Articles by traveleatlove

The blogger behind Travel Eat Love, I am a marketing communications professional by day and a lover of all things food, travel, and wine related the rest of the time. I am looking to combine my love of writing and social media with all of my other passions to share great reviews, recipes, and experiences with you!

New in Dorchester: The Bowery Bar

July 23, 2018 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | No comments

One of our favorite Dorchester patios is back! After several months of being shuttered, the space that was once Ester (and before that, The Ledge) reopened as The Bowery Bar, and we’ve already been there three times.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when we walked inside. The restaurant has been completely redone, and it looks beautiful. I didn’t even grab inside photos as we made a beeline straight to the patio, which has been beautifully updated. The addition of a closed off bar area, as well as a lounge area and games, has made the patio better than it was, and it was already pretty great.

The Bowery has a fantastic list of creative cocktails, including some fun tiki drinks

The Book ‘em Dano and Smoke on the Island are both delicious, and it’s always fun to have an umbrella in your patio drink!

Over the course of our visits, we’ve had yummy guac and chips, with house hot sauce, which I could put on everything.

We’ve also had the tuna poke and chilled half lobster, which comes with the most incredible brown butter vinaigrette. It is amazingly delicious, and I could drink it by itself.

My go-to for an entrée has been the kale salad, and I had it for lunch with the smoked chicken salad, which was nice and light, not too mayonnaise-y, which some chicken salads can be. The smoky flavor of the chicken salad makes the meal feel like something a bit more special than a regular salad. I love that the menu has several salads on it, making going out and healthy eating possible and fun.

I can’t say enough about how great the staff is, especially Emily, who served us for Sunday lunch this past weekend. She saw me struggling to get the baby’s stroller through a door and ran to my assistance and helped with the second door. Care like that does not go unnoticed, and it really elevated the dining experience for me. We have so many great restaurants in Lower Mills, Adams Village, and the Ashmont area that we rarely have to get in the car to go out. I hope everyone else in the Boston area takes a trip down to Dorchester to discover great food and kind people!

National Martini Day on the Patio at Venezia

June 25, 2018 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | No comments

Social media can have some serious influence when it comes to purchases and actions. Case in point, last Tuesday was #NationalMartiniDay, and when I saw a Facebook post from Venezia Restaurant tempting followers with martinis on their deck, I knew exactly what our after work plans entailed.

Venezia has a pretty incredible patio that’s right on the water. We have boated there before and sat inside, so this was my first time enjoying the sun-soaked spot, which also featured large umbrellas to keep us shaded if we wanted. For the martini holiday, I went with a classic gin martini with a twist. Service was so warm and welcoming, and my drink was a cold, crisp summer treat.

As martinis tend to do, it spurred on an appetite, and though we had dinner plans at home, we shared two small plates, Coccio Tradizionale (Fried rice arancini with peas and Bolognese, potato croquette with prosciutto and scamorza, cheese polenta) and Shrimp Scampi (U8 jumbo shrimp, white wine, lemon, garlic and fresh parsley).

How beautiful are these dishes?! They were as delicious as they were pleasing to the eye, with the golden fried bites perfect for dunking in a homemade tomato sauce and substantial shrimp offering up a heavenly, garlicky sauce that we soaked up with bread.

Venezia is just down the road from us, but we often overlook it since it’s a bit tucked away. They have a full bar with great cocktails and an extensive food menu that makes ordering a bit difficult, since you’ll want everything!I will definitely be keeping this Dorchester gem in mind for patio nights going forward this summer, especially now that we finally have a boat in the water!

Tags: Boston, cocktails, Food

Spectacle Island Luau with Boston Harbor Cruises

June 21, 2018 in Food, Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

Happy first day of Summer! Boston is my favorite place to be during this magical season, and if you’ve been reading my blog any length of time, you know that I spend every minute I can boating, swimming, and on beaches.

As such, I was so excited to learn about Boston Harbor Cruises luaus on Spectacle Island, and to be invited to one that fell on my husband’s first Father’s Day. It turned out to be the perfect day for a cruise over to Spectacle, as it was in the 90s, and we enjoyed beautiful sea breezes.

Since it was a luau, I made sure we were dressed accordingly. Welcome to a lifetime of coordinated family outfits, Myles!

We enjoyed a lovely and smooth ride out to the island and then were greeted with its beautiful beaches, trails, Boston views, and a tent set up and ready for our dinner.

We made a quick stop at the bar for Sam summers, and then we found seats under the tent to begin our luau feast!

The main dish at the luau was a whole roast pig, which I fully enjoyed, but I decided to omit a photo, as I know many people (including myself) have a hard time looking at the pig itself. I have to say though, it was really yummy, super tender and flavorful, and the team serving it up was lovely and friendly!

As usual, for me, the side dishes stole the show. I ate the majority of this frisbee full of tomatoes. Nothing says summer like tomatoes, and these were simply delicious. I also loved this noodle dish and a combo pasta/potato salad that just says summer picnic.

After we devoured our side dishes and melt-in-your-mouth pork while chatting with our luau neighbors, we were presented with a creamy coconut pudding . . . which was incredible!

The timing of the luau meant that we were able to go for a nice walk on the island before heading back to the boat and enjoying a glorious sunset over Boston as we rode home. We took turns relaxing on the bow (It was a bit too windy for the baby.) and we all just felt super happy and relaxed when we arrived home and ready for a deep sleep and to tackle the week ahead. My husband said he felt like he was on vacation while out at the luau. I wholeheartedly agree.

Thank you for hosting us, Boston Harbor Cruises! I look forward to coming aboard for my annual trip to Provincetown and hopefully for many other journeys this summer!