Long live The Plough & Stars

For those living across river (or willing to hop the Red Line or #1), Bostonist thinks there’s no better place to grab a pint, munch on some gourmet pub fare (yes, there is such a thing) and hear our favorite local band than The Plough & Stars, reopening this Friday.

Last year proved to be a difficult one for the 35-year-old Cambridge bar, and after being cited for a noise complaint (Anyone remember the faithful regulars walking down Mass. Ave wearing “Save The Plough” T-shirts to raise cash for the bar to be soundproofed?) owner George Crawley decided to get out of the business, sadly leaving The Plough to close.

When Bostonist got word a few months ago that The Plough finally had new owners, we were curious to see how our cherished bar - barely wide enough for more than a few tables yet home to some of the best live music in Boston - would change.

Co-owner Gabriel O’Malley (son and nephew of longtime co-owners Peter and Poirig O’Malley) says that although there’s a new barman, a new chef and a little bit of new style, The Plough promises to maintain the neighborhoody feel - a place where hipsters, construction workers and politicos mix easily and happily.

“In reopening, we are hoping to honor the best from the past, but also to add to the legacy,” O’Malley wrote in an email to us. “It's a space where great literary and musical talents have taken off, where politicians have kicked off campaigns and later defended their views, where one has always been able to eat a great meal, and, most importantly, where a range of people from all walks of life - some normal, many mad, a few certifiable - have congregated, kicked back, and relaxed while eating, drinking, and pontificating on a whole range of subjects, a good many of which they hadn't the slightest clue about.”

The former chef at Pomodoro, Matt Murphy's and The Washington Square Tavern, co-owner Brendan Curtis will be in charge of the food, which Bostonist has been told will be a mix of pub and bistro cuisine. With a greater emphasis on dining, The Plough will be serving lunch and dinner seven nights a week, as well as brunch on the weekend. Jim Seerie, formerly of The Plough, and most recently a chef at the B-Side Lounge, will be working with Curtis in the kitchen.

Besides Bad Art Ensemble (longtime regular band), the thing Bostonist loves most about The Plough is the fact that Ploughshares, one of the most acclaimed literary magazines of the last thirty years, was born in a dark corner of the bar, most likely over a few pints of Guinness.

House bands, literatti, and perhaps the fact that the Plough will be open at 8 a.m. for the diehard barfly in all of us.

"We don't have breakfast," quips Curtis. "Well, if beer is your breakfast, then I guess we do."

Post contributed by Laura Levis
Photo by Flickr user: lazycalm