The ScenestressThe boyfriend and I were looking for a light, late dinner and after discussing the available options downtown we agreed to brave the unknown at Main Street Oyster Bar. I used to love to hang out at the restaurant that was Zoria but had yet to check out the new place. First, let’s get one thing straight — MSOB is not inexpensive. That wouldn’t be a big deal if it hadn’t been advertised as such. Definitely hit up the Oyster Bar during happy hour, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., when oysters and martinis are half price. Nevertheless, the overall dining experience was quite enjoyable: I got my nice, light dinner, ran into the fashionable mother and father of a friend, and spent lots of time gabbing with co-proprietor Arthur “Buddy” Lopes.
Aside from the beautiful bar and capable menu, Arthur himself had always been a draw for me, so it’s very nice to see him back out on the floor of the restaurant. After I finished my calamari, Arthur sat down with us for a while to discuss his backyard garden, the changes at the restaurant, and that one time he dated the Jewish-Italian mayor of Providence, R.I. (“the sex was great but I’m not looking to be the first lady, okay!”). Another highlight of the evening at Main Street Oyster Bar was when server John stopped by to tell me that he was a fan of my work. “To what work are you referring?” I asked with a wink. All in all, the only thing I’ll miss about Zoria was meeting my favorite bartender in the handicap bathroom when I needed to make a “purchase”, but as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Next stop, Ivory. Why I continued drinking after dinner on a Wednesday I don’t know, but I wasn’t buying so agreed to go along for the ride. Before even getting in the door I ran into six friends including the lovely lady of The HuB, Assunta Swier, and her feisty friend/massage therapist Stacie Nevelus. We followed them inside and ran into the rest of the Ivory regulars but it didn’t take long to get tired of the piped in hip-hop, so we beat it.
At the Sports Page came the proverbial “last drink I didn’t need,” but a group of Filipino friends were at a booth against the wall so Joe and I joined them in helping break beer bottles attempting to perform one of those pull-the-tablecloth-out-from-under-the-silverware-type parlor tricks (waitress Lisa was quite gracious about helping clean up our mess). Black tie clad young men and women with big instrument cases flooded in for a late night bite and after a club sandwich of my own I hit the road and passed out. Needless to say, my Thursday did not feel so good, but it was nice to spend a little time on the town reconnecting with my city. With events on the agenda for the next six weeks and parking spots harder and harder to come by I think it is safe to say that Season is here.
