( Editor’s Note: Bin28 Wine bar was reviewed in our Nov/Dec 2010 issue. Since then, the establishment has changed it’s name to Brassiere28 Restaurant & Lounge. More information at the end of this article. )
Fresh Maine crab cake, apple fennel salad, tarragon mustard. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
As the sun set over Elm Square on a ho-hum weeknight this summer, downtown Andover was all but rolled up. Seemed everyone had skipped town for the Vineyard.
Or had they?
Inside the flatiron brick building off Main Street, Andoverites jammed into Bin 28, swilling chardonnay and balancing square plates on their designer jeans. Excitement for the new Napa-meets-Tweedtown bistro spread from the buzzy bar, to the casual lounge, to the intimate dining room. Open since midsummer, Bin 28 knows its audience. Desperate housewives, divorcees on the prowl and couples canoodling over cabernet come here to sip and be seen.
After cooling our heels at the side rail for a few minutes, a space opened at the U-shaped bar and we grabbed it. Five stunning Enomatic stations that keep the wines at their optimum temperature and taste glow behind the bar. Ignore the printed wine list; it can’t keep pace with the heavy rotation at this white-hot spot.
Bartenders are happy to recommend wines by the glass. Take a chance. When I turned my nose up at an endorsed pinot noir midway through my meal, I was encouraged to trade it in for a more palatable zinfandel, no questions asked.
Chef Michael Sherman, Owners Matthew Morello and Alison Sudalter Morello, Sous Chef Eric McLaughlin and Bar Manager Colin Welch. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
The fun and flirty menu is more ambitious than most wine bars. But, as with all communal cuisine, you have to order several plates to feel nourished, and even then you might be peckish when you get home.
Of the five salads on the menu, arugula with blackberries and lavender honey vinaigrette caught my eye, but we settled on field greens with pink grapefruit and toasted almonds. It was well executed, tangy and fresh.
Next came the Bin “hot smoked” salmon, one of five cold offerings. Served with avocado, citrus, and chive crème fraîche, it was a delightful summer bite, but at $11 it should have been a smidge larger. Here’s a tip: don’t go to Bin 28 with a ravenous appetite. It costs too much to stay sated. The idea is to meet for a bite, literally, and try some decent wines.
Five Enomatic stations keep wine at optimum temperature and taste. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
They have 28 wines by the glass and 56 different wines in house at any given time — new- and old-world labels evenly represented. I started with a 3-ounce glass of Riesling from the Mosel Valley. This is a tasting size, and at $4 is very generous. I recommend ordering a number of small pours and have your companion do the same. Sniff, sip and compare. Create your own flight.
Chef/owner Matthew Morello is no stranger to the town or the stove. He ran Savour Kitchen on Park Street in Andover, a tiny cafe with a dedicated clientele, with his wife, Alison Sudalter-Morello, several years ago. When that shuttered, the couple took over the Andover Inn at Phillips Academy as interim management. Michael has worked at The Federalist and Spire in Boston and Tru in Chicago.
They opened Bin 28 to meet the town’s changing gastronomic needs.
“We wanted to stay in Andover, and we knew there was a need for a fun, casual, amazing food restaurant,” Alison says.
Amazing was the word that leapt to mind after one bite of Morello’s Maine crab cake. Its taut, crunchy exterior and largess of fresh crabmeat put this oft-trifled-with dish to shame. Served on fennel salad with creamy tarragon mustard and green apples, it tasted like summer. Cherish every bite. To gobble this up would be a serious felony.
Marinated Sicilian artichoke, smothered in silky olive oil, transported me back to the rustic cuisine I indulged in while visiting Sicily on my honeymoon. This $6 “snack” was my favorite.
All in all, Bin 28 is a harbinger that this classic New England downtown, hit hard by the recession, is on the rise again. We’ll drink to that.
Bin 28 , now known as Brasserie28 Restaurant & Lounge, is located at 2 Elm Square, Andover. The restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; dessert and cheese until 11 p.m.
(978) 470-2228 www.brasserie28.com.
