75 on Liberty Wharf

A small, cozy dining space, understated décor, and views of the harbor are just the beginning when it comes to Liberty Wharf Boston’s newest restaurant, 75 on Liberty Wharf. Warm, attentive service, a long list of libations, including green cocktails, and outstanding food round out the experience.

Friday night, after a wine tasting at Del Frisco’s (more on that soon), we were in the mood for some more time out and saw that 75 didn’t look too crowded. We walked in and were seated right away. The first thing I noticed is that the restaurant just felt really good. The energy that it has is very calm and cozy; despite sitting in the middle of the room, something I dislike, I felt completely at ease.

The menu and cocktail lists are both lengthy, and it was hard to decide what to order. One thing I loved instantly about 75 on Liberty Wharf was that they offered half portions for a lot of their salads and other things which meant I didn’t have to decide on just one.

First we started with cocktails. I overheard the woman next to me raving about the Spicy and Dirty Martini, so I went with that. The flavors in this cocktail were delicious; it had a nice kick of pepperoncini, rounded out by briny olive juice. I loved this cocktail, but it was strong, and there was no way I could drink more than one.

I decided to go with a classic favorite, the wedge salad. This is just a half order, so you could imagine the full order would be pretty large. This was perfect for me, just enough blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on top of the crunchy wedge.

Whenever I’m near the ocean, I crave seafood, so we split the shrimp cocktail which came with a positively addictive tequila cocktail sauce. We dipped our baguette in it once the shrimp were gone. It was that good.

My entrée was a half order of the pumpkin ravioli (and handfuls of perfect fries from my husband’s plate). Again, the half order felt like a full; I had leftovers to bring home! I loved that this pumpkin ravioli had pumpkin in the pasta and butternut squash on top, adding a little more nutrition to an otherwise decadent dish. Absolutely delicious.

My Spicy and Dirty Martini at the start of dinner told me that it was a great idea to finish with a Chocolate Martini, which I missed photographing because I was leaning back in my chair, relaxed, and marveling over the dessert cocktail, which was divine. The dessert menu looked great, but we were both way too full for another bite.

Before we left we were given souvenir mugs, a sweet touch to a really warm and relaxing experience.

I am a huge fan of Liberty Wharf, but it can feel fast, crowded, and like it’s trying too hard sometimes. 75 on Liberty Wharf reminded me of something I would find in Galway, just a great little neighborhood spot that happens to have a prime location on the water. It’s the place you go when you want to shake off the work week, and that’s exactly what we did.