b street.

On Tuesday I met one of my college girlfriends for dinner at b Street in Newton Center. The appeal of being located directly on the T (green line) is a win for me. This neighborhood is quaint and feels like an easy going mix where the city meets the suburbs. B street fits right in with the local vibe - cozy and welcoming with a trendy atmosphere. Corinne and I enjoyed some wine, cocktails, appetizers + dessert. We were seated at a high top in the bar so we felt content to linger, (catching up for over three hours!!) our waitress  kindly reassuring us that it was no problem when an hour passed and we still had yet to order food. When we finally did I was delighted by what Chef Scott Keith as well as pastry Chef MacKenzie Courington dished up. The bartender muddled one seriously good old fashioned, the Newton Old Fashioned ($12) to be precise with Woodford Reserve, bitters, cherry, orange and raw sugar. Later, I drank a most excellent Black Cherry Manhattan ($14) where Makers Mark is stirred with house made black cherry sweet vermouth and served up. The Steamed Mussels ($12) were plump and came bathing in a heavenly mixture of Belgian Lager with champagne mustard, clarified butter, chunks of roasted garlic and thick slices of grilled sourdough toast. Served on a chic bamboo board the Grilled Flatbread ($12) started with a sticky sweet fig jam base loaded with tender duck confit, tangy gorgonzola cheese and a strip of peppery arugula on top. It was fantastic!I was definitely pleased with the portion size of the appetizers, I felt that they offered a lot of food for the price. Our waitress was incredibly knowledgeable when it came to menu items, from her descriptions of the white wines Corinne debated over to enticing us with desserts, we appreciated her input. Without it we might not have experienced the magical trio of decadent chocolate, luscious caramel and a host of crunchy peanuts which formed the Salted Peanut Turtle Tart ($8). B Street does not take reservations, when I arrived at 6:15 there were a good amount of clientele settled in, but still a few open tables and bar stools to be claimed. I like that it was busy but not overwhelmingly crowded. If I lived in the neighborhood I could definitely see myself becoming a regular!