It's Halloween, Jumbos, and take it from me, Halloween themed food and drink is a lot easier to make than it is to find. That is, unless you’re psyched for the Applebee’s drink specials or that Dunkin spider donut.
I opted instead for a spooky drag show at a brewery and restaurant combo I’d been meaning to try, taking a willing first Tinder date along for the ride. Aeronaut’s tasting room and Carolicious are found in an upgraded warehouse in the Spring Hill area, promising a lovely pairing of beer and Venezuelan food in a trendy, unassuming setting. Outside is a string-lit patio featuring a giant unicorn statue and some pretty striking murals — a setting which was unfortunately rained out by our characteristic New England October, forcing the drag show inside.
The inside of the warehouse was undoubtedly a real brewery, with sectioned off steel kettles and fermenters looming behind the wooden bar and dispersed picnic tables.
We gravitated toward the beer-first route, ordering a beginner flight each as our appetizers. This included four-ounce pours of the Robot Crush Pilsner, Hop Hop and Away and Citra Galaxy session IPAs, and a darker IPA I’d tried before, known as “A Year with Dr. Nandu.” Our favorite ended up being the Citra Galaxy, a juicy, hazy beer with citrus notes and some mid-range hops. The Pilsner was a little mild for us, while the Dr. Nandu was on the malty side for an IPA with a slightly bitter finish that I usually expect from a double. In any case, I love the novelty of a flight, and it was only $10 for some generous pours.
My date chose a vegan arepa from the Carolicious counter and I ordered the pabéllon rice bowl with chicken. This included a hefty portion of flavorful beans, rice and pieces of plantain topped with shredded chicken, mozzarella cheese and the signature basil sauce. We both agreed on the immense value of this sauce, which was similar to a crema with a strong taste of basil that gracefully complimented the sweetness of the plantains and the chicken flavored with chili and lime. The arepa was definitely a smaller portion, but I let him finish my rice bowl because no Spoonfuls date goes hungry. The dishes were $8 and $12 and practically begged for another round of beer.
Somewhat enraptured in conversation, we admittedly missed a good amount of the show, but what we did witness was wildly entertaining and somewhat terrifying. I hadn’t made the connection that drag queens are also incredible at Halloween makeup, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen a zombie crawl with such… sexual energy.
It was my first drag show but not my date’s, and I took this as a good sign of his merit. The headliners were Travis Tí Stone, Zayn X and Coleslaw, and they truly made the most of a carpet sized stage and enthusiastic beer-fueled audience. The “woots” were as plentiful as the one-liners from the trio, and we happily squeezed into a corner of the sold-out show to sing along to the finale of Disturbia.
For those curious, it is safe to say that the date went surprisingly well. He was adorable and left any shyness aside to woot for the queens along with me.
