Prepare to submerge yourself into a fantastic Sichuan experience accompanied by vibrant and enthusiastic bartenders and servers, as well as mellow music, and monumentally delicious drinks. Picky with our drinks, that we are, and they do not disappoint. Their mixologists are first-class, and so is their service. You can definitely expect to be treated with the utmost care by all of them.
Located just three minutes away from exit 37B (Woburn). It is a very old mansion, that does show old on the outside, then elegant, inviting and dark on the inside. On our first visit to this place, we started (obviously) with some drinks. We explained our taste preferences to our amazing server, Ray (she's astounding), and she proceed to recommend some drinks. Based on my taste (I love tiki culture), she recommended I have the BEACHCOMBER Mai Tai, which is a variation of the 1933 recipe by Donn Beach (who is known starting the trends of tiki bars in the United States), and has Havana Club Blanco, Banks 7, Pamplemousse, Falernum, Lime, and Herbastura. She did not disappoint with the suggestion. It's as she could tell I would love it. It is a drink that might become very habitual for me, as I'm often passing by Woburn, and I don't think my love for Mai Tai's ending anytime soon. As for Brad, well, he started with a Queen of Tejano, which is herbaceous and contained el Tesoro orlovsky barrel, la venenosa tavernas raicilla, fermented soursop, dolin blanc, and yellow chartreuse. It is exquisite, strong, and bold.
We, then, proceeded to order our appetizers, and started with the Chengdu Dry Hot Wings and the Pork Dumplings with Chili Vinaigrette. We, as of that moment, were living in a lie. We thought we’d tried good wings before. Hell, we did try good wings. It’s just these, then and there, took the whole prize in the world championship. These wings are double battered, wok seared in garlic, ginger and chilis, with maple sriracha sauce, and are absolutely crunchy, flavorful, and very, very juicy. The wings’ taste, at a point became indescribable.
The pork dumplings with chili vinaigrette were fresh, thick and delicious. It is as if they make the dumpling the same day. They were steamed, and had garlic, ginger, scallions, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and obv... the chili vinaigrette. The chili vinaigrette gave the dumplings a very special kick to it. One could never go wrong with sweet and sour.
At The Baldwin Bar, each and every single person who visits this place experiences something completely different. And, obviously each person has a different way of interpreting visuals and tastes. By the time we ordered the entrees, we’d moved on to having two Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Smoky, and strong with a sweet twist.
For entradas, I had the Smokey Shredded Beef with cayenne chili, and Brad had the Beef Lo Mein. It was such a perfect combination (we mixed both dishes).
The shredded beef were really spicy (careful there) because of the green cayenne peppers. They also had garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. They were absolutely delicious. The Lo Mein were fine. Simple dishes are upgraded for an elevated experience, but they were just Lo Mein.
Unfortunately, we could to take a proper picture of the shredded beef. It had us addicted. Luckily for you, we will be attending the place next week, and we shall try those again and properly picture them!
We finished our visit here with, yet, another drink! This one was called Mr. Bones and had mezcal in it. It was a pleasant and refreshing drink.
The Baldwin Bar was a great experience at a first sight. Hopefully, when we dine inside it will be much better (not that this wasn't, but it was still at the patio). As a place who's been semifinalists for the James Bears foundation (big thing), for the bar program, we think they're doing the right thing, and are as in love with the progress as we are with ours. Their drinks will never disappoint, and you'll always leave this place with a huge smile in your face due to the fact that everyone's extremely nice (weird, right?)
We rate this place 4.9/5 as of now! It is extremely likely it'll become a 5/5 when we head in.