Not having hung out in the seaport all that much, this seemed like the place to go to kill time before going to a wedding across the cobblestones at Bridgewaters. Besides, it’s familiar and presumably didn’t smell like fish. Plus I know the joint has beer and a relatively low chance of being filled with sticky children. Of course there was a relatively small chance of anyone being there, as it was snowing and pretty damn dreary. And it turns out that it was just a couple lonely tourists in fleeces watching a Chiefs game and staring at us in our formal wear. It was really quite lovely, honestly (if I may put it that way). We sat in the window and watched the light snowfall flawlessly on the sparsely populated seaport. We knew we were going to be stuffing ourselves with wedding food, so we didn’t eat, but we smelled a couple plates of barbecue float by as some more tourists rolled in and ordered, and what I did smell smelled good. The space itself has maintained its olden time roots and it all dark wood and copper and pressed tin ceilings. They really did do a nice job of keeping the old world flavor of the place, using what are either vintage fixtures or really good reproductions. It’s a low-ceilinged space that is a bit dark and doesn’t hid the fact that beer is served there (you can smell the yeast and whatnot in the air and soaked into the wood), but this is what gives places character. I mean, sure, it’s a touristy joint in a touristy place, but for some reason in the middle of winter on a snowy night, it just hit the spot. [MF]
South St. & Fulton St.
646/572-BEER
heartlandbrewery.com