A few weeks back, some friends and I went to the first sample sale held at Alice Walk in South Boston.  My friend Susan, who you’ve met on the blog a bunch of times and I both walked away with beautiful dresses in this fabric (Susan) and this fabric (me).  And since neither of us can say no to a crisp, white shirt we each purchased The Cotton Inverted Pleat Top that was not part of the sample sale.  It also comes in black and will be perfect for late spring and summer.

The 3rd musketeer in our party is Cathy, who I originally met through Susan and who joined us for lunch at Island Creek Oyster Bar that I reviewed here on the blog.  Cathy is a foodie and is always super fun to have on our outings!

We debated our options for a post shopping lunch and decided that it was a perfect time to check out Chickadee, located a short drive away in the Seaport district at the Innovation and Design Building (IDB), one of my favorite places to look for fabric and wallpaper which I did after lunch…

Chickadee, a Mediterranean inspired restaurant named for the state bird of Massachusetts opened last summer to very good reviews.  Owned by chef John DaSilva (Spoke Wine Bar, Boarding House, No. 9 Park) and beverage director, Ted Kilpatrick (Radius, L’Espalier, No. 9 Park, o-ya NYC), Chickadee is open for lunch and dinner every day with the exception of Sundays.  Its bar is open between lunch and dinner service so if you have business in the IDB and can’t make it there for a meal, keep a refreshment in mind.  The restaurant applies a 2% kitchen surcharge to your bill in an attempt to balance wages between FOH and BOH employees.  A thoughtful explanation of management’s philosophy on this can be found on Chickadee’s website.

The space is pleasing with an open kitchen, large bar and neighboring seating area with high tables and booths. There is a separate traditional dining space that is minimalist in design, but very comfortable and in full view of the action.

The lunch and dinner menus are quite different which I think is really smart so diners are encouraged to try both to get the full experience.  Both menus will have you tempted to try as much as possible.  The descriptions alone seem to bring the food to life before you’ve even seen a dish walk by.

Chickpea Panisse Fries with Calbrian Chili Aioli, Grilled Carrot Salad with avocado hummus, hazelnut and citrus vinaigrette, Handmade Corzetti Pasta with sea scallop, blood orange and pistachio dukkah, or Featherbrook Farm Chicken with cauliflower pilaf, saffron, pine nut and apricot?  My mouth is watering imagining the colors and flavors of these imaginative dishes that use local ingredients as much as possible. These are examples of the dishes you will find on Chickadee’s dinner menu.  Also at dinner, the restaurant offers a good number of pasta dishes that you can order by the half or full portion.

For lunch, the menu is divided among four categories.  Dips meant for sharing include Kohlrabi Tzatziki with pickled onions and dill or Piquillo-Almond with pomegranate molasses, all priced at $5 and served with Chickadee’s signature puffy, house made pita bread.  Salads are next and include a Chopped boasting apples, turnips and medjool dates dressed in a labneh ranch, Marinated Beets served with pistachio, goat cheese and ras el hanout and Spicy Carrots with harissa, orange and oil-cured olives ($7-8).  Chickadee’s signature Pitas follow, stuffed with all sorts of options from fish to burgers with assorted garnishes ($12-14). Four mains round out the lunch menu including a grilled salmon, a pasta, duck sausage and beef short ribs…

We asked our waiter for some assistance on how to best approach the menu and he was helpful by suggesting we try a few dips and a salad, followed by a pita or main dish.  The starter portions are not too large as you will see, and there was more than enough for us to whet our appetite and sample a range of flavors…

Our favorite dip hands down was the Pimento Feta that had some pickled peppers, tomato and scallion for garnish.  Inspired by the traditional southern cheese spread (that I just wrote about on TKS), this dip was given a Mediterranean twist by the addition of the salty, briny feta and it could not have worked more perfectly.  Hands down, delicious…

Charred Eggplant with bell pepper and cilantro is reminiscent of a few eggplant dishes I make at home and it was perfectly cooked and glistening with just the right amount of olive oil.  I could have eaten the whole bowl myself and I kept returning to it throughout the rest of our lunch…

Our server said the black bean hummus was one of the restaurant’s best sellers so we ordered that too.  I have to admit that on the plate, it is not the most attractive looking appetizer.  Black beans are whipped with black tahini made with black sesame seeds, giving the dip a very earthy taste.  The first bite was not what I had imagined, but the second bite was much better and I would say that it’s worth trying…

For lunch, we all decided to order a Pita.  Cathy ordered the Crispy Chicken which was served with a labneh ranch, scallion and pickles.  She said it was fantastic and look at how crispy that chicken is.  Yum…

Susan and I split the Spicy Cauliflower Pita (not the easiest to split but we managed!).  Served with fermented cabbage, swiss cheese and a harisso mayo, this too was delicious.  Almost like a vegetarian reuben!  It would be amazing deconstructed (as would the chicken) and served as a salad.  The pita had wonderful flavor, was soft and fluffy and the proportion of filling to bread with just right. The pickled vegetables served alongside were also really tasty…

Our only thought for the lunch service was that between the pita served with our starters and the wish to order a pita sandwich, it turned out to be a lot of bread!  Perhaps the restaurant could offer a cracker, grissini or sliced vegetables to use as dippers alongside the pita to give diners options…

In any case, we had a terrific lunch and I am looking forward to returning for dinner sometime soon!

Until next time…

One Year Ago:  Some Kitchen Essentials

Three Years Ago:  Budapest, Hungary

Four Years Ago:  Easy Roast Chicken

Five Years Ago:  Beef and Butternut Squash Stew