Best place to watch people break up

The proper conditions necessary for the ultimate schadenfreude experience are difficult to achieve: the victims must feel private enough to express themselves without becoming self-conscious, yet actually be public enough for the audience to observe and hear without seeming too obvious. Noise level is key: there must be a constant conversational buzz, but one low enough for eavesdropping. There must be people around, but not so many that they block your view. Lighting must be adequate. And the food and drinks must be good enough to keep the evil observer happy, but cheap, because neither you nor the relationship-buster is looking to spend much money on the evening. There's no guarantee you'll find a tragedy unfolding at Silvertone on a given night, but munch on the macaroni and cheese, sip a couple of drinks, and keep your eyes open.

Silvertone, 69 Bromfield Street, Boston, (617) 338-7887.