Review of Eastern Standard

Address: 528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Website: http://www.easternstandardboston.com/

Best Nights: Summer nights, Red Sox nights (for some people), Friday, Saturday

Who Goes There: Variety of people, young and older. More women than men. Red Sox fans (post game). Ages 24-50.

Cost: $$$

Special: None but available late night menu until 1 AM

BYFAD Location: No

As many times as I had been in and around Kenmore Square, I had NO clue that the Eastern Standard existed. Even when I DID know it was there, I didn’t think much of it.

Silly me.

Not thinking that there was anything else in the area besides Hotel Commonwealth’s Foundation Lounge, the Eastern Standard has become one of my favorite spots in Boston. Conveniently located near Fenway Park, the Standard can draw tons of people after home games. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you feel about Red Sox fans. I know some people who hate the experience and others who don’t mind as much.

In the summer, they open up the patio and allow outside drinking and eating under an overhang, which can be clutch if it decides to rain – an inevitable occurrence this summer in Boston. Walking inside, the restaurant is pretty much split into two different areas. The more important side, the left side will take you to the bar area. It’s a pretty large bar so there are plenty of seats. The only downside of such a long bar is that with only 2 bartenders working, you may have to wait a while for a drink if it’s a busy night. They try their hardest so I won’t hate on them. Add the fact that the bartenders are really cool and personable and then you don’t mind at all because if you go enough, it’s like waiting to see your buddy.

The other thing I love about the Standard has to be the music. Reggae music for most of the night and it just makes the atmosphere so relaxed and fun. Nothing can make you feel better than sipping on a drink listening to the tunes of the legend, Bob Marley.

I could go on and on about how cool this place is. I haven’t even mentioned the Bone Marrow that they serve late at night! But it’s one of those places that you have to go and check out for yourself. Definitely grab a couple of your friends and have a drink or two at the Standard. Chances are, you’ll see me there, so don’t be shy. I give this place an A- (90).

Pros
Awesome music
Sexy women
Can be fun after Sox games
Awesome bartending staff
A great spot when it’s quiet and when it’s packed

Cons
Can be NOT fun after Sox games
May have to wait a while to get a drink

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

http://www.easternstandardboston.com/

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How Food is 90% of How You Exercise

Before I head out to yoga, I wanted to discuss nutrition a little bit. It has always been the thing that prevented me from really looking and feeling my best. I admittedly just have a severe lack of discipline when it comes to eating well. I am hoping that with the help of Revolution Fitness, I can finally find that discipline and eat better so that I can see the results I want.

By doctor’s opinion, I am the epitome of perfect health. Numbers are exactly where they should be. That’s great to hear since I feel as though I don’t eat as well as I wish I could. So far working with Jason Reese from RevFit, he’s helped open my eyes to proper dieting as they pertain to the goals I would like to get accomplished.

Starting today, he wants me to keep track of what I eat and when. That way, he’ll be able to take a look at it and see what I may or may not be doing wrong. He says that sometimes it’s not what you eat, but how much and when you eat it. He proposed a reframe in how I should ration my meals and I’ll talk about that in a video tomorrow. In the meantime, I took the liberty of keeping my own food log in the first week and as you’ll be able to see, I have my good days and my not-so-good days.

Tuesday

Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 3 slices chicken breast, 2 slices wheat bread, glass of milk
Snack: chocolate smoothie (post workout)
Lunch: spaghetti & meatballs
Snack: tomato & mozzarella
Dinner: beef skewers w/peanut butter sauce
Glasses of water: 5
Other drinks: cranberry juice

Wednesday

Breakfast: 4 slices chicken breast, 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices wheat bread
Snack: cheez-its
Lunch: spaghetti & meatballs
Snack: none
Dinner: 2 mini pulled pork sandwiches, quesadilla, fried calamari
Snack: none
Glasses of water: 4
Other drinks: 3 vodka tonics

Thursday

Breakfast: 1 fried egg, 2 slices bologna, fried plantains
Snack: none
Lunch: steak & white rice
Snack: none
Dinner: baked macaroni & cheese, green salad
Snack: none
Glasses of water: 4
Other: 2 vodka tonics

Friday

Breakfast: salmon & white rice
Snack: none
Lunch: steak & white rice
Snack: none
Dinner: burger w/lettuce, tomato & bacon, fries
Snack: none
Glasses of water: 3
Other: vitamin water, vodka tonic, light beer

Saturday

Breakfast: none
Snack: cheez-its
Lunch: 2 cheeseburgers, grilled zuccini
Snack: none
Dinner: lobster
Snack: 2 slices of pizza
Glasses of water: 4
Other drinks: 4 cans of beer, 2 glasses of wine, long island iced tea

We are going to see how things change once Jason can better help me adjust my eating habits and help me reach the goals I want to reach, which I will introduce to you in a video tomorrow.

