dLicious

A good friend of mine has recommended dBar to me at least a dozen times... he knew there wasn't much about it that I wouldn't like - it's reasonably close to my house, it attracts an upscale eclectic crowd, it has decent parking, not to mention that it also has a great reputation for both food and drinks. Somehow, however, I'd just never made it over there - until last night.

Now, heading to a bar that is especially popular with a gay crowd was definitely a bit of a risk on the night of the Pride parade - it could have been a total mob scene. However, being out in Dorchester seemed to actually work in our favor, as it was a mellow night at the bar, with dinner seating easily available. Despite a slight chill in the air, we opted for outside seating... in a rare moment of clarity before leaving the house, I'd grabbed a sweater and was ready for the weather. While the interior of dBar is perfectly lovely - with dark wood, leather banquettes, and Italian glass pendant lighting - the outside seating is divine. The small patio has a very Asian Zen feel, with modern chaise lounges, potted bamboo and tall grasses, and minimalist table settings. We had the area nearly all to ourselves, which was great.

The service at dBar adds to it's warm, yet hip, vibe. Our young male waiter was quick to give recommendations as well as to compliment our choices. He was attentive to our table, friendly, and lightly chatty, but not over the top - he mostly left us alone to enjoy our setting, which was just the right balance. He was particularly helpful in navigating the drink menu, which was not huge, but robust and enticing. His descriptions of the drinks, as well as his suggestions were right on the money. I started with the special cocktail of the night, the watermelon martini. This is a drink that is generally sticky sweet, with an "out of the bottle" taste. But on an early summer night, I was willing to to give it a go. It's clear from the first sip that dBar serves up a different kind of cocktail - it tasted like fresh pureed watermelon, with a generous dose of high quality vodka, not at all sweet, just full of flavor. My second drink was the Blueberry Basil Gin Fizz - muddled blueberries and basil topped with gin. It was a doozy, but also excellent - all of the herbs (including the basil) are grown in a rooftop garden over the bar.

It would be easy for the drinks at dBar to overshadow the drinks, but they absolutely do not. The food is equally terrific, if not even more so. We started the night with the "Ham and Cheese" assiette, a board with a selection of thin slices of French ham, an aged bleu cheese, a semi-dry Parmesan, caper berries, tiny cornichons, and sweet marcona almonds. Everything in the dish was full of flavor, but each was just a small serving, so as not to overwhelm. It was a light, delicious tapas-style start to the meal.

For our entrees, Paul had the burger, while I went for the seared scallops. I sneaked a bite of the burger and more than my share of his fries. While the burger was a bit overdone for my taste, the fries were literally the highlight of the entire meal - handcut and dusted with sea salt and rooftop rosemary. They were crisp and fragrant... I could have eaten an entire plateful. Luckily, my own meal was enough to distract me... my three large sea scallops were seared to a caramelized brown; perfectly tender and sweet. They sat on a delicate bed of thin risotto which has a strong essence of cumin, dotted with asparagus and cubes of carrot. The only weakness of the dish was that some of the carrots are underdone. The finishing touch was a swirl of a ramp-leek sauce on the plate, which gives it a bright, fresh punch.

Eager to draw the evening out a bit longer, we decided to stay on for dessert. We were most drawn to the creme brulee and cheesecake options, but our waiter gave a strong recommendation for the chocolate semifroid - essentially frozen chocolate mousse, served with a raspberry coulis and fresh berries. Let's just say that that was some good advice. The mousse was creamy and rich, cut by the tart, incredibly fresh flavor of the coulis. It was a perfect end to a delicious night.

I'd give dBar at 1236 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester an A. Head to Dot on a warm summer night and soak up the atmosphere on the patio. Be sure to have plenty of nibbles to balance out two or three of their killer cocktails.