Around Town – Lower Mills and Ashmont

As we settle into our new home, we are marveling at our location and excited about warmer weather, longer days, and more time to explore. Life in the new house hasn’t been perfect; it’s been cold, there’s work to be done, and our shower is the coldest I have ever used. Still, we know we hit the jackpot with this home, and we stop almost daily to say how much we love the house.

I love that we were able to stay in Dorchester. Everyone is so friendly, and there are great restaurants and  some beautiful scenery within walking distance from our house.

We’re technically in Lower Mills in Dorchester, close to the Milton line, but we are also very close to Ashmont, making commuting into downtown Boston and Cambridge pretty easy. . . as easy as life on the MBTA can be.

Lower Mills has some beautiful spots, including the Baker Chocolate complex. I love the old mill and mill-style architecture. It always makes me wonder what life was like when the chocolate factory dominated Lower Mills. I bet it smelled great, but I am fairly certain life was not easy for anyone back then!

The shops and restaurants around Lower Mills are adorable. When we were in the process of buying our house, we stumbled upon the Lower Mills holiday stroll, and it was so charming, right out of a holiday movie.

The Ice Creamsmith is currently closed for the winter, but it’s old fashioned exterior adds to the charm of the village, and the promise of homemade ice cream will get us through to March when they reopen.

The Ledge Kitchen and Drinks is one of our absolute favorites. We have been fans a long time, especially of the Ledge patio. The Ledge is a short walk from our house, and we have been enjoying dollar oysters and their flatbreads. Sadly, the restaurant has been sold, and a new one will take its place, only no one, including the staff, knows when.

Until they close we will continue to stop in. The food and staff are so great, and we will be sad to see them go.

Just down from the Ledge is the sweetest little bakery, Sweet Life. Their cookies and pastries and breads are SO good. Their coffee is also great, and I am pretty sure that Sweet Life will be our fuel-up stop on the way to the boat on summer weekends. I am imagining that everything we love in our neighborhood now will be that much better when it’s light and warm.

Then there is one of my favorite features of our new house’s location: we can walk to Steel and Rye.

Steel and Rye recently started serving brunch, and we have already been twice. With a serious brunch cocktail list, oysters, house-made donuts, and other incredible treats, their brunch is one of the best in the Boston area.

Last, but certainly not least, are Chris Douglass’ Ashmont area restaurants Tavolo and Ashmont Grill. Tavolo is perfect for pizza and wine, while Ashmont Grill is just perfect for everything.

We especially love to wander over to Ashmont Grill for cocktails and apps. What’s even better is how, with these restaurants, Douglass really added to positive change in the Ashmont area. Many other businesses followed him into the area, resulting in a vibrant neighborhood.

So there you have it; our little corner of the world, and all of the fun and food that we are looking forward to being part of our lives. It’s an exciting time; now if it would just get warmer so we can actually spend some time outdoors, it would be perfect.