Review of MJ O’Connors

Address: 27 Columbus Avenue (next to the Park Plaza Hotel), Boston, MA 02116

Website: http://www.mjoconnors.com

Best Nights: Friday, Saturday

Who Goes There: Late night workers; people in the restaurant, hospitality and nightlife entertainment industries. Usually mostly guys. Age varies on the night – 28-45.

Cost: $$

Special: None

BYFAD Location: No

I remember my friend telling me about this place when I was working with him at the Taj. All he told me was, “it’s close, you can drink, the people are cool.” For me, that was all I needed after a long day at work. Back in the day, I would get off at around 11 or later. In Boston, that is a killer. By the time you clean yourself up and get together with friends, you pretty much have an hour left in the night. Fortunately, MJ O’Connors was around and that place still has me going there.

MJ’s is a very fun, upscale Irish bar with a very personable staff. They really don’t forget a face. That was proven to me when I wasn’t there for a month, had much more hair on my face and showed up not wearing work clothes. I talked to a bartender who was only working there for a little bit the last time she saw me and she remembered who I was and what I wanted to drink. Definitely a plus.

MJ’s is pretty big in size with two separate rooms, one for more classic dining and the other being a total bar with booths and TVs all around. With exits on both sides of the Park Plaza island block, it should give you a good sense of how big this place is. On the bar side, they also have an outdoor patio where people can hang out as well or have some food.

Solas

The food I have tried has been really good. Although I’ve only been there to have appetizers, I have not been disappointed with anything they’ve given me. No, they do not have wings…but they do have these really good drumsticks!

It doesn’t take long to become a regular if you are into that welcoming atmosphere where people just want to hang out after work and enjoy a few drinks with people. It’s easy to make friends and of many places I go in Boston, this is one of the few I know where you can show up alone and can almost guarantee yourself leaving having known a few new people – and sometimes, it’s not even by choice.

I wouldn’t really consider MJ’s a date spot or a place to meet the opposite sex if you are looking for something more than just a fling or fun. But if you are looking to meet some cool people who work in the area and just a very welcoming and friendly experience, then I’d go the MJ’s. I give this place a 93 (A-).

Pros
Great atmosphere
Fun staff
Good crowds of people
Really good, classic Boston bar

Cons
None really, if anything, not for the younger crowd

If you have any questions about the place, feel free to check out their site:

http://www.mjoconnors.com

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The Modern Polymath

For those who don’t know what a polymath is, it’s what others refer to as a Renaissance Man. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the first people who was given this term and for good reason. The man was incredible at many things. So were other people like Plato and Aristotle. During the Renaissance period, men aspired to become Renaissance men. They wanted to learn different languages, understand philosophy, theory and scientific things alike. They wanted to learn from and appreciate books and art. They also wanted to be athletes. Their inspirations were Greek writers whose work was discovered after being lost for centuries.

It’s very rare to see someone that can be considered a polymath or a Renaissance Man today but let’s not sleep at the fact that we live in a world where opportunities still exist to be exceptional at many things. One thing that separates a Renaissance man of the past and someone today is that people today REALLY make excuses for why they can’t pursue their passions. Renaissance men never made an excuse. They just did it.

For people who don’t know this about me, I am a huge car freak. I used to race cars and I spent a lot of time under the hood, understanding how things work and how to put things together. I also LOVE art. I spent lots of my time over the years really discovering and fine-tuning my ability to draw portraits and have always been curious about art and architecture over a variety of historic periods. My favorite artist is my man Vincent Van Gogh. I am always into learning and understanding new things.

While I may not be exceptional at many things, I feel pretty good about being exceptionally passionate about a lot of things, especially over the course of my life so far. So what’s the point of all this?

