I moved to Boston back in 1998, wow that is a long time ago! For 15 years my company was located in the Heritage Building at Park Plaza also home to two Lydia Shire restaurants, Pignoli and Biba now both closed. I loved Pignoli’s especially their little takeout and coffee shop, which was located at the corner and called LMNOP. I thought I would never get over it closing down but fast forward to 2015 and I felt the same loss when Michael Schlow’s Via Matta finally closed its doors. There was many a night after work we would head down to Via Matta to enjoy a shared bottle of wine with their housemade bread and olive oil. Best bread ever!!!
Well, Michael Schlow did it again and now even though I no longer work at Park Plaza, I have been lured back to this same location now housing Doretta Taverna a Greek restaurant featuring a fresh seafood and locally grown produce menu.
My great friend, Joanne (a fellow Brit) was visiting from Singapore and we both wanted a memory of the old days so I suggested we try Doretta Taverna.
The restaurant is a complete transformation from Via Matta. Open and bright with the bar as the central feature and seating surrounding it leading to the open floor to ceiling doors/windows onto the patio. The walls are covered in beautiful artwork by Michael’s wife, Adrienne.
As you walk in you are greeted by wonderfully friendly hosts one of whom kept talking about my new Prada shoes :). I don’t always love my figure and clothes but when people notice my shoes, I am always happy.
We were escorted past the fresh fish layered on piles of ice to a table close to the open doors. It was a weather wonderful evening with a perfect warm breeze flowing through to the restaurant.
The menu offers a raw bar, homemade spreads with warm pita, small plates to share and entrées. I have enjoyed the crispy zucchini chips every time I have dined at Doretta and couldn’t help but order them again for us to share. I love these little bites of fried zucchini with a side of mildly spiced, fresh cucumber dip.
CRISPY ZUCCHINI CHIPS with Spicy Cucumber Yogurt – $12
We also enjoyed a tantalizingly citrus fresh ceviche, which was a special of the evening.
SPECIAL – Ceviche
For our entrées we shared the Village Salad and Halibut. This is a seemingly simple Greek salad, however, I think tomatoes may be hand-picked by fairies given how amazingly sweet they are. The feta is creamy and tastes great with the briny olives. This is a delicious salad, which I was told they wouldn’t split for us. In fact, they specify it as $10/person. This does seem odd to me and a random thing to put on a menu especially when you really just want to share one bowl, which we did end up doing by saying only I wanted it.
VILLAGE SALAD – Tomatoes, Olives, Cucumbers, Red Onion, Feta, Oregano, Red Wine Vinegar – $10 pp
Our Halibut rested on grilled summer vegetables and could not have been more effortless in the way it was cooked. This fish needed nothing special added to it to be taste-perfect.
HALIBUT – $39
I paired my dishes with the Sasha Lachine Rosé, which complemented each taste of our menu choices.
Throughout our early evening dinner the restaurant filled up to a happy hum of diners and we were among them.
Even though some reputable local food reporters have referred to Dorretta Taverna as a “snoozer”, I think it’s a solid competitor to our ever growing restaurant scene. Whether you stop by for a Rosé and a bowl of Crispy Zucchini Chips at the bar or sit in the restaurant exploring the full menu with great friends, I think you will have a lovely time.
