Last weekend, I headed out with some other bloggers for a Sunday supper at Capo in South Boston. The inside felt a lot like Lincoln Tavern, their sister restaurant down the street.

How adorable is the Capo gelato stand outside the restaurant? It launched this summer and has over a dozen different flavors of gelato and sorbets from locally owned and operated Giovanna Gelato. This is starting to feel a little more like Italy and a little less like South Boston.

Capo offers dinner 7 days a week, starting at 5pm and serves brunch on Saturday AND Sunday starting at 11am. Sunday’s they have live music from 5pm – 8pm. The front dining room is geared more towards the every day dining crowd, where as the back room is set up for larger parties and private events.

The bar sfizi and antipasti menu had us wanting one of everything. We went with the marinated olives, the aranicini (that had pulled short rib and fontina cheese!!), fried zucchini flowers, the salami and formaggio board, and of course the pork and beef meatballs. We also chose the white and red sangria to try out: the white is made with brandy, peach and pineapple, while the red is made with brandy, sour cherry and orange. You can order it for $13 a glass or $50 for a pitcher. Did I mention the house wine? Red, white or rose on on tap for $8 a glass, 2.5gl for $18, 5gl for $36 or A JUG for $48. Yup, jugs of wine and Sunday supper with my ladies could mean bad things….

The special peach salad was a refreshing way to start the meal. The candied pistachios stole the show for me in this dish.

The chicken parmigiana ($17) is definitely a fan favorite here. The sauce is what keeps people coming back for more.

The menu offers some great values, with small plates and half orders of pasta. I love to order two half orders of pasta, that way, I get to try a few different flavors. Of course I had to choose the bolognese – it was hearty and cooked al dente. Did I mention that they make all their pasta in house? I got to check out their amazing custom pasta machine in the kitchen. The sauce wasn’t too heavy or creamy. Half portion for $12, full for $21.

For a lighter option, I chose the tagliatelle, served with lobster, corn, baby zucchini and asparagus. $13 for a half portion and $25 for a full portion.

The scampi was light and summery, served with garlic butter and cherry tomatoes. $12 for a half portion and $23 for the full portion.

The corn and bacon pizza had just the right amount of smokiness to it, and came hopped with cherry tomatoes. For $12, it was a good deal.

I myself am not a beet kind of gal, but Leah ordered with beet ravioli and said it was tasty. It is served topped with pecorino, toasted pine nuts and arugula.

By the end of dinner I was STUFFED. But we had to see what the desserts tasted like – so we ordered an affogato, the non traditional tiramisu, and the creme brûlée. I’m not generally a fan of creme brûlée, but those cookies that they served on the side were AMAZING.

Now that we had supper, we went downstairs to check out the Supper Club. It’s a 4,000 square foot bar/performance stage. Reminiscent of your mom’s basement, this place would be awesome for a company party or just a  fun night out. They have a comedy show on Monday nights, live music, and even reggae night. If you reserve one of the couches, you have access to your own mini bar! The Supper Club has its own drink and food menu, and even a private entrance if you rent the whole space out for your next event.

I know what you’re thinking. This place sounds great, but if I’m meeting 5 friends, and we are all driving, parking is just not happening. Well, believe it or not, I got a space right out front. Sundays aren’t bad. Friday and Saturday prime time might be difficult, just leave yourself enough time to circle a few times. There’s a lot just across the street as well.

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Capo to sample their Sunday Supper menu. My meal and drinks were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Capo

443 W Broadway, South Boston, MA

www.caposouthboston.com

The post Sunday Supper at Capo appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

Meat Pies. Is there anything else to say?

Maybe a little. KO Pies has been around since 2010, with two locations, one in Southie and one at the shipyard. They serve the most delicious savory meat pies with crust that is out of this world. The perfect consistency, flaky, and light. The pies come in flavors like: classic beef, classic beef with cheese, curried vegetables, Irish beef stew, and braised lamb shank. They’re authentic Australian pies, meant to be eaten with your hands right out of the tin. We tried them all! Let’s just say that we left in a serious food coma! Don’t forget the sausage roll – it’s pretty delicious as well. You can eat in or take out – the seating area is small, but don’t let that deter you, most people are taking out anyway.

Do they have other things besides meat pies? Yup. a chicken schnitzel burger, spicy shrimp on the barbie, Aussie style Caesar salad, a chickpea salad and potato wedges. I picked up this delicious corn chowder while I was there, it might be one of the tastiest chowders I’ve had in a while.

Did you know they also have “brekkie”? (Southie location only) Breakfast menu items include: bacon and egg, egg and avocado, sweet corn fritters, vegemite on toast and a brekkie pie (smokehouse bacon, fingerling potatoes, a hard boiled egg and cheddar cheese). Brekkie is served 7am – 10:30am Monday through Friday.

