Mad Men Sundays at Tavolo

Do you love the stylized sets and witty dialogue of the television program Mad Men, which follows the world surrounding early 1960s Madison Avenue? Do you wish you could go somewhere hip, imbibe 1960s styled cocktails, and pretend you were in the program? If your answer to these two questions was yes, then you must watch the rest of season 4 on Sunday nights (10 pm) at Tavolo.

The bar has been pretty packed, so make sure you arrive a little early and be prepared to dine on recipes from 1960s housewife magazines. We particularly enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip served with historically accurate Ritz crackers and the mini egg salad sandwiches. Chris enjoyed an old fashioned (which has been for some time his favorite drink) and Erin had obviously no qualms about the tasty gimlet. For our health, it is a good thing that we don't smoke as much as they did a half century ago, but to hold you over Tavolo sometimes supplies super fun candy cigarettes.

www.tavolopizza.com
1918 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester
617.822.1918
Located on Dochester Ave. just north of the intersection of Beale Street. Just west of the Ashmont T stop (near the southern entrance/exit).

Dorchester Declared Thriving by WGBH!

It has been almost two decades since WGBH discontinued its nightly program called The Ten O'Clock News focusing on urban Boston, so we were excited when Emily Rooney's Greater Boston decided to examine why neighborhoods like Dorchester are experiencing a surge in housing sales in the middle of tough times for real estate.

Overall, we were incredibly impressed by our spokesman and Dot resident Donna Latson Gittens as she explained to the world why Dot is the place to be: community, diversity, garages, and green space! Although we usually enjoy Emily Rooney's program, we were a bit intrigued by her negative view of Dorchester (despite admitting she has not really been here) that she struggled to overcome throughout the segment (perhaps this is the Back Bay effect?). We would have expected someone with her intellect to understand that urban violence is a problem that exists throughout the city and that Dorchester (a 10-15 minute subway ride) is closer to downtown than Wellesley (a 45 minute commuter rail ride). However, the program did do a great job of explaining why new groups (they described as "a third gay, a third young people, and a third old Boston Irish") are moving into the best neighborhood of Boston. We hope Emily Rooney and Greater Boston make Donna Latson Gittens a regular visitor to their program. Watch the segment here...

Calling All Dorchester Artists

The Dorchester Arts Collaborative (DAC) has an open call for participants in their 2010 Open Studios on October 23rd and 24th. Please consider registering for Open Studios. For more information, go to www.thedac.org and click on “Open Studios.” Registration before September 1st is only $40 and guarantees that your name and site location will be on the map and all collateral materials (registration after September 1st goes up to $65).