First Taste
Vintage Store
Photo Credit: Dan Watkins |
When Chris Damian and Brad Dalbeck opened Max and Dylans in 2008, they tapped into a Downtown Crossing market that had largely been underserved. The neighborhood—now backed by Millennium Partners’ promise to build luxury condos to fill the crater left by the Filene’s Basement demolition—has undergone a revamp in the last four years, and the duo’s Legendary Restaurant Group hopes to find fresh success with Sip Wine Bar and Kitchen, opening in late July in the former Bina Osteria space. “I know this neighborhood,” says Damian. “And I know what people here want. This restaurant is for everyone, we’re not locking into a specific style of food.”
Here, food is a glitzy accessory to the drinks. The diverse menu of culture-hopping small plates, including options like sashimi bowls and arancini, is designed to pair with the 150-bottle wine list—many available by the glass, guzzle or mere mouthful. Patrons in search of pre- or post-theater dinner can order larger, shared plates.
Fans of Bina will remember its adjacent specialty foods store, the Alimentari, which offered high-end Italian fare. Damian and Dalbeck’s interpretation is Avery Provision Co., a well-stocked space that, while offering cold cuts, dried pastas and frozen entrees, is most focused on prepared dishes like freshly made sushi. “There’s not really a grocery store down here,” says Damian. “I envisioned this as the kind of place you can grab dinner, pick up a few things. It’s what you make it.”
Sip Wine Bar and Kitchen
581 Washington St., Boston | 617-956-0888 | sipwinebarandkitchen.com
Avery Provision Co.
571 Washington St., Boston | 617-357-0888 | averyprovision.com
