A few months ago, I went to visit my friend, Double Down, to see his new condo that he purchased with his then girlfriend, now fiance, Marisela (congrats guys!). That night, his fiance had a girls’ night in where she and three other women painted on canvases in the living room while watching an online Bob Ross video. I’ll admit that we were more than a bit jealous that we weren’t participating. Instead, Double Down and I went to check out the local eats at Redd’s In Rozzie. What was at first an attempt to leave the ladies in painting peace, turned out to be a very enjoyable night where we discovered a great new place to eat. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do it justice. Nonetheless, as you read through this review, just keep in mind that you should definitely visit this place if you’re in the area.
Redd’s In Rozzie
4257 Washington Street
Roslindale, MA 02131
Service and Atmosphere
At first glance the interior of Redd’s look like any modern bar with some booth seating. It’s a little dark inside (hence the poor pictures), but overall the atmosphere is comfortable. One of the first things I noticed when we sat down at the booth was a set of Cornhole boards leaning against the wall with Redd’s In Rozzie’s logo stamped on them. Cornhole is a an outdoor game where two teams toss beanbags at wooden ramps with a hole on the surface. If you get a beanbag in a hole, you get a point. Apparently, Redd’s holds outdoor Cornhole tournaments on their patio when it’s warmer out. With that little new piece of information, we promptly decided to return when it was warmer out so that we could see these cornhole boards in use.
The service at Redd’s was friendly and helpful. In addition to giving us advice about the menu, our server gave us great suggestions for sampling some of the beers and cocktails featured.
Food
As a start to our evening we ordered drinks off of the cocktail menu. I ordered “The Cuke” (cucumber gin, lime juice, celery bitters, with a salt and peeper rim). The drink was really good, light, and the flavors blended really well. The salt and pepper rim added a savory quality to the drink that was unlike anything I’ve ever really had. The salt made it feel a bit like a Margarita, but the pepper hinted at a Bloody Mary, while the drink itself was coolly refreshing.
When our server ran down the specials for us, we immediately knew that we wanted to try these shredded smoked pork cheese fries. If you didn’t catch that the first time, let me say it again, “Shredded Smoked Pork… Cheese Fries!” As expected, they were delicious and we did not regret one moment of stuffing these sadly unhealthy delicious potatoes in our faces. Unfortunately, these fries aren’t on the regular menu as far as I can tell.
After stuffing our faces with pork filled cheese fries, our entrees came. I had the grilled hanger steak with mashed potatoes. The chef’s skills really shined in this dish because the slices of beef were cooked to a perfect medium and they were also very tender. Hangar steak can be tricky to prepare properly, but Redd’s nailed it. The mashed potatoes were also delicious as well as the sauteed onions on top. Once again, I don’t think Redd’s has this dish on the menu anymore, but I would get it again in a heartbeat if I see it again.
Double Down almost ordered the hanger steak as well, but at the last moment, he decided to go with the grilled scallops on a skewer. They weren’t the largest scallops I’d ever seen (in fact they were kind of small), but they were full of fresh grilled scallop flavor. The scallops weren’t over dressed and they were grilled just right so that they weren’t too rubbery or undercooked. The vegetables on the side also had some nice grilled flavor to them and the tangy sauce on the plate added another dimension to the dish as well. Double Down told me that the whole dish was surprisingly filling. Scallops have that effect though. They don’t look like much, but they’re heavier than we imagine. An excellent dish as well that doesn’t appear to be on the Redd’s menu anymore either.
Lastly, as the check came, we received two complimentary little chocolate cookies. They were crispy and tasted a bit like the cookie part of an Oreo. Personally, I love little touches like this at restaurants so that only made me like Redd’s even more.
Overall Impression
If you’re in Jamaica Plain or Roslindale, MA, I highly recommend Rozzie’s for a moderately priced casual dining experience with some really tasty food. It’s comfortable inside and the varying cocktails or beers offer up variety.
Home Is A Kitchen 
Redd’s has been doing a “whole” project, where they get an entire animal create as much as possible with it. Makes for some very interesting menu options. They also do burgers and bingo on Tuesday nights. Last time I went the winners received house-made pickled vegetables!