Sam: I can give you three words why I love Bukowski's: White Trash Dip. That gooey cheesy goodness with a slight spicy kick, dripping off tortilla chips, should be one of the deadly sins. Accompanied by sweet potato fries, any variety of the Buks burger, or one of the daily specials, you might need to go horizontal in one of the booths after a meal. But it's almost ridiculous to focus on the food, as stick-to-your-ribs-tasty as it is.

Jim: No, it’s not ridiculous to focus on the food. Yes, I love the White Trash Dip, although it is sometimes absurd to celebrate melted Kraft singles mixed with some spicier ingredients. When I was working at the Back Bay Hilton, I used to make pilgrimages to Bukowski’s for their super duper cheapo lunch. I’m talking $2 burgers and $1 for fries. As great as the beer selection is, the greasy spoon bar menu is, what’s the word I’m thinking of? Oh yes, scrumtulescent.

Sam: Let's talk about beers, my friend. The beer menu is six pages long with everything from Chimay to Ipswich Oatmeal Stout. I can't even pronounce some of the obscure beers. On a mellow Monday night, I started with a fine Victory Hop Devil followed by a Berkshire Brewing Company Coffeehaus. The contrasting flavors were so filling (and so good) I started to understand why one can cherish a beer belly. And if you are ambitious enough, there's the "mug club" which involves drinking 120 of Bukowski's beers within six months.

Jim: Okay, okay, let’s not get too far ahead of us. Yes, there is the quote-unquote mug club, but what makes Bukowski’s great is there delectable beer selection. Usually I’m not a fan of bottled beers, however, with Bukowski’s I can make an exception. It’s fun just being able to pick a beer you’ve never heard of and give it a try. I like that they have a few beers for us common folk like Schlitz, High Life and Brubaker. Of course, most of those dirt beers are kinda overpriced. I mean there is no way anyone can justify charging $3 for a Schlitz can. Where I grew up that’s the kind of thing that could get you knifed.

Sam: But you’re from Watertown, that sort of thing wouldn’t get you knifed in Watertown.

Jim: I can pretend. So the mug club is pretty awesome I hear. What’s the deal with that?

Sam: Drinking 120 beers in six months earns you a very large mug, engraved with the dead author of your choice. Though most mugs are named after male authors, there are a few females, and someone has the mug "God."

Jim: Technically God isn’t a writer, I heard he was like, an all-powerful deity. Anyway, I asked the bartender if you could pick any dead author, and she told me that some people have even picked rap stars like Tupac. Everyone knows though the jury is still out on him. I suggested someone should pick Hitler as a joke, since he wrote Mein Kampf, but she didn’t find that nearly as humorous as I did.

Sam: This guy in dreadlocks sitting next to me one time claimed the record is five weeks, just one week less than he had done to win his EE Cummings mug. He was the 8th to claim a mug at the two-year old Bukowski's Tavern in Inman Square. There are now about 100 members in the mug club who can fill up their mugs for the price of one beer as long as they frequent the hip yet swank Cambridge bar.

Jim: Sounds great if you like to drink a lot. I’m curious though, how do the two locations differ?

Sam: Though five times larger than the original Bukowski's (which is located at 50 Dalton St. in Boston), the concepts are the same. Paintings of the well known and cultishly revered author Charles Bukowski dot the walls, as well as a floating typewriter, and photographs of local artists. Though the Cambridge location is somewhat bohemian (compared to Boston's Bukowski's, which is more blue collar), I'm not so sure Bukowski would approve of all the rowdy business going on here. On any given night the bar can get really packed, and the lemon lozenge becomes your friend as you try to talk over the overpowering indie-rock blasting overhead. You can pick up some great new tunes from obscure bands. But don't expect to have an intimate conversation over your white trash dip.

Jim: It always comes back to the White Trash Dip doesn’t it? Well, it sounds good to me. Goes to show you that a great bar always takes of the vibe of its patrons. I’m guessing the patrons of Inman Square are mostly the hipster type, while the Boston one is mostly dudes on work break or off of work. But really, what’s not to love about either Bukowski’s?

Sam: Absolutely nothing.

Bukowski's Tavern
50 Dalton St., Boston (map)
617-437-9999

1281 Cambridge St., Somerville (map)
617-497-7077

Samantha Conti can be reached at sconti@theoysteronline.com

Jim Furbush can be reached at jfurbush@theoysteronline.com

04/05/2006   |   Permalink