The Second Glass

This cozy, subterranean haunt is tucked away in a tiny side street just off of Tremont near Downtown Crossing. The dining room is definitively retro: the banquettes are lined in velvet and the walls are plastered with photos and liquor advertisements from a bygone era. An antique road sign emblazoned with “Vosne Romanée,” hangs beneath the staircase. This memento from the Burgundian monopole, an appellation controlled by a single winery, loosely translates from the original French as “wine nerds welcome.”

The Silvertone is an unorthodox concept, one that is reinforced by the back page of the menu: mixed in with the standard restaurant rules such as “we don’t seat incomplete parties,” and “we do not accept reservations” are lines like “no running with scissors,” “gold stars given for clean plates,” and “don’t swim for at least one hour after eating.”

The menu itself is reads like a laundry list of comfort foods, as interpreted by your foodie best friend. The traditional comforts of mac & cheese ($8) and the stellar meatloaf & mash ($11) are nestled next to more adventurous fare like steamed mussels with white wine and fennel ($9) and a jerk chicken served with fried bananas ($15). While such fare can sometimes leave vegetarians out of the fun, this menu is thoroughly inclusive with such satisfying options as a Goat Cheese Crostini ($6) and Penne Pomodoro ($10). The appetizers, a solid mix of soups, salads and pub grub standards like wings and quesadillas, run between $4 and $9. The entrees, with the exception of a few nightly specials, top out at the $15 mark. There are also a number of tasty imbibing options for your non-wino friends; a selection of 5 tap beers ($4), 10 in the bottle ($3-$7), and a killer selection of cocktails ($6-$8) ensure that all the members of your party will be happy no matter what their poison.

Don’t be disappointed if our recommended bottle isn’t on the list when you pop in for a visit. Although the food menu hasn’t changed in 10 years, the wine list changes weekly. This constant rotation of the roster ensures that the product is fresh, seasonally appropriate and an exceptional value- there’s not a bottle in the house that is priced at more than $10 above wholesale cost. Filene’s Basement: You’ve got some stiff competition around the corner.

69 Bromfield St, Boston | 617.338.7887

Don’t Miss:

Villa Sparina 2003 Gavi di Gavi. Fat and floral, this perfect aperitif is a steal at $16. It also went beautifully with the aforementioned mussels and the creamy lemon caper dressing, bacon and eggs that accompanied the baby Spinach Salad.