Restaurants

Most of our time spent in Boston this summer was spent dining out in old favorites in Dorchester and Milton. I have been a bad Bostonian and have rarely even gone downtown. I’ll chalk it up to work busy-ness but also my desire to kind of just be during the summer. Rather than getting ready and rushing into the crowds for dinnertime, I preferred to throw on a sundress and sandals for a last minute, relaxing local bite.

One exception was a reunion of our Tanzania travel group (Read all about my trip to Tanzania on posts on my travel blog page.) at Poe’s Tip Tap Room. Chosen for the possibility of game on the menu, the Tip Tap Room ended up being a nice surprise.

First of all, I had driven and run past it many many times before and never even noticed it. It’s not hidden at all, but does sort of blend in, and it just wasn’t on my radar as a place to go.

We arrived early and found the bartender to be excellent, funny, warm, and welcoming. The beer selection, as you would imagine in a tap room, was also really great.

We love Anderson Valley and beer from Anderson Valley, and we were both excited to see this Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, a favorite.

The Tip Tap Room was perfectly noisy, a must for our excited group, and it offered lots of great plates for sharing. As we caught up on the months since camping in the Serengeti together, small plates flew around the table.

  {Baked Brie: poached apricots / smoked milk & honey / endive / lemon thyme}

{To.die.for. Grilled Corn: korean pepper aioli / ricotta salata / lime}

{Brussels Sprouts: caramelized / spaghetti squash / almonds / long pepper-honey butter}

We shared so many delicious plates that when it came down to dinner, I was full and went a “lighter” route with a chopped salad topped with a poached egg and a corn gazpacho, both amazing and totally filling. I felt like I could barely move to leave the restaurant!

{Roasted Corn Gazpacho: coconut milk / heirloom tomato / verbena / lump crab}

The food and beer at The Tip Tap Room was outstanding. Every dish had perfectly chosen ingredients and flavors, and everything was great quality. Service was great, the beer selection left almost too many options and more of a reason to return. It’s a great spot for after work and for slightly noisy groups. I look forward to a return visit with friends.