Spoke Wine Bar

Friday night, we had tickets to see Harry Connick, Jr at Symphony Hall, and beforehand, we stopped into Spoke Wine Bar for dinner. Spoke opened recently in Davis Square, and we're a little in love with it. Like, I think I would move in with them if I could. This was our second visit, and we were just as impressed as we were on our first visit a few months ago.

It's a little hole in the wall spot, sunny and welcoming on a summer afternoon. There are no reservations, so we arrived early (around 5:30) to avoid a wait. Behind the bar, large chalkboards advertise wines available by the glass and a small but well-curated list of craft beers and cocktails. The back wall is lined with a mirror where the days specials are scrawled.

We were seated immediately and started with one of their cocktails, a traditional daiquiri made with rum, lime juice, and sugar, which really hit the spot while we browsed the food and wine menu.

Most menu items are smaller portions, so we like to pick a few things to share. To start out, we opted for one of their spreads, the delicious chickpea herb, served along with buttery, spongy flatbread sprinkled generously with a seed and nut blend.

Following our spread, we ordered the charcuterie plate. It arrived with three cured meats lined up on a wooden plank along with buttered toast, a spicy whole-grain mustard, and house-made pickled vegetables. On our last visit, the cheese plate was equally wonderful.

After the charcuterie plate, my husband got pasta and lamb ragout while I enjoyed the rabbit porchetta, both really great. We tried a couple wines with dinner; my favorite was a glass of rose (Ameztoi Txakolina Rose from Spain). It seemed fitting for the first day of summer!

After dinner, we somehow made room for a little desert before making our way to Symphony Hall (where the usher totally ripped my tickets in half instead of neatly along the perforation). We were younger than most of the audience by a good twenty years (that seems to happen to us a lot), but we were so excited to see Harry again. He's so darn talented and puts on an absolutely fantastic show. We had the best time! Now that grad school is behind us, I think I could get used to these date nights again!