Well, responding to a comment that was left yesterday, I think that if you are passionate about more than 1 or 2 things, that’s awesome. Idealistically, your approach and your perception will determine if you are spreading yourself too thin or holding yourself back from really dialing in. Sometimes, we’ll go through phases where we become really interested in things and in that period, we learn as much as we can. For me, my life’s “passion timeline” so far has been poetry, cartooning, art, video games, computers, cars, sports, languages, animation, social environments, dating through personal development and now I’m focused on the ability to consult. Because when it comes down to it, if you are passionate about something, you are going to dial in regardless. Don’t be afraid to want to learn as much as you can. The more you know and the more you experience, the more you have to talk about.

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Introduction to Fitness & Nutrition


I am really excited to announce that the new Fitness section of The Professional Wingman blog is brought to you by Revolution Fitness. Revolution Fitness is probably the most personable gym I have ever been in. The equipment is state-of-the-art, they offer a variety of classes and programs, the staff, led by Derek Christensen, is awesome, they have something called “the pit,” AND they even have a fuel bar – a personal favorite.

I talk a lot about personal development and how I help men and women develop confidence and live more fulfilling lives. Part of that personal development has a lot to do with how you feel, how you perceive yourself and how you take care of yourself. You want a healthy life? It all starts with a healthy body and mind. I really think that it’s important that you keep yourself fit. There’s no question that a healthy person is an attractive person. Period.

Some people are afraid to go to the gym. Others are just lazy. Yet, a lot of those people don’t even workout at home. Whatever the reason is, with the help of Revolution Fitness, I hope to reframe your thinking when it comes to fitness, exercise and going to the gym as the form of accountability to self-improvement.

I am going to put myself in a multi-week training program with Revolution Fitness and give you the inside take of what it’s like to workout with trainers, develop a program, see what this gym is all about and the importance of setting goals and fighting hard to achieve them. I consider myself a reasonably fit person (but with a crap diet) so I’m hoping the guys at Revolution Fitness will be able to challenge and push me to my limit.

Starting Monday, you will get full coverage of my training program and guest posts from the Revolution Fitness staff talking about what they’re passionate about – health, nutrition and exercise. I’m very excited about the future and I hope you are too.

For more information about the facility and classes, you can go to the Revolution Fitness site, or you can follow Revolution Fitness on Twitter for updates and special promotions.

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Review of The Draft Bar & Grille

Address: 34 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Website: http://www.thedraftbarandgrille.com/

Best Nights: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
Worst Nights: Not really any terrible nights.

Who Goes There: Good mix of college (BC & BU) and locals. Ages 21-28.

Cost: $

Special: Monday, Tuesday & Saturday (brunch) 25-cent wings, $9 pitchers & $2.50 drafts.

BYFAD Location: Yes - Get your BYFAD card now!

I found this place almost a year ago when I was looking for a place to do my live Podcast, Podcast Infinity. When I went into the place and talked to Derek, the Manager, he was all about it. He told me that the college crowd would LOVE such a thing. Then he started to tell me more about the place and as soon as he said the word, “wings,” my interest was piqued. I’ve been a regular ever since.

The entire staff is made up of really cool, personable people and the space is just looks “typical bar” – but the kind of typical that’s friendly and fun. But then you walk out the back to a really big summer patio and you have a great place. There are darts, a deer hunter arcade machine, a few TVs and a pool table as well.


As for beer, they have quite the variety with over 17 beers on tap. If you go in with a beer-loving crowd you can get a pitcher of beer for 9 bucks. Even those who aren’t really into beer won’t have to worry as they have reasonably priced mixed drinks. Their food is pretty good as well; with my favorite food of course, are the wings (in 7 different flavors). Service is rather quick as well.

The variety of the kind of experiences you’ll have will vary from time to time. But the Draft’s best time of the year is during the school year. Wing nights (Mondays and Tuesdays) and trivia nights (Wednesdays) are always a fun time. The rest of the week provides live bands and a fun dancing experience that usually brings a good crowd.

This place is perfect for the college kid who wants to get out of the campus house party and go to the bar for a similar experience. The mix of Boston University and Boston College students make for an interesting atmosphere to say the least. You’ll also get a chance to meet some local Allston/Brighton peeps that are into indie bands, hanging out and having some fun.

Overall, I’d give this bar a 91 (A-). Definitely for the younger crowd and always a good experience.

