Getting Salty: A Q+A with Row 34’s beer director, Suzy Hays
Indiana native Suzy Hays studied marine biology in Hawaii and interned at the New England Aquarium, where she fell in love with Boston. She moved here full time and bartended at P.F. Chang’s. It was there that Bukowski Tavern’s Suzi Samowski spotted Hays and offered her a job behind the bar. “I told her that I didn’t have experience. She said I could learn,” Hays recalls. And so she went from marine mammals to ales and lagers — and, now, on to a prime gig as Row 34’s beer director.
What’s the first restaurant you ever ate at in Boston? It’s funny. The first restaurant I ate at was No. 9 Park. I was 10 or 11. My grandparents took us to Boston for the first time, and we stayed at the club right next to [the restaurant] on the Common. I was a simple eater, meat and potatoes. They made my brother and me a simple pasta. It’s so funny, working here in Boston and knowing the caliber it is, thinking back on that moment. I ate at this well-known, highly established restaurant — and had pasta with butter.
What’s one thing you’d like to fix about the restaurant industry here? We could use more small, niche places. I think that the likes of Rebel Rebel and Nathalie are going toward that, and Sycamore has already been doing it. We could use quaint, cozy places that are visually appealing — we lack that luster. New York, Chicago, even Nashville have these beautiful, small, well-thought-out places. Boston lacks that kind of charm.
What other restaurants do you visit? Brewer’s Fork. I love the beer list. The Publick House, because I’m a fan of Belgian beer. They have the best selection in Boston by far, and their fries are really good. And Sycamore, if I feel like a bottle of wine and their duck board.
What’s your earliest food memory that made you think, ‘I want to work in restaurants?’ A week into getting hired at Bukowski, I didn’t know anything at all about beer. I knew next to nothing. I barely knew the difference between an ale and a lager. I took a sip of farmhouse ale, and I was hooked. I think it was Boulevard Tank 7.
What’s the worst restaurant experience you’ve ever had? My boyfriend and I were at a bar. We wanted to order a bottle of beer, and I asked about something that wasn’t on the menu, and the bartender said it didn’t exist. We ordered a nice Belgian sour ale. Then the bartender came out with a bottle that was off the menu. It felt like he was testing us. After we ordered something, we were good enough to then have it. I’m not for the pretention. Everyone should have good-quality products offered at any time, no matter who you are.
How could Boston become a better food city? We’re getting there! These small, visually appealing places where you want to be there for hours. There’s this cherry on top that’s missing, the visual appeal of the spaces.
Name three adjectives for Boston diners. Loyal, for sure: We have had regulars from day one. Some come in three or four times a week. Adventurous: We have regulars who want to try new things, like a new beer or glass of wine. And they love consistency, but they’re looking to be a little bit adventurous.
What’s the most overdone trend right now? New England IPAs.
What are you reading? I’m not much of an avid novel reader, but I want to revisit Darwin’s “Origin of the Species.”
How’s your commute? Easy. I live in Newton. I hope on the express bus or take the Pike in.
What’s the one food you never want to eat again? Honestly, I’m not much of an IPA drinker. I could live without drinking them. And, this is weird, but I’m a texture person — so, mashed potatoes!
What kind of restaurant is Boston missing right now? I would say German food. I don’t know if I’m wrong in saying that. In Indiana, German food is a big thing, and I haven’t had it much here.
What’s your most missed Boston restaurant? I haven’t been in the scene long enough, but I miss my regular late nights at Eastern Standard.
Who was your most memorable customer? A group of four that sat at the small bar at Row 34. It was a slow night. We got to chatting, and come to find out they were in town for Dana-Farber. A gentleman had a serious cancer, and from what I understand, rare. He had a pretty awful diagnosis. I asked if they could come back in the next day. We brought up beer from our cellar, popped some cool bottles, and had a good time. He wanted to take his mind off why he was in Boston. I hope we turned a negative trip into something memorable.
If you had to eat your last meal in Boston, what would it be? Can I do three places? Steak tartare at Mistral; Sycamore for orange wine and the duck board; and Eastern Standard for beer and bone marrow.