The Ashmont Grill has a new menu! Admittedly the majority of the items on the menu are still the familiar old favorites, but plenty of new choices are available. It didn’t take much arm-twisting for Barbara and me to try them out.

In fact, all six items that we ordered were new to the menu.

Well, one was actually a return appearance from two or three years ago. That was the grilled Caesar Salad: an otherwise traditional Caesar Salad that was built on a grilled head of romaine. Also, the generous topping of parmesan was shaved rather than shredded or ground. Yummy!

Among the truly new items, a standout was the enticing serving of five cheddar-and-scallion croquettes with smoked bacon aioli. Unusual and delicious! We will be back for more next month. (April is coming soon, isn’t it?)

A couple of new side dishes are worth mentioning: a giant helping of perfectly cooked French green beans, and an equally giant helping of citrus-enhanced Israeli couscous. These would go well with any entree.

Speaking of entrees, those side dishes accompanied two new offerings. One that you don’t see often around here was a bouillabaisse containing cod, shrimp, and mussels in a saffron tomato broth with fennel, accompanied by grilled bread. It was a little bland but still delicious. Finally came jumbo fried shrimp with spicy mango dip. Genuinely jumbo, genuinely delicious, and the dip was not too spicy for Barbara. Although this dish is listed as a starter, it is generous enough to serve as an entree.

Categories: Dorchester/Boston, Food & Restaurants