Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived this little eatery in the hamlet of Charles Village (well sort of ...), now 'Remington', that used to be the ultimate destination of escape... especially after a night of partying back in the halcyon days of the early 90s. Wow, the fact that I can refer to the 90s and the 'good ole days is CRAZY'!!!
Papermoon was the place you wanted to go to help keep the party going. They stayed open practically 24/7 (taking a few hours in the wee morning to close off sections, to clean... then re-open). It worked like a fine oiled machine. The owners were very cool. The male owner, at the time, reminded me of David Byrne (Talking Heads) which I told him all the time. He's always amuse me w/ a chuckle... The other owner was a no-nonsense woman that was actually very nice but all about business.
The initial draw to PMD is the highly kitch/ eclectic exterior. It sticks out like a sore thumb... but in the most utterly FABULOUS WAY!!! Lights are everywhere and the most creative pieces adorn the outside. There are mannequins, bathtubs, bathroom sinks, shovels, pails, washboards, etc. out there, which sounds like a junkyard. HOWEVER, being the artisans they are, they have taken these ordinary every day pieces and have transformed them into the most interesting pieces. Things that would normally be thrown discarded (i.e. - old forks, spoons, twine, bike reflectors, washers, marbles, broken glass...) were redrafted into dresses, catsuits, hats, lined tubs and decorated walls. It's actually mind blowing, the creativity oozing from this place.
Upon entering, it's like the 'Mad Hatter' and the 'Red Queen' from Alice I'm Wonderland met with 'Jefferson Starship' (60's / 70s version), bumped into the 'B-52s' and had lunch with 'Emilio Pucci', 'Elio Fiorucci', 'Andy Warhol' and 'Salvador Dali'... and they all decided to make a place to eat. It was soooooo much fun then & now.
There are dolls, pictures, action figures, sleds, sleighs, chairs, pill boxes, sewing equipment, doll houses, Pez dispensers, and assorted array of nostalgic pieces affixed to the ceilings, walls and in cases. It's GENIUS!!!
To compliment matters, the staff was just as eclectic as the awe striking interior & exterior. The personalities ranged from highly outgoing & entertaining to subdued and quite maudlin. But it all worked in perfect harmony. Everyone got along and then there were the line cooks. OMG! These MASTERS OF THE GRILL would turn out good plates that were NOTHING short of phenomenal! While Papermoon was certainly a diner, the food they put out could really have been served in fine dining establishments. One of my faves was 'David's Favorite Sandwich / Omlette'. The Sandwich had a massive piece of grilled / seared salmon on a ciabatta roll w/ onions, pesto, spinach, Swiss cheese (I believe) and maybe tomato. That sandwich was EVERYYYYTHING, u hear me?!?! The omelette version was a huge chunk of prepared salmon, cream cheese, onions, capers, cheese and spinach, I believe. BOTH were absolute BANGERS!!! Unfortunately, both have been removed but plenty of delicious offerings are still there.
The only reason PMD didn't get the 5 stars it deserves is solely bc when ownership changed, the atmosphere changed. It became a business and not a fun spot anymore. The staff has higher turnover and they actually established hours of operation. You used to be able to go at 3:30 am and it was PACKED to the rafters w/ a 1/2 hr to hour wait. And it was sooo worth it. Now, they close at normal hours and it's just not as fun. Still a great place to eat but the heart is gone. Still, it's definitely worth checking out.
As a matter of fact, I took my parents here when I was in college in the 90s. When they come to town now, they still always ask, 'Hey, can we go to that artsy place w/ all the cool stuff on the walls to eat, at some point'?!? And we always do. LOL read more