Dinner Trade Restaurant, 540 Atlantic Ave Boston, MA

An interesting space on the relatively busy corner near South Station, Trade is good for after work cocktails and small bites though the after work crowd was a bit noisy on our visit.

Trade did manage to piqued my curiosity when I discovered (via my dining mates who'd arrive prior to me) that they were serving wines on tap!!!  Needless to say, I was interested in tasting Trade's samplings and Manager Alyssa was more than happy to oblige. 

Spearheaded (possibly, but definitely most popular during it's birthing) by the Los Angeles & San Francisco restaurant/bar scene (fitting), where wine on tap has been budding since ~2009. 
I really enjoyed the Gotham Project's crisp, light Riesling (NY, 2010).

Ceiling candy

More ceiling candy

Dinner:

We ordered several starters, sides, and entrees.  All were pretty good with my favorite being the roasted curried cauliflower, the spicy shrimp.

Chicken meatballs with sage, provolone and pine nuts

The chicken meatballs were seasoned well and served sizzling in the skillet.  The pine nuts added a nice crunchy element.

Local burrata with heirloom tomatoes, pureed dates and microgreens

The burrata was a simple and mild dish.  Who can resist a buttery, creamy burrata?

Roasted asparagus with Romesco sauce, aleppo pepper and fresh chervil

Roasted curried cauliflower

Do something more than steam it, and I am your forever fan!  Trade truly elevated the cauliflower with this velvety, mildly spicy curry sauce with raisins, cilantro, and a bit of yogurt sauce.

I also enjoyed the sauteed greens with chili flakes, purple onion, and garlic.

The spicy head-on shrimp with piri piri peppers were superb! Just enough spice to matter with all juicy goodness preserved!

 Seared bluefish with smoked corn and tomato succotash, green garlic sauce and bacon lardons.  The fish was moist and I enjoyed the succotash.  The bacon seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought versus being used as a flavor enhancement for dish.

The pancetta, parmesan, and anchovy fried dough was a great idea in theory, but poorly executed with the dough itself leaving much to be desired.  I have yet to find ANY fried dough in Boston that meets my expectations.  Any recommendations? Please share.

I'd give Trade another shot...