Best reason to follow your friends to Worcester
Your roommates have been nagging you to check out their band at an out-of-town gig; you're finally ready to
break down and tag along until they announce that the van leaves for "Woosta" in five minutes. "Why would
anyone want to go there?" you wonder. Not so fast with the negative vibes: the destination is Ralph's. In
its 20-plus years, the venue has hosted the likes of Hüsker Dü, Living Colour, Mission of Burma, and, more
recently, the Spurs, Kings of Nuthin', and the Fleshtones. But these days, it's not the music that keeps
people coming back; it's the old-time mid-20th-century roadside Americana hanging from the walls and
ceilings of this converted-brick-warehouse-turned-nightclub - all fronted by a diner that serves the world's
greatest hamburgers and chili.
In these years, even the best acts sometimes attract only a handful of people, and the sound system isn't
always up to the task at hand. But on some things you can still depend: you can count on Ralph's good food
every weekday from 11:30 a.m. on; you can hear the sounds of Stiff Little Fingers-era punk rock at
suppertime on Friday nights, compliments of long-time bartender/chef Rich Hanoi; and, should you find
yourself being served by the man himself, you'll have it his way or no way - which means you could get
a mouthwatering world-class steak when you've been craving a breathtaking burger, or a soul-cleansing
bowl of homemade beef stew when you've driven 40 miles for the chili. But it's all done in the name of
showing visitors some of that infamous Wormtown hospitality.
Ralph's, 95 Prescott Street, Worcester, (508) 753-9543.
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