Author Archives: BosGuy Blog

New office building approved on Harrison Ave in the South End

South End

A new office building that would be constructed on top of an existing three-story parking garage (shown above) was recently approved. After construction the eleven story building will be approximately 150 feet tall, include 200,000+ square feet of office space and and approximately 240 parking spaces along with 2,500 square feet of retail or gallery space on the street level. Changes / enhancements will also be made to the shared lobby that connects to 1000 Washington Street (once known as the Teradyne building).

Something described as a glass curtainwall facade will have large Roman numerals III II I (3 2 1) incorporated into the side of the building facing the Massachusetts Turnpike, indicating its address 321 Harrison Avenue.

South End developmentFor more information you can visit the Boston Planning & Development Agency page dedicated to 321 Harrison Avenue.

This week on Instagram: xiaansmith

actor christiaan smith

If you happened to see The SpeakEasy Stage production of Bridges of Madison County, then Christiaan may look familiar since he was the dreamy lead in the stellar production which earned rave reviews. I certainly hope that either The SpeakEasy or another local theater company scoops up Christiaan to perform in another production because he is as talented an actor and singer as he is easy on the eyes.

His Instagram is refreshingly real with what looks like untouched photos of him enjoying time with his friends. Below is a picture from this past spring when he was performing here in the South End in the Bridges of Madison County.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT7aLRSFqVi/?taken-by=xiaansmith

Follow him on Instagram here, instagram.com/xiaansmith.

Do you like this weekly post? Check out previously featured IG accounts here.

Caption this photo

humor, football, sportsHopefully the caption below inspires you to share a caption or two of your own. Bonus points to anyone who can make me laugh with their caption.

I don’t care if you don’t like yellow. You have to wear it.

Be a part of the world’s largest human peace sign

On Saturday, September 23rd at 10AM thousands of people will head to the Boston Common to help establish a Guinness World Record title to support the Children’s Services of Roxbury campaign called (CSR) “Peace of Mind”. CSR believes that peace begins and ends with building strong, nurturing family environments and they hope to assemble over 6,000 people to form the world’s largest human peace sign on the Boston Common.

Want to learn more? Visit their site where you can also register to participate ($10 donation suggested), World’s Largest Human Peace Sign.

Tom of Finland

Dome KarukoskiDome Karukoski’s stirring biopic follows the life of artist Touko Laaksonen who is best known as “Tom of Finland” from the trenches of WWII and repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published in California, where he and his art were finally embraced amid the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Tom’s story mirrors the gay liberation movement for which his leather-clad studs served as a defiant emblem.

Tom of Finland opens in New York on October 13 and October 20 in both San Francisco and Los Angeles before expanding to select cities.

Temptation Tuesday

handsome, hunk, shirtless guyIf it is a black and white photo it must be art, right?

Past Temptation Tuesday Posts

ShowTune Tuesday Turns 10

Happy birthday

No plans tomorrow evening? Why don’t you head over to dbar in Dorchester to enjoy ShowTune Tuesday. This weekly event is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary.

Congratulations to the entire dbar staff for making ShowTune Tuesdays such a fantastic success and giving all of us a place to go and enjoy ourselves.

ShowTune Tuesday at dbar turns 10

Men in kilts

shirtless men in kilts

Previous Men in Kilts Posts

What to do this week: September 18 – 24

This week’s highlights include dbar’s ShowTune Tuesday (10 year anniversary celebration), the Boston Firefighters calendar kick off party and Bear Trivia Night.

This weekend Fascination returns on Friday. Boston looks to set a new world record for largest human peace sign on Saturday morning on the Boston Common and later that afternoon is the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival. On Sunday check out the SoWa Open Market and Club Cafe’s Back to Basics Tea Dance which starts at 5PM on Sunday.

