That is one cool place

Last night I ventured into Charlestown to go the holiday party at my best friend's company. It was at Tavern on the Water (www.tavernonthewater.com). I had never been to the place before but had heard of it. Charlestown has recently become famous due to the movie 'The Town' and I couldn't help but recite some of the movie lines when I crossed the Charlestown bridge about 7pm on my way there. "Close the goddam bridge!!"

To get to Tavern on the Water you come down Chelsea St and take a right onto 5th street. 5th street, however, does not look like a public road at all - you pass through an archway with set of gates and start down a small incline into what looks like a whole separate ecosystem from the rest of Charlestown. It looks like a charming New England version of those Florida developments that are completely self sufficient with their own gas station, grocer and school system! Anyway, you wind your way back towards the water (duh) and then hit a dead end with only two ways to go - back the way you came or out onto what looks like a deserted concrete slab that could break off into the harbor at any moment. Being the brain surgeon that I am, I chose to drive the mustang right out onto the concrete slab, which, it turns out, happens to the be the dimly lit, piss poor excuse for a parking lot. But hey - they HAVE a parking lot, so this place is already the bomb in my eyes. The tavern itself is a stand alone building - almost looking like a pontoon boat raised two stories above the pier. When you get up in there, the view is fantastic of Boston across the bay and it is very homey inside with lots of dark stained wood and resonance lighting from the city coming in through the glass walls. They have a deck, where summer patrons can sit out and have a drink. Actually, the whole dining room/bar area opens up to create a space open to the sea breezes on a summer evening. I can picture myself coming back over the summer for a glass of wine and sitting on the deck with friends. In the fall it would be an awesome spot for some raw oysters and a bottle of champagne!

It is hard to get an idea for the menu but the quality of the catered food was excellent. The stuffies (well that is Rhode Islanders call them and we were sure to let the waitress know that!) were excellent. Personally, I think it is sacrilege to cook an oyster but these were not chewy at all, and they tasted mainly of cheese and bacon with a kick of Cayenne. The beef satay was banging - though I had been craving beef all day so I might have been biased :) They also did coconut shrimp, lobster rolls, chicken satay, kielbasa, egg rolls and tuna tartare. I definitely think this place is worth the trip back to see it in action on a regular night!