🍽️🌷Boston’s BEST patio dining

Happy Friday, Boston!

✈️  Want a free trip to Nantucket? You literally have nothing to lose by entering this sweepstakes from Cisco Brewers to win a free trip in August. Seriously, you don’t even have to sign up for marketing emails.

🚃 Friendly reminder: Tomorrow, trains will bypass the Magoun Square stop on the GLX, which, if you ask us, is a great excuse to put your free Bluebike unlocks to work. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Progress on the T

• Asian Restaurant Week

• To live like a Patriot

Up first…

TELEPHONE TAG

Your favorite patio’s favorite patio

If there’s one thing better than a fabulous meal out at a restaurant … It’s a fabulous meal on a restaurant patio. 

It’s officially outdoor dining season, so for this month’s edition of small biz telephone tag, we asked five spots with enviable outdoor dining to name another patio they love. Here’s what they said:

🍽️ Alcove loves Taberna de Haro. For Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, the owner of Alcove, a good patio is one that seamlessly blends the restaurant’s vibes with the surrounding city. That’s why he loves Brookline’s Taberna de Haro. “You feel just like you're walking a neighborhood street and you're stopping at a cafe. It feels very European,” he said. And if you see him there, don’t be surprised if he’s sipping some rosé or eating their matrimónio, a tapas dish with anchovies and olives.

😋 Taberna de Haro loves Dovetail. Christy Weiss, Taberna de Haro’s owner, enjoys a patio that has a distinctly curated vibe. A good patio is one where you can tell the restaurant didn’t “just put tables out,” but intentionally created a cozy atmosphere, according to Weiss. For that energy, she loves Dovetail in Charlestown, where her go-to is a glass of wine and a seafood special. “It’s a nice little haven off of the Freedom Trail,” she said, with “a seafood-meets-neighborhood-bistro kind of vibe.” 

🇫🇷 Dovetail loves La Voile. If Kari Cooney, co-owner of Dovetail, is dining on a patio, she likes to be in a “warm, comfortable space.” For her, that feeling comes from the atmosphere (good music is a must), the setup (something closed-off and relaxed), and the furniture (comfort is “really important”). And La Voile’s “hidden gem” of a patio on Newbury Street has it all. It’s tucked back from the hustle and bustle but still a great place to people-watch, especially with their fabulous smoked salmon plate, Cooney said.

🍝 La Voile loves Faccia a Faccia. For Alexandre Sojfer, the sommelier at La Voile, a perfect outdoor dining experience needs two things: Nice weather and good service — “it’s as simple as that,” he said. He finds he can get both at Faccia a Faccia, also on Newbury Street. “It’s just a very neat, professional place. You know, every time you go, you're going to get something very consistent,” he said. And for him, the great ambiance just adds to the enjoyment, especially if you grab a crudo board. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚇 One MBTA line down, three to go. The Blue Line is officially slow-zone free after successfully eliminating 19 during April's two-week shutdown, which also brought the total number of slow zones on the T under 100. And although there were some snafus with the signal system upon the Blue Line’s initial return, we’re still chalking this news up as a big W for the MBTA, which had nearly 180 speed restrictions as of November. Red liners, keep this news close to your heart as you brave the shuttles this week.

🕊️ City Council joined the calls for a cease-fire. The council passed a resolution Wednesday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, plus the freeing of all hostages and detainees in Gaza and Israel. The measure was approved by an 11-2 vote, with only councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy opposing the measure. This was the council’s third attempt to pass a cease-fire resolution, following councils in Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford.

🛩️ Your summer vacay just got way cheaper … thanks to this Southwest sale that’s offering a major deal on summer flights (with some as low as $49) booked by May 9. The deal applies to Tuesday and Wednesday continental flights between May 21 and Nov. 20 and international flights (plus Hawaii and San Juan) between Aug. 20 and Nov. 20. Some of the deals out of Boston include one-ways to Chicago, Baltimore, and Charlotte for under $105, and to Miami and Orlando for under $140. 

🥟 Here’s an excuse to try some of Boston’s best Asian cuisine. Today marks the start of Boston’s first-ever Asian Restaurant Week. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the National Association of Asian American Professionals is putting on the weeklong event to showcase the city’s Asian restaurants and dishes. How it works: You check out one of the participating spots, buy one of their signature dishes using the event’s designated app, and get one entry into a raffle for swag, gift cards, and more. Happy eating!

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🤸 Hit the streets on your feets. Open Streets are coming to Dorchester this Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with music, food trucks, and most importantly, no cars!

🇲🇽 Immerse yourself in Mexican culture. Downtown Crossing is helping Boston celebrate Cinco de Mayo with traditional Mexican music, dance, and an artisan showcase this afternoon until 3:30 p.m.

🏇 Get “Down and Derby.” Where to be on Saturday: High Street Place’s Down and Derby Party (with best dressed competition!) and Banners’ A Day at the Derby party (with a red carpet and floral wall!).

👟 Share your passion for foot fashion. For the 15th year, Sneaker Con is coming to Boston on Saturday. Gather inspo, buy, sell, trade, and share your love for cool kicks with other sneakerheads. 

🦮 Watch tiny, fluffy dogs run their hearts out. Dogs are like tiny horses, right? On Saturday at Park 9 Dog Bar, they can be. Register your corgi, dachshund, or other small dog for their Derby-style race here.

— Written by Claire Nicholas

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock two bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

QUICK QUESTION

🏘️ Read below and then tell us: If you could, would you rather live in:

ONE LAST THING

Live like a Patriot

Real estate isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Tom Brady or Steve Belichick … but it sure is interesting to look inside their (former) houses.

Both Brady and Belichick’s former homes have gone up for sale in the past month, so we took a peek at both to compare, contrast, and do a little daydreaming.

Brady’s place (where he lived from 2004 to 2008) is a giant Back Bay condo that’ll cost you $8.4 million dollars for just 3 beds, 3.5 baths, and some seriously gorgeous (though a little stuffy for our tastes) marble flooring and details. But you can’t beat that location.

Meanwhile, Steve Beliechick, son of Bill Belichick and a former Pats assistant, has listed his mansion in Dover for $4.19 million. Out of the city, that’ll get you 6 beds, 8 baths, a nice yard with a very green lawn, all in a minimalist modern farmhouse style that would make any millennial swoon. 

— Written by Gia Orsino

🏘️ Thanks for reading! As much of a Boston girl as I am, I’d go with Belichick’s house. Value, baby, value!

🚇 The results are in: 40% of readers say that they walk, bike, or find another way into work during T shutdowns, and a surprising number vouched for our bus system. One reader has a particularly interesting method: “Borrowed the car from my ex-husband. That's a fun conversation.”

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