Tavolo
Last night, I was invited to a blogger dinner at Tavolo in Dorchester. (The restaurant is literally yards from the Ashmont T stop.)
Tavolo serves all sorts of Italian cuisine–- pizza, pasta, antipasti, wine, gelato… but it also offers a whole lot more!
The decor inside Tavolo was funky and playful with bright, bold colors on the walls, swirly, globe-like lamps hanging from the ceiling, and whimsical chalk murals featuring cutesy critters munching on pizza slices. The restaurant had a fun-loving, laid-back vibe.
Tavolo has a very casual atmosphere. It’s perfect for relaxing and chatting with friends or sitting at the bar to watch the game.
Tavolo has a great Wednesday night deal: 3 courses for $18! 
We had a lively group of 10 bloggers for dinner last night.
Tavolo’s menu is fairly straightforward with a simple selection of dishes– all of which incorporate fresh ingredients from local farms. Love that!
While waiting for everyone to arrive, I snacked on a piece of bread and sipped on a glass of the most delicious white wine.
Before the meal officially started, Tavolo’s chef, Maxwell Thompson, introduced himself to the group. He was really cool! 
All of Max’s dishes were of high quality. You could tell that he definitely put a lot of work into what he was doing!
The first course was a Watermelon Salad with feta, lemon, mint, and basil. The combination of watermelon and feta really surprised me. It was amazing! It was a wonderful balance of sweet and salty without being too heavy. Perfect for summer!
The second course was Gnocchi alla Gricia: gnocchi with pancetta, pecorino, and local fava beans. The gnocchi were so light and fluffy. I’ve never tasted gnocchi like that before! The pancetta and pecorino added quite a bit of salty flavor to the dish.
Up next were the chef’s house meatballs. Fan-tastic! They were tender and bursting with flavor from a variety of spices. The tomato sauce that the meatballs were served in was also rich and delicious. “Max’s Meatballs” are a regular menu item that can easily be added to any of the dishes or ordered as a side. If you visit Tavolo, you’ve gotta try them!
Paired with the meatballs was a full-flavored red wine: Sangiovese, Ca’ Del Solo, Bonny Doon.
Delish!
The next course was the Swordfish Involtini. Typically, a swordfish dish wouldn’t catch my attention on a menu, but I loved how it was prepared at Tavolo! The swordfish was wrapped around fontina, garlic, and parsley into a roll-up of sorts. This was the star dish of the night for me! SO GOOD!
Following the swordfish was the Roast Duck Breast, which was served over faro and local string beans and topped with red currant. I’m not a big fan of duck, but I tried a few bites. The skin was crispy and packed with flavor. I loved the faro and beans, and practically devoured them!
With the duck, we tried some Local Golden Zucchini, which made a great side dish.
At this point in the evening, I was stuffed! But, of course, I had room for dessert! 
Dessert was a Blueberry ‘Genetti’ Cake, which was toasted blueberry pound caked with a touch of whipped cream on top. The toasted pound cake was out of this world! The smell alone was truly amazing! The edges of the pound cake were sweet and crispy, which definitely enhanced this simple dessert.
Tavalo really seized the opportunity to showcase some of their non-Italian dishes. Tavolo is more than just pizza and pasta!
A number of the dishes from last night’s blogger dinner are not on the regular menu, but perhaps Tavolo has plans to add them soon? With that being said, everything I tried was absolutely delicious! I have a feeling that everything else on their menu is just as good!
Tavolo is most definitely worth a trip to check out! I’ve already told Mal that I am treating him to dinner there very soon!
Tags: Tavolo
Jess — July 17, 2009 @ 11:19 am
That golden zucchini looks DELISH! I’m also thinking of making my own watermelon salad today – so good!
I wish places around here had blogger dinners, that would be a blast!
brandi — July 17, 2009 @ 11:21 am
how cool! and that’s awesome there was a special “blogger menu”
that dessert looks out of this world!
Lauren — July 17, 2009 @ 11:22 am
Yum – everything looks great! I’ll have to check out Tavolo sometime soon.
Erica — July 17, 2009 @ 11:23 am
Wow! What a cool restaurant!!!! Love that they made everything special for the bloggers. That watermelon salad sounds like perfection. Hope you have a good weekend.
Christie @ Quit Your Diet — July 17, 2009 @ 11:25 am
Everything looks delicious!
Graze With Me — July 17, 2009 @ 11:27 am
That whole meal is making my mouth water! It looks so good, especially the dessert! How lucky are you??
K — July 17, 2009 @ 11:43 am
Those zucchinis look great! What a fun evening!!
