by Gerald S. on So, I finally made it to flip after wanting to go for quite a while. I'm a fan of Richard Blais - especially after his appearance on Top Chef Masters the other week. I recommend not going during lunch on Friday. Although, I went on a middle of the week day - parking was a pain, so I can only imagine a Friday lunch. The burger boutique has a nice ambiance - i like the tv's in picture frames above the bar. We were a table of five and sat down pretty quickly. The menu is awesome - who the heck gets the $40 Kobe burger. Obviously, not me because I'm a vegetarian. So, for lunch here is my pet-peeve. There is a lunch deal, which entails a "flip" burger, fries, and a shake for $12. However, there is no vegetarian option - even though the menu has at least two great vegetarian burgers (chickpea and mushroom) and plenty for pescetarians as well. Just pointing that out. So, we all ordered burgers, fries or fried okra, and shakes. The burgers were all fantastic. I really enjoyed the faux-lafel - the combination of arugula, cucumber, red onion, pickled beets red pepper & feta cheese spread really worked for me. It was a bit messy, but good. Besides the Kobe burger - most burgers range from $6.50 to $8. I think the veggie burgers were around $7. The fries were also excellent and came with little dishes of mayonnaise and ketchup. Fries are a la carte and cost about $3 - you can easily share the order with another person. My friend had the fried okra with the ranch sriracha sauce. I liked the ranch sriracha so much that I got a side for my fries. Anyway, everything was going pretty well, except that we never got our milkshakes. I mean I was skeptical of ordering a $7 milkshake, but figured - hey, you have to try it at least once. I tired the spicy chocolate mole milkshake. I thought the name was a bit redundant because most mole - at least Poblano mole already has chocolate in it - along with dried chili peppers and other ingredients. Nonetheless, I ordered it. Well, our food came - we ate and ate - and then the manager walked by and asked how everything was going. We politely noted that we didn't have our shakes - i.e. burger, fries, and shake would be nice if we had the shake. The manager came back and said the shakes "are on their way." Hmmm, that was vague. So, we finished our meal and then told our waitress that we still didn't have our shakes. I mean part of the experience is having the shake with your meal - at least I planned it that way. The waitress was very nice and told us that two blenders had burned out. (I mean this is nice, but I don't want excuses - I just want my freaking shake.) We ended up getting the shakes in to-go cups. Shakes in Styrofoam cups and taken for the road without so much as a hey - these are on the house or the manager coming back an apologizing. For that - I knocked the restaurant down one star. I'd give it another try and would likely give it another star if the shake comes in a timely fashion.
by Charity Mcgrotty on So sometimes I like to pretend I am fab-u-lous. I'll grab a couple of my friends, get dressed in tacky, tight, sequined tops from Wet Seal and Hollister shorts, throw on some stripper heels, pregame with good ol' Natty Ice, and head on over to Venu. Once we get there, we are terribly privileged to stand in a long-ass line, only to learn we have to be frisked before we eventually gain entrance to the Holy Land. Long intricate maze later, I find myself in the main room, pushed up against the bar by a surge of wannabe Bawston socialites (bitch, pleaaase). After grabbing a drink from the lovely bartender (see Tara; the girl is friendly, utterly adorable, and has dimples for miles!), I perch myself by the bar and observe the shenanigans of Venu. I spot Medfahd girls (who willingly paid a ridic cover to get in) standing to the side, trying to looking painfully bored as they text away on their Sidekick. I see creepy Euro guy trying way too hard on the dance floor. I see guys who live with their parents front like they're hotshot Vegas promoters. Eventually, I realize I'm not NEARLY as drunk as I should be, when Frankie the Meathead approaches me and charmingly suggests, "I say me and you...with nothin' but smiles on." Oh, Venu. Who would I be without you...
by Lois Sheinberg on This place is home to some great Tex-Mex cooking. For appetizer I got the poquito chicken flaquities. Having an easy time pronouncing that is just as probable as not finishing them: they were a mouthful and a stomach-full. Watch your friends laugh at you as you try to eat the pieces. The wait time was moderate for a busy place but the tables were too close to each other that on several occasions I elbowed somebody. Next time I am probably going to hit up the Bar there. -Matt
