The Gallows | Old Barn Chic | South End

My friends and I tried out The Gallows last week. The menu looked pretty inventive and I’m feelin’ the gastropub thing these days. The Urban Daddy article, South End Dining in an Old Barn got me especially curious about it. The interior is made with wood from an actual old barn in Vermont, and the whole experience is kind of based around that (water served in milk jugs, etc.). Love the concept.

The interior is really inviting, the rustic looking dining room is intimate and dim. I was immediately happy with the service because the hostess sat us even though our full party wasn’t present. That never happens! Our waitress was just as nice, she brought out a glass of champagne for the birthday girl upon her arrival. Great start.

Cocktails:

Hit or miss. I got one with with gin, dill and pickle juice, I love pickles so I thought this would be good, but believe it or not pickle juice in a cocktail is NOT as good as it sounds. We also tried the Killer, a fruitier cocktail made with bourbon, and it was great.

Appetizers:

French Onion Soup | Scotch Egg | Farmer Cheese Board

First things first, Farmer cheese board – boggy meadow baby swiss, coastal cheddar, walnut chutney, fig preserves. Verdict – just your average cheese board, nothing particularly memorable, but I’ll take it. We also got the Scotch Egg – soft boiled, wrapped in house made pork sausage + bread crumbs.. fried. So unique, we all loved it! It’s only one egg so the portion is really tiny, but it’s fun to pass around and share. The French onion soup is made with bone marrow and oxtail, which definitely makes things interesting. The bone marrow gave the broth a great flavor, but the problem was there was hardly any broth! The soup was so filled with stuff, that it was more like a stew, but with even less broth.

The Poutine:

It gets its own category on the menu (as it should), so the same goes for this post. I give you the Thanksgiving edition of the Out of Control Poutine. I already alluded to its glory two Food Porn Friday’s ago, but I’ll say it again – this was fun and festive. Gravy, cheese curds, stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce: hot, melty Thanksgiving mess.

Entrees / Side:

Duck Breast | Spaghetti Squash | Smoke Roasted Pork Shortrib

The duck breast special was definitely the favorite, it was served with a hugely flavorful pomegranate sauce. We got the spaghetti squash as a side, and there really wasn’t much to it. It was pretty bland and not so exciting. The pork shortrib that was served with baked beans, roasted roots, apple sauce wasn’t so impressive either. The meat was really tough, overwhelmingly fatty and hard to eat.

Dessert:

Fluffernutter Foster Brulee: peanut butter mousse, banana, and chocolate, topped with Marshmallow Fluff

This might have been our favorite part of the meal (aside from poutine). Its genius, a marshmallow peanut butter and chocolate layer cake thing. Rich, indulgent and addicting.

The Gallows is almost there. It’s great in theory, but the execution wasn’t as impressive as I was expecting. The menu is adventurous and that works for a lot of dishes, but not all. That said, I would probably go all the time if I lived in the area, but only for appetizers, drinks and dessert. Although we did not partake, the beer and wine selection is impressive. Worth a try, but not a whole dinner.

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