Achilles-Persephone: The Achilles Project

I would tell people to go here, and I’ve told many out-​of-​state friends and new-​to-​the-​scene friends to try the place out. really hoping it’s not actually closed.
I LOVED the concept of this place, clothes in the front, bar in the back, raise the racks and add tables for nightlife. Also, there are flat screens hanging from the ceiling where we played Wii Tennis last time I was there. I wasn’t drinking that night out of academic necessity, but I was really into this place and think people should check it out. The Fort Point Channel really is a dope and up and coming area.

Hey dudes, remember that time your friends said «Oh jeeze, I always wanted to get down there and check it out, but I never got around to it, I had too much stuff to do like collecting lint.»
This is what you get; an interesting concept and store that really tried, and went in for it, but last I checked, the BOSTON BAKED BEAN COMPANY was raking in the dough.
I really hate you Boston sometimes.
Proof positive though, that location is sometimes everything.

Brilliant atmosphere, great food, wonderful service. While I don’t quite have an eye for fabulous clothes, I recognize the awesomeness of putting together a nice swank bar/​restaurant and a boutique!
The only downside is that the prices were a little hefty for dinner, and left me still feeling hungry afterwards. How do you give anything less than 4 stars to a place with «Fried Poached Duck Egg w/​Asparagus» on the menu? Come on. I just wish it was closer to CHINATOWN: the happiest place on earth.

Wow, I’m blow away by the fact that I’m not giving this place a million stars. A boutique and restaurant and lounge with a Wii, sounds like my kinda place right? Well.. .
It is true, the atmosphere is cool and chill
The clothes are pretty killah (another place that sells my beloved Rag & Bone)
The up to 75% off sale was pretty rock out awesome (especialyl since I’m still broke and with only one pair of jeans that fit me)
But
I fucking hate it when employees ignore you. When you see me (or any customer for that matter) walking around with a ton of clothes you should say hi and ask if they need a dressing room, not look at me blankly and disappear into the back.
When you see me trying on clothes because you didn’t offer me a dressing room, you should come over and offer assistance.
But.. . no
no, instead you just looked at me and walked away. Some of you went to the back, some of you just congregated and chatted amongst yourselves.
Sorry, I’m not spending my cash, even at 75% off, in an establishment that doens’t appreciate it’s customers enough to offer assistance.
blow me.

We headed off to Persephone in the Achilles Project for their $ 5 bar menu that is currently available on Saturday evenings. To our pleasant surprise, there were these tall tables in the bar area, so we didn’t actually have to sit *at* the bar.
The waitress couldn’t have been nicer as we started off with glasses of cold water. We ended up splitting four dishes from the bar menu and a tall glass of ale:
* Sweet Pea Croquettes with bacon aioli
* Rain Crow Ranch Grass-​Fed Hamburger, aged cheddar & housemade pickles
* French Fries gremolata
* Grilled Rhode Island Squid Salad
Okay, the croquettes were great! Small, but great! Nice and crispy outside, really fresh pea flavor on the inside.
The hamburger was perhaps 2+ inches in diameter, but really juicy. And the pickles were more like pickled vegetables (namely sliced carrots, the expected cucumbers, and cauliflower!).
The French fries were served quite cutely in a wire fry basket and were hot and crispy. Yum!
Now the squid salad… that left something to be desired… it was basically a scant handful of chewy squid rings served in a pile of parsley with some chickpeas tossed in. Oh, I avoided the preserved lemon cause the sour flavor made the dish seem spicy to me. This was the one dish I could have done without. The rest were good, and I’d be up for ordering them again.

This hip restaurant/​bar/​boutique, though not typically my scene, proved for a really enjoyable experience. Went with a group of 16 — met around 7:00. Between 7 and 9 had some drinks (they had a cucumber vermouth drink that was the most well-​done cuke drink i’ve ever encountered), and browsed the insanely expensive boutique section of the restaurant. 30% off sale on their $ 200-​$ 1,000 clothing is good if you have bottomless pockets, but given that every article of clothing I was wearing was either a hand-​me-​down or a kohls sale-​rack item, and anyway i pride myself in being kind of an anti-​fashion frump, it was fun to look but the thought of buying clothing there to me was sort of laughable. i know people do it, just not people who work in education. or perhaps some people enjoy delving further in debt, whatevs.
anyhow, the staff was really friendly — they seated us for dinner — chunked off our party to 2 tables of 8 when we asked to eat and they were very accommodating in general. i did the prix fixe menu for $ 33.09 of asparagus soup, hanger steak frites, and banana sorbet. the food was all *outstanding*! my friend got the mac and cheese and the soft-​shell crab — as a wisconsinite i take my mac and cheese pretty seriously but i’ll give them props for a pretty solid showing. though i have never had soft-​shell crab before i think if i go back i’m going to have to order it — after trying my friend’s i was amazed at how delicious this could be!
if you’re drinking and dining this is going to be a hefty tab, but if you actually intend to purchase a $ 300 t-​shirt maybe that kind of cash flows pretty easily for you. if you think restaurant week is worth a splurge, though, so is achilles project. solid service, unique vibe, delicious food.

