The Rascal King lives forever in West Roxbury

The dining room of the West Roxbury Pub and Restaurant is a paean to the life of James Michael Curley, from boyhood through old age - a Curley mural fills all four walls of the room (local residents paid $20 to have their faces immortalized behind and next to Curley).

"The owner really liked Curley, huh?" I asked the waitress on a recent visit. "All the Irish do," she said. "He did a lot for us." At least in the West Roxbury Pub and Restaurant, Irish eyes are always smiling - even Tom Menino is shown dressed in the formal purple outfit of the Lord High Mayor of Dublin, as he officiates over Curley's wedding.

I think that's Billy Bulger on the right:

FDR pays a visit:

Note: If you want to see this, you might want to take a trip over there relatively soon. On a Friday night, Greta and I were the only diners for most of our time there - the place seems to be surviving on the bar and a function room. The food is basic American-ish fare - very similar to what you'll find in the more crowded Corrib Pub down the street.