Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square, with its ever-changing unique small plates, cozy atmosphere, and friendly, knowledgeable service, has long been a personal favorite. Now the team behind Spoke has gone bigger and grander, opening Liars in the Teele Square storefront that was formerly the vegetarian fine nosh spot, True Bistro.
If you’re expecting Spoke’s cozy intimacy, Liars will surprise you: The new space is chic and open, with a sheen of IKEA minimalism. There’s a bar with cafe tables on one side, and on the other, a more formal dining area with a tasting counter overlooking the open kitchen. And throughout, there’s a sense of spaciousness. The menu’s tight and peppered with unusual offerings: fiddlehead chips, elk lettuce wraps, beef tongue with peppers and cheese, and cold somen (Asian buckwheat noodles that come with either a light tomato-y or more classic sesame and cashew broth). Soups include a lamb and zucchini stew and a cauliflower and almond soup with shrimp.
The popular tuna meatballs, lean balls of seasoned tuna in a rich pomodoro sauce, are a neat trick — all the savory meatiness without the heaviness, and a tangy bite from the sauce. The meatballs are a guilt-free warm-up, and shareable, like many of the plates. They’re also exactly what they say they are: no garnish or starchy side, just whole foods cooked with delicate care and cleanly plated. If you want a side dish, you can order long-grain rice with the option of added crab-fat butter. The sizzling chicken sausage and okra is simple yet savory, a cast-iron skillet of flash-fried, de-cased sausage with stout okra segments. The Jonah crab arrived as two pristine claws with a creamy garlic aioli. (Getting the meat out wasn’t hard, but some effort was required for the reward.) My favorite was the slow-roasted swordfish, a juicy, peppery steak whose slow cooking smooths out the natural pungency that turns some people off (not me). It comes with three accents: delicately sliced, caramelized onions; chimichurri sauce; and a habanero vinaigrette that really knocked the dish out of the park for me, adding a piquant, puckering pow.
The drink list boasts playful theme-related names like “Come Clean” and “Poetic License,” and reads like a mad scientist’s chemistry equation. This is where the knowledgeable bartenders and servers can help you decide what to order. It’s a fun back-and-forth. The drinks include beguiling elements like roasted barley shochu, prickly ash, Serbian orange wine, Vago Elote, paw paw, and nitro pandan jasmine coffee. The end result is a colorful work of art in a thin-stemmed glass, maybe not what you expected but a happy surprise. I had something with banhez distilado de mango (Mexican liquor) and Sihhenge pineapple rum that was smooth, effervescent, and multi-tiered in its flavor complexity. As with the food menu, I wanted to try almost everything I read because it was so unusual. There’s also a flight of curated spirits that come in one- or two-ounce servings — neat or with ice, and, if you desire, cut with wineberry syrup.
In addition to the somen and elk, the wild mushrooms with soft scrambled eggs (two things I deeply appreciate) also beckon me back. The griddle-pressed corn muffin with blueberry ice cream is a nice way to close out your evening. From top to bottom, nearly everything on the menu stokes your curiosity and will have you planning future visits before you even close out your tab.
https://www.restaurantliars.com
Liars
1153 Broadway, Teele Square, Somerville
$$$ (out of $$$$)
A stronger
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