Dottie Hottie

Say you don’t have premium cable.
Say you love “Mad Men.”
Say you like to be among those who also don’t have premium cable and also love “Mad Men.”

What if I told you Tavolo had a solution to your quandary….

Watch the latest episode in real time every Sunday night at 10 p.m. on the big screens at the fabulous bar, try the bar and snacks menu inspired by the characters of AMC’s drama, and enjoy the costumery by the bar staff and patrons who are truly excited to return to the swingin’ sixties!

Cathy Moylan extends her Lucky Strike cig…

Lauren Bennett, manager @ Tavolo gives Betty Draper a run for her money.

Apologies for the radio silence here at DottieHottie.com. The DH family was welcoming a new member over the past month, and new babies with all of their neeeeeediness sure do get in the way of maintaining one’s rep in the blogosphere, ya know?

Anyway. In the interim, the Dottie Hottie has been busy about the neighborhood, taking walks with the newbie and showing him What It All Means to be Originally from Dorchester (OFD).

One place we have visited twice now is Pho Hoa, in its bright, zen new home in the T. Le Building on Dot Ave. Pho Hoa is a terrific lunch destination what with speedy service, free parking (lot in the back), affordable prices, delicious (read: non-rubbery chicken) pho and vermicelli dishes, and…

the mystery fruit drink!

That’s right. You already got up and did the Sunday Times Crossword. You thought all the puzzles were done for the day, eh? Well, here’s a new one for you. Help the Dottie Hottie crack the code that is the Honeydew Melon Smoothie at Pho Hoa.

Episode the First: The Dottie Hottie’s inaugural lunch visit to Pho Hoa. Orders the honeydew melon smoothie with pearls. Smoothie is not delivered with the rest of meal. The Dottie Hottie inquires as to its whereabouts. Smoothie is delivered. Only, it is peach colored. The very creamy light orange color of…cantaloupe, no? So the Dottie Hottie inquires again of the waitstaff. Is this honeydew? Yes, says waiter the first. But the Dottie Hottie is not satisfied. Asks waiter the second. Is this honeydew–because it appears to be cantaloupe? Yes, says waiter the second. Sometimes, honeydew melon is orange-ish.

IS THIS TRUE? Polling you, fellow Dotties. Can you corroborate this story? Are honeydew melons sometimes orange in tinge?

Episode the second: The Dottie Hottie visited Pho Hoa and ordered a honeydew melon smoothie WHICH ONCE AGAIN WAS NOT DELIVERED WITH THE MEAL BUT HAD TO BE REQUESTED AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM VARIOUS WAITSTAFF BY JOVE WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO, ISN’T THERE AN iPHONE APP TO REMEDY THIS INCONGRUITY???? the smoothie looked like this:

image from divya-dilse.blogspot.com

Your input graciously solicited on this inconsistency in fruit coloration….

(To Be Continued….)

Pho Hoa
http://www.phohoa.com/
1356 Dorchester Ave.,
Dorchester, MA 02122-2912
Tel: (617) 287-9746

The Dottie Hottie’s greatest fear of going into labor on Patriot’s Day was allayed.  The threat of having to ferret through the crunch of Marathon traffic in order to get to the hospital manifested itself…and the Dottie Hottie considered the feasible ways one might arrive at the hospital (by parachute?  through the MIT tunnels?) but Pee Wee Dottie chose not to appear. Hurrah!  This gave the Dottie Hottie family a chance to check out the excellent puppetry show at the JFK Library, and find a patriotic treat at the Sugar Bowl.

The Dottie Hotties have had good fortune in teaming up with The Food Project over the last two years.  By teaming up, I simply mean that The Food Project built us a box garden, tossed some soil and seeds our way, and made the process of growing delicious vegetables so dang easy (with frequent tutorials available in our ‘hood) that we’d be jokers to say we were real gardeners.  We just added sun and water…and voila!

Just like the Public Garden!

Now, this coming summer, when our family’s child population is going to double GASP and our sleep quotient will concurrently divide by…what?  Sixteen to the eighth power?  We’re just not sure we want to commit to the cultivation of the box garden again.  We might forget to mark the places where we put seeds or we might forget to water it for a few weeks or we might forget where we live and just take up permanent residence at the Ice Creamsmith.

Either way, though, these little Container Gardens that Cedar Grove Gardens is pimping seem pretty stinking adorable and relatively manageable, no?

Would anyone like to weigh in on the functionality of the container garden?  When should one start one and what kinds should you not start if, say, you’re going to have a newborn around and you might forget that plants don’t need breastmilk?

Whether you are a Tavolo regular or haven’t gotten your card punched at the door yet, today’s Groupon is a great opportunity to enjoy $40 worth of food/drinks at the casual Italian eatery at Ashmont/Peabody Square for a double sawbuck (a mere 20 smackers). For that kind of dough, you can buy a lot of it. Pizza dough. And share the outstanding mushroom topped deliciousness with the Dottie Hottie if you’re feeling extra crazy charitable.

The banner has been teasing the Dottie Hottie for months. CHATEAU KABOB! COMING SOON! Finally, the banner was exchanged for a light-up sign: OPEN.

Hurrah! The Dottie Hottie fam scurried down the Adams St. hill to bid welcome to the newest ethnic eatery in Adams Village.

At first blush, the place, just a couple doors down from Adams Fish Market, smacks of clean. There are about a dozen tables, all clean at 6 p.m. on a Monday, the freshly painted walls are bright, and the flourescent lights above are, well, a bit sterile feeling, but at least the joint ain’t shady.

The menu itself is pretty expansive, with every kind of Middle-Eastern cuisine for the noshing: baba ghanoush, hummus, yogurt, falafel, pita sandwiches, lamb and beef and chicken kabobs. Ample veggie offerings, too.

