Neighborhood:

South Boston (West) / Fort Point,  Boston

South Boston (East),  Boston

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Patrick Hellen's Reviews & Comments

Ashmont Grill 11/10/2009 Ashmont Grill is the best thing to happen to Dorchester since we kicked the British out. I’m not being the slightest bit facetious here, as this is now my new favorite restaurant in all of Boston. Almost directly across the street from the Ashmont T station, the Grill welcomes you when you walk in with an amazing neighborhood bar. The two bartenders on duty when I arrived were both knowledgeable in various local beers and hilariously friendly. I can see myself picking up a quick dinner here while sitting and chatting with the locals on many an occasion in the future. The food itself is a blend of comfort food favorites like mac and cheese, blended with the high end ideals that made Chris Douglass former restaurant Icarus such a popular favorite for over 20 years. Even the old standards like pasta with meat sauce become something you don’t feel unadventurous ordering. Let’s give you a quick suggestion to make sure you start off right. When you walk in, and sit at the fantastic bar, and order a beer, make sure to chase it with the Train Wreck Fries. It’s got jack cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and scallions. Hells yes.

Bailey's Coffee 11/10/2009 There are so many coffee joints staffed by haughty baristas who scoff when you refuse to order your drink in italian sizes that occasionally you need a more blue collar spot. Bailey’s in South Boston leaves all pretension at the door, yells out your order, calls you hon or darling, and yet still gets you a damn good coffee. This is an old school coffee shop, from back before a certain Seattle chain started getting people to pay triple for a cup of wake up. They’ll give you a newspaper, a donut or muffin, and a treat for the dog you tied up outside. They’ll also hand draw a smiley face on every lid they send out showing that while they’re focused on the food, they can still remember to be cute. They’ve recently started making breakfast sandwiches as well, and while they might take a few more minutes than the competition, they taste like something actually made and not mass produced. For those of you who live in Southie, and pick up the 7 Bus across the street from Bailey’s, pop over some morning and try it out. A smiley face adorned cup of joe is ready for you.

Common Grounds 11/10/2009 Common Grounds, a java joint and restaurant in the Lower Mills section of the DOT is what I’d imagine most Tolkien geeks would envision the inside of a hobbit house to look like. Stick with me if you’re not nerdy enough to know what that means. It’s pretty much a tree house, with bits like driftwood railings on the stairs, and tables made out of giant tree cross-sections, with gentle celtic flute music playing in the background. If you had dreadlocks in college, or often smelled like patchouli, you’ll probably feel generally at home here. They’ve got a full lunch and dinner menu, and a separate coffee shop and natural products store where you can get some hemp diapers and yerba drinks. I really wish I could like this place more as it seems like a calm spot with pretty decent food, but it’s got a weird phish show parking lot vibe that I can’t get past. Tell you what. Take a look down at what you’re wearing. If you’ve got anything tye-dyed or referencing Dark Star, you should check this place out. Jeans and an ironically funny t-shirt? You can do better.

Gourmet Dumpling House 11/10/2009 I knew that soup dumplings existed somewhere in the city, but I wasn’t sure where I might find these hyped up balls of meat and dough. I stopped my search when I found Golden Dumpling Palace, because with a name like that, and a line out the door, I figured I’d arrived at the right spot. With a menu the size of a phonebook, They’ve got all the fried items necessary in a Chinatown spot, but let’s ignore that for now and focus on the dumplings. First, I suggest bringing a friend. When I ordered a tray of crab/pork beauties I found myself wishing I had some help to polish them off. The garlic/scallion/soy sauce combo they give you for dipping is fantastic, but the broth inside blows even that savory stuff away. The trick for those that don’t know, is to bite off the top of the dumpling and slurp out the soup before devouring the rest, and devour you will. These things are just damn delicious. Now, be aware, I went in at about 3pm on a weekday and there was still a fifteen minute wait, so if you come, come early and hungry.

Patrick Hellen's Radars Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo
True Skin Artists

11/30/2009 Shopping, Jamaica Plain — There are plenty of places to score some ink in Boston. If you're drunk and looking for a totally e...

Genki Ya
Smashing Sushi

11/24/2009 Restaurants, Mattapan / Dorchester (West) — I'm not a sushi expert by any degree. I love it, but in most cases it's all decent, from random rol...

JP Comics and Games
Nerdy Goodness

11/17/2009 Shopping, Jamaica Plain — As some of you might be aware, I am a giant nerd, and thus I find comic books to be a great distract...

The Happy Swallow
Drinking Marathon

10/22/2009 Nightlife, — When you grow up with a Grandfather from Ireland, you tend to have a different view of Pubs than the...

Wings Over Brookline
Wings of Heaven

10/20/2009 Restaurants, Allston (South) / Brookline (North) — When I was a young man at UMass Amherst, I discovered my love for crazy hot and delicious chicken wi...

Submitted Listings

Boston 21 Dry Dock Ave. 25 Dry Dock Ave. 306 Northern Ave. 826 Boston 88 Black Falcon Ave.