Here are what others are saying about the Draft through Twitter:
@GittleBos: It's cool. They got a great patio, live music from time to time and the drinks seem to be less expensive than elsewhere.

Pros
Great staff
Great wings
Variety of beer
Fun outside patio
Chance for fun every night

Cons
Crowd can be hit or miss (although rarely)

If you have any questions about the place, feel free to check out their site:

http://www.thedraftbarandgrille.com/

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Review of Minibar

Address: 51 Huntington Avenue (at the Copley Square Hotel), Boston, MA 02116

Website: http://www.minibarboston.com/

Best Nights: Friday and Saturday

Who Goes There: Mostly young professionals, even ratio of men to women. Ages 25-40.

Cost: $$

Special: $2 Mini Burger – Monday – Thursday 5-7PM

BYFAD Location: Yes - Get your BYFAD card now!

I haven’t heard much about this place. Don’t think it’s been open for a long period of time, since they were doing some remodeling at the hotel but when I went there the other night, I was really impressed with what I saw.


The set up is totally designed to be a chill place. A relatively small bar with a TV and then open space filled with furniture and tables. What I thought was pretty cool was that the seats can be moved around pretty easily to accommodate to any size party. Long couch, separate seats, small two-seater, very easy and very cool. There is a small outdoor patio where people can chill but based on the location, there really isn’t a great view or opportunity to people watch.


Although, I was there on a Wednesday night, it was still relatively quiet. It’s not really the best location for this place but in my opinion, the fact that not many people know about this could be a great thing – not necessarily for their business but for people who want to have a very chill atmosphere that they can enjoy with friends and not feel so crowded.


This place has some serious potential to be killer spot. Could be a great place to go and have a few drinks after work or right before going to Saint, which is right around the corner.

Here’s the update:

I got a chance to check it out on two other nights: Monday and Saturday. Monday was a quiet and chill place, which is perfect if you want to go to a place for a quick drink and conversation. The bartenders are awesome and always wanting to talk and hang for a bit, which is nice. Like I said, the perfect spot for people who don’t like large crowds but likes to still be in a fun atmosphere.

Saturday was a different experience simply because there was more people. Still not enough for me to say it was crowded (I was able to get to the bathroom with ease), but enough people to enhance the chill vibe that I’ve been talking about this whole time. Being able to sit out on the patio and have a few drinks with people – regardless of the not-so-great view – makes it such a prime spot for late-evening activities. I would even consider Minibar a good place to meet people just because of the social vibe. I’d go give it a look.

My official rating for this place after second review is a B+ (88).


Pros
Great atmosphere
Outdoor patio
Good music
Cool setup/furniture
Never crowded

Cons
Not enough people
Location

If you have any questions about the place, feel free to check out their site:

http://www.minibarboston.com/

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Review of 33 Lounge and Restaurant

Address: 33 Stanhope Street (right behind Jurys Hotel and Back Bay Station on the T), Boston, MA 02116

Website: http://33restaurant.com/

Best Nights: Wednesday and Saturday

Who Goes There: Young people. Lots of women. Ages 21-30.

Cost: $$$

Special: 3 for $3 Wednesday – Saturday 5-7PM, Friday – Saturday 8-11PM

BYFAD Location: No

When I was back in Boston and I asked people about nightlife, 33 Lounge was always said at some point in the conversation. It was after the 98th time that I decided that I needed to take a look for myself. But how am I going to just walk into this place when there’s always a ridiculous line, making it AT LEAST a 30-minute wait? Fortunately when I was thinking this at another bar, someone who worked at 33 sat next to me and we talked. The rest is obvious.

Walking to this place is sort of an adventure within itself. There are countless people waiting and crowding the velvet rope, blocking off the entrance. For anyone to just walk through the crowd and right into the place will make anyone look important. Needless to say, I was approached many times during the night for that reason alone.



There is an outside area of the lounge where the smokers can hang out or people who need fresh air or too cool off. Drinks aren’t allowed outside, in this area though, which is weird since it’s blocked off from the street.

