Dovetail

I've bet you've never seen Cacio e pepe like this.

“People who like Cacio e Pepe are excited to see it in anything. "

Or a shrimp cocktail like this.

"It's all mixed together, which is a fun play on shrimp cocktail."

And a pork cutlet that's a cut above the rest.

"It's sort of our rendition of the pork schnitzel."

All of the flavors just fit at Dovetail.

Located in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Dovetail is the sister restaurant to neighborhood favorite Brewer's Fork.   In this concept, the team, which includes Managing Partner Kari Cooney and General Manager Jessica Gooch has set up a beautiful bistro to dine in, paired with a specialty shop to take all of that goodness home.

"We are a neighborhood spot, sort of American style bistro with a shop attached that does sandwiches, salads, soups, provisions.

"It's wonderful to have both concepts. With the restaurant, we're open for lunch, dinner and brunch. So we get a lot of people coming for business lunches. But we also get a lot of people that pop in the shop, grab, grab a sandwich, grab a salad, and make their way out back to work or on their way home."

And they've created a space that's sure to make you feel at home.

"There are touches everywhere that really remind you of being in your own kitchen, your own apartment, your own dining room. There are plants everywhere. Some warm color, things that really make people feel cozy and at home..so it's intentionally warm."

And the menu has a little something for everybody.

"We don't stick to a specific genre of food. It's not Italian food, it's not American food. We choose our dishes based on the ingredient first.  So it's ever changing. Some things are staples, but everything else that weaves in and out is totally seasonally dependent and based on what inspires the chef."

Every meal at Dovetail must begin with some DT Chips- served with addictively creamy Onion Dip.

"When they take a bite of the chip and dip I promise you they're already thinking about their next bite. It's super salty, but you get the sweetness from the onion dip at the same time and it is just meant to want more constantly. Best potato chips, I think in Boston."

For some Portuguese flavor, try the Mussels Mozambique.

"Mussels Mozambique is our spin on shrimp Mozambique with this big piece of baguette smothered in spring onions so it really brings a flavor especially when you take a huge bite of the bread with one of the mussels."

There's a Mexican style shrimp cocktail- served so it eats more like a salad and for a mash up of a classic pasta dish AND a salad, try this Cacio E Pepe version.

"The Caccio Pepe salad is the flavors of the traditional Cacio e Pepe pasta sauce. So it is super lemon forward. Lots of cheese. Little bit of anchovies for sweetness on top and then House made croutons as well."

If you're more of a traditionalist, you could order that Cacio E Pepe the way Italians intended served over housemade 'bigoli' pasta.

"The pasta is in the bigoli shape, which is a really fat spaghetti. It retains the flavor and the moisture of all the cheese so well that when you take a bite. it's like eating grownup mac and cheese. It's absolutely delicious."

Other housemade pasta dishes include rigatoni with a hearty sausage ragu and Kari's go-to, the Spaghetti and Clams- made with local littlenecks.

“You get the saltiness and the taste of the ocean from that those clams. But then the sauce is this buttery sort of finish. So it's a nice a nice balance of flavors."

The entree section of Dovetail’s menu has a little something for everyone. Seafood lovers will long for their Baked Stuffed Cod over sauteed green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes while carnivores feast on their Prime Grade Steak Frites.

And while the meat is choice- it's those potatoes that really get you going.

"We make our fries in house, so it gives this really amazing texture....They're really just super crispy golden delicious. Paired with a buttery steak with the roasted watercress on top. It's awesome."

For a dish that changes with the seasons, try the Pork Milanese presently topped with strawberries, pickled rhubarb, baby arugula, and bleu cheese with a lemon vinaigrette.

"You have the sweetness of the strawberry and then the bite of the blue cheese. With that rhubarb and you have the richness of the fried pork cutlet. So it's everybody loves it. There are people get actually excited about what are you going to do next? So it's fun."

And for even more fun, visit Dovetail on the weekends for brunch, where you will find south of the border staples like Huevos Rancheros and southern classics like Chicken and Waffles.

"It has this crispy fried chicken, very juicy on the inside, topped with hot honey butter and maple syrup.  The waffle itself is a cornbread waffle that is really nice and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It just comes together really well."

From the food, to the atmosphere, to the service, everything seems to have come together at Dovetail.

"There are hundreds if not thousands of restaurants in Boston. And if I had to give one reason of why people should come to Dovetail it's because we truly care about everything.  I can genuinely say I look forward to coming to work every day and there aren't a lot of people that I think can say that about their careers."