😈 This restaurant has a dark side ...

🪑 Mid-century modern girlies, rise! Bad news: Machine Age, a stunning vintage furniture showroom in Dorchester, is closing its doors. Good news: Its entire inventory is 40% off in the meantime! Shop the deals on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 12 to 3 p.m.

🥳 And happy birthday to B-Side Member Audrey Vogt! We hope your birthday wish was a slightly uncomfortable, but absolutely gorgeous chair. Have a great day!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Get in, witches! For this edition of B-Side Certified, you sent us to The Hollows in Somerville’s Teele Square, a spooky, elevated comfort food joint.

Here’s what we thought: 

🧙 The vibes: Neighborhood pub … with a twist. The space is separated in two: A dark and dive-y bar area with black ceilings, punk band posters, and neon signs; and a cozy dining room (where we sat) with lots of wood, stained glass, vintage lampshades, and a giant fireplace. Despite the decidedly witchy branding, inside, the spooky vibes are limited to a few subtle nods in the decor and cheekily-named drinks.

🤝 It’s the opposite of a made-for-TikTok spot. It may be just a month old, but The Hollows already feels like a true community watering hole. The crowd is full of townies and hipsters, the IG is delightfully un-curated, and the staff already know the regulars by name.

🍹 We were 50/50 on the drinks. Their spin on an old fashioned, “The Devil’s Pour” ($12), hit all the right warm, spicy notes, with a bit of extra sweetness from maple syrup. But the “Holy Limoni” ($13) was a miss — the raspberry flavor was artificial, and the texture was oddly chalky, which created a Pepto-Bismol-like taste.

🥗 The veg-forward dishes left us wanting more. Between the fried pepper calamari ($12), the roasted delicata squash ($13), and the roasted cauliflower ($18), nothing was flat out bad, but nothing stood out. The calamari was light and crispy but overwhelmed by the spicy peppers. And while the squash and cauliflower were well-cooked, they were under seasoned and lacked pizzazz, leaving us feeling like we could’ve made them at home.

🍝 But the comfort food saved the day. Braised pork tagliatelle ($21) was easily our best bite of the night. The sauce was rich, savory, and buttery, coating a heap of perfectly al-dente noodles. And we devoured the pecan pie ($9) which was topped with a dollop of not-too-sweet whipped cream. They left us wishing we’d swapped our cauliflower for the fried chicken or queso.

💰 The bill left a good taste in our mouths. Before tip, we paid $102.72 for two drinks, apps, entrees, AND a dessert, which, in this economy, is a pretty great deal.

🤔 The verdict? If we find ourselves in Somerville looking for a beer, a burger, or a delightful conversation with a dude at the bar, we’d give The Hollows another shot. That said, we wouldn’t go back for a meal in the dining room, so unfortunately, it isn’t B-Side Certified.

🎲🍻 Think of Malden Gaming District as an open-world map for grown-ups. One block leads to tabletop games and RPG campaigns. Another unlocks karaoke, escape rooms, breweries, and late night bites. Whether you’re a strategist, a show-off, a foodie, or just along for the ride, there’s a quest here with your name on it. With Orange line access and plenty of affordable parking, the only thing you need to worry about is which adventure to pick first. Assemble your party and press “start” on the perfect night out.

🏈 The Pats are going to the AFC Championships!!! They said we couldn’t do it, but the Patriots kept their season alive with an epic, snowy W over the Houston Texans at Gillette. Despite the Texans’ notoriously tough defense, their sloppy offense + a couple of super clutch plays from the Pats (see: this incredible one-handed catch) = a 28-16 win. Now, the only team between us and the Super Bowl is the Denver Broncos, whose starting QB is out for the season. As for how we’re feeling … Cardi B said it best. LFG!!!