Inside, keeping in mind that this place is a restaurant by day, the place looks really nice with lots of lights and dark modern furniture. The upstairs bar is the centerpiece of the room and it’s a large oval, only looking like it’s easy to get access to drinks, but with only 2 bartenders working, even on the busiest of nights, getting a drink will always be a hassle.

And speaking of drinks – man are they expensive. One time I ordered a Washington Apple shot and a Jack and Ginger and it was $25 bucks. I can get that combo at other places for half that price. And depending on the night will determine how strong the drinks are. So if you are a heavy drinker, you will burn a hole through your wallet.

There is a small dance floor that merges with a lounge area with comfy furniture outlining the room. In this room is also the DJ booth. Dancing and lounging with DJ taking up space is not a good mix. But the good-looking girls that dance with you keep your mind off of that.


Downstairs, which is open on Fridays and Saturdays, is really nice too with a smaller bar and more lounge space to dance and hang out. When I went there on Friday, there weren’t much people down there but I wouldn’t expect it to get two crowded. Judging by the looks of it, it is the perfect place to reserve for a VIP night and bottle service.

The music is great. They have solid DJ’s there every night and they are really good at mixing to everyone’s liking. There was one night that they were playing folk music and people were having a blast. Plus, I heard that DJ Naughty is one of the best DJ’s in Boston that plays every Saturday. I’ll find a Saturday to get over there and be the judge of that! But overall the music itself is solid.

Socially, this place is not the spot for meeting people. With the loud music and the atmosphere, it’s far from the place for friendly interaction. BUT having said that, this IS the place to bring a group of friends. They WILL have a blast. When you’re there with friends, it’s such a good place to hang out and be seen with your expensive drink!

If you can afford the spot, it should definitely go into your weekly itinerary. From what I was told, here is the breakdown of the nights:

Wednesday – Asian night
Thursday – Spin
Friday – Studio 33 (I would say Latin night)
Saturday – Filter (the popular night of the week)

I don’t have a solid rating system, but it will get better over time, but for now, I’ll give this a generously scaled rating of a B+ (88).

Pros
Great variety music
Sexy women
Definitely an “alpha-lifestyle” spot
Chill bouncers
Great “second location” spot (after pre-gaming or going to another location prior)

Cons
Not for meeting new people
Expensive drinks
Sometimes music is too loud

If you have any questions about the place, feel free to check out their site:

http://33restaurant.com/

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Review of Rumor Lounge

I always hope that whenever I write something here at The Professional Wingman, I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible. But then after going out a few nights ago, I realized that can’t be possible; I can say what I want not only because I run this site but also some things should just be said.

Hence, my review of Rumor Lounge.

Address: 100 Warrenton Street, Boston, MA 02116

Website: http://www.rumorboston.com/

Best Nights: Tuesday

Who Goes There: A mix of young professionals, older men, and a whole lot of women. Ages 25-45.

Cost: $$$

I was pretty excited to come here, considering it was a Celtics party and Kendrick Perkins and Sam Cassell were going to be there, celebrating their birthdays. I was pretty much going just to see them. I only heard of this place a couple of times. So I am just going to keep this very short and to the point.

The event was supposed to start at 10:30. They made everyone stay outside for over half an hour, and started to let people in at 11. Outside looked like a mad house and when we finally went inside, there was no one in there. There were actually more people who were working! Why the long line outside? Deception.

They make it seem like people can’t wait to go into this place and it’s set up so that there will always be a line so it just looks like the lounge is going nuts at all times. Also, there is a security pat down similar to Logan Airport. I can’t argue with taking security measures. It was just worth noting because there haven’t been many places that I have gone to that patted you down. But the deception was a huge red flag for me.

Oh, and it’s a $25 cover charge. Yes, that is NOT a typo. $25. My dad and I were talking about it yesterday and how even the term “cover charge” is deceptive. We throw it around so much that it loses its real meaning. A cover charge is something that you pay and covers something. So for example, maybe there is an open bar for a couple of hours or you get a couple free drinks while you’re there, hell, you might even get some complimentary appetizers. A cover charge “covers” that.

