Tattoos and Fondue in Boston

January 7, 2016 2:44 PM

Anniversary date concept: while in Boston, we get tattoos (each of us has a small, straightforward one we've been wanting) and then eat fondue. Ideally without spending an hour on the T in between. Where can our inky, cheesy desires be satisfied?
posted by nebulawindphone to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

You could do Chameleon and Grendel's-- not a great product at either but as an added bonus it would probably be like going through high school and then college together
posted by threeants at 2:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Honestly, as someone who has multiple tattoos and also really loves cheese, I'm not sure this is a good combo.

Every time I've been tattooed, I've generally felt like crap afterwards and wanted to go home and recharge. If you guys have tattoos already and know that you bounce back quickly or that going out for a meal will be a good thing and not stressful/exhausting, by all means ignore my advice. But if you're newbies, it's safe to assume that you are not going to be 100% afterwards.

I'm also not sure I'd pick a tattoo studio based primarily on its proximity to a fondue restaurant. This is something that is going to be on you forever. Even if the design is simple, you should choose your shop based on artists whose portfolios you like.

It occurred to me that you could reverse things and do the fondue first, tattoos after. I think this could work pretty well, assuming you don't plan to have wine or beer with your meal. (Drinking alcohol of any kind or quantity is not recommended prior to a tattoo.) I'd also probably err on the side of either keeping your fondue consumption light or building a long walk and digestion time into the experience, as sitting and getting tattooed on a very heavy stomach doesn't sound fun. Then again, I have blood sugar issues during tattoo sessions (which is probably why I feel like shit afterwards), so maybe a big meal before would be just the thing.
posted by Sara C. at 4:19 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: We've both got tattoos already, and have a decent sense of how our bodies react. And I promise we won't go someplace that skeeves us out, or whose style we dislike, just because there's a restaurant next door. If that means this doesn't end up being feasible, we'll go to plan B. But thanks for looking out for us.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:47 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Are you looking more for a recommendation of a great tattoo place + another recommendation for a great fondue place (as long as they're not onerously far apart), or a tattoo/fondue matchup that pair particularly well in either a datesies or a geographic way, even if that means the places might be a little less individually compelling?

tattue

fondoo
posted by threeants at 6:18 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

My Boston friend, who is not himself inked, but hangs with chefs who have more ink than bare skin, says the following on tattoo parlors:

"Pino Bros Ink is where most of my friends go. Also Fat Ram's [Pumpkin Tattoo] and Redemption [Tattoo Parlor]."

Pino Bros and Redemption are both in Cambridge; Fat Ram's is in Jamaica Plain. Beyond that I don't know anything about relative geography.

As for fondue, he says: "Mercifully, I think all of our dedicated fondue places have closed. Belly Wine Bar in Cambridge might still do fondue as a component of their menu; any other place that still does it, I can't in good conscience recommend."

I checked, and Belly Wine Bar does have fondue, "limited availability nightly," $14/person, and you can make a reservation to get it specifically, so do that.

I agree with the above comments: Ink before Emmentaler, definitely.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:51 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I ended up getting my piece from Dave at Pino Brothers and was super pleased with the whole thing, from his design process to getting the tattoo itself to how it looks on me now.
posted by threeants at 9:58 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Depending on how central the fondue needs to be to the meal, you might want to check out Grotto -- they have a very tasty (and not too small!) fondue as an appetizer, and in general, I've enjoyed meals there. The restaurant is small, though, so you should make a reservation.

(Sorry, I don't know anything about tattoos!)
posted by cider at 4:02 AM on January 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I checked, and Belly Wine Bar does have fondue, "limited availability nightly," $14/person, and you can make a reservation to get it specifically, so do that.

Belly is closed due to the fire that damaged The Blue Room and Flat Top Johnny's several months ago.
posted by briank at 5:53 AM on January 8, 2016

Looks like they Belly plans to reopen, but no sign of when that will be. That may yet, or may not work for OP's anniversary.

As a backup, my friend suggests Grendel's Den, also in Cambridge, which offers Fondue for 2 @ $25. Of this place, my friend says "I should note that I hate Grendel's; it's mostly a harvard kid hangout." So, be prepared to discuss the causes of the US Civil War; be sure to bring original arguments.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:11 AM on January 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Is making the fondue at home an option? This recipe is dead-easy and delicious. We make it all the time in winter.
posted by homodachi at 8:44 AM on January 8, 2016

As a backup, my friend suggests Grendel's Den, also in Cambridge, which offers Fondue for 2 @ $25. Of this place, my friend says "I should note that I hate Grendel's; it's mostly a harvard kid hangout."

I haven't eaten there in years, but the reason I haven't eaten there in years is because the food was terrible the six or so times I went.

Guys, it's a bar two blocks from a college campus which always has a guy on the street trying to hand out coupons.

Now, if you wanted just a cheapish beer in a cozily dank underground space, it's okay.
posted by Hypatia at 9:51 AM on January 8, 2016

Yeah, there are lots of great tattoo places in town, but not a lot of great fondue. There ARE delicious restaurants with really rich food near all of the tattoo spots, though, if you're willing to have your cheese in other forms.
- Tupelo in Inman serves delicious Southern-inspired food and is very close to Pino Brothers.
- Russell House in Harvard Square is near Chameleon and other tattoo parlors (and is much tastier than Grendel's, generally speaking, and rich-tasting).
- The Haven in JP is near a couple of the tattoo parlors above and serves tasty Scottish foods.
posted by ldthomps at 11:10 AM on January 8, 2016

Just found another Fondue place which comes recommended, Karl's Sausage Kitchen. My friend says, "Karl's is one of my favorite places. It's a grocery store in the northern Boston suburbs that makes the best eastern european sausages around; not just Eastern European, really. Small place, with a cafe in the back."

And fondue: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153834815223523 (publicly viewable fb link)

They evidently are starting to serve Fondue tomorrow (Friday 1/15).
posted by Sunburnt at 4:09 PM on January 14, 2016