During the daylight hours, Trina’s Starlite Lounge on the border between Somerville and Cambridge Massachusetts looks like a strip-club. Starlite opens at 5PM (except on Mondays, when brunch is served from 12PM-4PM), and during the day, all windows are screened shut. Walking by, you think – this is a place where shady things happen. Unlike most venues, however, Starlite is most ominous by sunlight. Come back after 5PM, and you’ll get to see the real Starlite. At night, the blinds raise to reveal tables of people enjoying chicken and waffles, cornbread and other comfort food classics over flickering candles. They are the lucky ones (especially on weekends). Starlite is a notoriously difficult place to get a table. Friday or Saturday after 6PM, if your party is bigger than 2, you are looking at a 1hr 30min wait minimum. So try getting there early, or just plan on sampling craft beers or a few of Starlite’s ambitious cocktails while you wait.
I came recently with friends and while we waited for a table, we worked our way through the drink menu. The beer selection covers a satisfactory range; there is the cheap (aka miller high life, essentially natural light in a bottle), to the slightly more expensive (but still affordable) selection of craft beers (Pretty Little Things, Harpoon IPA, BBC Coffeehouse Porter, Mayflower Pale Ale, and Clown Shoes Clementine are all on tap and all from Massachusetts). The cocktails, though, are where things get interesting. My friend ordered the Adirondack (butter infused bourbon, maple syrup), a drink that can only really be described as tasting like liquid bourbon waffles (which if you haven’t had, you should most definitely make). After a few more conventional drinks to boost my courage, I ordered the Mr. Monahan’s flip (apple jack, madeira, and an egg). We were all a little worried when the bartender returned with four eggs from the fridge (Gaston, I am not) but, thankfully, a single egg went into the drink, which the bartender then spent a good three minutes shaking (ordering a cocktail ensures you will get a show – no stripping, just a lot of vigorous shaking). The result was surprisingly delicious – creamy, sweet, “Christmas-y”.
When we were finally seated, I had my order ready: chicken and buttermilk waffles (a southern classic that I’ve always been a little wary of). It worked though, thanks to a hot pepper syrup that turned the two elements into a meal instead of a war between breakfast and dinner. The mac and cheese was creamy and the Ritz crackers sprinkled on top was a nice touch. But. If you eat here, there is one thing you must absolutely eat. Get the cornbread. Warm, buttery, corn kernels throughout. In writing, it sounds kind of weird. In reality, it’s delicious.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge
3 Beacon Street (Inman Square)
Somerville MA 02143
(617) 576-0006
http://trinastarlitelounge.com/
