Branch Line - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Branch Line


Branch Line is worth the trip to Watertown, a fast-growing suburb just northwest of the city center. Garrett Harker, owner of Eastern Standard, partnered with Watertown native Andrew Holden on the restaurant, a high-ceilinged, steel-beamed space centered around a large Rotisol rotisserie. There, D’Artagnan’s Green Circle chickens—fed on vegetable scraps collected from farmer’s markets and restaurant kitchens—slowly roast. Days of preparation, starting with air chilling and dry brining, render the birds irresistibly tender and well seasoned, worth the trip all on their own. To drink, you can score a terrific bottle for little more than the cost of a bird, as general manager Deena Marlette and wine director Charles Gaeta have scoured the Mediterranean for some of its best buys. Order a Douloufakis Vidiano from Crete to start—pitch perfect with the squid and oysters that come off the wood-fired grill—and move on to Vino Lauria’s frisky frappato from Sicily or Domaine Réveille’s Franc Tireur, an old-vine carignan from the Côtes Catalanes, for the chicken or grilled branzino. A heated patio offers additional space to tuck into a chicken and a glass of wine in any season, and a bocce court adds to the experience in the summertime.

321 Arsenal St., Watertown, Boston, Massachusetts

New American

617-420-1900


This story appears in the print issue of February 2018.
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