Amble a few blocks up Commonwealth Avenue toward Boston University and you'll be well-placed to take in a show at the Paradise. That's next door to Thai stalwart Brown Sugar Café (1033 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617.787.4242). (The Fenway sister is located right near new venue Church.) Start with a bowl of sinus-clearing Tom Yum Goong ($3.95), olden triangles, crisped spring rolls ($5.95), or take on the flaming seafood volcano ($17.95), which brings together salmon, shrimp, scallops, squid, and mussels with vegetables and kiffir lime leaves.
Though the well-intentioned but occasionally spotty service at the Sunset Cantina (916 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617.731.8646) can tack a few extra minutes onto your trip, the Cantina specializes in shareable sizes. Like its Allston Village location's formidable beer list, this location offers a parade of premium tequilas. The smallest sized tower of nachos ($8.25 for the South of the Border Fiesta) can satisfy a pair, as can their leaning tower sandwiches (the Dagwood is turkey, ham and bacon on toast with cranberry sauce, and crisp red onions, $7.99).
CLUBS: Abbey Lounge, PA’s Lounge
FOOD: Punjabi Dhaba, Olecito, Taqueria La Mexicana
Before you see a West Coast power pop band and pick out your name on the bathroom wall of the Abbey Lounge in Inman Square, swing by Punjabi Dhaba (225 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, 617.547.8272) for a couple of pekoras. The creamy fried potato fritters come with a side of ass-kicking hot peppers, or, opt for a quiet break upstairs for a more substantial cafeteria-style platter of chicken saagwala or lamb curry ($6.95).
Abbey staffer — and occasional food blogger himself — Ryan Agate says his favorite place to grab a bite near the bar is Olecito (12 Springfield St Cambridge, 617.876.1374), Olé Mexican Grill's laid back little sister. Wearing one of his own home-printed taco T-shirts, he'll gladly put away everything from burritos and quesadillas to battered and fried shrimp tacos. Best of all is the Baja Taco, a package of fried shrimp, chipotle mayo, cilantro sauce and cabbage.
PA's Lounge in Somerville's Union Square is a homey rec room environment, the walls therein a flushed red. Even the most homebodied Jamaica Plain music fan knows it's worth the while to cross the river for PA's eclectic bills, from French garage noise bands to the Union Square Round Table, a regular forum for regional smart-alecks.
Once there, take the advice PA's booker Tony Confalone — and frontman for the aptly named Tony the Bookie Orchestra — who enjoys Taqueria La Mexicana (247 Washington Street, Somerville, 617.776.5232), the newly expanded source for hearty chorizo and potato taco fillings ($6.50); a full bar now counts among its offerings mashed banana and rum cocktails ($7.50).
CLUBS: Milky Way Lounge and Lanes, Midway Café
FOOD: Bella Luna, El Oriental de Cuba, Food Wall, La Pupusa Guanaca, Alex’s Chimis, Canto 6, Doyle’s
Hyde Square's Milky Way Lounge and Lanes can feel like a neighborhood clubhouse to that corner of Jamaica Plain. The complex does a fine job of providing one-stop shopping; that is, if your shopping list includes cheap bowling, salsa dance lessons, GBLT dance nights and thin-crust pizza. Bella Luna (403-405 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.6060) is the bar's restaurant upstairs, where homey, Italian-esque pizza and pasta dishes reign. Try the sage gnocchi with tomatoes, asparagus and ham ($16), or the Bella Burger, a hefty slab of sirloin stuffed with Gorgonzola on brioche ($11.50); on a warm night don't miss a seat on the discreet patio out back.
Meanwhile, El Oriental de Cuba (416 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.6464) continues to serve pressed Cubanos ($6.50) with sliced meats, special sauce and pickles, pressed and bundled in foil to go. Sweet crab rangoon ($4.25/6.55), flaky scallion pancakes ($2.95) and addictive, peppery shredded chicken with onions, scallions, and ginger ($4.95/7.95) put Food Wall (387 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.6636) atop JP residents' speed dials. La Pupusa Guanaca, (378 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.4900) next to Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo, offers the cheese-filled tortillas of their namesake ($1.50-1.75 each, meat or cheese) alongside simple, filling burritos ($5). Closer to Jackson Square, stop in for fried yucca, chicken or beef empanadas at Alex's Chimis (358 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.522.5201). Fill a heartier appetite with a pile of sliced flank steak, lime and fried plantains, or have a seat and join the regulars as they wait for the real treasure, slow-roasted rotisserie chicken.
When heading over to see DJ Nitetrain spin his epic disco collection at the Midway's Wednesday night MUSK party, you'll likely be too late to bite into a fiery, dark chocolate bon bon at Canto 6 (3346 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, (617.983.8688). But you can always sidle up to Doyle's bar next door for traditional pub fare (3484 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.2345).
