The Gallows

To celebrate a recent success I was surprised to be taken to The Gallows, one of the South End´s newer culinary endeavors. Describing itself as "an extension of your own kitchen, only better", the Gallows offers reasonably-priced hearty fair from local cheeses and meats to poutine, burgers, and chicken and dumplings.

Being a celebratory occasion we started out with cocktails. A dirty martini drinker I couldn't resist the "Mother's Ruin", which consisted of gin, cocchi, house-made pickle juice, dill, and lemon essence - yum! Also sampled was the "Tar & Feather"consisting of vodka, cherry heering, black tea, ginger - also really tasty. At $9 they weren't obscenely priced, and I'd definitely be interested in returning for the "Abbatoir" (French for "slaughterhouse") - batavia arrack, veal stock, caramelized onions, lillet, and port! As for an amuse-bouche we split a hefty Scotch Egg - I mean, how can you go wrong with a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage mixture, coated with breadcrumbs, and deep fried? Other options of interest included a trout and bacon pâté, citrus sunchokes, and marinated mushrooms - next time!

We decided to skip a first plate, but some of the options sounded delicious like the smoked scallops with braised lettuce, pearl onions, peas, warm carrot dressings, and the "hangtown fry" - a fried egg, fried oysters, house smoked bacon, and red watercress. For my main meal I had a taste for a burger and chose the "Carpetburger", which came topped with fried oysters, american cheese, and remoulade. I had ordered it medium rare but the waiter, a medium-rare burger guy himself, suggested I get it done medium since the beef used at The Gallows lent itself more toward longer cooking. I wasn't disappointed. Also ordered was the "Wicked Early Spring Veg Shepherd´s Pie" with a potato-horseradish crust, mushrooms, barley, peas, pearl onions. Both dishes were great. The burger was nice and juicy with a satisfying amount of fried oysters in remoulade on top. The shepherd´s pie was pretty standard, though the nice surprise of plump, juicy pearl onions in every other bite really added to it. Along with my main dish I had also ordered a "red beer", which appeared on the draft menu. I had anticipated a red ale of some sort, but it turned out to be their version of the Latin American michelada, PBR with tomato juice, lemon, and spices, a purported hangover cure. I wasn't hungover, but sure! It ended up going quite nicely with the burger, actually.

After all of that we were ready to be rolled out of there. For unpresumptuous but delicious and satisfying comfort food, I'd definitely recommend a stop by The Gallows. Though it wasn't crowded on a Tuesday night, they only take reservations for 6 or more, and on the weekends I've seen it with a line out the door, so get there early if you can!