Boston Firefighter calendar kick off party is Thursday

MONDAY – THURSDAY

Drag Bingo is every Monday starting at 7PM free to play at Club Cafe in Boston

Broadway Gives Back: Heartbreak Hotel is on Monday, starting at 8PM at Mainestreet in Ogunquit

Queerness before “Queer”: LGBTQ Language in Historical Context hosted by The History Project on Tuesday in Boston

Taco Tuesday is a fun way to socialize and eat on the cheap in the South End; first come, first serve – hosted every Tuesday at Tremont 647 in Boston

Opus Affair monthly cocktail social is on Tuesday and open to everyone and will take place at Vanderbilt Kitchen & Bar in downtown Boston

Poolside Movie Nights at Ink Block: The Social Network is Tuesday starting at 8:30PM at The Ink Bock pool  in Boston

gay boston

Showtune Tuesday celebrates 10 years this Tuesday at dbar in Dorchester

Karaoke Night starts at 10PM every Tuesday at Jacques in Boston

Geek Trivia is guaranteed fun and has lots of prizes (trivia starts at 8PM) hosted every Tuesday at Club Cafe in Boston

BLAQ T  Socioeconomic class in the QTPOC Community  meets the third Thursday of every month 7-9PM to bring visibility to the experiences that GBTQ men of Color go through in Boston

ICA Boston every Thursday from 5PM – 9PM admission is free to the public

Gay boston

Bear Trivia Night at The Alley

Bear Trivia Night is at 8PM every Thursday at The Alley Bar in DTX Boston

Boston Firefighters Calendar Launch Party is at Royale starting at 8PM in Boston

Karaoke Thursdays is every Thursday at Machine with your hosts Rob Botelho and Emphysema Menthol 100s in Boston

Detention Thursdays! is hosted every Thursday starting at 9PM with shows at 10:30 & 11:45PM – No Cover – at EGO in Providence

jacques cabaret, gay bostonTHE WEEKEND

Queer Inclusive Climbing Klub (QuICK) Pizza night and climbing club at Brooklyn Boulders in Somerville

Billiards Tournament is hosted each Friday starting at 7PM at Mainestreet in Ogunquit

Fascination Friday is a monthly gear/ fetish/ kink night at Jacques the 1st and 4th Friday of the month in Boston

Dueling Divas are back for the summer at Mainestreet every Friday night in Ogunquit

Twerk Fridays at is an 18+ night at Ego in Providence

The Coolidge After Midnight: Rolling Thunder shows at The Coolidge Theater starting at 11:59PM on Friday in Brookline

SoWa Open Market SoWa Open Market is now open every Saturday and Sunday from 10AM – 4PM through the end of October in BostonBoston

World’s Largest Human Peace Sign  all are welcome to join on the Boston Common starting at 10AM to set world record at 11AM in Boston

Phantom Gourmet Food Festival is on Saturday from 12-4PM on Lansdowne and Ipswich Streets in the Fenway

Water Fire Full Lighting is happening at 6:30PM in downtown Providence

Dueling Divas are back for the summer at Mainestreet every Saturday night in Ogunquit

Saga Saturdays Boston’s biggest gay dance party at Paradise in Cambridge

Dont Ask Dont Tell a monthly queer dance party this Saturday starting at Great Scott in Allston

The Coolidge After Midnight: I Spit on Your Grave  shows at The Coolidge Theater starting at 11:59PM on Saturday in Brookline

Sunday Brunch with Gay Men 50+ is a Meet Up group for mature gay men to connect, chat and enjoy brunch starting at 1PM at Club Cafe on Sunday

Back 2 Basics Tea Dance never has a cover and always has great music from 70s 80s & 90s, starting at 5PM no cover every Sunday at Club Cafe in Boston

Dragapolooza Paint Party + Drag Show Charity Fundraiser is from 4:30 – 9PM at Jacques Cabaret

An Evening with Tom Goss who will be performing starting at 6PM at First Parish Dorchester

Hot Mess Sundays at Candibar in the Theater District is every Sunday starting at 10PM in Boston

Send me information about your upcoming programs and events in my blog’s comment section or message me the details on Facebook.

