jm Curley - Fun in the Ladder District

jm Curley is one of those restaurants Nick and I had been hearing more and more about.  Turns out, however, it has been open for about 7 months!  Located on Temple Street in the Ladder District (between the Common and Washington St.) it is convient to our house and the movie theatre we frequent.  On one of our summer trips to the movies we decided to do a full date night and sample what jm Curley had to offer (hint: tons of creative food!)

We arrived earlier in the evening, grabbed two seats and settled in. The walls are exposed brick that have plenty of details, which provide a nice backdrop to the eatery and work perfectly with the atmosphere.  Our bartender for the evening actually used to work at Bobby Flay's place in Mohegan Sun prior to coming to Boston and was more than willing to take the time to walk us through the menu.  With a large cocktail and beer list and lots of inventive food options, his input was more than useful!

While we were looking over the menu, we were given a great cone of popcorn with a little sweet and spicy going on that totally set the mood and conveyed the fun feeling of the rest of the menu.

Popcorn

Starting with cocktails, Nick went with a Dark & Stormy, made with dark rum, lime and ginger beer, served on the rocks with a sugar rim.  This go-to for Nick always sets the tone for a great evening.

Dark & Stormy

I got the seasonal Collins, a combination of gin, strawberry, lillet rose, lemon and soda.  I hesitated because of the gin, but after eloquently asking him "how gin-y is it?," our bartender correctly informed me that the gin conveyed more of a dry flavor rather than that juniper flavor that is not my favorite.  I just appreciated him not laughing at me!  True to his word, the drink did not have a strong juniper taste, but was just nice and fresh.

Seasonal Collins

In addition to the standard menu items, jm Curley offers up a chalkboard of specials that are around for about two weeks at a time.  Originally they were supposed to be shorter time periods but people liked them too much!  Nick and I ditched the menu and ended up ordering off the board - these items just sounded too good to ignore.

Specials

jm Curley is known for their burger.  Seeing as their manager trained under Bobby Flay there is some official burger expertise here.  When they form the burger patties, they do not do so tightly.  Rather, they leave them loosely packed prior to cooking them.  Nick went with the special burger, which was served with a cheese sauce, tomato, avocado, griddled onions, and NACHO CHEESE DORITOS!  I mean, who does that?!  This dish seemed too crazy not to order!  The burger was awesome, with juicy, tender meat that was plenty flavorful.  The toppings added some more deliciousness, and the Doritos actually added a flavor-packed crunch to each bite.  I guess I was ahead of my time those many camp lunches from my childhood where I added chips to my sandwiches!

Special Burger

Fries

I had the Catfish Biscuit, Maque Choux Style.  The fried catfish was served on a warmed biscuit and topped off with sweet corn, shaved "trinity" and smoked tomato mayo.  I loved everything about this sandwich, even the mayo (which normally I hate!).  There was so much flavor in each bit.  The biscuit was light and fluffy and the catfish was cooked perfectly while a golden crust that maintained its crunch even after sitting there with all the toppings.  So good!

Fried Catfish Sandwich

A look at the inside

After dinner we had some time before the movie so we decided on another round of drinks and dessert.  Nick went with a Narragansett Cream Ale, which is a mixture of their lager and ale (top and bottom fermenters) making a light but rich-flavored beer.  I ordered the Mister Giggles (again, I could not resist the name!), which is a mixture of cava, sugar and bitters.  The sugar was added by a suger cube that sat at the bottom and slowly bubbled and dissolved into the drink.

Mister Giggles and the sugar cube

Brûléed Lemon Peel Garnish

When Nick saw the PB&J Summer Berry Bread Pudding with honey peanut butter sauce and vanilla ice cream, he had to get it.  Bread pudding is his favorite, and he loved everything about this.  Basically this was a dessert version of the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich and it totally worked.  The summer berries and the sauce finished off the bread pudding and completed the effect.

Bread Pudding

From start to finish, we loved everything we tried here.  Each glass and plate came with a fun and totally tasty item.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend jm Curley to others.  With the changing menu and a good price point, I totally see this becoming a frequent stop for Nick and I.

Have you found a new go-to location recently?