❄️ We FINALLY got a legit snow day. The snowstorm that wasn’t supposed to hit Boston did, in fact, hit Boston. According to the National Weather Service, Sunday’s storm dumped about 5.3 inches of snow on the city, marking our biggest snowfall of the season, and creating a legit winter wonderland. Further south, a handful of places got over seven inches, including Dighton, Hanson, and Rehoboth. And the winter weather isn’t slowing down yet: Another arctic blast is coming today. Check all the snow totals here.

🫵 YOU get to spend $2.2 million of Boston’s budget. No joke! Voting is officially open for this year’s participatory budgeting initiative. ICYMI: Each year, Boston sets aside a hunk of its budget to use on … whatever we pick! The city spent the summer and fall gathering our ideas and creating proposals, and now, Bostonians get to vote on which ones get the green light. This year’s options include an immigrant legal defense fund, youth financial literacy workshops, a fresh food access initiative, and WAY more. Cast your votes here!

🚘 BREAKING: Boston parking (still) sucks. In fact, it was Boston’s No. 1 most complained about issue in 2025, according to a Globe analysis of Boston’s 311 data. The worst offenders? The Seaport’s 391-397 Congress Street address, which received a whopping 373 complaints, 99% of which were parking-related; and 1138 Washington Street which is (shocker) a Dunkin’ in the South End, where one resident said parking enforcement is always “ready to pounce.” It got 360 complaints. Check out all the hotspots here.

📣 Watch the Crimson take on the Terriers. Translation: It’s Harvard v. BU in the Women’s Beanpot Championship TONIGHT at TD Garden. And yes, there are still tickets left!

🎨 Beat the winter blues with … watercolor? The Local Hand’s cozy crafting club night on Jan. 20 is > post-work couch rotting. Bring your own project or play with their supplies. There will be snacks!

🏀 Jump on this rare Garden bargain. They might be nosebleeds, BUT … you can catch the C’s for ~$50 when they take on the Pacers on Jan. 21 (which is a W in our book). 

☹️ Don’t get down about a bad day at work. You’ll feel waaay better after listening to three fearless speakers share their stories of *professional failure* at F*ckup Nights Boston on Jan. 22. 10 slides. 7 minutes. Zero sugarcoating.

🍪 Enjoy a sweet treat on the lady swans. Boston Legacy FC is back again with more free food for fans. This week? A treat from Flour on Jan. 23 — available at all 10 locations! Check their IG this week for more info.

🤓 Get schooled by a 16-year-old. Calling all trivia fans: “High School Quiz Show” is filming its new season and is looking for live audience members. Sign up for the match on Jan. 23 here.

✂️ Spend a (craft) night at the museum. Now this is cool: Dig through old pics of Somerville, art magazines, and more to create your own masterpiece at the Somerville Museum’s collage night on Jan. 23.

🏑 Alexa, play “All The Things She Said.” It’ll probs be on repeat at Remnant Brewing’s Heated Rivalry party on Jan. 23 that’s 50% dance party, 50% watch party, and 100% celebration of queer joy. 

Some people bet money on Pats games. Others bet doughnuts. Ahead of the Pats-Texans game on Sunday, Kane’s Donuts decided to make things … a little interesting. 

They hopped on Instagram to challenge Houston’s Shipley Donuts to a friendly wager. If the Texans beat the Pats, Kane’s would ship a box of their doughnuts to Texas. And if the Pats beat the Texans, Shipley would do the same. Cue the (friendly) trash-talking.

And, well, we all know how things went down. But Shipley’s took it like a champ, posting a vid of them packing up the box of doughnuts. The caption: “We’re sure our donuts will taste better than all the turnovers.” Yikes!

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍩 Thanks for reading! Houston’s doughnuts > Houston’s defense. 

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, The Malden Gaming District, for supporting local journalism and keeping Boston nights out easy.

❄️ The results are in: In true New England spirit, 28% of readers say the best winter activity is getting outside and getting active. One reader said: “Surfing! Everyday is a beach day with a wetsuit.” Girl …

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].