry, dry cupcakes from KA lingered.

2) Ditto

3) What's wrong with Mike's? I think it's perfect, provided you like mediocre Italian food and counter help that talks to everybody like 5-year olds.

4) Heresy!

5) See my comments above. To their credit, I have never gotten rude, haughty, or unpleasant service there, which seems like an anomaly for a place like that.

6) Actually never went before it was Mr. Crepe.

7) ...must have been before my time.

8) I love Sacco's, even their lanes are slightly warped and you have to bowl with super-human strength to get the damn ball to go straight. I'm going to be bowling there a lot more when the semester is over. The news that they wouldn't be turning into the "Triple C" made my day last month.

9) They have better beverage selection than Rite-Aid.

10) No particular feeling here.

11) Agreed.

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah:

12) CD Spins BITES.

My Confession List

[http://users.livejournal.com/_saint_cecilia_/]

1. My Dad always insists we go to Mike's, no matter how many times I tell him I don't like it, so it I have especial venom towards the place.

2. I miss Someday. I miss Willie. I miss considering a rainbow of tea. I miss my indentation on the plush, discolored red velveteen settee. Besides, at Mr. Crepes, Rao's cofffee is prohibitively strong, the muffins aren't very good, and the crepes are too expensive for me to ever have them.

3. Never did go to Jimmy Tingle's.

4. Only once did I go to La Contessa's, but I'm still sorry it closed, if only because the Pope was there. I can't explain this sentiment rationally, I really can't.

5. I do love Farmer's Bounty, but heat your damn samosas!

6. Dear Rosebud, you are way too expensive to be a "diner" and none too tasty so WHAT ARE YOU GOOD FOR?!

7. You can turn over the restaurant space at 400 Highland as many times a year as you like. I still won't go there.

8. I really like Sligo's, but can't get my friends to go with me. They skip right over it as though it didn't exist.

9. Redbones smells funny, but that doesn't stop me.

10. I'm a fan of the Sewing and Vacuum Center, and I hope my nickel-and-dime business in the moments between when I get off the train from work and their 6pm closing helps to keep them in business for as long as I live in the area.

11. I like a small sweet cream cone, but I miss Denise's and its employees (who were usually nasty to me!)

Re: My Confession List

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

Wait, pardon me if this is a stupid question, but what kind of nickel-and-dime business are you doing in the Sewing and Vacuum Center? I've never given it a second thought because of the name, but do they sell other items? Or are you buying small sewing/vacuuming items? (ha)(I'll have to look more carefully next time I pass by.)

Re: My Confession List

[daft.livejournal.com]

Re #10:
Those of us who know take their larger repairs there as well, so hopefully they will stay in business for years to come.

Because really, I wouldn't trust a lot of people with a 1944 Singer Featherweight, and I'd hate to look for a new repair shop.

Re: My Confession List

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the Sewing and Vacuum Center, where I generally buy a couple of spools of thread and a zipper. HOW DO THEY DO IT?

[ron_newman]

I have occasionally shopped at Family Dollar and (the late) Dollar Days.

Anna's and Sacco's are great!

[progressnerd.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on a few of them, but I still think Anna's has the best burrito in the area. Also, I go to Sacco's all the time! Having a candlepin bowling ball as my avatar probably gave the later one away.

[komos.livejournal.com]

1) The milk KAC sells is quite good, but I'm not sure I'd buy from them if not for taking a strange delight at having the owner and staff ask if I want cupcakes repeatedly in spite of my saying "Just the milk" every time I set a jug on the counter.

2) Redbones hasn't been the same since they stopped serving white bread on top of their plates. While I appreciate the added variety on their menu and their beer list, they really have become a mediocre rib joint.

3) The Someday was awesome when it opened, but by the time Tosci's took it over, it smelled of mold and feet.

4) The Rosebud is the biggest waste of a classic diner on the East Coast, and not just because the owner is disagreeable.

