According to Korean tradition I am 30 years old, but we are in the freakin' US of A and so I say turned 29 on Saturday. Originally, I had planned a big party with a disco ball and everything. But like many good ideas I have, it was thwarted by a clueless transexual. (story for later) So I opted to have a simple night of bonding with my friends at my favorite bar.
The Silhouette Lounge is a fantastic establishment at the end of a row of swanky college hangouts. While long lines of tube top seven jean wearing girls and steroid popping tight black pant wearing boys shiver outside waiting to get into these dance clubs/bars, outside the Silhouette you will find a group of 30 somethings with frosted hair, tattoos and their cigarettes lit. Inside the bar is fairly bright with leatherette booths and sticky high wooden tables. Keno and video poker screens with half nudie ladies are at the ends of the bar. On a big screen TV, the UNC vs. Michigan St. game was playing silently. You can play pool and darts for free. Music is provided by a juke box filled with late eighties early nineties classics such as John Cougar Mellancamp's "Jack and Diane." At quarter a song, you are never disappointed even when the wrong song pops up.
What makes the Silhouette my favorite bar are two things: free popcorn and the clientele. The popcorn is served on wax paper in plastic baskets. It is popped behind the bar in an old fashion kettle popper you see at the movie theaters. Each kernel is salty and is the perfect complement to the drinks. The drinks are not special, except for the fact you order all drinks in two sizes large or small. Irene, the bartender, assures me that in her 30 years, she has only seen a handful of people order the small. "It's just not economical."
The people at the Silhouette are mighty friendly. At first, they are a little intimidating with their thick Boston accents and gruff exteriors. But the Silhouette is a neighbohood hangout, and everyone talks to each other as if it was a local gathering of the PTA. Political opinions or fashion tips are swapped with anyone with a drink in hand. I told Irene and Liz that it was my birthday and they said happy birthday. We also did a few shots of Jaegermiester together to celebrate the happy day.
No, the Silhouette Lounge is not the hippest place in Boston, but it is great place to share with your friends. Actually, it is a way to test your friendships as you force loved ones to hang out at a place they would never frequent and add to their growing concern that you are not quite right in the head. Everyone passed.
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