Scorpion Bowl

Party like my grandma! When I asked my mother if she wanted to try Steuben's, she wondered aloud, "Why does that name sound so familiar to me?" And when we walked into this new restaurant on 17th Avenue, it came to her: When my mom was a little girl growing up in Boston, her young, widowed mother would go to Steuben's on dates. It was a draw across Massachusetts, where everyone went to dance and hear the hot big bands play. Turns out this Steuben's is named after the original, which was opened in 1945 by Josh Wolkon's great-uncles, Max and Joe. Wolkon also owns Vesta Dipping Grill, and he's transformed the former Dan's Auto Garage into a fun, hip diner complete with cool retro lighting, a bar made of simulated wood with a dark pleather edge and matching pleather bar chairs, and two great patios. A vintage Steuben's advertisement is reprinted on this Steuben's cocktail menu, complete with the slogan "It's Boston's gayest night spot." While looking through the menu, I spotted the Scorpion Bowl ($12) and wondered aloud, "Why does that name sound so familiar to me?" But I already knew the answer: During my college years in Maine, we'd make the trek down to Boston, where we'd go to some restaurant with awful Chinese food and great Scorpion Bowls. The 48-ounce masterpiece at Steuben's tasted mighty familiar, too: a combination of Myers's Original Dark Rum, Three Olives Cherry Vodka, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cranberry juice, with Bacardi 151 Rum set ablaze in the center. Back in the day, our group would share one, drinking through long straws. We had five reasons for this: 1) It made the drink last longer; 2) With longer straws, we didn't have to cluster too close; 3) The straws helped us avoid the "fire of death" in the center -- I can't tell you how often someone would stink up the table by charring his or her hair/eyebrows/arm hair; 4) We were in college, and there was nothing more satisfying than being "crazy college kids"; and 5) Then, as now, I just couldn't resist a cocktail that came with this warning: "The Scorpion Bowl is intended for parties of two or more." Grandma would be so proud.