Tonight I had dinner with one of my favorite girls at Devlin's in Brighton Center. Its hard for me to believe I've never blogged about Devlin's before because I have been eating there for years! Not only for the past two years since I moved to Brighton, but since the fall of 2006 when one of my best college girlfriends moved to the neighborhood.
Devlin's is located on Washington Street in the heart of Brighton Center. Inside the space is divided into two separate sides, the restaurant and the bar. The restaurant side has its own full bar, tables and cozy booths. The bar side has small 2-4 person tables, a few high top tables and on the weekends, a DJ.
I frequent Devlin's year round, but my favorite time to eat there is in the summer months when they open their outdoor patio. There is no way you could see from the street that Devlin's has outdoor seating. You have to either walk through the bar and outside, or down an unassuming alley to find the outdoor oasis.
The patio is extremely spacious, has a full bar with flat panel TVs, several tables, umbrellas, outdoor heaters, and a few tables that are beneath a flower covered trellis. When the sun goes down, the strings of outdoor party lights come on providing a calming and beautiful ambiance. The patio is an excellent date spot.
When we arrived tonight there was no wait (always a plus) and we were seated at a table right next to the bar with a perfect view of the Red Sox game. The bartender was our waiter for the evening and was surprisingly attentive, given he was the only bartender on the patio. After taking our orders, he brought us a basket of doughy foccacia bread with hummus and olive oil.
We started with an order of nachos, a Devlin's must! Its the perfect size for two people with tri-colored tortilla chips, generous scoops of salsa, guacamole and sour cream, cheese, beans and jalapenos.
For dinner I ordered the arugula salad which is served with pears, pecans and blue cheese.
My dinner date ordered the salmon which was topped with a corn salsa and served over a bed of asparagus. The plate was a vibrant color and exactly the right portion size.
We ended the night with a raspberry mojito and a glass of white sangria. The atmosphere on the patio is so relaxing. The staff never rushes you or tries to turn over the tables.
Devlin's is owned by the same restaurant group that owns Orleans in Davis Square and Barlows in South Boston. Devlin's has recently updated their menu to include several items from the Barlow's menu (I noticed the veggie burger with tzatiki sauce right away). Not to worry, they seem to have only added, not taken away any of the old favorites.
While most of Brighton Center is geared toward the young, Boston College crowd, Devlin's is the one, upscale retreat in the neighborhood. Its the type of place you go for a special occasion, with out of town guests or when your parents come to visit.
Who says we can't keep it classy on this side of the river?
