For our first dinner on our family trip to Boston we chose Persephone, a trendy restaurant in the less trafficed area of Fort Point, which happened to be walking distance from our hotel. We were hesitant to enter, thinking we were in the wrong place, because the entrance is a clothing boutique. But thats all part of the gimmick. As the owner of this year old establishment explained, the idea behind the "project" is that everyone has an Achilles tendon weakness, whether it be shopping, eating or drinking and this allows for all to be stimulated? Did I get that right? And something about Persephone being a symbol of spring and springtime ingredients being a major element of the food... ok something like that. The restaurant displays local art on the wall, and there was a captivating series displayed at the time of our visit.
The menu is divided into categories based on size: small, medium, large, extra large. The menu highlights ingredients that are local, seasonal, sustainable, etc., if you are into that. We didn't bother with the "small" menu, figuring the portions would be way to tiny to share. We
went with a scallops with mushrooms in a light soy vinaigrette from the medium dishes. For 2 scallops, it cost $17.... yea a little much, me thinks. They tasted lovely, but that barely matters.
We were more dis appointed with the squid salad, the squid being mushy and not adding
anything and
the salad consisting of parsley. Thankfully, things got much better from here. I ordered an Arnie P drink that was made with lavender lemonade vodka, vermouth, st germain, mint, tea, and lemon- quite a take on an Arnold Palmer, it was an amazing well balanced refreshing drink, thought I could have handled a bit more of an alcoholic taste, but thats just the boozer in me speaking. Persephone offers a Bin wine list on a chalkboard in the back with wines they are phasing either out or into their menu for only $24, a great bargain, and the only real bargain in this place. The choices are all oddball choices that are not mainstream whatsoever and I cannot for the life of me remember which one we selected, but I do know we liked it. A highlight of the meal came when a bread plate was offered, which we quickly rejected due to it being Passover. (so what we eat
shellfish but not chamatz, don't judge)
The bread dude looked at us uncertainly and asked in a Boston accent "matzah?" YES please. A very thoughtful gesture, we really appreciated it and took advantage of the nice butter. I split the goat "large" dish. I was hesitant to chose it because I do not love an overwhelming gamey taste, but luckily this was not the case. The goat was braised and very tender and the tomato sauce was balanced nicely by preserved lemons and olives. The whole roasted fluke for 2 was expertly prepared and filleted at our table. It was very fresh tasting and light and the portion size was generous. It came with a side of delicious roasted carrots and golden beets. Somehow we managed room for dessert and split the clementine sorbet with sweet cream, the intense dairy flavor worked well with the citrus. They brought the check out with pomegranate truffles that rocked. I would recommend this place for a date you want to impress or a girl's night out, but even for a family night it worked for us.
283 Summer St
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