When Bostonist arrived at the Hendrick's-sponsored Beantown Bartender Battle last night, we found a table piled with gleaming cocktail shakers, cans of Barritt's ginger beer, copious bottles of gin, Pimm's No. 1, and our favorite saints, Germain and Elizabeth. And that was the tip of the iceberg.......

ImprovBoston's Bachelor and Bachelorette Auction Sunday, 8 pm (7 pm doors) VENU, 100 Warrenton Street Tickets $7 advance, $10 door, $25 VIP reception Website ImprovBoston moved from its former Inman Square haunt into its new and bright digs on Central Square's Propsect Street back in February, but the performance group has been continuing its efforts to raise $185,000 in a capital campaign. On Sunday evening, 19 IB performers will put themselves up on the......

View Larger Map In the aftermath of Isaac Meyers' death, bus drivers going through Central Square at least appear to be more aware of the dangers at the intersection of Mass Ave and Prospect St. Recently, a bus driver was trying to take a right on Mass Ave from where River and Western merge. She had the green, and so did the pedestrians. She said, "You go when they go." She shook her head. "This......

You read that right. A shooting happened at the Hi-Fi Pizza in Central Square, which is across the street from the Middle East, early this morning. However, while police apprehended the shooter, the shoot-ee took off, and no one knows where the victim is or if he's okay. A 23-year-old from Brockton was arrested, according to the Cambridge Chronicle, and witnesses say there was a victim: "Witnesses told police they saw a male victim get......

--The MBTA needs money, and it's not messing around. They're going after those annoying fare evaders who try to get all close up on you when you try to go through the gates. [Boston Herald] --But if the MBTA really wants to collect, then maybe they ought to watch the back doors, especially around BU. [Massachusetts Liberal] --Police have delayed the start of the Safe Homes program, in which police would go into homes......

Our sources with the Boston Bunny Barhop send us photos of the cuddly, bunny-eared mayhem that worked its way down Mass Ave on Friday night. Bunny Barhop devotees did indeed wear their ears with pride. We were especially impressed with the "Sexy Bunny," who is too sexy for his ears: The following video shows just what happens when you bunnies of all shapes, all sizes, all accents, and all levels of drunkenness: We were a......

Boston Bunny Barhop Tonight, 9:00 pm Starts at the Miracle of Science 321 Mass Ave, Cambridge Easter Egg Hunts? Dying eggs with PAAS? Nah. Some people want you to get plowed and then shake your tail at the third annual Boston Bunny Barhop. Yes, they will wear bunny ears. If you don't make the bunny hop start at the Miracle of Science, a Bunny Barhop Hotline is open. Click here for the number, as......

View Larger Map The man struck and killed by a Shaw's truck at the corner of Mass Ave and Prospect at Central Square has been identified as 28-year-old Isaac Meyers. Meyers was a teaching fellow in classics at Harvard, the Crimson reports. Friends remembered him last night at a memorial service. One friend told Matt Dunning of the Cambridge Chronicle that Meyers was getting a Master's in classic languages and translating Hebrew scriptures into Greek.......

View Larger Map Update: The Cambridge Chronicle is reporting that the pedestrian died. The Boston Herald added that he was "dragged to his death" and that a bystander ran after the driver trying to get him to stop. If you were wondering why all the bus drivers were taking unusual paths around Central Square today, word got out on b0st0n livejournal that a pedestrian was hit by a Shaw's tractor-trailer at Mass Ave and Prospect......

Some alleged boneheads should have their Red Sox Nation cards revoked, and we're not talking about Hank Steinbrenner. In a scary incident reported in the Cambridge Chronicle, a man wearing Yankees attire got beat up outside the Cantab Lounge in Central Square early Sunday morning. From the Chronicle: The Yankees fan was transported to the hospital March 2 at 1:41 a.m. for medical treatment for head injuries, including swelling over his entire face and several......

...only makes you stronger. That has to be the attitude the Bruins take today, after having their winning streak stopped, killed, set on fire, stomped, buried, and the earth salted. The good news is, they will never play a worse game than they did last night. It was 6-0 Capitals in the first period. Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick before half the fans had found their seats. Tim Thomas got pulled, put back in......

--Find out where to meet up on March 6 to ask Rep. Ed Markey (aka "Biz Markey") to support Cape Wind. [Blue Mass Group, more on Cape Wind from Bostonist] --Holy crap. This guy eats a Big Mac in one bite. Honest. Where is Morgan Spurlock when you need him? [Andy Eats via Menu Pages] --Following a more highbrow food track, Le Cordon Bleu is opening in Cambirdge on April 7. [Beantown Bloggery] --Apparently Barstool......

--Someone found violent messages in women's bathrooms, along with the date of February 28 (tomorrow), at Bridgewater State. Given recent violent incidents on college campuses nationwide, the school boosted security. Police are offering a $500 reward to find out who did it. [Boston Globe, Boston Herald] --Meanwhile, someone left a note in a bathroom at Framingham State this afternoon, leading to an evacuation. [WBZ] --57 Boston bars have been given more time to install......

--A possible idea for Banditos Misteriosos? It might beat No Pants 2K8, if only for the reason that your bare thighs wouldn't have to touch any part of an MBTA car. [b0st0n LiveJournal] --Barstool Sports has no love for Arlen Specter now that Specter is mucking around with VideoTapeGate. A sample line: "Next up on the agenda, investigating the role of WWF referees in world title victory by Andre the Giant over Hulk Hogan in......

--Cambridge was the scene of a violent attack on a homeless man. Early on January 29, the man was walking with his girlfriend in Central Square on Norfolk when three men attacked him, and one of them stabbed him in the back. [Cambridge Chronicle] --Although the incident happened in June, Dorchester is still reeling from an online video showing local Vietnamese American teens and young adults brutally beating a teenage boy and a teenage girl......

