Boston’s Hottest New Cocktail Bars
Chef Jamie Bissonnette, alongside business partners Babak Bina and Andy Cartin, opened a trio of new spots this spring in Downtown Crossing: Korean restaurant Somaek, subterranean sushi bar Sushi @ Temple Records, and a Japanese-influenced listening bar located above the sushi counter dubbed Temple Records. Here is where you go for a low-key night spent sipping Japanese spirits mixed into highballs and inventive cocktails — start with the Off Minor, a punchy, tart drink with gin, absinthe, yuzu, basil, and a melon liqueur — all set to a soundtrack of vinyl records playing everything from classic rock to pop or jazz. If you’re hungry, there’s a snacky bar menu available with items like karaage fried chicken, jwipo (Korean fish jerky) and peanuts, steak tartare, and mushroom and tofu dumplings, or mandu.
