62. April 8th, 2011 Picture.

Once again, since Ratty has a ton of PR connections, we got invited to the 'soft opening' for the Rock Bottom in the Theater District.  Basically, what I mean by soft opening is that Rock Bottom totally re-branded and renovated most of their locations, and this was a night that they were opening for invited guests to come, try the food and drink and give the staff some hands on training before opening officially to the public.  What I loved most about the event was that it was a all FREE!  All they asked was that you tipped your server, easy peasy.

We could order one appetizer, 2 entrees and I THINK 1 or 2 desserts, though those don't stand out to me, so I want to say that they couldn't have been that good, or that bad for that matter, right?


We got the jumbo pretzels with cheddar beer dipping sauce, which were pretty good.  Most jumbo pretzels taste like soap to me, I don't know what that's all about, and the cheddar dip had zero flavor, which I think is really hard to accomplish.  I mean, it's just melted cheese!

We had a few of their house brewed beers, which were really great.  You can't go wrong with a nice cold beer, am I right?  If Ratty and I had plans to be frequent customers, we could have joined the Rock Bottom Club, where you get perks and prizes the more you eat there.  

For dinner I opted for the California Chicken Sandwich, which was okay, but not great.  The homemade potato chips were pretty decent though!

All in all, Rock Bottom wasn't too bad.  I can't say that I'd been to the original incarnation of it all that much, but it's a good place right in the Theater District to grab a bite.  The new decor was MUCH better, shying away from the rustic brewery set up and going for the sleeker sports bar vibe.  We watched a few groups of guys get turned away, they were hoping to grab a few beers and watch the big TV's.  It was also Opening Day in Boston so there were a TON of sports fans everywhere.  That bodes pretty well for when they actually open for real!

After Rock Bottom, Ratty and started walking back towards the North End and popped into The Vault for a few drinks, a nightcap if you will.  While we were sitting in The Vault I noticed a few drinks on the menu that seemed familiar.  Hm, the Life is Good, that is the signature drink at the Chicken Box, the drink that Ratty and I drank ALL night when we were there last July.  The drink that made me feel like I got run over the next morn...er afternoon, when I woke up.  The Mr. Happy is also a drink that they serve at the Rope Walk, another Nantucket Favorite.  

THEN I noticed the reproduction of the painted compass that is on the side of a building on Main Street on Nantucket, at this point I became convinced that any similarities were obviously on purpose.  I've been to The Vault a few times, but I've never noticed any of these things before - I was sitting in the bar for over an HOUR before I noticed anything!

Then I just felt stupid.  There were Chicken Box and Product of Nantucket signs all over the place.  How did I miss seeing them for so long?!  I honestly felt like Robert Langdon in The DaVinci Code when I saw the drinks on the menu, I thought I was unlocking the super secret  comparison that no one else would never notice.  Then said super secret comparison came back and slapped me in the face when I realized that the entire place was outfitted with Nantucket paraphernalia.  Robert Landgon I am not.