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When the going gets rough, the rough eat at the bar
By Christine Liu
del.ico.us
reddit!
MYERS + CHANG
Park your ass in a firm pink chair and follow your nose. At this tongue-in-cheek, pan-Asian, diner-inspired restaurant emblazoned with neon dragons and cheeky Confuciusisms, it's more of an eat than drink bar: Rather than facing a line of bottle-pouring bartenders, one directly oversees a flurry of bandana-topped chefs prepping plates and wielding woks. Chopsticks will inevitably bounce to the soundtrack, spanning Junior Senior to Múm.
Go BFF with a bottle of sake and hit the food, perfectly sized for snacking, sharing or small-mealing. Esti's hot and sour soup ($5) is pure goodness on a dour day, exuding freshness through soothing spoonfuls of bamboo shoots, pork and tofu. Clear your sinuses with the tiger's tears salad ($10), a peppery heap of tender steak and thai basil fervently seasoned with fish sauce. For those who aren't afraid of fermented pleasures, the addition of heady kimchee to bean curd cubes makes the spicy silky tofu ($10) an addictive heavy-hitter.
[1145 Washington St., South End, Boston. 617.542.5200. myspace.com/myersandchang]
OCEANAIRE
Boston's Oceanaire, the nation's 15th location, is a weird lovechild between an expensive power steakhouse and a fish pier. Despite the mostly corporate atmosphere—not going to lie here—housed within a gorgeous old bank marbled to the gills, the menu shifts a bit every day (or hour) to reflect the freshest seafood or merely upon the kitchen's whim. The theme conjures old-school luxury liner, yet with Tabasco and Old Bay casually plunked on tables, you can feel comfy waltzing in clad in jeans and a T-shirt.
The raw bar serviced by friendly faces is where to be, at which no less than 12 types of oysters ($1.99-$2.49 each) rotate with the season and availability. Retro classics, from Clams Casino ($10.95) to a tasty, cheapass tomato juice cocktail ($0.95), are perfect foils to the complimentary relish tray. From gin to shrimp, the cocktails run indulgently amok. Surrender to the Titanic-scaled Baked Alaska ($6.95), a mint-chocolate cakey-creamy joy, lit ablaze at your table (watch those eyebrows) and haunting dessert dreams forevermore.
[40 Court St., Downtown, Boston. 617.742.2277. theoceanaire.com]
PERSEPHONE
Those venturing into this block of industrial waterfront facades shall be rewarded by Persephone, chef Michael Leviton's preciously progressive restaurant nestled behind the Achilles Project's sharp lifestyle boutique. As a classy divider between the sit-down eatery and retail area, the bar's generously sized and augmented by kidney-shaped lounge seating. And proof there's a god: a Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero are available for the restless.
One can choose to study the chalkboard of daily bivalves ($1.25-$2.25 each) or engage in whatever's playing on the televisions hovering above a handsome array of booze—one night screened both a samurai film and CNN's nail-biting election coverage. An excellent list of wine, beer and sake is at your disposal, but among the cutesy-named cocktails, the gin + jazz ($12) scores with jasmine tea fragrantly mingling with Hendrick's gin. A baked-to-order bacon + sea salt pretzel ($8) is genius incarnate; as for happy endings, the pomegranate sorbet parfait ($8) hits the smooth, seed-bursting spot with a teasingly tart spank.
[283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston. 617.695.2257. achilles-project.com]