a little sad there was no stigmata
the place: church, 69 kilmarnock st, the fenway
the date: 04.10.09
the plan: pre-show dinner
after multiple cocktails at eastern standard, ryan and I headed out for dinner. since we were seeing a show (the fantastic sarah borges) at church and I’d been wanting to try the food there, we figured it seemed like a convenient combination. and, it turned out, a tasty one.
drinks, of course: I was perhaps more than a little bit tipsy when we arrived, so I skipped the cocktail which was certainly a strange choice for me, I’m not going to lie— perhaps I have hidden depths of responsibility I don’t even know about. however, I all seven of the cocktails on their deadly sins cocktail menu were tempting even if the “church” theme is maybe a bit heavy-handed at times. for wine, I had a glass of irony pinot noir, which I’d had a bottle of while bitching about exes with cspan once and knew to be good. I do not remember what ryan had. frankly, given the level of intoxication, I’m pretty impressed I remember my own meal.
to start: chances are, if there’s a beet salad on an appetizer menu in this city, I’ve tried it. it’s possible that the beet salad trend is overplayed these days, but, since I love beets like I love candy, I’m not really complaining. church’s version is roasted beets with hazlenut, an herbed feta, and acid from both oranges and a citrus dressing. well done, still absolutely no complaints.
the main event: baked mac and cheese seemed absolutely perfect for the rainy not-yet-spring weather that had started outside on our walk over. I love that they offer it in both small and large portions. the breadcrumb crust was crispy, and the pasta was cheesy— all as advertised. ryan had the special, which definitely involved monkfish wrapped in bacon and was apparently delicious. see? even through my drunken haze, I remember bacon.
the space is really nice and the gothic church theme makes it kind of dark and cozy on a rainy day. it might feel a bit opressive in nicer weather, but they have outdoor seating, so I’m sure that solves that problem. I definitely intend to go back when I’ve had less to drink so I can enjoy the taste of things a bit more, but it was a fun place with good food in an area that doesn’t actually have as much of that as I would like.
