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With his 80th birthday approaching, owner of Allston's Silhouette Lounge to retire; new owner vows to keep the place the same
By adamg on Wed, 10/06/2021 - 11:42am
Joseph Eliseo at licensing hearing.
Update: Approved.
The Boston Licensing Board could decide tomorrow whether to approve the sale of the Silhouette Lounge, 200 Brighton Ave. in Allston to an owner of a local real-estate concern - who promises to make no changes to the watering hole.
Fred Starikov, who would pay $400,000, mainly for the bar's liquor license, is an owner of City Realty, which has an affiliated venture that has been buying up dives and other bars in the Boston area since 2018. Starikov would start as the Silhouette's manager - and has received certification in how to minimize the risks of bar patrons getting overserved.
At the hearing, longtime owner Joseph Eliseo said it was simply time for him to retire, with his 80th birthday coming up next year.
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Comments
never heard of this place
Never heard of this place, but I'm not an Allston person (nor ever really hung out there)
But why does the name "Silhouette Lounge" sound like a strip club?
lmao tourist
lmao tourist
He lives in Chelsea
I was going to give him crap, but I saw fit not to, which means that you don't get to, anon trash.
Its been a while since I have
Its been a while since I have been there, since I am old now and what not, but it was a pretty true dive, with popcorn and darts and pool.
There is a plaque
on a wall somewhere in the back, listing winners of a cribbage league that once held court at the Sil. I think the last entry is sometime in the 80s. My god what I wouldn't give to find a bar hosting a cribbage tournament these days. I can't even find a single other person to play other than my parents/aunts/uncles.
Have people forgotten cribbage??!?!
Has to be a top 3 dive bar in Boston
Take out the touristy ones, and the drunk barfly ones and this one may be the best......
What are the other two?
The Sil is definitely the last classic dive bar left in Allston/Brighton!
What?
The Model Cafe would like to have a word with you...outside. Now.
Ha can't argue there.....
Model and Silhouette can battle it out for the top spot I'm fine with that....
Totally correct!
I send my best sticky floor apologies to the Model!
Furthering an end of an era.
Furthering an end of an era. Gerlando's was my favorite way back when. And I don't believe for a second that it is "not going to change." No one pays $400k for a liquor license and makes due as a dive bar.
Bring back Hoarty Brothers
Johnny D's (the Harvard Ave version) and The El Phoenix Room and I'll be a happy man.
Evocative of an era
Hoarty Brothers! El Phoenix Room! Silhouette Lounge! Oh the pleasure of hanging in the dive bars in the late 70s, early 80s. These places were old then and full of a time gone by. Personally was not exposed to the Model until the 90s. All great hang outs. Sadly, time marches on.
dont forget the irish village
the mailman bar!!!!!!
The IV.....
was renovated way back when, even before renovations were commonplace. In my mind it takes it off the "dive bar" official list because of that renovation (2000 or so?) Still a great bar and at one point the IV had one of the best guinnesses in Boston imo.
The sign says it all!
The first time I saw that sign (back when it was intact, with silhouettes of a dapper lady and gentleman enjoying cocktails) I imagined a 1960's cozy rendezvous in a booth, two silhouettes in rapt attention to the other, anticipating an evening of passion, such as it was in 1965.
silhouwette lounge
The Silhouette lounge is an old time Boston dive bar, important part of Allston's history, it's great! I hope it never changes.
promises to make no changes
he better not! if anyone messes with the Sil I'll.... well, I'll cry and be sad.
Me too! The Silhouette would
Me too! The Silhouette would just be a shadow of its former self.
I don't
see how they can possibly keep the Silh open for very long with the live action role play of building life sciences complexes all the rage.
Silhouette should be made a
Silhouette should be made a National Historic Site ASAP! There's no way some realty company will buy it and keep it shitty.
Multiple generations of my family have thrown up in the bathrooms (and maybe elsewhere) of the Silhouette.
Multiple generations of my
Multiple generations of my family were conceived in the bathrooms of the Silhouette!
I missed out
When I lived in Allston, back in the 80's, I could barely afford food, let alone bar beer. Also, in my mind, in the 80's both the Silhouette and the Model were still actual "old man" bars that 22 year olds rarely ventured into. I think they became hip in the late 80's or 90's and by then I was gone.
ANTIFER
This is antifer hq!!!
I miss Our House West
With its below-street elevation and lumpy shared couch-things and random furniture and surprisingly decent burgers and all-day $2 Bru's (that I'm still not convinced wasn't random barrel ends poured together and funneled into the bottle that the waitress just cleared from the table next to me) and Al and his better-than-Stump trivia.
Such was grad school life.
Ah, Al
Saw him once on a rare Monday off. Always respected his work. Once, he went on Reddit and said that I couldn't shake hands right or maintain eye contact.
I managed Our House (West)
I managed Our House (West) and the "couches" were plywood covered with shag carpeting.
our house couches
the first time i was in there i couldn't believe they had couches! i tried to jump on one like i was the Fonz and i quickly discovered that they were plywood covered upholstery. i fell asleep in there a couple of times.
Our House East on Gainsboro...
...smelt of fuel oil from a big spill in the basement, but had excellent food and cheap beers too!
I tended bar at Our House Eat
I tended bar at Our House Eat in 85-86.
Now...
Now I'm not sure I want to know what the lumps were.
$1 burgers....
Not too long ago I went to the White Horse during the day and I'm pretty sure they had $1 burgers that weren't that bad. I think cheese was $1 extra though.
Beers were still $6.75.