Restaurant Review: Linger

One of the things I like best about Linger is the creativity behind the name and the concept. The building once housed Olinger Mortuary (yes, you heard right), and even though they totally renovated the space, the restauranteurs kept the old sign out front. But by dropping the "O," the name became "Linger." I love how the wordplay allowed them to keep the well-known landmark intact without sacrificing anything. They also retained the part of the sign that said "mortuaries," only now it reads "eaturaries" instead.

I like the contrast of the historic building with the fresh, contemporary design elements. The upstairs bar is made up of Lite-Brights and the downstairs hallway is lined with pool balls, for instance.

I had been to the bar area a few times, but Kayla's birthday gave me a reason to try out the restaurant.

They serve dishes inspired by street food from around the world, including India, East Asia, Central Europe, and South America. They have vegetarian plates, and they also serve sustainable and locally sourced foods whenever possible. Since I try to eat only free-range meat, I appreciate that, but my friends enjoyed eating delicacies like lamb belly.

That isn't a frothy espresso pictured below but a coffee-flavored dessert served with small, round donuts, and yes, it was as delicious as it looks.

Linger is definitely worth trying out, but I recommend you reseve a table a few weeks in advance. We put our name on the list that night, and we had to wait a long time and then ended up at a communal table. If you aren't planning on going out to eat anytime soon, you should at least go for drinks at the indoor and rooftop bars.