Dottie Hottie

If you love living in Dorchester, then you have at least one valentine to share the day with on Sunday (2/14). The following are just a few Dorchester deals that have come across the Dottie Hottie’s desk. Show the love to your sweetie, or, if nothing else, show the love to your ‘hood.

Dot 2 Dot Cafe’s Jazz Brunch (live music from 12 - 2 p.m.)

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Cedar Grove Gardens is offering the “Great Value Deal“:
- a dozen great NON-RED but premium 30-40cm roses
- delivered in a clear vase
- $35.00 +tax to local addresses
- Deal good thru Friday the 12th

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dbar - 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu all weekend long

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Franklin Park Zoo. Love is in the air (along with the smell of the gorillas wafting through…)
Bring a Valentine to the Zoo or make one there for your favorite animal. The animal who receives the most will be crowned “Zoo Sweetheart 2010.” One lucky winner will be chosen among his or her “valentines” to receive a Behind-the-Scenes tour of the Zoo for the whole family.

The Dottie Hottie recently scored a couple pairs of “juggler gloves” at the Super 99 Plus on Dot Ave (corner of Welles Ave.). With the pointer and thumb slots “uncapped,” these gloves are surely the perfect thing to keep the urban commuter who is wont to juggle the keys, the T pass, the messenger bag, the like, and who’d rather not have to do the whole gloves on/gloves off shuffle in the bitter temps of Beantown’s winter.

The gloves come in an assortment of colors and are a mere $.99 for a set of 2 pairs! That’s four gloves for less than one money! While supplies last….

You know you’ve passed it on Dot Ave. The suspicious green exterior. The window displays with the hodge podge of trinkets and trucker hats. And then you’ve probably scoffed at the signage: “Super 99 Cent Plus.”

What’s the plus?

And what’s so super about it?

You know you’ve been curious. But did you have the courage to enter beyond yon doors?

The Dottie Hottie investigated. And lo, a manifest destiny of chatchkes of all shapes and sizes was unearthed!

The store is actually very clean and organized. Yet, you could spend hours in it, trolling for itty bitty buddhas, birthday balloons, and a new belt buckle.

They even had a Michael Jackson Thriller belt buckle to boot! Thirteen dollah bills, y’all!

We managed to purchase a whole bevy of birthday products (kiddie whistle toys, streamers, balloons, forks, etc.) for $13. My arms were literally brimming with stuff and the sum total was less than I had spent at Lambert’s for some apple cider and grapes.

The store is staffed by some charming young Vietnamese chaps. Totally helpful with the Mylar balloon selection and while the MJ belt buckle was exciting, it’s fair to say the Super 99 Plus staff is what the “plus” is all about — they’re the icing, for shizz.

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Super 99 Cent Plus
1759 Dorchester Ave
Dorchester Ctr, MA 02124-2535
(617) 282-5460

It’s hard for the Dottie Hottie to say which was the best part of The Farmer’s Market at Ashmont this past Friday. Every aspect begs for its own superlative. Was it the market? The farmers? What about the SMAMS staff with their bright and verdant T-shirts? Perhaps it was the produce, the flowers by Cedar Grove, and let’s not forget the pottery tent!

Ahh…the real icing, and unique among farmer’s markets as far as the Dottie Hottie’s eyes have seen was the LIVE MUSIC. Oh yes. Lending ambience to an already lovely atmosphere on a perfect summer day was Irie Roots, a rockin’ Calypso band. MID couldn’t get enough.

Picture borrowed from Ashmont Farm Market’s twitpics. Follow them on twitter @ http://twitter.com/AshmontFarmMkt

One big Dottie Hottie Huzzah to the recipient of St. Mark’s Area Main Streets’ small business of the year award: Dot 2 Dot’s Karen Henry-Garrett. The award is well-deserved considering Karen’s devotion to the community and determination in building her business from the ground up (in the face of much adversity, see also: theft). If you haven’t checked out the pancakes or the Dottie Hottie’s favorite flapjack treats, do yourself a favor and connect the dots on down to Dot2Dot. I can’t promise you Karen will be wearing a fetching hat like the one she’s featured wearing here, but the cooking will not disappoint!

- photo credit to St. Mark’s Area Main Streets

The Dot2Dot cafe was recently burglarized and the losses caused the cafe to close for several weeks, according to the Dorchester Reporter. In light of its recent setback, now is a great time to support this wonderful local business. Here are a couple of ways, in addition to visiting for breakfast, lunch, or coffee, that you can help to put the cafe back on its feet:

- Host your holiday gathering at Dot2Dot.

- Order a pie for Thanksgiving! From the website:
Last few days left to order your pies. Choices are: Apple, Apple and
Blueberry, Blueberry or Pumpkin. To place your order, please call the
shop on 617 436 2368 or talk to me (Karen) when you next visit. Cost of
all pies - $12.00. Orders should be placed no later than November 22.

Dot 2 Dot cafe is a fairly new establishment to grace Dorchester Ave., and by “grace,” the Dottie Hottie is not even being sarcastic. Dot Ave. is starting to see some illumination beyond the miles of forbidding storefront grates. In addition to its cheerful signage, Dot 2 Dot has accented its storefront with some tricked out mosaic work — largely in thanks to the good folks of DotArt. Huzzah!

Dot 2 Dot owner Karen Henry-Garrett says she was looking for a way to improve the “ugly” stone facade. Enter: DotArt. The organization involves local teens in arts education and with its new Clay Studio - conveniently across the street from Dot 2 Dot - the teen artists were able to give the old building where Dot 2 Dot resides something way better than Botox. Check it!

(But you’ll have to see it for yourself in living color….)

Dot 2 Dot Cafe
1739 Dorchester Avenue,
Dorchester MA 02124
617-436-2368
www.dot2dotcafe.com

Dottie Biker invited a friend to come over and play the other night, and the rations in the pantry were low. What’s a Dottie to do? Leafing through the slick brochures so gratuitously left in our mailbox, we found our answer: Charlie’s Place on Dot Ave (right across from St. Mahhk’s Church). I wouldn’t say their menu was outrageously unique. It’s your standard deep-fried antipastos, the usual pies topped in mozzarella. But, given the choice between Dottie Biker’s Mexi-Mac (that’d be one part Kraft mac n’ cheese — it certainly is the cheesiest! — one part salsa) and a piping hot pizza and wings? I’ll keep Chuck plugged in to my cellphone.

The mushroom pizza was pretty good. Slices were filling.

The wings were delicious and very flavorful.

They delivered within twenty minutes I KID YOU NOT.

Charlie’s Place
1740 Dorchester Ave
Dorchester, MA 02124
617/265.3111