Dottie Hottie

Excepting anchor Emily Rooney’s embarrassing bias against Dorchester and squinty-eyed skepticism that crime exists throughout the city (oh, and her really egregious grammar), Donna Latson Gittens does an expert job in highlighting the tremendous positives on life in Dorchester. D is for diversity, SMAMS rocks, Ashmont’s bumpin’, and 17 minutes into the heart of town ain’t bad for the exceptional housing crop with green space, ocean views to boot. Huzzah, Ms. Latson Gittens!

Ashmont Station is really coming along.  If you haven’t graced Peabody Square in recent weeks, the plaza area surrounding the T stop has opened up, welcoming a farmer’s market and the festive market promotion artists dressed in vegetable costumes that accompany it.  Magnificent.  The Dottie Hottie also noted that the orange barrels have given way to shiny slabs of marble and granite-looking edifices for playing spontaneous games of hot lava and perhaps reenactments of “Who’s On First” in the aforementioned plaza.

If you do happen upon the station soon, take a look at these fetching lamp post banners.  Whom shall we thank for these adornments?  Dot Art?  Not sure as the humble artists did not sign their names, but they look pretty fly, flying up there above the squay-uh.

Ah, the Dottie Hottie does love a good forced rhyme.  Mr. Guy (Harris), children’s librarian at the Adams Street Library, is the best kept secret in entertainment in the ‘hood.  Of course, his cult following is a specific demographic.  They range in age from 0-5 and then from about 20-50 years.  You can see Harris perform for the groupies every Tuesday morning at the BPL branch at 10:30 a.m.  There he’ll present a story hour in theme.  The most recent gig was a veritable pajama jam.  Harris donned his jammies, read several bedtimey tomes, told a story by way of felt/velcro apron attaches, tried his hand at a few puppets, led the groupies in a round of songs to the tune of his banjo (!!!), and closed the hour with a coloring/gluesticking activity that the groupies took home to their refrigerator walls of pride.

We are lucky to have Mr. Harris, a literary advocate and performer all in one.

Adams St. Library

690 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02122
617-436-6900

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

The Dottie Hottie swears Hidden Jules, the adorable consignment shop on Adams St. opened 15 minutes ago. And that 10 minutes ago, it was still open for business. Then, 5 minutes ago, the Dottie Hottie drove by the boutique only to discover the windows vacant of clothing, the signage removed — GONE like a thief in the night!?

Jules, where did you go with your jewels? Your shop was so cute! We miss you. Let us know where you have hidden your jewels elsewhere….

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!

What: The Ashmont/Peabody Square Farmers’ Market

When: Friday, July 10 (Will run every Friday through October 30, from 3 to 7 p.m., rain or shine.)

Where: ODWIN Learning Center,
1943 Dorchester Ave., (across from Ashmont Station and the Carruth Building)

Who: Sponsored by SMAMS, ODWIN, Wainwright Bank and the Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition

BE THERE, PEOPLE!

Until this month, Dorchesterites who desired to sell or purchase used clothing (not on the interweb) had to leave the Dot for Quincy, Newton, and even places on the South Shore where consignment shops flourish. But not anymore. Two (!!) consignment shops are rocking the block around Pope’s Hill/Adams St. these days, and the Dottie Hottie is pumped for some resale therapy.

The Dottie Hottie, being a good little recessionista, is set to unload a whole bunch of nice name-brand fashions that ::sigh:: just ain’t gonnn fit no mo’.

After surveying the racks at the new Hidden Jules, I think some of DH’s duds aren’t even *nice* enough for the shop. Proprietor Julie Malcolm has a keen eye for the haute couture. Her shop on Adams St. looks like an adorable French boutique with a generous supply of women’s and children’s clothes (think: polka dot tites for $1!!??) and a growing inventory of men’s wear, too.

Hidden Jules
Proprietor: Julie Malcolm
hiddenjules1123@gmail.com
671 Adams St.
Dorchester, MA
617.379.3388

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Over on Neponset St., Repeat Boutique has a sign that indicates the grand opening will occur on May 23. The Dottie Hottie couldn’t help but take a peak in the windows and, at first blush, is certainly impressed by the ambience.

Info. forthcoming on Repeat Boutique

And you? Share your reviews of Dot’s newest resale shops here!