<em>Top Chef</em>'ing on the Waterfront

Proving that "expanding your palate abroad" doesn't just mean more widely open-mouth kissing girls on your semester in Sydney: Trade, the newest gem from the Top Chef Master behind Rialto. Situated off the Ft. Point Channel at historic Atlantic Wharf, this highly anticipated waterfront offering slings locally sourced, internationally flavored fare inspired by chef Jody Adams' love of travel and extensive globetrotting, which translates into

The Ambiance: "Woodsy industrial" gets it about right, as 190 seats are stationed beneath painted steel girders, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Greenway, and dome-shaped, hammered-tin lights illuminate wine racks masquerading as wooden filing cabinets and communal tables crafted from old sewing machines which ensure that, unlike the upcoming pun, any dinner conversation will have you in stitches

The Sustenance: Shareables start with roasted littlenecks (w/ smoky chili-nut sauce) and lemon aioli whole globe artichoke, plus there are wood stone oven-grilled flatbreads (including a lamb sausage/ eggplant/ Manchego number topped w/ peppers and garlic yogurt), and heartiness like an herb & garlic pork loin, and coconut seafood stew, which Tom Hanks should have just treated himself to instead of getting all skinny and scraggly. Gross

The Sweet Relief: Dual vino taps from the Gotham Project (a Cali Cab & Washington St Riesling) accompany sudsy refreshment from St-Ambroise and Delirium Tremens, as well as a repertoire of stiff cocktails like the Easy Fashion (Maker's/orange bitters/honey on the rocks), and a tequila/grapefruit highball called the Man With No Name, also what those enchanted Australian girls called you...though that was partially because you'd just respond by open-mouth kissing when they asked

Photo Credit: William Horne