All around Towne

You have no doubt heard a lot about the offspring of culinary directors Lydia Shire and Jasper White now pulsing with life in Hynes Convention Center. Towne stove and spirits has indeed been mentioned by myself in a previous post as a hot new place to try out before the summer's end. As I like to think of myself as a person of relatively good moral character, I try to take my own advice as much as I can.

So, last night, off I went for a night out on the Towne...and I can happily say that the place lives up to most of its impressive write ups. The restaurant is quite large and able to accomodate a wide variety of crowds. The first bar that greets you as you enter has the typical sports bar feel to it, loud (perhaps a little too loud), lots of people and generally an upbeat vibe. This is where we started out...and after our first drink order, our voices already becoming hoarse, we decided to check out the other space offerings. Our waitress was exceptionally friendly and welcomed us to venture around the restaurant until we found a spot we preferred.

The next stop was just behind the first bar, where a room with another bar beside a dining area opened up. This was much quieter already, more consistent with the business casual dinner experience. Already we felt better not having to belt out our commentaries. In this part of the restaurant, we were also greeted with a glimpse of their angel food cake dessert which floats by topped with a cloud of maple cotton candy...oo-er. They also offer a simple bar menu with affordable prices and a neat little lobster tasting menu in the form of a fan...very nifty.

Compelled by our sense of adventure, we decided not to rest here long and continued up the beckoning staircase to the top floor dining area, or dining room two. This was much classier, with a nice shiny bar, dining area and windows all around. There was yet another dining area off to the side which faces Boylston street and reminisces a grand dining area with red accents.

Satisfied at last, we were cordially seated at a circular table in this dining area. Our waiter was attentive almost to the point of becoming overbearring, but I believe he was just genuinly interested in sharing his knowledge. He brought out some very delicious homemade bread with three condiments: salted butter, cod caviar and babaganoush, took out drink order and told us briefly about the scientific edge of the restaurant (seeing as our water glasses were beakers, we had to ask!)

We ended up just having time to order one of their wood grilled flatbreads with mushroom tapenade, scallions and homemade cheese. It was actually grilled to near perfection and the ingredients married well together.

The place is huge, the service seems to be rather good and the food and drink are creative...it has all the ingredients to succeed in a very competitive area. For those more frugal foodies, the bar and lobster tasting menus make for a great way to experience Towne without breaking the bank.