Clink. at the Liberty Hotel

For a long time, I was biased against the Liberty Hotel; I disliked the absurd, long lines to get into Alibi at 9 p.m., its expensive wines by the glass ($30 for two glasses of chardonnay!?), and most of all its Beehive-esque "We're the coolest place in Boston, and we know it" attitude.

But then a funny thing happened-- after weeks of not eating out, of cooking and brown bag lunches and lean cuisines, of dive bars and house parties, all of a sudden I CRAVED the very thing I had disliked about the Liberty. I yearned for a place that was chic, where people were dressed to the nines, where the food was elegant, even if tiny. And when OmGal suggested a restaurant in the Liberty, I immediately thought of Jolyon Helterman's blog post on Boston magazine's blog Chowder about his changed attitude towards Clink.I texted Maeve right away; luckily, she had as much desire for a night out as I did, as she’s been cramming for law school finals for weeks.

We met in the cavernous lobby, and then headed into the restaurant. The décor fit the jail theme, with bars on the windows and industrial-chic brick walls. I broke my detox with a glass of chardonnay, while Maeve opted for a glass of the Caymus Conundrum. We decided to do our usual girl thing where we split a bunch of things. They brought us over some warm olive bread with butter to start, which was lovely. Dish Gal majorly hearts olive bread.

First we split the sunchoke and almond soup with green almonds. This was my favorite dish of the night – a delightful and whimsical soup that was perfect for a balmy, rainy spring day. We also tried one of the cheeses they offered—a goat’s milk with a fig jam. This is how Dish Gal likes her cheese—strong, in small portions, and as the main attraction, not haphazardly thrown on a sandwich or on top of an enchilada. Ordering cheese on its own feels so decadent to me, like a mini-spa day in every bite.Finally, we got the veal and ricotta meatball sliders. While these aren’t the most revolutionary appetizer (I dare you to find a restaurant in Boston that DOESN’T have these on their list), they were delicious, and really hit the spot. I especially liked the buns. Feeling a bit buzzed from the wine and the delicious food, we couldn’t resist sharing a dessert. We went with the Valhrona chocolate tart. It wasn’t my favorite thing in the world, but it sure did look pretty. Maeve pointed out the crust of the tart was a little too hard. Basically, I’d save my calories for something else, if I went back.All in all, we spent about $30 each for the food and the wine—so it’s possible to get out of there not spending a lot of money if you do it right. But it's also very possible to blow a lot of money, so buyer, beware.

In conclusion...Some restaurants seem designed for certain occasions, like Mother's Day brunch at Upstairs on the Square, or a birthday party at Masa. For a Girl's (Fancy) Night Out, Clink. just might be the place you've been looking for.

First photo courtesy of boston.com

Boston Wine Festival

So last Friday night I had the opportunity to attend the opening preview of the Boston Wine Festival, the nation's longest running food and wine pairing festival. It was held, as always, in the Boston Harbor Hotel, in its Wharf Room. The room has this amazing view of Boston Harbor; I always get so distracted though being able to see Logan. I find myself gazing out the window, mesmerized by the planes taking off.

Anyway, I digress. The room was filled with long, winding tables covered with massive spreads of food: parmesan gnocchi, pate, lobster, swordfish, tenderloin, duck, chicken curry, shrimp -- enough to make even the most jaded foodie's eyes open a little wider in disbelief. The middle table had empty wine glasses meant to take and wander around to try various wines. On either side of the room were tables with red and white wines being poured by various wine connoisseurs (I assume, at least).

I'd have to say though, with that vast spread, that the food wasn't that amazing... The gnocci tasted a little mass-produced (which granted, it was, but still...) and the chicken curry seemd vaguely out of place. However, some of the passed hors d'oevures were exquisite- one that was beef short ribs wrapped in a warm crepe were knee-buckling, eyes-rolling-back-in-pleasure good. There also was some duck puff thing of some sort that was good (the reason I don't really know the names was that some of the staff didn't even really explain! I hate that. They were like, "duck." Um, okay, thanks for the description...)

I didn't get a chance to even try some wine because of the large crowd (the event was sold-out, approaching 500). The crowd was definitely on the older side, and I felt like if I moved too quickly, I might possibly knock over some 90 year old woman in a Chanel suit. But I did sample a very lovely Cabernet.

The moral of this story? Must get more acquainted with fine wines. . . Perhaps from the cute guy who works at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square as the wine tasting guy? ;)

Love,

Dish Gal