For our first dinner on our family trip to Boston we chose Persephone, a trendy restaurant in the less trafficed area of Fort Point, which happened to be walking distance from our hotel. We were hesitant to enter, thinking we were in the wrong place, because the entrance is a clothing boutique. But thats all part of the gimmick. As the owner of this year old establishment explained, the idea behind the «project» is that everyone has an Achilles tendon weakness, whether it be shopping, eating or drinking and this allows for all to be stimulated? Did I get that right? And something about Persephone being a symbol of spring and springtime ingredients being a major element of the food… ok something like that. The restaurant displays local art on the wall, and there was a captivating series displayed at the time of our visit.
The menu is divided into categories based on size: small, medium, large, extra large. The menu highlights ingredients that are local, seasonal, sustainable, etc., if you are into that. We didn’t bother with the «small» menu, figuring the portions would be way to tiny to share. We
went with a scallops with mushrooms in a light soy vinaigrette from the medium dishes. For 2 scallops, it cost $ 17… yea a little much, me thinks. They tasted lovely, but that barely matters.
We were more dis appointed with the squid salad, the squid being mushy and not adding
anything and
the salad consisting of parsley. Thankfully, things got much better from here. I ordered an Arnie P drink that was made with lavender lemonade vodka, vermouth, st germain, mint, tea, and lemon– quite a take on an Arnold Palmer, it was an amazing well balanced refreshing drink, thought I could have handled a bit more of an alcoholic taste, but thats just the boozer in me speaking. Persephone offers a Bin wine list on a chalkboard in the back with wines they are phasing either out or into their menu for only $ 24, a great bargain, and the only real bargain in this place. The choices are all oddball choices that are not mainstream whatsoever and I cannot for the life of me remember which one we selected, but I do know we liked it. A highlight of the meal came when a bread plate was offered, which we quickly rejected due to it being Passover. (so what we eat
shellfish but not chamatz, don’t judge)
The bread dude looked at us uncertainly and asked in a Boston accent «matzah?» YES please. A very thoughtful gesture, we really appreciated it and took advantage of the nice butter. I split the goat «large» dish. I was hesitant to chose it because I do not love an overwhelming gamey taste, but luckily this was not the case. The goat was braised and very tender and the tomato sauce was balanced nicely by preserved lemons and olives. The whole roasted fluke for 2 was expertly prepared and filleted at our table. It was very fresh tasting and light and the portion size was generous. It came with a side of delicious roasted carrots and golden beets. Somehow we managed room for dessert and split the clementine sorbet with sweet cream, the intense dairy flavor worked well with the citrus. They brought the check out with pomegranate truffles that rocked. I would recommend this place for a date you want to impress or a girl’s night out, but even for a family night it worked for us.

Wow, creative food and fashion, together in one place. I like both of these things so obviously I’d want to check this place out, right? I did check it out, and I’m happy to answer a few questions you might have:
Question #1: would it be better to go to The Achilles Project with a date or with a friend?
Answer: if you’re a female, you’ll probably be happier going with a friend, or two. Unless you’ve got a chunk of money to drop or your date has deep pockets and a generous spirit, chances are you’ll just be window-​shopping. I don’t know about your dates but mine, while usually willing to humor me, tend to be rather bored by clothes shopping without a purpose. Fortunately I was with a friend when I tried on a dress before dinner … a luscious, buttery soft black leather dress that fit me perfectly and was 60% off … with an original price of $ 1100. Guess who doesn’t have nearly $ 500 to spend on a dress, no matter how hot she looked in it? Sigh, yes, me.
If you’re a male and interested in fashion, you might enjoy going here with a date or with a friend (if your friends are also interested in fashion). I’m guessing that the men’s clothes are similarly expensive.
Question #2: Is the boutique worth a visit in its own right?
Answer: Yes. If you’re looking for unique, well-​crafted, sleekly modern clothing, and can afford to spend a fair amount of money, this would be a great place to start.
Question #3: Is the restaurant worth a visit in its own right?
Answer: How far must you travel to get to the restaurant? If you’re in the area (or, say, in the boutique), and looking for rather good food, this would be a good place to try. But the food isn’t remarkable enough to warrant a journey of much duration.
Question #4: Would this be a good way for a guy with some cash at his disposal to impress a date with dinner and a little shopping on the side?
Answer: Depends on the kind of person you’re dating. If your date is the sort to be impressed by a big spender, then yes, probably this would be a good bet. In fact, I might like to go with you … there’s this terrific black leather dress … hee hee.
In short: it’s a neat place. Beyond my budget. The food is quite good but nothing to rave about.

