Local favorite: dbar

Photo courtesy of dbarboston.com

If you live in Boston but never venture out to Dorchester, what are you waiting for? While its bad reputation scares some away, the rest of us are enjoying a growing number of great restaurants, bars, and shops.

One of my absolute favorite go to places in the ‘hood is dbar.  dbar is the type of place that you crave after a long day at work when you just need a good cocktail and some comforting food. It is also the type of place that you get all dolled up to go out on a Saturday night AND the place you want to be the next morning to have brunch with your friends.

Formerly an Irish pub, dbar has maintained the dark wood, dimly lit interior that I LOVE after a long day. Sometimes I feel like on display at nice restaurants, like everyone is watching everyone else, and you have to sit up and be super proper. dbar is a place where I can sit back in a comfy booth and just catch up with the hub.

To start out, their cocktail list is amazing. I tend to always get the Passion Fruit Blood Orange Cosmo:

• A tantalizing twist to the traditional cosmopolitan that will leave you on the floor begging for more.

While I would recommend this, I would guess that all of the drinks are as delicious and fun. And for brunch, their Bloody Mary’s extra spicy can’t be beat.

My absolute favorite dinner entree at the moment at dbar is the  Seared Diver’s Scallops (lemon glazed dayboat scallops, over cumin-carrot risotto, asparagus, wild ramp and spring leek soubise puree) From the sweetness of the scallops to the rich and warm carrot risotto, this meal is perfect. Accompanied by a cosmo (or two?) this meal has been the end to several recent work days for me, and I am thinking it might again be tomorrow. 😉

dbar is also a must try for brunch. Enjoy sitting out on their patio on a chaise lounge, not at all far from Dorchester Ave, a busy main street, but because of the patio’s beautiful fenced-in setup, a world away from the city. Deciding on brunch options is hard. For me its always a toss up: 

Huevos Rancheros Caliente  ~  Scrambled eggs with chorizo, tasso, peppers, & onions queso fresco, pico de gallo, over fried corn tortillas

Drunk & Naked Lobster Omelet ~Lobster drunk on champagne butter glaze, with sweet corn & gruyere cheese

Ummmm Sunday morning lobster and champagne? Yes please! This is, as you can imagine, decadent, creamy, a little salty, and perfect. The Huevos are over buttery tortillas and deliver a little bit o’ spice that is always nice to wake a girl up.

All of this, and Executive Chef Christopher Coombs also has a rooftop garden from which he sources herbs and vegetables for dbars delectable creations.

Come on. . . don’t you want to hop on the Red Line now to come out for cocktails? dbar is at 1236 Dorchester Ave in Boston’s lovely Dorchester neighborhood.