When you pay $25 to enter a club, you are paying admission. Huge difference. Don’t agree with me? Go to Six Flags and see if they call paying $45 to enter their theme park a “cover.”

Anyway, $25 for entering a lounge is absurd. I’m not going further than that. The only thing going on in the back of my head was, “what goes on in a place that warrants guys having to pay $25?” I say only guys because girls of course get to go in for free (before 12).

I am not going to talk about what the place looked like. It looks like a lounge – bar, dance floor and VIP section in the middle.



The DJ was ok. For guys, the quality of women was pretty high and most of them were pretty open to conversation. I got a good sense that people were there to legitimately meet other people but I got caught up in other nonsense to really get a feel of what kinds of guys these women were looking for.

But the deciding factor for me wasn’t the $12 Vodka Cranberry and the $500 bottle service. I already am over the fact that places in Boston are just normally expensive compared to Philadelphia (boy, was I spoiled for the 5 years I was there). The deciding factor was the people who worked there. I loved the bartenders who worked there. They were just the best things about the place. Unfortunately for them, they don’t turn on the heat in the place so they have to be continuously bundled up in heavy jackets and scarves. They didn’t seem to like the fact that I asked why they had to bundle up. Bartenders aside, everyone else that worked there sucked.

As any person that may want to go back to a lounge again, I was trying to get to know the people who worked there so I can be a familiar face. Everyone that I talked to – bouncers, security, doormen and managers – were just cold and mean. They did not care about anything, would turn their back to you and treat you pretty terribly. Maybe I just had a bad experience. But I had a feeling this wasn’t the case.

I got tired to the place pretty early and I wanted to leave to grab more money so I can give my bartender a pretty solid tip because she was awesome. Earlier that night, before I entered the place, I asked if I would be able to leave the club in case I had to answer a phone call, I was told that they would mark my arm and I would be able to return.

Yeah, not the case. When I left the first time, the guy marked my hand and when I went to the exit, I was hassled for leaving. After some back and forth, I ended up leaving and as soon as I went down the street (still in their view), I realized that I left my card with my bartender. I turned around and went back into the lounge. She had already had my driver’s license so she gave me my card to grab money. This time, they refused letting me leave, quoting, “if you leave, you can’t come back.”

As much as I tried to explain that I forgot my card and I was getting money to pay my tab and leave, they told me I couldn’t come back. So, I left, not wanting to deal with the nonsense anymore and save it for another day in the week when I am in the area. I just found it completely ridiculous that they would treat someone that is paying them like that. Let it be a lesson to everyone who provides some type of service. If someone is paying you, you treat him or her well. You never know what kind of long-term damage they can do if you treat them poorly

So last night, I go back there and I see the manager that was giving me a hard time. Unfortunately, he was the only one out there that I could talk to so I approached him very nicely about closing my tab and getting my license back. Let me preface by saying that I only had 3 drinks, that $12 Vodka Cranberry and 2 glasses of Johnny Walker Black. The mamager told me that my tab ran to $157. I laughed and asked him to find my license so I can leave.

Yeah, I proceed to wait for upwards of half an hour outside again. Then, come to find out, they can’t find my license and after all that, I have to call the main office today to grab my license. Completely absurd.

I just can’t understand how a place could treat someone like that. I’m sure I am not the only one. When I was waiting on my license last night, I saw a few of the workers get in other people’s faces for what appeared to be no reason. None of these people were being rowdy or rude. All of this treatment is completely unnecessary.

I can never recommend people to go to Rumor Lounge. For guys, paying $25 to get in and then being treated like that is not worth it. It’s not worth paying $500 for bottle service because the VIP treatment is not a step up from how they treat “normal” people. And ladies, it’s not worth going to this place unless you are looking for those guys who are willing to pay $25 just to be in a group of other people who are willing to pay $25 to get into an establishment when there are much better places to go to in Boston that has little or no admission charge. Needless to say, it may be for a particular kind of crowd.

