Foundry in Davis Square - from "Boston Restaurant Talk"

[pbockelman.livejournal.com]

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Foundry Is Coming to Davis Square, Somerville

 

A new restaurant, lounge, and theater is coming to the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, moving into the space vacated by a home goods store.

Based on information from one poster on our Twitter page and another on the Chowhound site, a sign is up at the old Bowl & Board location on Elm Street for Foundry, which, according to Grub Street Boston, is going to be an American brasserie with a speakeasy lounge and a theater that will handle everything from comedy shows to music to children's theater. Foundry, which will be run by the same person behind The Independent and Precinct Bar (both in Somerville's Union Square), is expected to feature a raw bar, more than 30 beers on tap, and 100 bottles of wine from which to choose.

Right now, it appears that Foundry may open sometime in the late summer or fall.

The address for this upcoming restaurant, lounge, and theater will be: Foundry, 255 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144.

Comments

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Oooh, awesome. Just what Davis Square needs. Another restaurant. And another theatre.

Johnny D's must be thrilled.

[ron_newman]

This will be a reopening of the Jimmy Tingle theatre, and that is indeed awesome for Davis Square. When entertainment venues are clustered together geographically, it's good for all of them.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

I agree with Ron. While I don't know what makes a bar "raw" or a lounge "speakeasy" I welcome a bar/restaurant space that will offer a stage for live entertainment.

[ron_newman]

I assume he means this kind of raw bar.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I'd much rather have a bar/restaurant/theater than a bank, boring chain store, or burrito place.

sounds good to me!

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

As someone who loves a raw bar and enjoys Precinct and the Indo, I am actually really looking forward to this place.

It sounds different enough from Johnny D's to me, and Johnny D's really puts a lot of though into their music bookings and food quality so I think it will stand on its own feet, just as it has for 40+ years. (in full disclosure: I am distantly related to Carla @ Johnny D's - my uncle is Johnny D Jr., her brother, but I am certainly not speaking for them, just my own 2 cents here.)

The market will be the true test of whether all these restaurants fail or succeed. There is still a much wider diversity of retail here in Davis Square now than when I was a little kid, and I remember when the square was pretty sad.

-Ian/Somerville Theatre

Re: sounds good to me!

[ron_newman]

I agree with your enthusiasm for this new venue, but not with there being "a wider diversity of retail now". Davis used to have book stores, record stores, department stores, shoe stores, and places where men could buy clothes. It has really shifted heavily towards restaurants since then.

Re: sounds good to me!

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

Really Ron? I mean, compared to the glory days of the 50's and 60's, sure there is less general retail, but compared to 30 years ago? My mom wouldn't even let me ride my bike to 'the Rosebud end of the square' because it was so shady - and I don't mean trees.

I am amazed at the amount of cool local retail compared to my childhood. Just walking from my house to work there are great little places on Holland that were never there - furniture store, Black & Blue, Dave's Market, Boston Shaker, etc. There's still two consignment stores, the Goodwill, a fruit & veggie market, a butcher shop, two fabulous gift shops, the sewing store, a camera shop. The only department store when I was a kid was Almy's, which is the equivalent of a Marshalls - and people would crap their pants if they thought a Marshalls was moving into the square today. The CVS at least is more retail than existed at One Davis Square in over 30 years.

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Though I have come to realize that davis probably needs some affordable non-consignment clothing stores most of all, I am still of a mind that more nightlife options in davis is a good thing, not a bad thing. Any idea the capacity of this speakeasy?

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Oh, upon reading the "speakeasy" is not opening till next summer. Bummer.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

I'd like to know what marketing image they are try to conjure up when they call it a "speakeasy", since by definition those ceased to exist after prohibition ended. Is it supposed to feel forbidden or illicit somehow?

Why can't they call it a lounge or a nightclub? Sometimes I get so tired of marketing wordplay.

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

looks pretty cool

http://www.somervillema.gov/cos_content/documents/ElmSt255Plans1.pdf

Whatever happened to parking needs?

[pch1.livejournal.com]

While I also look forward to Foundry's opening it seems strange that all these new place are opening(Foundry, Posto, Flatbread Pizza Co.) and the issue of available parking hasn't come up. I could be wrong but I thought years ago when Redbones was thinking of opening a big place using the storefronts of what is now Diva, Diva Lounge and Wainright, that the dealbreaker was that there was not enough parking for a 150 - 200 seat restaurant. Now we have Posto with 50 seats, Flatbread with 100 or so, and Foundry with 150 +. Rumor has it that there may be a restaurant going in to the old Social Security building. Has there been an increase in available parking around Davis that I'm not aware of? Is availible parking not a consideration anymore?

Re: Whatever happened to parking needs?

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

Posto at least has its own parking lot.

Re: Whatever happened to parking needs?

[ron_newman]

My recollection was that Rob Gregory got all the permits to build and open his proposed restaurant (he had the Mount Vernon as his model), but elected not to proceed.

Davis Square is on a major transit line, so parking should never be a consideration in deciding whether to add more entertainment or restaurant venues.

Rebekah Gewirtz has said that we now have enough restaurants and that she would oppose any further conversions of retail or office to restaurant uses.

Re: Whatever happened to parking needs?

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I probably agree we have plenty of restaurants, but I don't agree about your assessment on parking, however optimistic you might be about people taking the train or bus, sometimes people just DON'T.