{“data”:[{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”With the beer and barbecue flowing, one of Boston’s latest start\\-ups, [InquisEATive](http://www.inquiseative.com/), gathered at the recently opened [Causeway Restaurant and Bar](http://causewayboston.com/) \\(located near North Station\\) to host its fifth meal.\n”}},{“type”:”html”,”data”:{“text”:”“}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Just what is InquisEATive? It’s a restaurant discovery platform, founded by Derek McLeod, that hosts monthly events with the aim to give guests a wide taste of a restaurant’s menu, without risking their budget on something they may not enjoy.\n\nMcLeod came up with the concept on a Friday night after he and his girlfriend had trouble picking a new restaurant for dinner and they ended up at their one of their usual spots.\n\n“There are just so many options in this city, you know, if you just google, ‘restaurants Boston,’ there’s like 1500 responses that show up in the search,” said McLeod. “That’s 1500 places to buy food from in the city and I can count on both my hands how many I’ve tried.”\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-12-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-12.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”McLeod, who admits that he suffers from FOMO \\(fear of missing out\\), was annoyed by how few restaurants he had tried, but he also acknowledges that going to a new restaurant doesn’t always result in trying new food.\n\n“You’re looking at this menu and it’s huge and you’re there because you want to try something new, something different, but you’re not sure if you’re going to like crab legs or you’re going to like habanero pepper steak,” said McLeod. “And you end up just typically ordering, ‘oh, well, I’m going to have a burger because I’m hungry and that’s what I’m comfortable with,’ to have the same thing over and over again – you have to branch out and try new things.”\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-13-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-13.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Armed with his FOMO and fondness for food \\(“eating is more than something you just have to do – it’s art.”\\), McLeod put out a message on Reddit to see what /r/Boston would think. And while the post itself appears to have not garnered much attention, McLeod’s email list for InquisEATive said otherwise. This, to him, was the green light.\n\nMcLeod, who works a full time job as an analyst during the day, began calling up restaurants to see who would host the group. He incentivized restaurants by explaining how InquisEATive’s model is mutually beneficial for both parties. The restaurants get seated tables on what could be empty nights and active marketing, whereas diners receive a complete dining experience for a fraction of the cost.\n\nAfter calling several places, McLeod found the spot for the first event – Blue Inc. – this was five months ago.\n\nSince then, the group has returned to Blue Inc. for a second round, dined at Jacob Wirth for German fare, feasted at Addis Red Sea for an adventure in Ethiopian food and, as of last night, they got their hands dirty with BBQ at Causeway.\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-5-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-5.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 8, Causeway was InquisEATive’s largest event to date, with 30 diners attending.\n\nEach guest was able to choose one appetizer \\(out of three\\) and two entrées \\(out of eight\\). The menu was hand\\-picked by McLeod and one of the chefs.\n\n“I try to include a little something for everyone – if someone has a gluten allergy or they’re vegetarian,” said McLeod. “We also let the restaurant pick which plates they think best represent them. That, in turn, reflect on me.”\n\nIf that’s the case, then Causeway did a great job representing themselves and InquisEATive.\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-2-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-2.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Starting with the black pepper\\-honey buffalo wings and a Green Flash IPA, I knew it was going to be hard to limit myself so as to fit in all three plates.\n\nThe spiciness of the wings \\(bias admission: I’m very weak to spicy foods\\) coupled nicely with the hoppiness of the IPA. I would later find out from Chef Ruben Garza, that these are their most popular wings – and with good reason.\n\nSticky, sweet and spicy, these wings surprise you with a smoky flavor that you only taste after biting into them. The secret, I found out, is a [J&R Smoker](http://www.jrmanufacturing.com/) that the restaurant hauled over to Boston from Mesquite, Texas.\n\n“We start a fire at night and smoke the meat for 12 hours,” said Garza. “Everybody has their own take on BBQ, I prefer to cook it over wooden logs.”\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-4-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-4.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”The first of the two entrées that I tried was the BBQ Brisket. Sweet, soft and smoky, it was the perfect dish to bite into after sweating through the wings’ spiciness. The sauce they pour on top, Causeway’s own take on BBQ, brilliantly coates the brisket for a melt\\-in\\-your\\-mouth combination. Oh, and let’s not forget the cornbread, the perfect side to any BBQ plate.\n\nThe last of the entrées was the DePasquale’s BBQ Sauage. I took my first bite and just like that, my mouth was on fire again – it’s back to spicy.\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-3-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-3.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Now, don’t think this is a bad thing, the sausage was tasty enough that it made eating through the burn worth it. A side of potato salad helped calm the fire on my tastebuds and I finished it all off with a Rye IPA.\n\nLast night, I wasn’t the only who seriously enjoy my meal. Caitlin Losi and Matthew Stone were attending their first InquisEATive event as well.\n\n“We’re coming back,” said Stone when asked how he liked the event. “There’s lots of leftover food.”\n\nCalling it a “good date night,” Losi agreed with Stone – they’re both planning on attending another InquisEATive event.\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-1-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-1.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”Now, if anything else needs to be said about Causeway, it has to be about the genuinely warm staff.\n\nWelcoming, seating and serving, Antonella Martino greeted each diner with a smile. Behind the bar, Heather Bishop served up drinks for the patrons. Combined, they made for a powerhouse duo that ensured no one needed for anything.\n\n”}},{“type”:”image”,”data”:{“file”:{“url”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-10-700×466.jpg”,”full”:”http://www.bdcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AOrtizPhoto-10.jpg”},”text”:””}},{“type”:”text”,”data”:{“text”:”The Causeway event was a complete success, which brings to mind, what’s next for InquisEATive?\n\n“We have some really, really cool plans for 2015,” said McLeod. “I can’t give too much away, but we’re going to do something featuring burger places in Boston in July.” \n\nInqusEATive takes place once a month, with tickets costing between $35 and $40. Updates for next month’s event will be sent out via email list first and then posted on the website. \n\n”}}]}