As you can see, I am NO expert when it comes to fitness and nutrition. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll relay them to the RevFit team for them to answer here. Or you can ask them yourself on Twitter. There, you can find Jason Reese, Nina Botelho and Derek Christensen who will answer anything and everything.

Tomorrow's video will talk about a computer program that we used to estimate my body fat and can tell you EXACTLY what you need to do to reach your goals and when you'll reach them.

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New Tuesday spot: Charlie’s Beer Garden

Address: 10 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA 02238

Who Goes There: Young college grads. Good mix of men and women, usually in groups. Ages 23-27.

Cost: $

Special: Charlie’s Kitchen on the inside. Some of the best burgers in the Boston-area

BYFAD Location: No

I just wanted to put out a quick blurb. One of the perks of being a dating consultant is that you get to take clients to a variety of places to meet a variety of people. Sometimes, you know just the perfect spot for them and other times, you like going to new places and seeing what it’s like. Every so often, I get to come across some really cool places.

The benefit: YOU get to hear about them.

Charlie’s Beer Garden is a very small but fun outside place for people in Harvard Square who are looking to hang with friends. By no means would I call this a dating spot but you can certainly get to meet new people. I was there on a last night (Tuesday) and it was packed. Lots of people with a good mix of men and women and I can see that nights can get out of hand pretty quickly.

This place can be easy to walk by just because it’s below ground level but the entrance on the side will lead you into this small area with a full bar, seats and tables and standing room. They also serve food, which is pretty cool. Like I said, it’s small so it can get crowded pretty easily but the atmosphere is awesome. I was only there for about 15 minutes so I can’t really give a complete review but I can say that it’s worth checking out if you’re in Harvard Square. Look out for a review of this place the next time I am in the area.

And of course, don’t forget about Charlie’s Kitchen. Some great food is cooked there.

See what people on Twitter are saying about Charlie's Beer Garden:
Jennalyns: "Love it there in the fall! And summer. And spring."

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Weekend Wisdom

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I wanted to share some things with you that I hope can help you now in the future. I’ve had a very interesting and eye-opening week and I have learned a great deal. These are some important points I’d like to share with you.

Live in the now. I know this is very contradicting having previously said, “in the future,” but it’s important that we all step back and appreciate the now in life. It’s really all you have and like I’ve said before, life doesn’t care about any plans you have (for the future). Things could change in a heartbeat. Let’s not take this literally and not save for a future and only live in the present. I am just saying that you can have that balance that allows you to enjoy the time you have now while being prepared for the future. Which leads to my next point.

Create balance in your life. I had an amazing talk with my girlfriend last week about having a good balance of things that are important in our lives. By talking with her, she helped me gather my words better to better portray the true balance in my life. I work my face off everyday and I don’t regret that one bit. I love what I do. But I also love my family, my friends, my girlfriend, my life and most importantly, myself. All of those things are important to me and it’s crucial to make sure that I have a healthy balance of all of those things to be truthfully happy. If you ever feel like you’re neglecting on aspect of your life that’s important to you – and most of the time, it’s usually yourself – take the time, step back and figure out how to restore that balance and DO IT. The more conscious you are about creating the balance, the easier it’ll be to restore and the less likely you’ll lose it.

Trust your gut and don’t apologize. This is simple. If you’ve made a decision based on emotion or instinct, trust it. Over my time, I’ve realized that most of the decisions that I have made using my gut has never failed me to the point where I can’t recover. It makes it easier for me to take risks – and smarter ones over time. Once you bring closure to the fact that your instincts is ultimately what brought you to where you are now, it’ll put you more at ease the next time you have a choice to make.

You will always be more than what you do. There’s no explanation – just thought it was important for you to remember this.

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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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