Going Out
Mass Appeal
Photo Credit: Dan Watkins
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Multiplicity is a great way to defy convention. It keeps people from pinning you down.
“We’re not saying we’re a tavern. We’re not saying we’re a gastropub. There [are] no rules here,” says Back Bay Social Club chef Tim Raines. “I’m trying to embrace that and have fun.”
The 26-year-old’s menu stretches from breakfast to late-night, seven days a week, and with the profusion of options, BBSC both validates predictions and provides some surprises. You would expect to find a “locally foraged” mushroom and goat-cheese tart ($12), but you wouldn’t think of Boylston as the place to grab a fried-egg sandwich on the way to the office ($8-$11). There are daily specials, and, surprise, Monday’s is chicken and waffles ($14), but Friday’s is a fish fry (market price), which feels more backwoods then Back Bay.
As for drinks, there’s Tom Mastricola, whose work history includes the opening of No. 9 Park’s illustrious bar program. At brunch, he’d be pleased to pour you a maple-bacon Bloody Mary ($11), but be sure to ask him about the house-made coffee liqueur for the White Russians ($12). Of course, there are craft cocktails, but Mastricola has tackled an atypical era, highlighting creations from the late ’60s and early ’70s, like the brandy and white crème de menthe Stinger ($12) or a prosecco-ed variation on the Harvey Wallbanger ($12).
At BBSC, all the buzzwords are present, they’re just part of a larger body of work. “There was no intention to say, ‘This is local; this is native,’” Raines explains. “We just tried to make it the best.”
Back Bay Social Club | 867 Boylston St., Boston | 617-247-3200 | backbaysocialclub.com
