After 139 years housing Boston's dangerous and infamous, a court order citing unfit conditions closed the doors to the Charles Street Jail. In 2007, those doors opened once again, welcoming a different sort of guest to the Liberty Hotel. Striking a balance between luxury style and stark history, the site has garnered awards and accolades as a stunning preservation and reuse project.
So you can imagine its allure to designers, i.e. Ian, who in turn hooked me with a mouthwatering menu and opportunity to wear a pretty dress.
Since we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Paris (this one, not this one) and a free hour of Wii Sports Resort at Best Buy, we decided to splurge a little on our 6 year dating anniversary, and Ian made dinner reservations at CLINK.
Remnants of jail cells are scattered around the restaurant. Cell doors and brick walls serve as the canvas for a simple, modern style.
Our waiter was pleasant, prompt, and helpful. He suggested the yellowtail sashimi with powdered lobster butter and fennel pollen. Which could sound pretentious, but was a deliciously indescribable combination of flavors. It felt like we were judges on Top Chef, or learning to appreciate food with Remy.
We moved on to entrees — the dry aged striploin steak with ricotta and pea cannelloni and pappardelle pasta with lamb ragu. The steak was delicious and the pasta was comfort food, but better. We were stuffed, but knew we couldn't pass up dessert. We turned once again to our waiter, who came back carrying a dish of blueberry basil sorbet with rhubarb soup and lime shortbreads. Tangy, sweet, and refreshing.
I don't think I've ever walked out of a restaurant so content.
Given the caliber of the food, the prices aren't exorbitant and you could easily save a little cash by ordering just appetizers and dessert (we skipped lunch to indulge).
Moral of the story: when you're looking for a little swank in your life, head to CLINK.