5) I find liberal activists working the Square kind of pointless, and things like last year's "Honk to Impeach" street corner campaign downright embarrassing. For the record, I'm probably bluer than you.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

2) I agree about the mediocre ribs, but there are a few things there I still love:

- The sweet sauce (the others aren't the best, but that sweet sauce is fab)
- FRIED PICKLES
- Fried okra
- Buffalo shrimp

But yeah, the ribs are eh. Also, that's not sweet tea, that's tea wit some sweet n' low.

finally! I feel so free!

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I am so happy with this posting, I thought I wasn't allowed to have these thoughts! Thank you! I feel unburdened!

And, my contribution:
1. I tried them out twice months apart and I don't get it. The cupcakes taste stale like they make a giant batch the day before and then frost them with whatever designer stuff as needed. It's like people who like the theory of good ingredients are trying to bake without being real bakers. [I can't quit you Lyndell's! Woot!]
2. Again, tried shopping there multiple times but found the staff the least helpful. It was clear that they didn't want me to buy the very many books I was looking for... and the most insulting? The time no one would help me REACH the book I could see but could not hold and therefore could not purchase. Although most of the time I found the books to be an unorganized mess that I wouldn't want for a buck a bagful.
5. I judge people based on whether or not they hang out at Diesel now. And I think Diesel imported Someday's filth.

I don't get the Diva spinoff bar at all.

ArtBeat is not art. I don't get the trinkets that are sold there as none of them are gallery-worthy. There is a difference between arts-n-crafts and ART. I'm all for support local artists, but how are we supporting them by letting people sell beads strung on hemp cord and ridiculously large ceramic keyfobs that say "babe" or "hot"? I don't get it and I feel bad for the few actual art vendors that are there as they are so outnumbered.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Too tired to have anything to say but that you win the Internet.

[glen-highland.livejournal.com]

This thread is the best!
1) I go to Starbucks! There. I said it. The coffee at Diesel is nasty and tastes like it was roasted and ground a few years in advance. The back area smells like toilets half the time. Oh yeah, and Diesel doesn't accept Starbucks stored-value cards...
2) I like Diva Lounge. I don't know why... Maybe because it's the complete opposite of a sports bar concept, or maybe I like long narrow plastic rooms. Too expensive to b a regular place though.
3) I've given RedBones 4 chances. Yuck! What up with the meat? Dry, no seasoning, and a little plastic cup of cold dipping sauce?? Ew, ew, ew.
4) I don’t miss Someday Cafe, I liked it in theory, but it was a dirty filth hole.
5) Chipotle == cold burritos! Super gross.
6) I love Christo's 7 Star pizza, their pizza and subs are the best!
7) Why do gyms put the exercise machines right in front windows? Do I want to see people exercising? Do they want me to see them exercising?

[nalz.livejournal.com]

I thought I was the only one who hated Redbones. I do not get why people love that place. Everytime I have it I'm left feeling gross and vastly disappointed that there was no delicious BBQ. When a freakin' chain restaurant like Tony Roma's can outdo you, it's time to quit!

Missed the boat, and still missing it

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

So many of the things that made Davis cool were things that made me happy just by their presence, and the great folks they attracted; and I was hoping to get to enjoy them more myself... once I became precisely the sort of person that's driving all the coolness out. By the time I'm "successful" enough to take a bit of time off now and then, it'll have greyed out completely; warmth and humor and uniqueness given shambling way to convenience.

Still, Mr. Crap doesn't get a cent of my money, even though it's more a memorial gesture than anything (because I haven't got much money).

Re: Missed the boat, and still missing it

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Still, Mr. Crap doesn't get a cent of my money, even though it's more a memorial gesture than anything

So you're penalizing Mr. Crepe because Gus Toscanini was too lame or broke to renew his lease?

Re: Not really a Diesel defense, but...

[kidsmokes.livejournal.com]

i love starbucks. i work there, but i mean, i love it. dev is always so cheery and we have such a good time. and we love our regulars.

i love kick ass cupcake. AND SHINO AKA SNAPPY SUSHI OPENS THIS WEEK OMG OMG OMG. I AM SO EXCITED. This is going to make my life. Please tip me at starbucks, so i can support my sushi habit.

i don't fully appreciate goodwill and poor little rich girl. i should go more often.

uhm, this is more of a personal confession, but i live on winslow and never close my shades, can you people on the bike path see me?! its right by the rite aid, tell me no one sees me? please? ugh. it horrifies me to think someone has been watching me sing Selena in high heels.

