Dinner at Union

Birthday celebration, part three! On Saturday night, two of my friends took me out for my girls’ night out birthday celebration. Since I had been eyeing up their winter menu, I chose Union Bar and Grille in the South End. I’ve had great brunch, dinner, and cocktails at Union before, and I was looking forward to a repeat visit.

Once we got settled, a piping hot skillet of cornbread with salted butter was placed on the table.

The combination of sweet cornbread with salty butter was fantastic. And for some reason, I was incredibly hungry so this hit the spot. We decided to start off with a round of cocktails from Union’s creative cocktail menu. I had a Honeysuckle, which I think is the same drink I had earlier this winter.

We decided to start with their East vs. West oysters and the mussels, steamed in wine with Tasso ham and smoked tomatoes. The oysters were shucked really badly with lots of grit and pieces of shell, but the mussels were great. I love the addition of a smoky meat with mussels, whether it be sausage or ham. They were perfectly cooked and delicious.

After our appetizers and cocktails, we decided to toast with some Prosecco while we eagerly anticipated our entrees.

I knew exactly what I was going to have for dinner, ever since I saw it on the menu in January, hand rolled gnocchi with wild mushrooms, chard, and truffle porcini cream.

The gnocchi were pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth perfection with a fragrant, creamy truffle-laced sauce. I would have liked a little bit more chard to balance out the dish, but otherwise, it was absolutely perfect, and I could eat it again and again.

I was pretty stuffed after completely cleaning up the bowl of gnocchi, but I couldn’t help but eat several large spoons of vanilla crème brulee which was incredible. Sweet and creamy with real vanilla bean flavors, it paired perfectly with the shot of espresso that kept me awake for the rest of the night.

Our leisurely dinner at Union was followed by drinks at Gaslight and another drink at my neighborhood bar, The Banshee. It ended up being a late night that was a ton of fun. We don’t get together nearly enough because of how busy life can be, and I love hanging out with these girls!

Do you have a hard time scheduling in time to see friends and family? When was your last really fun girls’ (or guys) night out?