Saloon

Saloon Restaurant Review:

Finding the entrance to Davis Square’s Saloon is sort of like hunting for a Prohibition-era Speakeasy. It’s under sister restaurant Foundry on Elm, in a cozy basement of brick, leather and rugs. At the bar, choose from among 120 whisky varieties and share a cone of white truffle and honey popcorn and a charcuterie platter. At the table, chef Shayne Nunes offers a more casual version of his Foundry on Elm menu. For hors d’oeuvres, look for sweet-spicy maple Buffalo wings, or feta-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. With a platter of Cape Cod oysters, try the Mother of Pearl: Scotch, Combier, St-Germain and Averna. Steak tips are popular, but go for the Guinness-braised short ribs in a chipotle-cherry glaze atop cornbread purée. The Rodeo Burger delivers a Prime blend with maple smoked cheddar, crispy shallots and whiskey BBQ atop a brioche bun, with sides of horseradish aïoli and garlicky Parm wedges. Vegetarians can try caramelized Brussels sprouts with maple buffalo sauce and crispy shallots, or chickpea-tomatillo stew with Israeli couscous, tomato coconut broth, and grilled cornbread with jalapeño butter. Hot fried chicken features chili-spiced breading, hot sauce, a buttermilk biscuit, marinated cucumbers and honey-basil yogurt. A select variety of wines by the glass or bottle is available, and on draft is craft beer and cider.