Top smelliest places in Davis Square

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

1. Bathroom of Diesel
2. Dumpster behind tibetan restaurant/pizza place
3. Sligo's
4. The other bathroom in Diesel
5. Someday cafe before it closed
6. The bottle collection area behind the liquor store
7. The first bathroom at Diesel again....

Ok I only have 7.....

The Davis Sq. T Platform

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

Even though it's the T, and it's underground, technically, that mixture of ozone, urine, and metal filings can't be beat.

Okay, here's my 10, some not yet seen ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

1. I think Namskaar is a heck of a lot better than Diva, and less pretentious.

2. I think Diesel is overrated. Honestly, I'd rather hang out in the McDonald's across from the Social Security Building -- I prefer the atmosphere there. No one's looking at me like I'm not hip enough.

3. I don't think Mike's is mediocre -- I think it's really bad. Six years ago I moved here from NYC, and someone brought me to Mike's on my first night to show me a Davis Sq. institution. I immediately had second thoughts about my relocation.

4. I'll go to the Subway on Elm St. if I feel like a sandwich.

5. I like Chipolte over Anna's. Sorry, but I think the meat is better, and again, I just don't think Anna's lives up to the hype.

6. I find the Rosebud the greatest diner travesty. Someone please buy that?

7. I always found about 4 out of 5 of the subway platform musicians terribly untalented.

8. I don't miss the Someday cafe.

9. I'm tired of the self-righteous cyclist attitude. I used to bike all the time. I drive more now than I bike, but still, it's a bit much, okay?

10.I found Gargoyle's to be overpriced for the quality(seems to be a real trend in Davis). It is still good quality and the chef is clearly talented, but I can't be paying $30 an entree and having a piece of chicken so overseasoned I can only taste seasoning and not the (very high quality) chicken breast.

Re: Okay, here's my 10, some not yet seen ;)

[kjc.livejournal.com]

If you're from the NYC area, you're ALWAYS going to be disappointed in the pizza and diners in New England. It's a rule of nature.

(I grew up in north Jersey. I can't find pizza I really love up here and there are no real diners. On the plus side, I came in hating the Yankees cuz Jersey kids were always expected to root for NYC teams, as we were undeserving of our own or something, so I fit right into Red Sox Nation.)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

1. I want to like the Diesel's espresso, but it always tastes burnt. I really miss the yellow place, that tiny sandwich and coffee joint that got absorbed into Martsa - they had really good espresso.

2. I hate the statues behind the T station. Hate. I like the couple in the main Square, though.

3. I really don't get the enthusiasm and hope for getting a Trader Joe's here. Why bother? It's like 75% packaged "food," 20% wine, and 5% real groceries. The Square doesn't need another liquor store, or more packaged foods - what it lacks is a good source of produce during the 9 months of the year when we don't have a farmers market. TJ's ain't gonna cut it.

4. I am also not a fan of the Joshua Tree, but that probably has something to do with the sidewalk-blocking crowd of smokers it has in the late evening.

5. I only like Redbones for the appetizer combo. Mmm, fried okra and buffalo shrimp.

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

I went to Chipotle once with my family. I liked the food fine, but the place does not have family-friendly seating; maybe we'll go for the outdoor seating, but when we hanker for a burrito, we go to Anna's.

RE: McIntyre & Moore, I can't comment on staff b/c I didn't interact with them beyond check-out, but I bought some good children's books there over the years, and was happy and lucky to score some books that I loved when I was a kid. I wish them well at their new space, but I don't think I'll make it over there much.

We tolerate Mike's b/c our kid likes to sit at one of the booths by the window and eat pizza. Oh, and I like the chicken/pesto/tomato pizza.

I miss Goodwill selling toys: hubby was really good at bin-diving and finding really cool stuff. But I don't miss the mess of toys strewn everywhere.

I always referred to Breathe Spa as "the hooker spa" because of its hot pink/black color combo.

I don't drink coffee, but when a friend or colleague wants to get together "for coffee" (or breakfast, or lunch), I always suggest we go to Good Food Cafe in North Cambridge.

