Photo: Courtesy, Towne Stove & Spirits Boston
By PAUL RUBIO
Year after year, Boston’s academic arena lures fresh, virginal sycophants to enter a world of scholarship and sagacity, well endowed with countless opportunities for rebellion against Puritan ways. While the nerds hit the books and the underage heretics hit the “packies” (liquor stores), Boston’s more seasoned, post-pubescent residents revel in the city’s endless choices for inspired dining, adult-style binge drinking, and those “wicked pisser” nights. These folks have made this historic wonderland home – inhabiting the quaint brownstones on sleepy side streets, creating their own Freedom Trails, admiring the sea port flavor of Boston Harbor, sampling Back Bay’s latest eatery, and devouring the classical elegance and charm of Boston.
Russell House Tavern – Bringing the New American gastro-tavern trend to Harvard Square, the Russell House Tavern pays homage to the locale’s history, ethos and culture, lining walls with local vintage photos from Harvard Square circa 1950s, using only local farm-to-table products, landing at a price point suitable for students while presenting food and drink options that easily warrant the short trek to Cambridge. The tavern’s “torched tuna,” “salt and pepper laughing bird shrimp,” “creamy spinach gratin” and “dirty Caesar” put a fierce modern twist on American favorites. The “Andria pizza” with local burrata, black mission fig, and sweet garlic is the city’s wildest $13 food orgasm, the perfect prelude to market fresh mains liked the seared local monkfish loin with creamed fennel and roasted celery root. With most apps and small plates around $10, foodies can easily indulge in multiple gastro-masterpieces by Chef Michael Scelfo.
14 JFK Street, Cambridge, (617) 500-3055, www.russellhousecambridge.com
Towne Stove and Spirits – The foodie marriage between two of Boston’s most famous chefs, Jasper White and Lydia Shire, has spawned yet another beautiful offspring – this time an elegant, high-energy mega restaurant dedicated to comfort seafood and over-the-top worldly eats in the heart of Back Bay. Combining Lydia’s love for butter, lobster, global ingredients, and originality with Jasper’s love for New England seafood and a renowned equilibrium between home style cooking and haute cuisine, Towne Stove and Spirits boasts a menu as fun and busy as the crowds waiting for hours to sample the latest White-Shire conception. It’s hard to go wrong with any of the 50 plus familystyle, savory creations; however, the “wood grilled lobster & corn pizza with honeyed ricotta,” the seasonal “razor clams a la plancha in baqsque alioli,” the “twice fried green beans with white soy and ginger juice,” and the “peking chicken and pot pie” should not be missed under any circumstance! Spread between a bustling bar in the front serving the best in mixology, a contemporary frenetic dining room downstairs, and a quieter, sparkling upstairs, this gastronomic trendsetter is currently one of the hottest seats in town!
Towne – 900 Boylston Street, Boston (near the Mandarin Oriental Boston), (617) 247- 0400, www.towneboston.com; Summer Shack- 50 Dalton Street, Boston, (617) 867-9955
www.summershack restaurant.com.
Back Bay Social Club – Recreating the quintessential 1960s Manhattan social club ambience, the late night Back Bay Social Club revives a classy yet comfortable centralized meeting point for combining good times, good food, good people, and good conversation. The personality- driven resto-lounge feels like “Cheers” meets underground Prohibition rebellion, a place to come as you are and celebrate a love of great spirits. The sensational “squash salad with manchego & maple,” the succulent “Rhode Island style frito misto with peppadew peppers and garlic butter” and the home-made “fetuccini with porcini ragu” are perfect complements to the awesome wine and beer list and the kick-ass cocktails, like the “Gin Somethin” – millers gin, st. germain, grapefruit bitters, fresh grapefruit juice, simple syrup, muddled limes, cucumbers, and soda water.
867 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 247-3200, www.backbaysocialclub. com.
