Grilled Cheese Tuesdays at Dante

Every Tuesday in the bar and lounge at Dante, enjoy $2 grilled cheese sandwiches from 5:30pm. Offering sweeping views of the Charles River and the Boston skyline, Dante is a contemporary Italian restaurant located inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel on the Cambridge side of the river.My sister and I arrived and were happy to learn from the hostess that the grilled cheese special is offered on the patio bar as well. It was a gorgeous Tuesday evening so we took full advantage of the riverside views, settling in first with some cocktails. I went with what can only be described as my dream cocktail, the Italian 75 ($9) which combines my two favorite liqueurs - Aperol and St Germain with lemon, prosecco and gin. Leah's Watermelon Basil Margarita wasn't as noteworthy, while it presented a strong taste of tequila, the other flavors were muted - more water than melon, the basil just a dusting. For our second round I stuck with my beloved Italian 75 and she decided on Sangria ($9) which was much more satisfying than round one. Along with our cocktails, a sophisticated version of the weekly grilled cheeses were enjoyed; boasting layers of melted mozzarella, peppery arugula and spicy pepperonicni on thick slices of evenly toasted bread.I should mention one half of a grilled cheese is $2, still a large half and $2 well spent. In addition to this deal, the bar offers $1 oysters daily from 4 - 6 pm. We couldn't pass this up and slurped three briny easy coast oysters each. We also noshed on some Sfizi - "little tastes" which are individual antipasti plates meant for sharing. The Fried Calamari ($6) incorporated delicious little morsels of fried lemon zest along with a grilled lemon thyme aioli. The Pannocchia ($6) which is grilled corn on the cob with pecorino cheese and a spicy aioli, was excellent.

Our waitress disappeared for awhile after clearing our plates (when it was clear we were finished with our cocktails and in need of either the check or another round), but otherwise she was efficient. I would definitely recommend checking out Dante for their weekday menu deals, especially while you can still enjoy the outdoor space. With both of us working so close by, I have a feeling we will be back soon.

We exited the patio off the back steps and decided to take an evening turned sunset stroll around the Charles. We stopped to feed a family of ducks, meandered over the Longfellow Bridge, watched the Red Line speed by and looped back around to the Boston side of the river and walked the Esplanade home.

P.S. Happy September!