In commemoration, the Gallows restaurant opened in 2009 and has since served customers with creative dishes in a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. “You can sit in our dining room and order a single multi-course dinner with wine or share dishes family style with the whole table,” says Seth Yaffe, general manager at the Gallows. “You can come in and grab a pint of beer and an order of poutine at the bar, or you can sit back on first date and flirt over our eclectic cocktail list.”

The Bar

Upon walking in, my dinner companion and I were drawn to the ambient radiance of the bar, which glows with the rich amber hues reminiscent of antique sepia-toned photographs. After being seated, I picked up the drink menu and was impressed to find a generous list of unusual, cleverly named cocktails. I started with the deep fuchsia Victorian Sedation, made with lemon verbena vodka and blueberry.   I followed it with the Florence Lassandro, which mixes bay leaf vodka with cucumber to make a refreshing, bright, and relaxing drink. I loved the sugary blueberry flavors in the former but found that the coolness and savory cucumber finish in the latter went down much more smoothly.

Coupled with the theme, the shadowy lighting and peculiar décor made the place a bit eerie. The fixtures hang down like ghostly orbs, while the large chandeliers above our heads were spun from rusted fence wire into cylinders that glow within. On the wall adjacent to the entrance boasts a vintage mannequin torso, while a pair of disconnected legs hangs to the left of the bar.

From Gallows’ unique list of appetizers, we ordered the Scotch Egg ($6), which is a hardboiled egg that has been breaded and deep fried. The egg is then cut lengthwise, topped with scallions, and served on a bed of greens. The eggs were cooked perfectly, and the scallions added brightness to the hearty breading.

Longshoreman Board and a Scotch Egg

Another good choice is one of the three cheese and cured-meat boards. The Longshoreman ($16) takes it to the sea with smoked scallops and salmon, blue fish pâté, pickled fennel, mustard, and gribiche (a French tartar sauce). The pickled fennel seemed to be a bit out of place among all the smoky seafood and one bite was enough for me. My fork kept returning to the silky blue fish pâté and the gribiche. Normally I do not care for tartar sauce, but this version was airy, smooth, and tangy and wiped clean with the last pieces of French bread.

The entrees at The Gallows change weekly according to what’s in season and fresh at the market. A current offer is monkfish from the Gulf of Maine ($26) in a braised leek broth with pink shrimp, roasted peppers, and niçoise olives. I would have preferred a lighter, flakier fish as the firmness of the monkfish did not soak up the flavors of the broth as hoped. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed scooping up forkfuls of the olives, peppers, and shrimp that had soaked up the broth.

For burgers, the Carpet Burger ($17) with fried oysters, remoulade, iceberg lettuce, and American cheese is the standout. The beef is juicy and cooked to order, and the fried oysters and iceberg added that crunchy texture the burger needed.

Yaffe wants the restaurant to do more than just serve food. “The city gallows were a landmark in Boston,” he explains, “We strive for the Gallows to be a landmark of South End neighborhood dining.”

In this regard, the restaurant is well on its way to its goal of breathing new life into these once ghastly grounds. As for me, after stuffing myself silly, all I wanted to do was rest in peace.