I was struggling with blogger block and needed inspiration, any inspiration at all but preferably food. Food always inspires me and having just returned from Rome, that’s all I could think about. I shared this sentiment with my friend, Stacey and she suggested Clink.
I wasn’t 100% sold as I haven’t really enjoyed it on previous visits, however, the last visit was a few years ago and I felt another trip to the Clink was in order.
Waiting in the upstairs lobby of the Liberty Hotel, also the bar area of Clink gave me the chance to have a look around and people watch while enjoying a crisp, sharp extremely enjoyable glass of Sancerre. The bar at Clink is most definitely a scene and draws the young, hip, fashionable crowd. I would say I am no longer any of these but it is fun to be an onlooker. Look up and you see three stories of balconies and super cool decor in a space that was once the Charles Street Jail. Some of the original jail still exists, such as the prison bars.
Once my friend arrived we made our way to the restaurant, which was very quiet for a Thursday. Our small table rested up against a brick wall with jail cell bars. The music and “it” crowd poured into the bar, while we sat towards the middle of the restaurant right next to two guys (I deduced consultants) with dueling laptops and not speaking to each other. It was a bizarre dichotomy of spaces.
The menu is somewhat limited, which I do like. I don’t like being overwhelmed with choices. Heavy on seafood choices on both the appetizer and entrée options, I knew there would be plenty of things I would want.
We decided to share the Island Creek Oysters, which I have to say are so good this year and these proved it with their perfect saltiness and just a splash of squeezed lemon juice needed.
We also shared a fantastically wonderful Local Burrata cheese. Light and creamy with mixed greens of fennel and arugula that is just a fresh and lovely combination. I definitely applaud this dish and really liked that they split it for us.
For my entrée I ordered the Seared Sea Scallops, which they also offer in an appetizer portion and what I should have really ordered. While it was quite tasty, I wasn’t overwhelmed by it to rave in any way but I did love the crunchy little carrots.
Stacey ordered the Slow Cooked Salmon. Her opinion… “The dish was overall, simple, and light in its flavors. The salmon was perfectly cooked, as was the shrimp underneath. The garlic scapes added a nice punch to the dish, being a bit spicier than regular garlic. I had been in the mood for a dish with not a lot of heavy sauces/protein and this was perfect. I felt satisfied but not overly full when we were done.” I did have just a little bit of food envy.
We were both craving something sweet and the Butterscotch Pots de Crème sounded like it would hit the sweet spot, and it did. Delectably sticky sweet with a soft toffee layer and creamy butterscotch middle, we scraped the pot for more. The side of madeleines was sadly not good as they were dry and a bit stale. We did wait quite a bit of time between apps and main but not an unpleasantly long time, especially as we had interesting people watching and we hadn’t caught up in some time. I wouldn’t say there was any atmosphere to speak of at Clink (the restaurant) however, the contrast of the busy “scene to be seen” outside and the quietness of the restaurant inside is quite nice. Service was cordial, however not overly memorable and I would say that overall I had quite a good experience.
Should I return and try this place again? I’ve never been a fan of the kitchen at Clink; prefer Scampo.