A couple of weekends ago after I accepted a job offer for my new job (TODAY is my first day!!!), Kevin and I went out to celebrate. I?d heard little of Saloon prior to our visit, but enough to know that we needed to check it out. The speak-easy themed bar is located directly underneath Foundry on Elm in Davis Square, and features an extensive whiskey menu, with a focus on ?brown liquors.? I?m more of a gin and tequila kind of girl, but I was excited to see what they had to offer.
The decor reminds me of an old gentleman?s club (or what one would be like in my mind, anyway), with dark wood paneling everywhere, and no windows due to it?s underground location. There is a large u-shaped bar that fills up the main dining area, and both high and low tables fill the rest of the space. The whole mood of the decor and the low-lighting really play of the speak-easy feel ? as do the bartenders? suspenders, slicked back hair and handlebar mustaches. It?s quite the place ? and that?s before you even get to the menu!
Before we could even think about food, we perused the drink menu and each picked a cocktail. I ordered the Saloon Sour, which had gin, green chartreuse, lime, pineapple syrup, and an egg white. I?ve always made a point never to order drinks with raw eggs in them, just because it weirds me out a little, but I decided to go for it this time and it was unbelievable! Easily my favorite drink of the night. I absolutely love gin, so I was excited to see a couple of gin drinks on the menu, and this one was the perfect balance of herbal notes, citrus and fruity sweetness. Absolutely fantastic.
Kevin tried the Corpse Reviver #2 (gin, combier, cocchi, lemon, absinthe), which was also quite delicious. His was a bit stronger, probably due to the inclusion of absinthe, but it was really well balanced and easy to drink. Trouble. We both loved our first round of drinks, and felt like they set the bar pretty high for what was to come.
To start, we ordered the Beer Battered Pickled Peppers, stuffed with Boursin cheese and served with ranch dressing dip. The peppers they used were peppadews, the perfect choice in my opinion for this dish. The batter was really light, the peppers really juicy, and the creamy cheese filling and silky ranch dressing totally made each bite a delight. I was very sad when these were gone, and if our food hadn?t arrived so quickly I might have ordered more.
For the main course, Kevin ordered the Fish & Chips (beer batter fried local haddock, fries and traditional tartar), which I was surprised about because of it?s simplicity, bit it ended up being a great choice. The serving of fish was generous, and again the batter was just perfect. Sometimes I find that beer batter can detract from whatever it?s covering, but this was well seasoned and light enough that the fresh fish was the superstar. The fries were also perfectly crispy and lightly salted. So good.
My meal was incredible ? the Bubble & Squeak (roasted sausage, mashed root vegetables, shaved brussels sprouts, winter
leeks, onion gravy). Our waiter told us where the sausage came from (somewhere local), which of course I can?t remember now but I only asked because it was spectacular. It was so juicy and flavorful, and while I?m sure it was bathing in some combination of butter and more butter, it was just such a treat to take each bite. The veggies served along with the sausage were all perfectly cooked, and what I liked about them most was that each flavor was distinguishable. The onion gravy was creamy and slightly sweet, and the leeks added a refreshing but subtle bite. The root veggies were sweet and the brussels sprouts just sort of rounded out the whole dish. Really fantastic!
Right as our meal was coming out, we ordered another round of drinks. This time Kevin tried the Nay Sayer (wheat whiskey, lemon, wheat grass, bitters, ginger beer), something I suggested after having read a few reviews about it. Neither of us had ever had a cocktail with wheatgrass, so it was completely different than anything I?ve ever had, but very refreshing. It was slightly bitter, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and all around a top-notch libation. My second drink was?the?Daisey?(whiskey, yellow chartreuse, lemon, black currant syrup, soda), which was also good though a bit more sweet than I like. I never drink whiskey because in my mind I have a serious aversion to it, but this drink was so well thought out I actually liked the whiskey flavor! I think the lemon and the currant did a lot to sweeten the drink and soften the whiskey, so the end result was something easy to enjoy.
Overall we were really pleased with this dinner, and definitely want to go back again. The drinks aren?t cheap but the food is incredibly reasonably priced, making this a good stop for just a drink or a full-blown dinner. The service was laid back but attentive, and I loved that the bartenders and waiters all played up their outfits to fit with the speak-easy vibes. Fun night, great food, fantastic cocktails. You should absolutely check it out!
Saloon
255 Elm St.
Somerville, MA 02144
http://saloondavis.com/
justin beiber dia de los muertos dia de los muertos david arquette lionfish lionfish conjoined twins
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