Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/78062
Red Lantern took a "cursed" space on Stanhope Street and made it cool. Emerald Lounge spent $500,000 on their high-tech sound system. Toast good friends at Legal Seafoods' crown jewel—the rooftop wine bar. The most forward-thinking restaurateurs are scientific in their approach to combining food, drink, and design to create sensory and gustatory theaters. steps away.) At just 88 seats, it's private-feeling, more loungey than clubby, and intimate; 30-something couples nuzzle on plush settees, high-tech venture capitalists reserve the Stone Room, while local cocktail connoisseurs and restaurant industry veterans can be spotted frequently at the bar. 500A Commonwealth Ave., 617-532-9150; thehawthornebar.com PRIME PROWL HOURS: 9 PM to close GO-TO GOODIES: Deviled eggs with crispy prosciutto and cornichons or house-made cocktail-flavored French macarons, like the Dark and Stormy and Old Fashioned POSH POUR: Krug Clos du Mesnil ($1,175/bottle) BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Reserve the Stone Room, with a dedicated bar and bartender VIP SPEED DIAL: Sarah Kate Ragsdale, Guest Relations manager WEDNESDAY Legal Harborside Rooftop Bar W hat better way to get over the hump than with the city's best waterfront bar? On weekdays, the open-air rooftop of Legal Sea Foods' flagship restaurant, designed by Atlanta-based The Johnson Studio (which also conceived the instantly popular rooftop bar at Chicago's Wit hotel), teems with a post-work, 30s and 40s crowd rather than the noisier weekend revelers. Where the run-down restaurant Jimmy's Harborside once dished out "traditional" fare to tourists, financiers from State Street now trade suit jackets for glasses of Grenache and mingle with architects and decorators shaking off a long day at the nearby Boston Design Center. They linger 128 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM into dinner time and beyond, and no one blames them. It's hard to pry yourself away from the copper-clad fireplace, the plates of über-fresh sashimi and maki, and the chance to talk yachts with owners who dock on Liberty Wharf for seafood and Champagne. 270 Northern Avenue, 617-477- 2900; legalseafoods.com PRIME PROWL HOURS: 6:30 PM to 10 PM GO-TO GOODIES: 124-piece sushi boat with chef's choice of maki, nigiri, sashimi, and hand rolls POSH POUR: 2000 Dom Pérignon ($145) BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Reserve the East Deck for a bird's-eye view when your favorite acts are at the Bank of America Pavilion VIP SPEED DIAL: General manager Justin Lisonbee THURSDAY Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge E mpire, Fan Pier's newest and biggest destination, brilliantly bridges the gap between work week and weekend. Seaport convention-goers come early, but quickly give way to hordes of well-heeled, well-dressed groups of young marketing executives and fashion industry types in their late 20s and 30s; Hervé Léger bandage dresses, peep-toe platforms, and lash extensions, while not mandatory, are de rigueur. With a giant menu of shareable plates and cocktails inspired by China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia (Think Red Lantern Restaurant & Lounge meets Myers + Chang), the hotspot delivers a decidedly girl's night out vibe, with prime people-watching and the occasional local celeb thrown in for