Megan (The Runner's Kitchen) — July 17, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
Mmm, I love meatballs! Probably one of the reasons I would not be a good vegetarian
Looks like a fun night. TGIF!
Emily (A Nutritionist Eats) — July 17, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
Yum, I’m drooling!!!
Johanna B — July 17, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
If I ever get to visit Boston this is one restaurant I’m trying. I could use a good slice of pizza about now.
Cait (Cait's Plate) — July 17, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
Holy Moly that all looks so amazing! Gnocchi alla Gricia!? YUM! 4+ years in Boston and I never went to Tavolo! I’m going to have to make a special trip next time I’m up there
Eve — July 17, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
I want to go to Boston just to eat there! That was so nice that he put together a menu specifically for you!
Shannon (The Daily Balance) — July 17, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
This place looks fantastic! Lucky girl
Julie — July 17, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Cait – I think it’s pretty new. That part of Dot is pretty booming now.
I love how you can go to a nice, casual, slightly upscale place in Boston, but you don’t have to drive all the way in town (headache!) or take the T (bigger headache)!
Beth @ CrossBorderCravings — July 17, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
That dinner looks fantastic! Esp. the gnocchi which I have a real soft spot for! If I’m ever in Boston I’ll have to check it out :O)
Nicole (dishin') — July 17, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
Wow – everything looks amazing, especially the meatballs! I haven’t heard of that place so thanks for the review!
Dori — July 17, 2009 @ 1:44 pm
Sounds so great! If I am ever in Boston…
Sarah — July 17, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
That place sounds great! I will definitely have to check it out if I’m ever in the area. My husband is a big fan of Italian food (moreso than me) and it’s good to see some non-traditionally Italian items being served there too
Lynn (The Actors Diet) — July 17, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
love watermelon and feta! i’ve been eating a lot of it this week b/c my friend dropped off a huge h20melon…
MarathonVal — July 17, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
Blogger dinners always sound so fun! That food looks fabulous…. I’ve been trying to plan a trip to Boston so I’ll definitely keep Tavolo in mind!
maria — July 17, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Looks like a great place to dine! Glad you had fun. I am going to try watermelon with feta.
Jessica — July 17, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
Yum, that zucchini looks amazing! I wonder how it was prepared?
-muffy
Kristen — July 17, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
Wow, how great that it was so fancy and yet reproducible at home (especially the zucchini and watermelon-feta dishes!).
Natalie — July 17, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
Wow…I LOVE Gnocchi. It’s definitely one of my favorite foods. That looks like an amazing restaurant!
Lizzy — July 17, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
The eats all look amazing! Yum. I hope you had a wonderful time!
Meredith (Pursuing Balance) — July 17, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
I like that restaurant’s decor! And it looks like they made some good food too
KJI — July 17, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
Nice – looks like you all enjoyed a nice evening! But your comment about how the restaurant “…seized the opportunity to showcase some of their non-Italian dishes” threw me off a bit. You’re right: what you were served does not reflect the American-Italian food tradition of pizza and pasta. But actually, most of the dishes you were served are pretty typically “Italian”: swordfish involtini, meatballs, duck, farro, etc. These are precisely the kind dishes a lucky traveler finds after escaping the tourist traps placed near the Spanish Steps or the Duomo. It’s exciting to see this aspect of the Italian culinary tradition spread in the US!
Angharad — July 17, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
That place looks so good! I love swordfish – a big fillet can be a bit too much (too meaty, maybe?) but that serving size looks perfect! I love that you got to try so many different things too!
Also bread + wine to start = perfect.
Ashley @ On The Rocks — July 17, 2009 @ 5:44 pm
that golden zucchini….yummmm
CaSaundra — July 17, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
Your lucky you have such awesome recipes accessible to you! I may be visting Boston before the summer ends–what are your top 3 restaurant recommendations!?
Meghan@traveleatlove — July 17, 2009 @ 8:49 pm
Looks like fun! I would be curious to see your impression on a non blogger dinner meal. Maybe the times we have gone to tavolo were just off nights!
Kathy (Moving Beyond Perfection) — July 17, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
Wow, this looks heavenly!! I’m glad you had a good time!
Marianne — July 17, 2009 @ 11:35 pm
I first tried watermelon & feta salad years ago at a party, and fell in love with the combo then. You just reminded me that I have some feta in my fridge that I should pick up some watermelon to pair it with. Yum!
Caroline — July 18, 2009 @ 12:01 am
Sounds like a great evening–fabulous menu, and I love the funky light fixtures;)
Carrie — July 18, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
I must be having one of my immature moments- I found the cropping on the first photo hilarious. Besides that- the dessert looks heavenly!!!!