Phantom Gourmet: Worden Hall In South Boston
BOSTON - This is what happens when a little Upstate New York, a bit of Chicago, and a sprinkle of the Deep South all come together in South Boston. Worden Hall is a hot new neighborhood tavern right across from the Broadway T stop. The restaurant's name and horse racing inspired decor were inspired by a legendary hotel in owner Dylan Walsh's hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York.
"I grew up five blocks from the Saratoga Race Course. So I actually did a couple weeks of research," he explained, "and the one actual guesthouse that kept coming up was the Worden Hotel."
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"There was one hotel where everybody was able to kind of go and rub elbows. We wanted to recreate that same style here," said General Manager Dan Henn. "If you're across the street at the Broadway T stop, come here for quick hot dog, some barbecue wings, quick beer from a draft list, all the way up to a full dinner if you want."
Dan wanted the menu to offer all things to all people. So you can a get a great burger with black pepper bacon, blue cheese, and Chipotle sauce; or pan-seared scallops in a brown butter vinaigrette; or a Kobe beef hot dog with sriracha mustard; or a delicious roast beef shoulder with horseradish cream and grilled broccolini.
From the day they opened the doors, the dish with the deepest fan base has been a bit of a surprise: the hand-crafted, eye-popping, Chicago style deep dish pizza - from the traditional Margherita, to the indulgent Sopressata and Garlic Sausage. It all starts with a special crust that's made daily by Chef Tim McQuinn.
"You have to start with that crust," Tim explained. "So we tested a lot of different crusts and we came down to one that is rich with butter and still flaky and tender." Then they build from the bottom up, to protect the crust.
"So you start out with cheese first, then layer it with some sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe and some toasted garlic and chili flake. Then on top of that, soppressata, and then we finish with the housemade tomato sauce and some shaved Grana Padano."
Before you even get to the deep dish, you can start your meal with some Crispy Polenta fries served over a house smoked tomato sauce with a side of black garlic aioli. Or, try the smoked lamb ribs plated with some tzatziki and a simple Greek salad. You definitely won't want to miss Worden Hall's over-the-top twist on the BLT, which substitutes crispy pork belly instead of regular bacon.
"We take pork; we cure it in-house for two days; and then we smoke it in-house overnight," Tim said. "It's a thicker cut and it's fatty; it's meaty; and it's porky."
If you really want to pig out, Worden Hall also offers a heck of a brunch every Saturday and Sunday, offering standout dishes like the Southern inspired Steak and Eggs, featuring a chicken fried steak and black pepper gravy. Or check out the New Orleans style Beignets, boasting golden, fluffy fried dough stuffed with orange vanilla cream over a little blueberry compote.
Things get even sweeter for dessert, especially the signature Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream Sandwich.
"Strawberry rhubarb was one of the things that my grandmother used to make," Tim explained. "So we make a strawberry rhubarb semifreddo as the ice cream component. And then the cookies on the outside are ginger brown butter cookie. I think it's our most popular dessert."
In terms of atmosphere, aside from the racing mural, and the open kitchen, and the cool lighting, there's one more interesting feature worth noting at Worden Hall. The bar top is actually made out of 12,710 pennies. Even though you might need a little more than just pocket change to eat here, you're guaranteed to get a meal that's deeply satisfying.
You can find Worden Hall at 22 West Broadway in South Boston, and online at wordenhall.com.
Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.