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

1. I like that people don't like Diesel: more chance of a seat for me
2. Someday was a smelly hole but I liked the idea of it
3. Still haven't been to the CVS but I hate it because of the death wall they present at street level: meaningless window display cases (oh yeah.. now they are gonna get 'art' in the windows now. Sigh). Bad architecture.
4. Farmer's Bounty is pretty dodgey - milk going sour in 2 days and veggies from who knows where. I don't shop there.
5. Rosebud: don't hate it as much as most but seems pricey for what it is
6. McKinnons does smell a *LITTLE* better since they remodeled. Still, it reeks of an abattoir and I guess that is not surprising
7. I forget what 7 is
8. Art Beat... ugh. Could be something great - but never has been.
9. I miss Picante
10. Downtown Wine etc. is way over priced. Some competition would be good.

[abilouise.livejournal.com]

1. I still want to throw a brick through the window at Mr. Crepe, especially since they put up those stupid anthropomorphic-crepe line drawings. Or maybe I want to throw a brick at Gus's head. I'm starting to feel like one of those people who still wants to impeach Nixon even though he is dead. For what it's worth, I am a non-violent person. Should any of these bricks get thrown, please know that it wasn't me.

2. Ever since Joe has been Mayor, Art Beat has been politics-free, and that kills my buzz, as does the fact that Snappy Dance Troupe is too big to perform there anymore. Their performance at the Somerville Theater used to be my favorite part. Now I have to be content with learning to stilt-walk from Peter Jehlen, which is still pretty good.

3. I pretty much don't spend time in Davis anymore, because there are so few places that I want to go, and what is there isn't worth the trip. This is sad. 10 years ago it was my home.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

My only problem with Mr. Crepe aka Mr. Pankake is that they are overpriced. I mean come nutella and a banana on a crepe shouldn't be that expensive.

I have festival envy with Union Square, because the Fluff Festival looks way more fun than anything davis puts on.

[dent42.livejournal.com]

Bah, but you can't get a good cup of coffee anymore in the Square. Deisel's sucks, and Starbucks and Dunkin's are both awful. I miss Willy's Mochas!

Wow

[piscesboy311.livejournal.com]

You read my mind completely on all of those things except #10. Although I do agree the Joshua Tree should NOT get a 2am permit, I also think the Sligo should be put on that list! I understand that students, young people think it's cool to hang in this dive because it's raw and whatnot but I hate walking by midday and seeing the alcoholics anonymous stumbling in or out. It's a little too rough around the edges and I think a new bar should go in there to get rid of the riff raff. It would be cool if something like Shay's, Delux or the River Gods was in Davis.

Now if only the Social Security building was converted into something cool then we would be all set!

Re: Wow

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Honey, according to the Sligo's clientele, YOU'RE the riff raff.

My confessions

[lefauxfrog.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that after several visits I still haven't truly gotten the hang of ordering a burrito at Anna's. They're friendly, but it's one of those places where you have to know how to do something well before you try it for the first time.

Most of my favorite bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and stores are outside Davis Square.

I prefer Boloco's burritos but the restaurant's spartan and industrial furnishings doesn't help them attract customers.

I've repeatedly signed up for the e-mail wine tasting list at the otherwise awesome Downtown Liquors but I've never received a single e-mail from them. When I showed up in person they told me the tastings were only for people on the e-mail list. Urgh.

I agree that CVS street window displays are a giant lost opportunity.

Bad stories and long lines prevent me from trying breakfast in Ball Square.

I like Starbucks more than Diesel and True Grounds more than either one of them.

I root for every local business with surly staff or owners to fail and I do my part to discourage people from visiting them. Operating a business for decades is no excuse for being rude to new customers.

I don't mind useful gentrification like the new CVS.

I like the food at RedBones and love their beer selection but I've always preferred BBQ served with sauce on the meat, not the side.

I apologized to one of the Davis Square statues the other day after almost walking into it. I shouldn't read so much while walking home from work.

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

After reading this whole thread a second time, I wanted to say that this is, I'm quite confident, my favorite davis_square thread of all time.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Hey, glad I posted it then! :-)