Restaurant review Aquitaine Boston

French, FranceFew restaurants have been operating in the South End as long as Aquitaine, which briefly closed in the winter of 2016 to remodel the 20 year old space. If you have not visited since they reopened, make it a point to stop by.

The most notable changes include a private dining section in the space formerly occupied by the tiny wine bar, moving the redesigned 11-seat pewter bar to the left of the newly monogrammed floor entrance and replacing the black and burgundy color scheme with French oak paneling and brass antique lighting. The redesign also modernized Aquitaine’s kitchen, which I am happy to say continues to crank-out good French cuisine.

south end dining

Brussels Sprouts Lyonnaise

Sergio started his meal with escargot but sadly the dim lighting which adds to the dining experience makes it a challenge to photograph using an iPhone (despite however much Apple claims how wonderful their camera is) so sadly no photo of Sergio’s starter. However, I started with the Brussels Sprouts Lyonnaise ($15) which also includes kale, a poached egg and a warm bacon vinaigrette. The key to this dish is the poached egg which was perfectly cooked so the yolk coated the greens and complemented the salty flavoring of the vinaigrette.

south end restaurant, aquitaine group

Parisian Gnocchi Fricassee

On this most recent visit Sergio ordered the Parisian Gnocchi Fricassee ($26), which includes braised rabbit, summer squash and tomatoes.  The gnocchi was soft and absorbed much of the flavors imparted by the rabbit and broth. Sergio gave the plate mixed reviews, which I think was partly due to the rabbit which I don’t think he is 100% comfortable eating. Sergio prefers white meat so I give him bonus points for venturing outside his typical dining preferences (it is a testament to how much he loves gnocchi).

south end dining, aquitaine restaurant group

Pan Roasted Duck Breast

I opted for Aquitaine’s Pan Roasted Rohen Duck Breast ($30) which is served over swiss chard and a bigarade sauce (a brown sauce flavored with the juice and grated rind of oranges) and sprinkled with pistachios. This is a very hearty meal and one perfectly suited for the fall months. The duck was prepared perfectly, enhancing the rich flavors from my first plate, creating a savory one-two punch.

Profiteroles

We opted to splurge and order profiteroles for dessert, which are served as a trio coated with a healthy dollop of thick chocolate and filled with a creamy vanilla ice cream. While I sipped what remained of my wine, Sergio thoroughly enjoyed this dessert, which he split with a friend who joined us for dinner.

Aquitaine remains a solid dining option in a neighborhood that has more than its share of restaurants. Twenty-plus years later the service at Aquitaine remains consistently excellent and the food continues to tempt. Aquitaine is open seven days a week for dinner. Lunch is offered Monday – Friday and brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday.

BosGuy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars, Good.

Aquitaine Boston
529 Tremont Street  || (617) 424-8577
aquitaineboston.com

Scruffy Sunday

handsome man in bed

Previous Scruffy Sunday Posts

Oktoberfest starts today

Kris Evans, hunk, handsome, muscles, gay porn actorToday is the first day of Oktoberfest. I briefly attended this beer festival in the early 1990s but don’t remember ever seeing someone like Kris Evans there otherwise I’m certain I would’ve made it a point to get back to Munich. This year Oktoberfest runs through Tuesday, October 3rd.

Prost!

Saturday morning coffee

man drinking coffee, handsome, hunkEnjoy your morning cup of joe (or whatever you may want to call him).

Saturday morning comic

gay cartoon, gay comic, James Asal Jr.

Click on this week’s comic strip to enlargeJames Asal jr.ADAM & ANDY is set in the fictional New England town of Woodfield, CT. You can learn more about this strip by visiting, adamandandy.com.

Bonus fur

hairy

Enjoy the weekend and thanks for stopping by to check out my blog.