Restaurants

The Dish: 5 things to eat and drink in Boston right now

Including Italian brunch, turducken beer, and a new fish house.

Brunch at Terra. Provided

November 19, 2021

Wondering what to eat and drink in Boston this weekend? The Dish is a weekly guide to five things in the local restaurant and bar scene that are on my radar right now. Shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] to let me know what other dishes and drinks I should check out.

1. Celebrate Drinksgiving at Short Path Distillery

Pencil this in for the weekend: On Saturday, Everett distillery Short Path will celebrate Drinksgiving, an all-day fête that’ll ease you into your Thanksgiving festivities later in the week. From noon to 11 p.m., stop by for a mule bar, Thanksgiving cocktails (Will they include cranberry sauce? Here’s hoping), the release of fan favorite Winter Gin, and this dream collab: Petsi Pies-paired mule flights. For more Thanksgiving-centric dishes, Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen will be on hand with pumpkin raviolis and turkey melts. Who needs Friendsgiving when you have Drinksgiving?

2. Orfano is back, and now there’s tiramisu gelatoria

Lady Gaga slurps spaghetti above the Orfano dining room. – JM Leach

The last time I went to Orfano, my friend and I sat at the bar and chatted for hours over cocktails and small bites, with the promise that we’d come back soon for a proper meal. Then the pandemic happened, and Orfano closed, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to return for more of Tiffani Faison’s modern Italian-American food. Good news: The Fenway hot spot reopened Friday, this time with new dishes like King crab alla vodka with mentaiko hankerchiefs and pastry chef Dee Steffen Chinn’s tiramisu gelatoria, which sounds like a dream. The dessert is made with with coffee and mascarpone stracciatella gelatos plus a lady finger crunch, and I really don’t need more of an excuse than that to come back.

3. Round up your friends for brunch at Terra

Another weekend, another opportunity to find your favorite brunch spot in the city. How about creamy polenta or Panettone Terra Toast from Eataly’s Terra? The third floor restaurant just launched brunch, with a menu that highlights Italian classics like cornetto, mushroom frittata, and rigatoni alla carbona for anyone who delights in eating pasta for brunch. For a little bit of everything, the “colazione completa” for $32 allows diners to select from three pastry items accompanied by mushroom frittata, potatoes, and Lavazza coffee. To drink, there are mimosas, espresso martinis, and build-your-own spritzes and Bloody Marys, best followed by an afternoon nap.

4. Share a Winsor House Float dinner at Duxbury’s new seafood restaurant

In case you missed it: The Winsor House opened in Duxbury this week, a project from the Island Creek Oysters team. There’s a lot to explore at the new fish house, but I’m most looking forward to tackling the Winsor House Float dinner with friends. The dish, which can be shared among two or more people, comes with shrimp, clams, smoked sausage, corn, potato, and onion, plus a bevy of sauces — a little something for everyone. To follow it up, I’ve got my eye on the Ma’s Dank Chocolate Cake with cream cheese frosting…which might be a little harder to share with friends.

5. Bring Trillium’s Turducken triple IPA to Thanksgiving

Turducken from Trillium Brewing Co. – Provided

I’ve never actually had a turducken, but if you have, I want to hear from you. Tell me everything! On that same note, if you’re still looking for a Thanksgiving-appropriate beer to bring to dinner next week, consider Trillium’s Turducken, a triple IPA. At 10 percent ABV, it’s on the heavier side (much like its meaty counterpart), but serves up a refreshing punch with notes of citrus zest, white grape juice, and pineapple. Cans are currently available for pick up and delivery.