The co-owners of The Daily Market are on a mission to make 110 Savin Hill the “heartbeat” of the community, and with the opening of The Nightly Test Kitchen last month, James Baker and John McDonough are starting to feel a pulse.
“Growing up in Dorchester as a kid, there were three or four or five anchors to the neighborhood that every family revolved around,” said Baker. “But the most important thing was the corner store. That’s where people connected and convened, so that’s kind of the vision for The Daily.”
In October, they announced that they would bring that vision to life by adding a bar and restaurant called The Nightly in two spaces at their popular market – above and below. While The Daily will remain on the ground floor, the second level will house a full restaurant and bar, the top floor will feature an event space and a prep area, and the basement will operate as a take-out facility.
Last fall, Aisling Kerr, a consultant for the JMB Property Development Company project, noted that “the goal right now is to get the third floor up and running as it is the most substantially complete. There are walls up there, so it’s an easier place for us to start and try to get something that the community will be able to enjoy.”
Kerr told The Reporter last week that the team has been able to do just that with the opening of The Nightly test kitchen.
For the past four weeks, community members have bypassed the second floor, which is still undergoing renovations, to meet The Nightly team and sample dishes on the third floor.
“We’re still working towards the full Nightly opening at some point, hopefully not in the too distant future, but I think we’re excited to be able to have the test kitchen in the meantime,” Kerr said. “It’s been great to get folks up here. James and John have done a great job with the space.”
Baker explained that they are changing the test kitchen’s menu each week and listening closely to their customers’ suggestions.
“This is a neighborhood restaurant, and we want to know what people really want and need on the menu,” said Baker. “We are giving out comment cards pretty much to every table that sits, and we’re getting those comments and we’re reviewing them. We are seeing some very positive responses and [getting] some good constructive feedback as well.”
Despite the kitchen being on site, the third-floor space is still being used for its original purpose: hosting events.
To date, The Nightly has already welcomed baby and bridal showers, birthday and graduation parties, and post-funeral receptions.
“We’re very flexible in terms of what type of needs we can meet,” said Kerr. “Looking around, not even just Savin Hill, but even farther beyond, there are so few event spaces really left.”
When the second floor opens, Kerr said he imagines the third floor can be used for events but also as a shared coworking space during the day and a lounge at night.
“It’s nice to have a bunch of flexibility in the space, which I think is the goal: To be able to utilize it in as many different ways, for as many different purposes as possible,” he said. “I think that’s been one of the best opportunities in this building all along; it’s been the gathering place for the neighborhood.”
McDonough called the “100 percent commercial space” unique.
“The Harp and the Banshee, which I often refer to, are great assets of the neighborhood, but it’s totally different feeling here,” he said. “It’s an alternative in terms of food and environment and location. It’s a really new, different feeling.”
The Nightly is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., but McDonough and Baker hope to expand these hours soon, looking to a complete opening by the fall.
For menu and operational updates, visit thenightlyboston.com
