Friday Night Done Right

On Friday night, a friend and I decided we deserved a great meal and an even better cocktail. So we headed over to the Waterfront and hit up Barbara Lynch's Sprotello and Drink. 

The food is fantastic at Sportello. We carb loaded like nobody's business. They have roughly half a dozen mouth watering pasta dishes to choose from. And good for us, they offer half orders. So we tried four pastas off the menu. We sampled the pappardelle, potato gnocchi, bigoli carbonara and the classic tagliatelle with bolognese. The bolognese and the gnocchi were by far the standouts for me. Such comforting and full flavors. One thing I've learned about Boston - they do pasta right. 

We threw in some asparagus and grill octopus, washed it all down with a bottle of wine and called ourselves content. 

Directly below Sportello is Drink - a  hip and well designed place to get a damn good cocktail. They crowd control the bar, meaning there's never a person in the house without a place to sit (or stand at roomy hightops). Meaning there's always a line outside. But - here's the key - eat at Sportello before hand, let the host know when you arrive that you're headed downstairs after dinner. They'll roll out the service and walk you through their kitchen and down the stairs to your place at the bar. Magic. 

Drink certainly focuses on their drinks - and very successfully so. There's no real cocktails on the menu, just a list of booze. Tell them what you're feeling and they'll make you just that. Citrus? Whiskey? Classic? Tequila? Herbal? Whatever you want. 

It's a great place with a fun vibe. Definitely high on the list. 

xo, 

eb

Nommers...

Sportello has an interesting setup: the bar wraps around most of the restaurant 

and makes up most of the seating options- a very modern take on a classic diner feel.

There's also a little bakery section. I want to come back for these treats!

That's a kit kat cupcake!

I love innovation substitutions for buttering your bread. Lots of restaurants here in Boston 

seem to have fun with this pre-meal staple. Franklin Cafe serves homemade hummus, Island Creek Oyster Bar features honey cayenne butter. This here was a delicious light and fluffy ricotta cheese drizzled with olive oil and, I believe, figs. Delish.

Drink it up, y'all.

The guy next to us came in and set this book on a bar. We promptly called him out that 

bringing it to the bar (on a Friday night at 11pm) seemed a little... much. Oh, Boston.