Good Eats – Bin28 Wine Bar – Nov/Dec 2010
( Editor’s Note: Bin28 Wine bar was reviewed in our Nov/Dec 2010 issue. Since then, the establishment has changed it’s name to Brassiere28 Restaurant & Lounge. More information at the end of this article. )
Fresh Maine crab cake, apple fennel salad, tarragon mustard. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
As the sun set over Elm Square on a ho-hum weeknight this summer, downtown Andover was all but rolled up. Seemed everyone had skipped town for the Vineyard.
Or had they?
Inside the flatiron brick building off Main Street, Andoverites jammed into Bin 28, swilling chardonnay and balancing square plates on their designer jeans. Excitement for the new Napa-meets-Tweedtown bistro spread from the buzzy bar, to the casual lounge, to the intimate dining room. Open since midsummer, Bin 28 knows its audience. Desperate housewives, divorcees on the prowl and couples canoodling over cabernet come here to sip and be seen.
After cooling our heels at the side rail for a few minutes, a space opened at the U-shaped bar and we grabbed it. Five stunning Enomatic stations that keep the wines at their optimum temperature and taste glow behind the bar. Ignore the printed wine list; it can’t keep pace with the heavy rotation at this white-hot spot.
Bartenders are happy to recommend wines by the glass. Take a chance. When I turned my nose up at an endorsed pinot noir midway through my meal, I was encouraged to trade it in for a more palatable zinfandel, no questions asked.
Chef Michael Sherman, Owners Matthew Morello and Alison Sudalter Morello, Sous Chef Eric McLaughlin and Bar Manager Colin Welch. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
The fun and flirty menu is more ambitious than most wine bars. But, as with all communal cuisine, you have to order several plates to feel nourished, and even then you might be peckish when you get home.
Of the five salads on the menu, arugula with blackberries and lavender honey vinaigrette caught my eye, but we settled on field greens with pink grapefruit and toasted almonds. It was well executed, tangy and fresh.
Next came the Bin “hot smoked” salmon, one of five cold offerings. Served with avocado, citrus, and chive crème fraîche, it was a delightful summer bite, but at $11 it should have been a smidge larger. Here’s a tip: don’t go to Bin 28 with a ravenous appetite. It costs too much to stay sated. The idea is to meet for a bite, literally, and try some decent wines.
Five Enomatic stations keep wine at optimum temperature and taste. Photo by Kevin Harkins.
They have 28 wines by the glass and 56 different wines in house at any given time — new- and old-world labels evenly represented. I started with a 3-ounce glass of Riesling from the Mosel Valley. This is a tasting size, and at $4 is very generous. I recommend ordering a number of small pours and have your companion do the same. Sniff, sip and compare. Create your own flight.
Chef/owner Matthew Morello is no stranger to the town or the stove. He ran Savour Kitchen on Park Street in Andover, a tiny cafe with a dedicated clientele, with his wife, Alison Sudalter-Morello, several years ago. When that shuttered, the couple took over the Andover Inn at Phillips Academy as interim management. Michael has worked at The Federalist and Spire in Boston and Tru in Chicago.
They opened Bin 28 to meet the town’s changing gastronomic needs.
“We wanted to stay in Andover, and we knew there was a need for a fun, casual, amazing food restaurant,” Alison says.
Amazing was the word that leapt to mind after one bite of Morello’s Maine crab cake. Its taut, crunchy exterior and largess of fresh crabmeat put this oft-trifled-with dish to shame. Served on fennel salad with creamy tarragon mustard and green apples, it tasted like summer. Cherish every bite. To gobble this up would be a serious felony.
Marinated Sicilian artichoke, smothered in silky olive oil, transported me back to the rustic cuisine I indulged in while visiting Sicily on my honeymoon. This $6 “snack” was my favorite.
All in all, Bin 28 is a harbinger that this classic New England downtown, hit hard by the recession, is on the rise again. We’ll drink to that.
Bin 28 , now known as Brasserie28 Restaurant & Lounge, is located at 2 Elm Square, Andover. The restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; dessert and cheese until 11 p.m.
(978) 470-2228 www.brasserie28.com.