Isabella, 02026

The other evening, the hubs and I visited with some great friends and their families.  After hanging out for a bit, I was famished.  So we headed out on our way overdue date.  Fabulous evening.  Isabella in Dedham Square, next to the Community Theatre is one of my fave places to dine and it is located in my hometown.  The restaurant has been in existence for about fifteen years and the one of the chefs is a DHS graduate.  Go Marauders!!  HA!

The best part of going to Isabella is getting to see on of my favorite people, my bff's auntie!  Luckily for us, she was working on her off night.  We were blessed with auntie as our awesome waitress.  And she hooked us up with a big table in the corner.  Oh, the little things I tell ya!  

We started with Chianti for me and a soda for the hubs, accompanied by some oh so fresh and warm rolls served with a hummus like dip made with chick peas, garlic, peppers, olive oil, and grated cheese.  YUM!  For a salad, the hubs was dying for the iceberg wedge salad so needless to say we put a hurting on it.  OMG.  Smoked bacon, tiny red and yellow tomatoes, red onion, Ever's bleu cheese dressing.  The portion was huge, crispy, creamy, just fantastic. 

As an appetizer, we decided on the steamed P.E.I. Mussels made with Pinot Grigio, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, garlic butter, served with some fire grilled pieces of bread to dip into the scrumptuousness on the bottom of the overflowing mussel dish.  Delish is an understatement. 

For my main entree, I decided on the Asian braised short ribs which I had devoured last month when I dined with an amiga.  YES.  They are that good.  And it's not like the menu is not diverse.  It has so many great options for every type of taste and they do change up the listings on a regular.  I just had to have the ribs AGAIN.  Soft roasted corn polenta, stir fried bok choy, and braising jus.  Mouth is watering right now just thinking about my leftovers.  Nuff said.  The hubs ordered and very much enjoyed a huge platter of seafood.  The dish was called Bouillabaisse and consisted of mussels, scallops, shrimp, calamari, salmon, tomato fennel broth, crostini and sambal aioli.  As you know if you have been following along with my shenanigans, I am not a seafood kinda girl but I was surely impressed by this mountain of sea creatures. 

Of course we had to share a homemade warm Belgian chocolate cake with caramelized milk sauce and vanilla bean ice cream served with berries.  Decadent.  We washed our dessert down with two of the best nutty Irishmen hot coffees topped with thick, sweet whipped cream.  Come on.  You know you want to check out Isabella asap. 

The restaurant is a good size with an open kitchen which I love.  The bar was built up to a larger scale and it is a great place to catch a drink, lunch, or dinner.  The staff are wicked friendly, efficient, and attentive.  The portions are sizable and the prices are reasonable.  I heart Isabella and I highly recommend it!