A Stylish Cocktail Bar Debuts in the North End | Eater Boston
"A subterranean, 20-seat ticketed cocktail bar tucked in the back of sibling Italian restaurant the Red Fox, conceived by bar director Phillip Rolfe as a slightly larger expansion of the tiny, nine-seat Farmacia concept. Bookings are prepaid ($90 per ticket) and deliberately limited — each reservation is 110 minutes and includes an aperitivo, three cocktails, three small plates and a little sweet bite; the inaugural menu is a seasonally themed tour through Italy with small plates of pasta, meatballs to share and more, and the team makes full use of the Red Fox kitchen rather than the limited snacks available at Farmacia. The night begins with a choice of spritzes with herb and citrus infusions, then guests choose two cocktails from a list of eight mains plus one of two dessert cocktails (four drinks total per ticket): highlights on the Italian lineup include the gin-based Uva e Parmigiano, mixed with green grape soda and topped with Parmesan foam, and the spicy Arancia Rossa e Pepe, made with serrano pepper–infused tequila and a tart blood orange syrup; there’s also a creamy espresso martini on the dessert menu. Given the project’s name, there’s a martini riff: building on the Red Fox’s savory Aglio e Pepe martini (garlic, black pepper, Parmesan), Rolfe amps up the idea with the All’Aglio e Basilico martini, in which basil is added for a pesto-y twist. “We wanted to start [the new cocktail club] with a nod to the North End neighborhood as well as a celebration of All Day Hospitality’s roots, taking guests on a journey through Italy’s rich food culture while applying modern and complex production processes that guests have become accustomed to at Farmacia,” Rolfe said in a statement on the opening. The project is driven by All Day Hospitality — the North End group behind Ciao Roma, Tony & Elaine’s, Farmacia and the Red Fox — and, because it’s small and ticketed, reservations are expected to be competitive and sell out quickly; it’s open Wednesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m." - Erika Adams
