Bad Idea

About Bad Idea

Arched windows and a high painted ceiling set the scale, with a round wooden bar and blue stools at the center, a gallery level wrapping above and a lounge corner of velvet sofas by the tall windows. Wine is the organizing idea: the list runs deep into France, with a long Pinot Noir section and orange bottles, and bartenders and sommeliers talk through both the list and the food. Plates come as small, shareable dishes, from crudités, tuna tartare, gulf shrimp and gazpacho to playful fried chicken bites, alongside larger plates such as a well-seasoned steak, risotto and truffle mac and cheese. Groups who planned on one glass and a snack report staying for dinner. It opens every night from 5pm to 10:30pm, which makes it an easy late booking on Russell Street. Google gives it 4.5 from about 450 reviews, with praise for the service and the room; the minority view is that prices run ahead of the cooking.