EAT & DRINKS:
The 21st Amendment

By Emily Eastridge | Weekly Dig | July 28, 2004

Pulling back a heavy door and peering down the steps, you might get the impression that you're heading into a dark cellar rather than the hopping bistro known as 21st Amendment. The space is cool, fairly small and dimly lit, a relief from the outside heat. There's a fully furnished bar, and the room is always packed with suits from the State House and financial district.

The narrow, thickly paned glass windows provide sparse shafts of light under which friends gather for a few late-afternoon beers. Some of the available beers on tap ($4.25 per glass, $10 per pitcher) are Guinness, Sam Adams, Budweiser, Harpoon, Hefeweizen and Stella Artois. The menu is fairly dynamic for pub fair. A variety of wraps, sandwiches, burgers and burritos are available with chicken, steak and roasted veggies ($7.50-$8.95), and there's a sizable selection of salads ($7.95). For those looking for more of a meal rather than a sandwich, 21st Amendment offers dinner entrées as well, including the chicken, broccoli and ziti ($8.50) and the chicken Anna prosciutto ($8.95). Aside from the soups, appetizers such as nachos and Buffalo wings run a little steep ($7.95-$9.25) but are made for sharing with a group of people.

I ordered a cup of New England clam chowder ($3.95) and a Reuben sandwich ($7.95). In the event of a bad chef, either item could easily become a terrible dining mistake. Fortunately, I didn't have too long to fret over my decision, because my waitress promptly served me the soup. It looked pretty appealing and smelled great, chunky spoonfuls of potato and seafood in a warm pool of seasoned cream. I polished off the cup and eagerly awaited the Reuben.

The waitress stealthily slipped my plate under my nose. I looked down to find toasted marbled rye peering up at me next to a mound of fries, the whole ensemble underlined by a bold slash of pickle. The first bite indicated that this was certainly one of the better Reuben's I've had in my life. The warm corned beef was lean - not greasy or fatty - and was layered on a modest spread of sauerkraut. The sauerkraut proved to be pleasantly subtle and didn't overwhelm the rye bread in the least. With the side of fries and refreshing dill pickle to round out the meal, the Reuben was a complete success.

I finished and paid my bill, which came to a total of $12.97. Full, entirely satisfied and cooled off from the summer heat, I wound my way through the crowd of loosened ties and stepped back out into the blinding sun.