Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/121906
TASTE orange you glad? TAKE OFF THE ROSÉ-COLORED GLASSES AND THINK ORANGE FOR SUMMER WINES. BY BRANDY RAND SMALL PLATES WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR STEPHANIE SOKOLOVE'S NEWEST OUTPOST, OPENING THIS SUMMER. B ack Bay legend Stephanie's on Newbury surprised Bostonians four years ago by expanding to the South End after being rooted in one place for 15 years. Now, once again, the brand is expanding, and once again with a bit of a surprise, this time in regard to location: Stephanie's is headed to Southie. Real estate insiders nod their heads at the move: What was once an entrenched Irish neighborhood has exploded recently with luxury housing (notably the Macallen Building) that's selling fast. "We saw a ton of residential housing going up, but hardly any restaurants," says Leo Fonseca, director of operations for the Stephanie's restaurant group. "There aren't a lot of places doing what we do there." The new Stephi's in Southie will be on West Broadway. Fonseca says the restaurant group looked at several spaces that were snapped up fast, namely Ming Tsai's Blue Dragon on A Street and Eric Aulenback's Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant on West Broadway. But a long-term customer of the Newbury Street location suggested taking a look at a project for which he was the broker, and it was a fit. The 160-seat space, which has frontage on both West Broadway and Dorchester Avenue, will include a huge horseshoe-shaped bar with high-tops. Stephen Sousa, the architect of Stephi's on Tremont, is designing the new space, complete with kitchen bar seating so diners can watch the chefs in action. While the menu will carry over some classics from Stephanie's on Newbury—like the Chunky Chicken Salad, mac and cheese, meatloaf, and caramelized apple bread pudding—it will focus on shareable small plates. Derek Flodin, currently assistant general manager at Newbury Street, will be the general manager at the new space. "This will fill a real void in the neighborhood," Fonseca says. The restaurant is slated for a July opening. 11 West Broadway; stephaniesonnewbury.com BC 80 INSIGHT 617-262-0363; bauerwines.com Riedel Sommeliers Riesling Grand Cru wine glass, Tiffany & Co. ($80). Copley Place, 617-353-0222; tiffany.com PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF GALE (WINE); COURTESY OF STEPHANIE'S (SHRIMP) stephi does southie Enjoy a grilled shrimp salad for lunch. If you don't consider fried chicken a wine-friendly food, you haven't met Liz Vilardi, owner and wine director of Belly Wine Bar, and her collection of orange wines. A tad too yellow to be white, a bit too misunderstood to be mainstream, these boutique offerings are the perfect pairing to the anti-swimsuit diet of fat and salt. Think charcuterie, cheese, fried eggs—anything savory enough to stand up to their strong, earthy taste. Although they've been around for a while, orange wines are the edgy beverage du jour thanks to adventurous wine lovers like Vilardi. Orange wines are actually made from white grapes that spend from 10 days to three years macerating in their skins and are then aged in oak or stainless-steel casks. The resulting orange color leads some people to expect a sweet taste, since dessert wines also have an amber hue, but Vilardi was up for the challenge of converting her guests. "They're fantastic food wines," she says. Aficionados can also find them at Oleana (134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-661-0505; oleanarestaurant.com), Bergamot (118 Beacon St., Somerville, 617-576-7700; bergamotrestaurant.com), and Menton (354 Congress St., 617-737-0099; mentonboston.com). Belly offers five orange wines by the glass, from Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia and Emilia Romagna regions. Because these small-production wines take a long time to make, they tend to be expensive ($15 to $35 a glass), but Vilardi is a passionate advocate for their place on her seaPurchase orange wine sonally rotating menu. The umami, by the bottle at these or savory taste, of orange wine comfine retailers. plements Belly's charcuterie and Central Bottle, 196 salumi offerings and adds a sophistiMassachusetts Ave., cated splash to summer's fried Cambridge, chicken feasts. "They're like your 617-225-0040; centralbottle.com mother-in-law," she jokes, meaning The Wine Bottega, they can be an acquired taste, but 341 Hanover St., they've earned their rightful place 617-227-6607; in her repertoire. Belly Wine Bar, thewinebottega.com One Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617Bauer Wine & Spirits, 494-0968; bellywinebar.com 330 Newbury St., BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 080_BC_SC_Spirits/News_LATESPRING_13.indd 80 4/10/13 12:42 PM