What appeared to be a friendly chat about hurling at the Black Rose, 160 State St., took a quick violent turn when one guy declared himself "the best hurler in America" and warned the other man "if you don't fucking shut up, I will bite your fucking nose off" - and then tried to do just that, police said at a Boston Licensing Board hearing this morning.

The man failed to rip the victim's nose off in the incident, around 8 p.m. on Nov. 19, but chomped down hard enough to send the victim to a local emergency room, according to testimony this morning. The victim, himself an Irish native, testified he was not sure if his attacker threatened to "bite" or "rip" his nose off, but in either case, he found himself on the floor as his wife rushed to a bouncer to summon aid.

A bar manager said bar workers were unaware the conversation had gotten gnashy until the wife alerted the bouncer. The attacker was ushered outside as bar staffers tried to convince the man to wait for an ambulance - he declined, because a friend had already volunteered to rush him to the hospital.

Police cited the bar for the assault and battery, but board member Liam Curran said he was concerned nobody at the bar called police immediately after learning about the attack. The board decides Thursday what action, if any, to take.