Our small take-out order took a bit of time (read: a good 20 min) to prepare. The Dottie Hottie thinks the kitchen squad needs to speed things up to meet the expectations of bustling Boston.

As for the food, there is still some major room for improvement. Falafel balls were large but dry. Beef kabobs were tender and evenly cooked but not very flavorful. The roasted veggies were absolutely delicious but the portion was skimpy. A kebab dinner for $14 should at least pile on the veggies, no?

The Dottie Hottie inquired about an alleged lunch buffet that the Chateau had advertised. The Chat management indicated that, in order to meet code, certain accommodations must be met. So it’s clear the Chat is still getting its act together. We’ll give you a couple of months to bring quality up to snuff. We’ll revisit the kababeria in due time.

Chateau Kabob Restaurant
789 Adams St.
Dorchester, MA 02124
(617) 379 - 2433
(617) 379 - 2434
FAX (617) 379 - 2436
Abe@ChateauKabob.com

Due to the pending expansion of the Dottie Hottie family, certain members of our household have been compulsively ordering take-out. At least one member of the household has, and that member may or may not now have a new “usual” at King Do Baguette and Pastry. If a take-out order has been placed more than once to King-Do in the span of a week, is it safe to say that one is a “regular” of King-Do? That one is an afficionado? A groupie? AN OUTRIGHT ADDICT TO THE HONEYDEW MELON SMOOTHIE?

Just wondering. That honeydew melon smoothie really is delicious.

As is the tofu/vegetable entree, the beef bahn-me baguette sandwich, and the tofu spring rolls. The chicken used in this cuisine is suspect. Rubbery and a little as though it has been sitting out. Avoid the poultry product says the Dottie Hottie, and you will be fine.

Another great thing about King-Do, in addition to its 7 day delivery service (10 a.m. - 11 p.m.!!!) and affordability, is that you can now order it entirely online through GrubHub which fiiiiiiiinally expanded its territory to Dorchester after what felt like an ice age of being, well, iced.

So beam that order up and watch this bag come presto-chango to a Dot door near you.

January.  31 days.  Every year. Followed by the longest shortest month: February.  The interminable winter of our discontent here in Dorchester.  Orange barrels along Morrissey, slushpuddles on every curb of Dot Ave., gargantuan potholes along other boulevards that have yet to be “stimulated” by the feds.

How does one endure these forbidding months?  With nary a ray of warmth to get one through?

Comfort food anyone?

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Celebrate Dorchester-Milton Restaurant Week!!!
WHEN:

Sunday, January 17 through January 31 inclusive

WHO:

224 Boston Street
88 Wharf
Abby Park
Ashmont Grill
Blarney Stone
dbar
Ledge
Tavolo

HOW:

Following the Amex Restaurant Week model, restaurants will offer a prix fixe three course dinner menu for $30.10 (in addition to your regular ala carte offerings). Advance reservations are encouraged, and details will be posted on each restaurant’s website.

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So maybe we can’t all jet off to Aruba.  But for $30, we can enjoy a little warmth to carry us through these whipping wintry weeks.

The Hahhp and Bahhhd got a facelift. We’re all excited about the new polished look as it elevates Dorchester Ave. to the classy Main Street we all know it is capable of becoming (or restoring once more).

If you haven’t wandered into the new! improved! H&B, let the Dottie Hottie recommend Sunday or Monday evenings for a buffalo wing smorgasbord. The wings - which come in an array of flavors including honey buffalo, buffalo, and barbecue - are a mere $.50/piece on Sunday and Monday nights. They’re not only cheap, but they’re quite meaty and mos def delicious. The Dottie Hottie has been in search of an establishment to offer wings at a reasonable price that would make Buffalo proud. But Boston bars, it seems, are wont to charge much too much for the pint and the poultry. The Harp & Bard gets the recipe just right.

Those with kiddies, here’s a tip - go ’round about 6p on Monday evenings and have the run of the place. If your child is anything like MID (who thinks booths are made for being obnoxious and peeking over at the connecting booth), this time is to your advantage

1099 Dorchester Ave
(between Doris St & Savin Hill Ave)
Dorchester, MA 02125
(617) 265-2893

In a stroke of irony, the Dottie Hottie was registered to get that flu shot everybody’s been hyping about, but was too sick to have it administered. Needless to say, we’re a little behind on updating.

So about that Irish Fest at Adams Corner a couple of weeks back — the Dottie Hottie was there in all verdant splendor as were all the Mickeys and Moes, the bonny Colleens and Sullies to boot. It was a wonderful affair. Beautiful day, completely family-oriented, and aside from the hours of blarney spoken at one of the entertainment stages, there appeared plenty of jigging and music-making at the other stage for your pleasure.

The Dottie Hottie and MID sampled the fare and gave two thumbs up to the pumpkin cookies from Greenhills, and a toot of ye old horn to Gerard’s for its superb beef stew. It was nice to see local vendors like College Hype Sportswear and the Stitch House displaying their fashions and making merry with all the neighbors.

Perhaps the biggest plus of all was that admission was free. The Dottie Hottie isn’t entirely sure how many beers were imbibed to finance the transport of all those Irish entertainers, but much appreciation for the lack of cover fee. It’s good to feel liberated to walk around the middle of Adams St. and the parking lot behind Greenhills on a Sunday afternoon without a care in the world but as to where you can get some more of that terrific beef stew.

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Mad good goodies from Greenhills’ tent o’ confection

Ceili dance for grown-ups

Little Miss Sunshine finds her cap at the Stitch House port-o-shop

Those bizarre bronzed human statue people were there. Of course they’re Irish!