Sunday, July 31, 2005
Noir
Noir has to be one of my favourite bars in Cambridge. That it's within walking distance of my apartment is one of its biggest perks.
But the drinks. Oh, the drinks. They make a good cocktail here, and they're wonderfully inventive without being brow-wrinkingly weird. This new recent trend of using vanilla-flavoured vodka in every mixed drink needs to be outlawed. Vanilla does not go with everything. You can try, but sometimes (most of the time) it tastes wretched. Vanilla vodka + creme de cacao = good. Vanilla vodka + butterscotch schnapps + Frangelico = GROSS AND WHY WOULD YOU INFLICT SUCH PAIN ON THE DRINKING WORLD? (I did not order it. But one of my friends did (luckily, we didn't end up paying for it) and I tasted it and it was as nasty as it sounds.)
Back to the topic at hand. Noir makes a good mean cocktail. This last visit, I had a strawberry-basil martini, which seems to be a very popular drink around Boston of late. It sounds weird, but if done right, the basil adds a nice touch to the drink. You don't actually taste it, it more adds a light lingering aroma to the fresh strawberry puree. Oh, and I also had the limoncello martini, where the lovely sweetness of the limoncello is basically cut by vodka, making it lighter but also more potent. Limoncello martini = death in sweet lemon liquid form.
Noir is a swanky place, all dark red and black with dim lighting. Most of the Hahvard undergrads stay away, or at least the ones who are obviously undergrads, which is very nice indeed. Usually, I come here with Fake Boyfriend, so I never really get to check out the singles scene (because only a very dumb, or very perceptive, male will approach you if you're with another guy, and really, how often do you encounter the latter?). But this time, it was a larger group of us, and it was just as enjoyable, if not moreso.
I love Noir. It's a great place to hang out with friends, and it'd also be a great place for a date. Such a versatile bar! And they have food too, although I've never eaten there. Obviously, it means a return visit needs to be made in the near future. But not until this throbbing headache goes away. Damn those good martinis.
But the drinks. Oh, the drinks. They make a good cocktail here, and they're wonderfully inventive without being brow-wrinkingly weird. This new recent trend of using vanilla-flavoured vodka in every mixed drink needs to be outlawed. Vanilla does not go with everything. You can try, but sometimes (most of the time) it tastes wretched. Vanilla vodka + creme de cacao = good. Vanilla vodka + butterscotch schnapps + Frangelico = GROSS AND WHY WOULD YOU INFLICT SUCH PAIN ON THE DRINKING WORLD? (I did not order it. But one of my friends did (luckily, we didn't end up paying for it) and I tasted it and it was as nasty as it sounds.)
Back to the topic at hand. Noir makes a good mean cocktail. This last visit, I had a strawberry-basil martini, which seems to be a very popular drink around Boston of late. It sounds weird, but if done right, the basil adds a nice touch to the drink. You don't actually taste it, it more adds a light lingering aroma to the fresh strawberry puree. Oh, and I also had the limoncello martini, where the lovely sweetness of the limoncello is basically cut by vodka, making it lighter but also more potent. Limoncello martini = death in sweet lemon liquid form.
Noir is a swanky place, all dark red and black with dim lighting. Most of the Hahvard undergrads stay away, or at least the ones who are obviously undergrads, which is very nice indeed. Usually, I come here with Fake Boyfriend, so I never really get to check out the singles scene (because only a very dumb, or very perceptive, male will approach you if you're with another guy, and really, how often do you encounter the latter?). But this time, it was a larger group of us, and it was just as enjoyable, if not moreso.
I love Noir. It's a great place to hang out with friends, and it'd also be a great place for a date. Such a versatile bar! And they have food too, although I've never eaten there. Obviously, it means a return visit needs to be made in the near future. But not until this throbbing headache goes away. Damn those good martinis.
Gloria 5:32 PM