ImprovBoston is, well, getting a little closer to Boston by getting closer to the T. They are almost ready to open their new location right by the Central Square T stop, next door to The Field. From now until the 9th, ImprovBoston shows will happen at Durrell Hall at the Central Square YMCA. The new ImprovBoston opens on the 15th. And the Funny Money Capital Campaign, which is raising money for the move, continues. ImprovBoston......

Sandwiches can be a rather mundane lunch choice, grabbed on the go or because there aren’t many other options. But Hot Off the Press, in Central Square and Charlestown, serves more original sandwiches which are, yes, hot and pressed, not to mention delicious and cheap. The Baja Chicken wrap, with grilled chicken, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, and corn in a wheat wrap, was very tasty, although a little messy to eat. The addition of corn......

Update: The Cambridge Chronicle hopped right on it and, while they couldn't reach the owner, things aren't looking so good for the burnt caramel: "Toscanini’s Ice Cream, a mainstay for cool treats in Central Square since 1981, may not ever open again, and its owner, Gus Rancatore, owes the state’s Department of Revenue more than $167,000 in back taxes." (Thanks, Ron!) Another Update: The Web Outside is already running a campaign to save--or at......

Basta Pasta doesn't look all that different from any of the hundreds of pizza shops around the Boston area: the menu board hanging over the counter, shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes on the tables, uncomfortable benches, and stock photos of subs and greasy pizza in the takeout menu. But take a closer look at the menu, and it becomes clear that Basta Pasta is unlike its competitors. Most pizza joints don't offer risotto.......

The owners of Clear Conscience Cafe in Central Square are on a mission. It’s pretty hard to miss… in fact, it’s conveniently spelled out on a poster behind the counter. They sell fair trade, shade grown, organic coffee and organic food “with an underlying agenda of social responsibility and environmental stewardship.” The counters are made of bamboo or crushed beer bottles; the ceiling tiles are made of 100% recycled material; the shop is illuminated......

--What is the mystery object pictured above? It was spotted off Willow Avenue in Somerville early Friday, and Big Fat Whale was there to capture the thing in motion. [Big Fat Whale] --Tensions among racial groups in the Fire Department and tensions between the firefighters' union and the panel that is supposed to overhaul the department have collided. After the firefighters' union demanded that its members resign from the panel, a black firefighter refused......

Movies Strap yourselves in for the Brattle Theatre's very first Python-a-Thon. In honor of the arrival of Spamalot, they'll show And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (duh), and Monty Python and the Meaning of Life. Showtimes from the Brattle Theatre. Theater What happened when Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr met to discuss the atom bomb? Michael Frayn imagines it in Copenhagen. Loeb Drama Center.......

The Hometown Throwdown with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones will kick off at the Middle East tonight and will take place every night until Sunday, December 30. Tickets are as precious as gold--all five shows sold out in seven minutes, according to the Globe. On Craigslist, tickets are going for about $200. On StubHub and eBay, the prices are dizzying. But at least no one is getting desperate. Bosstones fans have pride, and no one has......

When Bostonist entered Buckaroo's Mercantile, a pop-culture store across the street from T.T. the Bear's and the Middle East in Central Square, stocking stuffers were on our mind. The owner of Buckaroo's Mercantile, Brooks, layers retro images over metal wallets, night lites, light-switch plate covers, and more. Brooks told Bostonist that all of the above items were hot sellers at the Bazaar Bizarre, and you can buy them at the store. You can also choose......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. And here it is--the complete list of T stops with the most distinct odors: Aquarium: High tide, dolphin pee Airport: Pleather luggage,......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. The Red Line offers so much variety that you just might get dizzy--or drunk: Central Square: 40s, vodka, burnt rubber, more 40s,......

WGA Strike Support Rally Friday, December 14, 12:00 pm-3:00 pm Harvard Square Fans4writers.com Update: Bradley's Almanac just gave us a heads-up--the WGA East announced "Please RSVP to 212-767-7843 and leave the number of people in your party" if you plan to attend the event at the church. By now, we're all sick of the writers' strike, and Bostonist HQ is suffering from MCRW (Major Colbert Report Withdrawal). Rest assured, the writers are even sicker of......

Benefits for Jeanne Sheehy December 6--Tonight!: B.O.D., Willie T & Dr. X, Doug McDonald Band, Roger Fisk, Country Doctors, Wide Iris, The Delusions, The Outlets. Show starts at 8:45 pm. December 21: Jonny Pape, Auto Interiors, Joyce & Chick of Scarce, Downbeat 5, AdFrank, The Pills, The Shods. Show starts at 9:05 pm. December 28: Jules Verdone, The Douglas Fir, Baker, Francine, The Gravel Pit. Show starts at 9:10 pm. December 29: Keys to the......

--An 18-month-old baby girl from East Somerville was kidnapped, allegedly by her own aunt. WBZ reports that Somerville police found the baby today. Four people were arrested in the kidnapping of Hayden Augustin-Laurent, and one of them was her aunt, Ketia Valmont. Two detectives were hurt because one of those arrested went after them with a baseball bat. Auditi Guha at the Somerville Journal reports that the kidnapping may have resulted from a fight over......

The Eight Saturday, December 10, 9:00 pm T.T. the Bear's 10 Brookline Street, Cambridge (T: Central Square) $12 advance / $15 at the door More info Taglit-Birthright Israel and JDub Records is hosting a Hanukkah rock concert that will be held in cities all over the United States. Boston will represent at T.T. The Bear's this Saturday. The Boston celebration will be split between rock and electronica. The Brakes are straight-up pop-rock, and press for......