I’d been hearing about this clothing store/​restaurant for months so I was glad to try it for lunch. It was quite empty for lunch (3 tables of people) so we had a lot of attention. The menu is small, but it is lunch after all. There is a selection of salads, a few appetizers, and sandwiches.
We were given an awesome bread basket to start. Very light and tasty. For the meal, I had the tuna melt. This came with a slaw salad. My friend had the apple and cheddar panini. We both liked our meals. They weren’t anything exciting, but were really good.
We ended with cappachinos, which really hit the spot.
Great lunch place and service was really good. I’d go back as it’s a really nice space.

I will preface this review by saying that I tried Persephone late last year when it was still somewhat «young». I had pretty high expectations after all the hype and news stories but was somewhat disappointment. The place just seemed awkward to me. The boutique in the front of the venue is completely open to the restaurant… There doesn’t seem to be much of a separation. The bar and tables were completely empty at 6pm on a Thursday evening which I would have thought would be a busy time given it’s proximity to downtown. So, let’s go through the things I liked about Persephone…
— I actually thought it was nice to be able to order the size of your meal (small, medium, large).
— They use all local, organic produce and other items when they can.
— Nice wine selection and good cocktails.
And now to the not so pleasant things…
— The prices. While I understand that using local and organic ingrediants will naturally increase the cost of your meal, the pricetags here are really over the top.
— The ambiance. Plain and trying too hard to be trendy.
All in all, although my meal was good, I think Persephone failed to hit the mark.

Achilles excellent spot !
Focused on making specialty drinks–
If you have the time and open mind to a custom drink to your special taste buds they’ll match and make it!
I had the most Delicious cocktail unfortunately I don’t know what was in in it — refreshing taste of watermelon and berries and cucumber yum!
Known as the «what Kelly had»
The designer in me loved the spa /​sona like restrooms and clean minimally furnished bar and dining room. Feels like home Los Angeles!

Decent place — odd location — can’t really recommend…
So I tried this place out because it’s on Boston Magazine’s list of Top 50 restaurants… and…it’s…okay…
went on a recent Thursday night — place was very slow, but we were warmly greeted by the staff… it’s near Fort Point Channel, just over the bridge on the Southie side — tough parking, as the meters become «resident only» at night — had to valet it…
You walk through a weird clothes store to get it — clothes displayed in large glass boxes — strange…
Food was good — I didn’t like the fact that I had to pay $ 64 to order the goat — it was priced at «$ 32 per person,» but it supposedly served 2 people — I ate it in like 10 minutes — delicious, but too pricey… dessert list looked real bad — didn’t order anything…
They had a rare Swiss Gamay wine that was cheap and delicious… music was decent 80’s/techno mix…
We also had a table next to us with 2 couples talking about their annoying poseur indie lives for 2 hours while sipping water — just order a drink or leave, please…
I ordered a Pimm’s and ginger beer before dinner — delicious — stopped at the bar for a French 75 (champagne cocktail) after — not very good…
Overall — an interesting place, but probably not worth it…

A restaurant inside a boutique inside a warehouse.
The music is straight out of the scene from The Devil Wears Prada where Andy meets Christian for the first time. If you do not know what I am talking about, then Achilles Persephone is not for you.
The guests were appropriately chic — and most of them were clad in black. The waitresses disappointed: instead of being skinny, beautiful, awkward, they were plain Janes and quite dumb. My waitresses’ description of my lobster appetizer was incorrect; she was lucky it was fleshy and succulent.
There is one hot waiter who looked even better after I consumed the nicely chilled Austrian riesling.

