THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Anthem

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Anthem Restaurant Review:

Standing out amid the seedy sports bars of the North Station area, chef Robert Fathman's sophomore venue is a sexy take on the contemporary American bistro (or would be if the huge space weren’t always echoingly half-empty). Surfaces gleam and hues glow: silver gossamer drapes sway in the lounge area, while lipstick-red pillars soar throughout the dining room. Such spit-and-polish hardly prepares you for the playful, even down-and-dirty, eats on offer. If, at Azure, Fathman shows relative restraint, here his flair for funkiness goes full-throttle, as he puts retro eats on the fast track to the present: pulled-pork dumplings with avocado mousse, chorizo-studded meatloaf with Texas toast and even tuna-noodle casserole provide comfort while avoiding predictability. Indeed, more traditional dinner entrées are overall less interesting than the punchy lunch items and all-day apps and sandwiches. In any case, flirty cocktails are natural companions. Still, the attempt to eat your low and have high too doesn't always pan out; it's hard to maintain any sense of sophistication when you're ordering "chickadee chick Chinese chicken" or "kick-ass fries."