Upon entering the Achilles Project, a new boutique/restaurant/bar/lounge that opened on Feb. 18 in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood of South Boston, be aware that you will reemerge better dressed, well-fed, an expert at Guitar Hero and essentially 20 times cooler than when you first arrived.
The brainchild of self-described “big kids at heart” Michel Krupp, a College of Communications alum, and Shaka Ramsay, the fashion sense behind Concepts and The Tannery in Harvard Square, the Achilles Project unites exciting cuisine, edgy labels and innovative architecture into a conceptually unique space to shop, eat and hang out.
By day, the space exists as Achilles, a boutique stocking hip, exclusive and hard-to-find labels including Bing Bang accessories, Rachel Roy party dresses and Acne denim. The garments are showcased in gargantuan cubic glass cases that are opened and shifted throughout a complex rail system.
In the evening, the clothing-filled cubes slide into the sidelines of the room as it morphs into the restaurant Persephone, concealing the industrial-chic fitting rooms and locking into place as something for onlookers to gaze at while ordering cheekily-named drinks like the Desperate Housewife ($10) and the potent Achilles Heel ($12).
Customers waiting to be seated at Persephone can brush up on their Guitar Hero and Nintendo Wii skills on three large flat-screen televisions.
Helmed by chef Michael Leviton of the popular and upscale Lumiere in Newton, Persephone emphasizes simple yet elegant fare that showcases sustainable, local and organic ingredients. And it’s green-certified, too.
The amazingly fresh and well-executed dishes are categorized into sizes that range from small, appetizer-sized bites to extra-large, meant-to-be-shared platters. Delicious small plates include an adventurous steak tartare served with garlicky and crusty bread and a duck egg en cocotte served with mushrooms and grilled bread for dipping.
Tamer yet equally tasty dishes such as a grilled calamari salad with olives, chickpeas and preserved lemon and a balsamic-glazed hanger steak anchored with well-seasoned French fries emulate the innovative yet simple affect of the entire space.
An apple tarte tatin, featuring soft, caramelized apples perched atop a flaky crust and alongside a scoop of citrus-y ice cream, is so good that it may lead to major plate-scrapage while complimentary, house-made pomegranate-chocolate truffles provide the perfect ending to a delicious and exciting meal.
While the Achilles Project is a bit of a hike from BU campus, Krupp refers to it as “one of the more fashionable populations [of Boston].” Incredible food, cool clothing and a much more exciting space to play video games in than a dorm room make the Achilles Project a destination well worth the journey over the bridge into South Boston.