As with anything in Southie, parking can be tricky. It’s on street if you can find some and there is a pay garage close by.

KO Pies

87 A Street, South Boston, MA

http://www.kocateringandpies.com

The post KO Pies South Boston appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

I love brunch. I used to go all the time, now, not so much… So I was excited to meet up with some fun (blogger) friends in Southie for brunch ON A FRIDAY!! Yes, you read that right, who doesn’t need an extra day for brunch? Lincoln Tavern has a brunch test kitchen on Fridays from 10-3 where they try out new items to see which ones will make the cut for the regular brunch menu. They serve regular brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am – 3pm. Let’s talk about the space. Lincoln Tavern is enormous. There is this great front area by the window, then a middle dining area with booths, and then a sun lit back room where the bar and wood burning stove are. I thought that it would be empty on a Friday because let’s be honest, shouldn’t people be working? It was rather crowded and after eating brunch there, I can see why. I’d take a work from home day and head out there every Friday if I could.

So Southie. Parking is on the street (if you can find it) or in a lot across the street (again, if you can get a spot…) I had to circle the lot a few times before I got a spot (they’re 2 hour spaces), so make sure to head out a little early and give yourself time to circle the block for parking when you go. Our server was awesome, she was super helpful – giving us great suggestions because EVERYTHING looked delicious, checked back on us often (we needed that!) and couldn’t have been sweeter.

So even though it’s Friday, we decided to do a little day drinking!! Yes! We had the small bucket of bubbles, prosecco served with apple cider, peach puree and orange juice.

Fluffernutter parfait ($6) peanut butter mousse, homemade fluff, cookie crumble, caramelized banana. Delicious, super light, and wasn’t too sweet.

Fried calamari ($13) with fried onion, cherry pepper aioli and lemon. Perfectly cooked, crispy and light.

Philly cheesesteak hot pocket ($7) shaved wagyu sirloin, griddled peppers and onions, tallegio cheese sauce. Ok this was AMAZING. They had me at hot pocked but that cheese sauce…oh, dear god, so heavenly. Even though it was savory, it managed to feel light.

Smoked salmon pizza ($14) with house smoked salmon, everything spiced crust, boursin cheese, baked egg, shaved red onions and capers. I’m not a huge fan of smoked salmon, but this pizza had all the right moves going on. I love egg on any pizza and the everything crust was a home run.

Breakfast pizza ($15) eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, hash browns, fontina, pecorino romano, and tabasco. Breakfast pizza, yes please. The first thing you notice when you walk into the back room where we sat was the intoxicating smells that were coming out of the wood oven – they were roasting peppers and cranking out pizza, so our mouths were watering before we even looked at the menu.

Fruity Pebble pancakes ($12), which were not on the Friday menu but are available on the weekend (Sat and Sun 10-3) came topped with cereal milk anglaise. So Instagram worthy that we HAD to have them and the kitchen was kind enough to make us up a special batch. A little on the sweeter side, but delicious. You might want to get this with a savory option to balance things out.

Short rib grilled cheese ($12) smoked pulled short rib, aged gouda, tomato, runny egg, and basil on brioche. It comes as a full sandwich but I split this with my friend Nancy, and they gave us two plates. This was another home run. I love short rib grilled cheeses. The meat was tender and flavorful and paired well with the cheese. The bread was perfect (there’s nothing worse than too much bread in your grilled cheese) and the fried were finger licking good, right down to the last one.

Chef’s fruit salad ($10) peaches, Asian pear, apple, mango, melon, blackberry, blueberry and strawberry. Nancy and I also shared the fruit plate, you know, just to balance out the short rib grilled cheese. This fruit salad was even one that I would eat. The fruit was perfect, ripe, sweet – made you feel like it wasn’t winter outside, seriously, this was good quality fruit (don’t you hate it when you get a fruit salad and the pineapple is white and the melon is hard as a rock?).

Brunch pot pie ($13) sausage, gravy, confit potatoes, broccolini, peas, sage, sunny side up egg and honey butter. You had me at honey butter. Not only is this served in a cute cast iron skillet, but it is enormous…like the size of a dinner plate. Great size for the price, because there was certainly half left over to bring home! The perfect comfort food, the crust was flakey and delicious.

Shrimp and grits skewers ($13) fried pecorino grits, harissa marinated shrimp, smoked tomato hollandaise, mixed green salad and picked jalapeño. Ok, this dish is not something I would normally order, or even give a second look to. Leah ordered it and I’m so glad that she did. The grits were PHENOMENAL. I’m still dreaming about them. So light and they packed a bold flavor. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and paired perfectly with the rest of the meal. Hope this one makes it on to the permanent brunch menu.

Butternut Squash pancakes ($10) toffee caramel, brown compound butter, toasted walnuts, whipped sour cream. Such a beautiful presentation, these did not disappoint.