And had I known that Kendrick Perkins was going to show up at my hotel the next day, I would have never gone. But I’m glad I did, so I can spread the word on this place. Clearly this place prides itself on the “potential” of a celebrity showing up. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Neither Perkins or Cassell showed up that night.

Overall rating: D (69). Thank goodness for those bartenders or else this would have been an easier decision.

Pros
Great bartenders
Great atmosphere
Women will talk to you

Cons
Prices for admission and service not worth value presented
Pretty much everything else
Management

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Review of Rise Nightclub

Address: 306 Stuart Street (between Arlington and Berkeley Streets)

Website: http://www.riseclub.us/

Best Nights: Friday and Saturday

Who Goes There: Young people. Rumored to be mostly homosexual men. Not necessarily true. Decent amount of women go there. Ages 22-30.

Cost: $ (only pay cover, no alcohol served after 2AM)

Listen, we’ve all been there. You’re having a great time at a bar or club. Plenty of drinks and girls later, you decide that the party cannot be over. It’s 2 am (this is Boston). And that’s when it hits you. Boston doesn’t have an after hours spot. Whatever you think of, you’re going to end up home. For years, I have complained – until this past weekend.

Since I’ve been able to go out (I won’t disclose how long it’s been), I have always tried to find a nice after hours spot. It would just be good to know that there is a place to go and dance your pants off, or maybe even have a drink or two (not in Boston though, as there is NO alcohol served past 2am, but you can drink if it is a BYOB). Well, I think I found a place. It’s called Rise. And it is pretty crazy.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the place was that there are barely any lights. I mean, you don’t know where you’re going, you could get lost, it’s that dark. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very attractive girl, who doesn’t have much other purpose but to collect $20 from you. No, that’s not a typo. It costs $20 to get in. I was a little taken aback considering the fact that there is NO alcohol. Maybe you can find a Red Bull somewhere but I didn’t try to look.

I wish I could post pictures there isn’t enough lighting (even for flash) to be able to take anything. But the place in terms of looks is pretty nice, which doesn’t say much since you can barely see anything. Rise is divided into two floors. The bottom floor is a lounge for hanging out, taking a break from all the dancing and getting away from the loud music. The real show is on the second floor.

Upstairs, there are no lights. The only lighting that’s used is from a strobe system they have set up. I’m also pretty sure they have a fog machine. Either way, it looks good. And the music – all I can say is, “Wow.” It seems like they have some pretty world-class DJs that come in and make guest appearances. This guy was on his game. Some of the best mixes of house music can be heard here. I am not a big fan of just jumping up and dancing to this kind of music (although, I do enjoy the music) but there was something about this DJ’s selection that made actually dance. Music is top notch.

Other amenities include a clean bathroom (trust me, it is) and a coat check. Pretty crazy that Rise is open from 1:30 – 6 or 7 in the morning. I was there for about a couple of hours and I was dancing the whole time.

Can’t really talk about much else, like the girls and such because…I couldn’t see them. But I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to dance the night away with friends or you want to give an experience to a lady friend you met that night. I went out on Friday and talked to a few friends about it. What they mentioned to me was that it is mainly a place for homosexual people to go on the weekends.

Looking online, that seems to be the case. So, my experience happened on an “off” night. But I am hearing and seeing reviews saying that the weekend nights are even crazier. If someone has been there and want to post a comment about it, be my guest.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the nights:

Friday – Orbit
Saturday – Storm
Sunday – Earth

My overall rating for this place would be an A- (90). This score is based on the fact that it’s the only after hours spot I know of right now, and that gets bonus points. The only downside is that there isn’t any alcohol. But this place is great for groups.

If you go to their website, you can see that you can be a club member of Rise, which gives you access to cheaper covers, front of the line treatment, guest privileges and some other cool things, sponsored by Rise. For a yearly charge, if you like this place, it may be worth the investment.

Check this place out. It may not be for everyone, but at least this is a great start towards keeping Boston awake just a little while longer.

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