Porter Cafe, West Roxbury

As quoted in the about section of their website, "The latest addition to West Roxbury, MA, the Porter Cafe, has a relaxed, pub-style atmosphere and a dedication to locally-produced and quality food that makes you happy." 

And I totally agree.  The hubs and I arrived at the Porter Cafe, (http://portercafe.com), a little before 7pm on a Wednesday evening, for a wayyyyy overdue date night.  The restaurant is located at the end of a block of stores on Centre Street, that experienced a horrific fire back on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 which killed two Boston Firefighters, Paul Cahill and Warren Payne.  I will never forget that day for the rest of my life.  Just awful. 

We were greeted immediately at the door by our overly attentive, friendly server and seated right away.  There's a couple of tables out front and inside, there's a small bar of about 10-12 chairs which was fairly full.  But the dining area which holds about 10ish small tables, was dead.  Although when we were heading out after we had our fill, the joint was happening.  They have an open kitchen which you know I likey and a chill dining environment. 

We took a minute to peruse the menu with a selection of a million beers and a fair amount on vino, before ordering.  I went with a Peroni and the hubs got a Harpoon.  The menu is on the smaller side but the selection is diverse and fabulous.  It pretty much covers any sort of craving you may have EXCEPT for dessert but I will get to that. 

The hubs has been dying for fish tacos since he last had them.  And per usual, I always check out a  restaurant's menu on-line to make sure I approve.  LOL!  Like there is a place with FOOD, I would ever turn my nose up at.  But never the less, I like to know what to expect.  That's just how I roll.  So I totally knew they had fish tacos and we sure as heck ordered them.  To me the term, 'fish taco', does not at all sound the least bit appetizing but I was pleasantly surprised by the taste.  Definitely could not make a meal out of them but the combo of the grilled fish, cilantro, salsa, and lime cream on a soft taco was actually quite yummy.  The hubs destroyed them.  In addition, we had a Caprese Salad with super fresh basil leaves, thick slices of creamy mozzarella, and whole cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a fantastic vinaigrette dressing.  MMM.  Just an fyi-the mussels looked amazing and the minestrone soup, as well.  And the short rib and bleu cheese ravioli sounded interesting.  There's always next time. 

For my main entree I was torn between the Steak Frites and the 8oz Prime Chuck Burger.  I love me some red meat!  I decided on the burger and OOMMGG.  It was scrumptious and declared my new favorite burger.  That juicy piece of Heaven with cheddar, red onion relish, served on a lightly toasted, huge bulky roll with fries, was not long for this Earth.  Devoured.  The only thing that could have made the burger any better was a couple slices of bacon which was offered but I forgot to order.  BOO.  That's okay because the what appeared to be hand cut fries were extra crispy and awesome.  The hubs went with the Catch of the Day Special, Sea Bass with peas, capers, and crunchy green beans.  He thoroughly enjoyed it and I liked my wee bite. 

The portions are not huge but for sure hearty.  And as mentioned above, they don't offer dessert.  WHAT!?!  I may have to bake up some of my recent delectable creations and bring them in for them to sample, buy, and serve.  But really!  Wth?  A little brownie sundae, cookies, chocolates, something??  C'mon people, step it up in that area.  

Other than my dessert complaint, I fo sho enjoyed my meal and dining experience at the Porter Cafe.  They also offer delish sounding sides like fried pickles, mac n cheese, etc; and their prices are very reasonable.  Open every day for dinner and the bar is open until 1am.  And they serve a tasty sounding brunch menu on Sundays.  Most definitely, I will be returning.  For our sweet tooth craving, the hubs and I took a stroll down Centre, just like my girls and I fancied back in the day, to iScreamWorks for some chocolate/vanilla swirl soft serve for me and a frappe for him.  Pretty damn good date!