Okay, I’m done. I won’t try again. This is walking distance from home so we stopped in on a rainy Friday night at about 7:30, thinking we might get lucky. The place was about ¹⁄₃ full and there were tons of empty tables in the dining room. Tons.
But, once we answered «No» to the «Do you have a reservation?» question we were told there were a lot of reservations that would be coming in and that it would be at least a 30 minute wait. We were offered the consolation of sitting at a bench in a brightly lit, loud section of the bar area, right next to (well practically «in») the boutique. It was not what we envisioned for our night out, so we passed. If the atmosphere and the staff were inviting we would have gladly waited out the 30 minutes for dinner, with a cocktail, but they were not.
I just can’t get past a place that doesn’t leave a few tables for walk-​ins, especially when they are not busy. There were so many empty tables in there and you can’t tell me they were all JUST about to be filled. There weren’t enough people in there to fill them.
There was one table about to be seated while we were standing at the hostess stand, but one of them said «Oh, they’re not ready yet. They want to look at the clothes. Is that okay?» Sure, hold that table indefinitely while people look at clothes that they have no intention of buying at that time. I mean, who decides to go out for dinner and drinks on Friday night and oh, just happens to buy a $ 300 pair of jeans on a whim? Maybe a celeb, but we don’t have those in Boston.
Alas, I was really excited about having more places open up in my neighborhood but I have been turned off by this place too many times now and I have still never even had anything to eat or drink there. I don’t think I will.

Enjoyed it. Just wanted to add my 2 cents along with everyone else.
Food was VERY good. Very well executed. Watch out for the corn fritters. They burned my gf’s mouth :(My gf had the chicken, which was excellent and I had the tuna which was great as well. We split the chocolate caramel tart which was more than enough for two people and it was awesome. Very rich.
The ambience is very cool, it wasn’t hard to get a table (made reservations 3 hours before), and parking on a Saturday night :)
Service was a litte spotty, but the staff was generally pretty on top of things.
I recommend it.

Fashion + Food sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? Well, I finally got my wish to try Achilles/​Persephone during Restaurant Week and it was actually almost as good as I had imagined it would be! The space is well-​utilized and features lovely exposed brick walls, mod clothing racks and a sleek bar.
In terms of food, which is «contemporary American» with heavy French and Asian influences, they nailed it (mostly). I think the 3-​course prix fixe was a deal since they served full-​sized portions – unlike some other fine dining establishments that skimp during RW…
The sweet corn soup was divine. I adored the Niman Ranch bavette steak glazed with aged balsamic. Fries were also crispy and extra hot – bonus points right there. The ultra-​rich chocolate parfait was a multi-​layered affair melding caramel, mascarpone and toffee bits. Top it all off with superbly mixed cocktails and you pretty much have a winner!
They also paid attention to service; the manager walked around to all the tables to inquire after the meal. This is rare at most establishments but especially so during Restaurant Week. The waitstaff and barstaff were on point, although the hostesses could’ve been friendlier. But I suppose it’s par for the course since this is a concept boutique.
There were a few other factors that cause me to take away one star… namely that the oysters on half shell are better at Legal’s, and the hoisin pork ribs were saltier than I would’ve liked and had excessive cartilage.
I’ll also have to keep on dreaming about that perfect wardrobe culled from Achilles’ racks since the prices are prohibitively high, but after a hard day’s work it’s nice to know you can – at very least – enjoy «one night in Bangkok» at the bar.

So I went back last night for a company outing. Again the anticipation was there and again I was sadly disappointed.
To start off, we did family style. it was a good and a bad thing. Good — I got to try new things on the menu, Bad — none of them were from my favorite list.
We had the red curry wings which were VERY scrumptious but I can’t help but feel so wrong for using my hands! They were so delectable that I HAD to lick my fingers (another taboo).
Grilled local squid were on the salty side last evening, marinated olives are a must and I absolutely adore their arugula salad with their golden beets in a light lemon vinaigrette. We were also served a nice corn fitter type of small plate that doesn’t exist on the menu. It was divine! Ask for it if you can. It might have been the special.
Dinner was several large plates of the bone-​in, double cut niman ranch angus beef ribeye steak with beef jus and aged balsamic vinegar which I didn’t really care for. The beef jus was just not thick or beefy enough in terms of flavor; grilled gianonne farm chicken was nice and tender and not at all dry as most chicken; and the sea bass cooked over zuchhini and summer squash leaves little to be desired, it was neither tender nor flavorful as I have anticipated. Big disappointment there on the large plates Persephone, shame!
But dessert did made up for it, the dark chocolate mousse parfait was light and salty and wonderfully cholatey; tahitian vanilla bean crème brûlée was divine and rich; and the apricot-​sauternes compote, peppered walnuts and walnut bread was wonderful because they replaced the apricot with blueberries so I had my quick fix of antioxidant for the evening.
Maybe things would have looked up had I got my share of the duck egg with shiitake mushroom and the beef marrow bone because everyone knows life is just grander with some bone marrow to polish off!