And finally, the roasted onion and goat cheese pizza ($14) with oven roasted leeks and shallots, caramelized onions, shaved garlic and romesco sauce. Love the simplicity of this pizza, and the flavor. Sometimes simple is best.

Disclaimer: I was invited to a blogger brunch at Lincoln Tavern. My meal and beverages were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Lincoln Tavern

425 West Broadway, South Boston, MA

https://lincolnsouthboston.com/

The post Brunch Test Kitchen at Lincoln Tavern appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

David Vendetti led the yoga class to the best beats of the 80’s: The Bangles, a-ha and Madonna to name a few. David brings a great energy to the class – he is an amazing teacher.

Jordan Pollard, Senior Consultant at Magenic.

(Left) Katy Dugan, Associate at Bingham McCutchen; (right) Molly Siegel, Owner of Athlete by Design.

(L-R) Carolyn Kim, Josh Levy, Brian Sullivan and Lauren Moreau, Manager of Talent Acquisition at Forrester Research.

(Top left) Gabrielle Bouquet; (top right) Janet Wu, Reporter for Channel 7 News; (bottom) Hillary Bucklin, Co-founder of Awake Boston.

Sheila Erimez, Art Director at Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The talented Hannah Christianson rocked out with live covers of 80’s hits.

Everyone loves their Motto! (Left)Melissa Choi; (top right) Kristina Tsipouras, founder of Zoos Tea and Soulshine; (bottom right) Lavanyai Dieu.

Soulshine was displaying some of their merchandise at the event.

(Left) Christina Kotseas, personal assistant; (right) Melissa Choi and Chris Gagnon, Owner of Cross Cycle Fitness.

(Left) Carolyn Kim, Co-founder of  The Good Ones with Jeff Venuti, New England Field Marketing Manager at Hint Water; (top right) Rebecca Ferrel, owner of The Ripe Stuff (left) with Abby Hueber (right) ;  (bottom right) Kate Weiler, Co-founder of DRINKmaple (left) with Jeff Venuti (right).

For an invitation to the next event, submit your personality snapshot online: http://thegoodones.co/membership/

The post The Good Ones: 80’s Yoga Power Hour appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

The restaurant was opened in 1963 and has hosted Presidents, athletes, artists and actors. Anthony’s four sons carry on the tradition their father started. It is located on Boston’s historic waterfront, near the Institute of Contemporary Art. The waiters are dressed in jackets and the women who walk around with hot popovers are dressed in what look like French maid outfits.

It’s a cloudy day, but on a clear day, you really can’t beat the view. The whole back wall of the restaurant is windows-allowing you to fully take in the scenery. The main seating is downstairs, and they have a function room upstairs.

The feel is very nautical-the captain’s chairs and the wooden signs hanging around the room. While there is a nautical theme, there is also an old school charm about Anthony’s.

I come here once a year with my mother, it’s a tradition. Her favorite part about coming here are the popovers. They are light and fluffy on the inside, eggy and moist, and crunchy on the outside.

The best part is watching the steam escape from them when you break them apart-the butter melts instantly on them.

I love the baked clams a la Anthony. They are creamy and delicious-the best part is the crunchy crust that forms on top of them. They are excellent. ($8.95)

I get the large Glover salad with grilled shrimp ($14.95). The Glover salad is “romaine lettuce tossed with homemade croutons, parmesan cheese and garlicky caesar dressing”. I’m not usually a salad for lunch kind of gal, but the other items on the menu are a little too heavy for lunch time (we had a late lunch). The salad had WAY too much dressing on it. I was glad that my mother ordered the same salad, otherwise I would be embarrassed at how garlicy my breath probably smelled. There were 4 grilled shrimp and they came butterflied, but luke warm.

Here’s the Glover salad with crab meat. The salad was quite large, big enough for a meal and then some-my mother took half of hers home.

We split the Pier 4 ice cream pie, French Vanilla Ice Cream with a Swirl of Lemon Sorbet served with Raspberry and Lemon Sauces ($6.95). The lemon sauce is eye and mouth puckering tart. The pie was really refreshing-a nice way to cleanse the palate at the end of the meal. There weren’t that many other people at Anthony’s on the Friday afternoon that we were there, or for a the past few years we’ve been there for lunch. Perhaps they do a bigger dinner seating. There were more waiters waiting around doing nothing than actually working-and when that is the case, there should be no reason why you get a salad with luke warm shellfish on it. For me, over the years, Anthony’s has lost its charm-we go there purely because of tradition. Their dishes are mediocre-they don’t really even need to try because they can live off their reputation-it’s one of those places that when you come to Boston, you have to go to say you went.

Anthony’s Pier 4

140 Northern Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
617.482.6262

http://www.pier4.com/index.html

The post Anthonys Pier 4 appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.