Clerys

On Tuesday night a few of us decided it would be fun to go out to a bar/pub of some sort to have a decent meal and throw back some beers while watching the election results unfold. Having walked by Clerys so many times en route to the South End, I was eager to check the place out once my roommate suggested it. Looking at the menu online made me even more eager to head out.

Situated on Dartmouth Street past the Pru, the bar is technically in Back Bay but right on the border with the South End. On weekend nights I have seen long lines outside the place, but luckily on a Tuesday night there was no problem getting a table. It took a few minutes to get seated due to the MIA hostess, but we were seated soon enough at a table for four right in front of one of their flatscreen tv's - perfect. After we ordered some beers (I was very excited to see Shipyard Pumpkin Ale on draft, btw) the "bouncer" came up to us claiming he had missed us when we came in and asked to see our IDs. This smallish and very non-threatening man was, in fact, at the door when we came in, just oblivious. He ended up doing the same thing when another friend of ours joined the table some 15 minutes later.

Anyway, the Cuban Panini - a panini with roasted pork and prosciutto - had caught my eye from the very beginning, but much to my disappointment the waitress heard "reuben" and not "cuban" when I ordered. I am not one for sending back dishes, especially since I do very much enjoy reubens, and ended up satisfied with my sandwich. The marble rye was toasted nicely and there was an adequate amount of corned beef. Luckily she did hear that I wanted coleslaw, which was decent, and not french fries.

Two of my friends ordered the pulled pork sandwich, another item which had caught my eye. Though not the best pulled pork I've had in my life, it was very tasty and I was a fan of the sweet barbecue sauce they used. The french fries were pretty standard, and the pickle was, well, pickley. The fourth member of our party ordered the steak tips, something she had enjoyed before at Clerys, and was very excited to try again. There was a decent number of tips, but a ton of fried onion strings which were very tasty.

Overall I had a nice experience at Clerys and could see coming back for lunch or dinner, as they had a fairly extensive menu for what seemed like more of a bar than restaurant. There are also a lot of beers on tap, which is nice, and plenty of TVs for catching a game, or in this case, an election. My only real complaint is that of the bathrooms, which are sketchy and dark, and probably even worse on a packed weekend night with your standard middle-aged creepers scoping out their prey.