It’s like the mothership has called me home!
Fashion + Food + Drinks + Video Game = my own personal heaven.
Fashion:
A dazzling array of chic frocks, slim and sassy denim, sweet kicks, heels, accessories, jackets and more for him and her. Granted they are WAYYYYY outta my price range, but inspiring in style, none the less. The owner’s taste is classic-​meets-​street with a glamorous uptown edge. Kudos for having an equally impressive men’s section!
Food:
I’ll have to save this one for a future review update. I haven’t had it YET! On my last visit, we missed the kitchen closing by a narrow margin. I hear it’s just as fantastic as it’s clothing line.
Drinks:
Between the fashion storefront and the restaurant backdrop lies an intermediary… a sleek bar and a lounge with ample cushy seating. Plenty of room to mingle, wait for your table, drink while you shop, drink while you wait or simply just drink.
Video Games:
HELLO! They have flat screens mounted to the ceilings so you can play Wii. I don’t think these needs further explanation as to why it’s awesome!
Sing it with me now…
Silk dresses and denim
Patent high heels and purses
Drinks served while shopping
Dinner served in four courses
Mario, Luigi and Wii Tennis, it seems…
These are a few of my favorite things!

Wow. Oh my God, wow. Wowwy wow wow. Wow to the power of wow.
This was the best meal I’ve had in as long as I can remember.
I had never heard of Persephone before. A friend suggested it for dinner, and trusting his judgment (and extreme fussiness) I agreed.
The boutique in front sets the tone for a very upscale, but relaxed place. We chose to sit at the bar, and our bartender was so nice, amazingly well informed, and mixes a mean Pimm’s cup — something you don’t see too often outside the UK.
For dinner, we ordered (to share!) a 32-​ounce ribeye steak cooked nice ‘n’ rare. It was part of a meal which included french fries and creamed spinach. We were warned that a steak that size takes some time to prepare. No worries, we were confident that it’d be worth it.
While we waited, we were treated to a taste of their cold asparagus/​lemon crème fraîche soup. Flavorful without being overdone, chilled just right, and silky smooth — it was incredible.
Then the steak arrived. If it were a guy, I’d fall in love with it. For real. Unbelievable. I’ve been to Morton’s, Capital Grille, Ruth’s Chris, Grille 23, and all the others, and this was BY FAR the most amazing piece of meat I’ve ever eaten. Tender, flavorful, cooked absolutely perfectly.
The fries were crispy, hot, and salty — just as they should be, and the spinach was creamy but not dripping, and you could taste just how fresh the spinach was.
All the food is carefully procured from local farms and merchants, and even the bread was phenomenal. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s worthy of having sonnets written about it.
Dinner for two (steak, spinach, fries, 2 drinks) came to $ 127.00 including tax and tip. A bit steep for a «casual» dinner, but I’ve never ever seen better quality, presentation, or taste.
Go here. Then go again. Then go back.

Innovative and sophisticated, The Achilles Project is the ULTIMATE TRIFECTA consisting of a clothing boutique, video game lounge (Wii, anyone?), and bar/​restaurant. It’s in a glorious class of its own. There’s still some fleshing out to be done; I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the canvas of blank walls and partially empty retail space. Yet I’ve no doubt they’ll soar.
The design is simple but brilliant details are illumined to the watchful eye: modular clothing racks, hidden turntables and registers and configurable tables. Leviton’s streamlined his cuisine, creating dazzling dishes that adhere to the sustainable ethos. The caliber of the food matches the prices.
Clearly the project was a labor of love, reflecting the musical and sartorial backgrounds of the co-​founders but not without a wink here and there (see cocktail menu) to let you know they’re not taking themselves too seriously. And neither should you. Relax and enjoy.