Beer Drinking Report: Sweet on the Speakeasy

Room one: Major lounge flavor with ‘60s deco. Wood paneled walls. Low light. Booths and tables huddled to the right, a bar with leather backed chairs on the left. Lots of Sinatra photos in the room including one in particular of Sammy Davis Jr. that I love – Sammy bursting in laughter between Frank and Dean Martin.

Do you know where I am?

It’s speakeasy time. I’m talking Congress Street – close to Southie. Brick building. Basement level entrance. No sign out front. A doorman and dudes smoking outside.

That’s right, I’m talking Lucky’s Lounge.

I’m with My Special Lady and our friend V. The din inside is North-End loud – boisterous patrons, a big group at a table clanging cans of Narragansett. Obvious relief in the air that another Friday night has arrived. In the room to the left, you step down into another bar with a band setup in the corner; a few tables with “reserved” placards keeping me from finding a seat.

No worries, the woman who greeted us at the door worked out a table for us while we were at the bar. I grooved on the atmosphere and scoped the taps. The selection was vanilla city: UFO, Harpoon IPA, Stella, Sam Adams. Guinness. Not bad, not great. My UFO was solid and came with a slice of orange.

I considered a love letter on my napkin.

Dear Lucky’s Lounge,

I think you might be really special. We might have something. But what I really need in my life right now is some Moat Mountain smoked porter on tap, or maybe some Tuckerman’s Headwall Alt for My Special Lady…

Scratch that. Feels all too Todd English now. Plus, the bottle selection encouraged me. Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Pacifico, Racer 5 IPA, Red Stripe and Lonestar to name a few. Somebody is talking my language.

I settled up my tab: $15 for three drafts. Good stuff for Beantown.

This place is all about Frank. On Saturday night, there’s a tribute to Old Blue Eyes that runs 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. There’s more on Sunday with Sinatra Brunch, and the music continues like a mob tribute into Sunday night. During the week, there’s live Motown, blues and funk. My kind of house.

The biggest kudos I can offer is that going to Lucky’s Lounge let’s you go out in Boston without feeling like you’re out in Boston. It channels elsewhere. I’m thinking me and Mr. X back in ’99 at The Dresden in L.A. I’m thinking some lost weekend in the old part of the Vegas strip after I’m up $300 on a game of craps. Lucky’s got something special. It’s got that right vibe.

Its combination of pub fare and comfort food left us feeling happy. The nachos were about as high as Spectacle Island; my steak frites left me wanting more. I’ll be back Lucky’s Lounge. You’re the type that’s hard to stay away from.

– The Beer Drinker created the Beer Drinking Report to keep an inconsolable Mr. X out of trouble. These days, The Beer Drinker just tries to find a decent place where Mr. X can get a craft beer on the cheap.