First Bites at The Boxing Room

As promised, I recently dined at the Absinthe group’s newest addition the Boxing Room and have nothing but pure and utter deliciousness to report.

Last Sunday night my hubby and I had a spontaneous dinner with some of our dearest couple friends. They turned up (hungry as all hell) around 8pm. We had no plans and no reservations and it was the Sunday before July 4th. Certain we wouldn’t get a table anywhere worthwhile, we were about to settle on pizza by the slice before I decided to take a chance and call The Boxing Room to see if they could perchance seat a table of four in about thirty minute . . . they said yes.

As soon as we were (oh-so friend-ily!) seated, all of us gasped. The space was utterly gorgeous. Minimal, industrial, and oozing with trendy chic-ness. Before our glasses were even filled with water, we asked for an order of the Crispy Boudin Balls (a multi-meat sausage that is rolled into a ball instead of cased, battered, and fried). It reached our table piping hot and fresh out of the fryer. We unanimously feel in love at first bite.

We moved on to an order of the Deep-Fried Alligator. Being my first time trying alligator, I was admittedly skeptical. It tasted like a scrumptious cross between chicken and calamari. Doused with lemon and dipped in creole rémoulade, it was bite after bite of culinary perfection.

Between the four of us we ordered the following entrees and shared bites of each (not to mention a moist side of corn bread muffins).

Louisiana Shrimp Po’Boy: A warm French roll filled with perfectly fried tender shrimp and tangy slaw. Served with fryer-hot hushpuppies—of course.

Southern Fried Chicken: You can never go wrong with fried chicken and this ’lil bird was proof. Fresh, fried, and served with bacon-infused corn, it was bite after bite of true heaven.

Crawfish Etouffee: If you’re curious about crawfish, this is the dish to get you started. Hearty, salty, and oozing with deliciousness, it was a delicious bite of Nola.

Smothered Okra and Gulf Shrimp: It’s hard to cook okra perfectly, but this soup was a testament to perfection. Complete with a scoop of rice and thumb-sized shrimp, one bowl was clearly not enough.

We finished off by sharing a plate of the Bananas Foster Cake topped with cream cheese frosting and served alongside a serving of bourbon ice cream.

In a word, the meal was outstanding. One of those every-bite-gets-better-can’t-wait-to-go-back-again SF culinary experience. Take my advice and leave your diet my the wayside and head to The Boxing Room for your next gastronomic gathering—you won’t regret it.

Image courtesy of The Boxing Room.

 

 

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  1. […] been a little over a year since Louisiana-born chef Justin Simoneaux opened Boxing Room, an ode to his Southern roots, in Hayes Valley. And through changes and the many normal ups and […]

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