Like Harvard Square, Inman Square is a cool neighborhood. Unlike Harvard Square, Inman is actually cool in the college-town sense; it’s got a bunch of awesome little cafés, pubs, and shops. (It’s also a bit of a trek from the T, but that’s just Cambridge for you.)

I’ve been a few times to this really cool little pub at Inman called The Druid that has excellent music and some pretty solid selections. On Wednesday night some classmates concocted the brilliant idea of going thut we all needed to unwind.

But then it turned out that The Druid has trivia on Wednesday, and it was way too full. So we went down the street to Bukowski’s Tavern.

I’d never been to Bukowski’s before. The place is going for a bit of a “neighborhood” vibe — food seems to be an important part of the experience, and they serve it until 1 even on weeknights, and it’s good big windows for those of you who want to be reminded that there’s such a place as “outside” when you’re hanging out. It’s got a big open space (for better or worse).

Now, I’ll interrupt myself and give away the punch-line: the place has three stars on Yelp. I tend to hold out for more. For those of you too lazy to click the link (and I don’t blame you), I can summarize: some people don’t like the food, lots of people don’t like the waiters, it’s sometimes way too loud, and it’s always expensive.

So, okay. I was there on a Wednesday - it was neither loud nor crowded, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t when normal people are there. I didn’t have any food; some of the people I was with got some artichoke dip: one said it was good and one said it tasted like it was from Trader Joe’s (which I think means that it’s good but not worth $6.50). The waitstaff were waitstaff; I told them what I wanted and they brought it. When we first got there I ordered from the bar, which I would have preferred to keep doing (it makes the accounting a lot simpler when you’re in a group). Whatever.

While they have PBR on tap for $3, Bukowski’s does have some phenomenally expensive beer. I blew something like $25 on three excellent beers, a Dogfish Raison d’Etre, a truly wonderful Unibroue Trois Pistoles, and… hmm… I don’t remember what the third one was. At least I remember being satisfied at the time.

There are beers on the menu that are $45, which is pretty much permanently out of my range. Next time I’m there, I’ll probably shell out for the Chimay Bleue — I almost did last time, but I decided I was a little too drunk to appreciate a $15 bottle of beer.

Bukowski’s not the Sunset — it’s got less than half the beers, most of the stuff on tap is pretty standard, and for some reason I’m feeling like it’s more expensive (I’ve got a bad enough money sense even when I’m sober that I have no idea if that’s actually true). On the other hand, it is in Cambridge and its selection is, in its own right, nothing to sneeze at. I don’t know if I’ll be back on a Friday or a Saturday, but sooner or later I’ll be back. It will be expensive and glorious.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Bar, Beer, Boston.