Absinthe and peppermints

Brendan downs some newly legalized absinthe at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square:

... In the end, I didn't see anything. No curious things, no monstrous things, and I didn't cut my ear off. But, to be honest, I wasn't expecting too much in terms of transcendental experience. If you can buy it in a bar, I really doubt its going to turn Commonwealth Avenue into a field of tulips. One thing I did feel was lucid – I definitely walked out of Eastern Standard relaxed, relatively clearheaded, and, paradoxically, pretty wobbly (absinthe can be 58+ proof). While I wasn't about to sit down and write a surrealist novel, the feeling was, on the whole, much more pleasant than anything my usual Guinness and Jack-and-Coke repertoire produces. ...

Rhea Becker tries some vegan ice cream at the soon-to-open Wheeler's on Mass. Ave. near Symphony:

... The flavors were intense, unlike any other ice cream I've ever tried. We tasted: champagne (like a sparkling New Year's party in your mouth), green tea (turning Japanese), pumpkin (sweet but not too sweet), peanut butter and banana (with gigantic, chewy hunks of peanut butter), and chocolate peppermint (just like Girl Scouts Thin Mints but more refreshing). I'm sold on it. ...