Dining Al Fresco

This past Saturday was a long, slow, easy day with a loose agenda to follow and just the right amount of sunshine to keep city adventures happy and bearable.  Initially heading out for a day of pitchers of beer and mozzarella sticks, our path was diverted by the less than punctual number 7 bus.  The decision to walk into the city morphed our cheap-eats cravings into the need to dine al fresco.  So, to the North End we walked, along the canal and then down Commercial street in search of a spot on the water.  We couldn't bear to do Tia's or American Joe's, so we veered off to check out the lunch menu at the Chart House.

After a short review of the lunch menu and a struggle against temptation, we harnessed our champagne tastes (ignoring our tap water budgets) and decided the better option would be to forgo our seaside lunch plan and head to the outdoor patio at Fiore instead.  Which, save for the group of painfully immature 30-somethings in their Nantucket reds sprawled across four patio tables shouting to each other about girls and drinking, turned out to be the right choice.

Now, you pretty much can't go wrong in the North End, so of course the food was delicious.  We started with an antipasto plate - an array of prosciutto, olive loaf, hard salami, a sharp cheese, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts with a light coating of olive oil.  Recently I've really been into starting out the meal with an antipasto.  It satiates my appetite without leaving me feeling stuffed and too-full for the main dish.  Those Italians, they know what they're doing when it comes to food.  Ooo and the artichoke hearts were so tasty - luckily I'm the only one that likes them so I got to have my fill!

I can't help myself when I see a pitcher of sangria, so I had to get a glass.  It was fruity, sweet, and with just enough booze to give me a slight buzz just from one glass.  When I grow up, I want to keep a fresh pitcher of sangria in my kitchen at all times.

Then, we got a sausage, onion, and mozzarella pizza ("The best pizza in the city" according to Mike but don't tell Pizzeria Regina that!).   It really was delicious, even though it was a little soggy in the middle but I'm not complaining.  The sausage was sweet and possibly house-made, the mozzarella was fresh and the crust was the dry type that lends perfectly to sopping up the extra sauce and cheese.  There are few things I enjoy more in this little life I live than sitting at a bar with good company, pizza, and drinks.

We left with smiles on our faces and full bellies to continue our Saturday in the city on the cheap with beers and trivia games at The Point then to Atlantic Beer Garden for some more outdoor dining.  All in all, great and tasty Saturday!