Davis Square’s Saloon aims to take you for a ride in the wayback machine. Inspired by the pre-Prohibition era, this subterranean sister restaurant to Foundry on Elm features chef Derek Clough’s renditions of old-school fare such as steak and kidney pie, bubble and squeak, hamburg steak au poivre, and Boston baked beans with maple-glazed pork belly and brown bread.
There’s plenty of brown liquor to go with it. The bar stocks more than 100 variants of whiskey, and two kinds each of vodka and gin. Bartenders mix “bespoke cocktails’’ such as the Ward 44 (pork belly whiskey, lemon, sugar, and house grenadine) and the Saloon Sour (gin, green Chartreuse, lime, pineapple syrup, and egg white). There is a wide-ranging beer selection, and a short wine list for those who insist on liquor that’s red or white.
Saloon looks the part, too, with woodwork salvaged from the former Capital Grille on Newbury Street. Walls are lined in wood panels, and a wood arch spans the room. Oriental rugs, leather booths, and chandeliers add to the clubby atmosphere. The black-clad, tattooed staff reminds you that it’s 2012. Nostalgia is fun, but life is a lot freer post-Prohibition.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.