Cocktails

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Brussels sprouts with bacon, blue cheese, and caramelized onions? It’s one of the easiest dishes I have ever made and easily one of the best. Adding some fun ingredients to my favorite vegetables has made winter eating at home a little less run-of-the-mill, but truth be told, we have still been going out a LOT. Some meals I have chronicled in their entirety, while others have been enjoyed with maybe a snapshot or two.

Brussels sprouts with blue cheese, onions, and bacon

We have been going to town (literally) at our two local favorites, Ashmont Grill and Tavolo. The other night, when popping into Ashmont Grill for a drink, we discovered their special was a Spinach and Cheese Manicotti with Shortrib Ragu, we ended up staying for dinner. It was insanely good, like everything else at Ashmont Grill. I smell their wood oven the second I step out of Ashmont Station and have to pass Tavolo on my way home. It’s going to be hard not stopping in every night.

spinach and ricotta manicotti with shortrib ragu

There have been a lot of stresses and a lot of celebrations over the past couple of months, and a fun girls night out at Blue Dragon marked many occasions. We gorged ourselves on just about half the menu, including polishing off the big plate of the best fried chicken ever. Cocktails flowed, including my favorite, the Thai Basil Smash.

Cocktails at Blue Dragon

Another recent night out with friends brought us out to Ribelle in Brookline. Once again, we chowed on half the menu, but I found myself dreaming about the Truffle Egg Toast. Can this be my breakfast every day?

Ribelle Brookline

Finally, I enjoyed a really fun team dinner after our sales team won the Best Sales Team award for the whole brand. We stayed right inside the hotel and had dinner at dante, which has phenomenal food and views. We had lots of apps pre-ordered, including oysters and Arancini with Truffle Honey, and for dinner I inhaled the Pumpkin Ravioli. dante makes really gorgeous homemade pastas, and I definitely recommend it for Italian outside the North End.

Pumpkin ravioli

I am hungry again just writing about all of that! It’s been a good Winter of eating, and I am hoping to transition into a Spring of running and vegetables. . . with some new Boston restaurants thrown in for good measure.

What dishes have you been loving lately?

Tags: Boston, cambridge, cocktails, Dining out, Food, Restaurants

2013 was a different sort of year for us. It involved a lot of change (new jobs for both of us and a new house) and not so much travel, which was really the low point of the year for me. I crave travel planning and having an adventure to look forward to, but starting out a new job means no vacation time and having two mortgages means eating ramen every night limited travel funds.

Luckily, 2014 will bring some excitement in the way of travel. We’re headed to Miami in January and Ireland in March; we may even check out Champagne (aka my heaven) and Paris on that trip. We’ve also got tickets to James Taylor at Tanglewood for July 4th. And lots and lots of house unpacking and projects to do. It looks to be a full year!

Before we jump into 2014 though, I wanted to share a few of the highlights of 2013. It may have been a different year, but it still had plenty of great times. Here’s my best of 2013.

A blissful wine tasting afternoon at Truett Hurst – Our April trip to Sonoma and Napa was pretty magical. We tasted a lot of great wine and caught up with awesome people. As you know we love Northern California, and I bet there will be a wine country trip in 2014. It will definitely include lunch and wine at Truett Hurst.

Truett Hurst Gardens

 

The New York City Marathon – it wasn’t my favorite marathon, but it was my fastest! A cold day running 26.2 miles through the boroughs of New York City is not something I will soon forget. I still have my eye on a 4 hour marathon though!

NYC Marathon finish

 

Our anniversary on Martha’s Vineyard – Summer in New England is the best thing ever. Being able to spend a leisurely day at the beach and exploring Oak Bluffs and Edgartown was the perfect way to spend our anniversary. We’re hoping in 2014 for some more Vineyard time. I’m not-so-secretly hoping the terribly awesome reality TV show of the same name returns.

view of Boston

 

A return to the Jersey Shore and a blissful, spontaneous evening swim with my niece and nephew – This was the perfect day with my family; warm weather, great food, surf, and ice cream. 2013 included lots of family time, but it’s never enough. In 2014 I will try for a little more.

Sandy Hook, New Jersey

My favorite restaurants of 2013 included Ten Tables in Provincetown, Boston Chops (though we had an unfortunate service experience that has kept us from going back since June), Sycamore in Newton, Row 34, and of course, my all time 2013 favorite, Steel & Rye in Milton.

What were your favorite moments/meals/restaurants of 2013?

Tags: Food, highlights, Restaurants, Travel

Located below street level on Harvard Square’s Brattle Street, the newly opened Beat Hotel  is a true treat for all of the senses.

Beat Hotel

Please excuse the fuzzy photo. I got lost, and it was raining! The owner of Beat Hotel mentioned that they had  a sign for the sidewalk on the way, which will much easier for people to find this currently hidden gem. Inside, I first noticed how vast the space is. It just keeps going and going, and there are two nice long bars in addition to the dining areas, making it a comfortable space for crowds to stretch out.

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The decor is 60’s-chic, with lots of colors and funky lights, making the environment cool and bohemian without being tacky and overdone.

Beat Hotel

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Like its sister property, The Beehive, Beat Hotel is definitely centered around music and features nightly jazz or blues, creating a laid back vibe that is easy to be in.

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That same artistry is carried through to the food and beverage at Beat Hotel. My American Breed cocktail (Makers, St. Elder Elderflower liqueur, apple cider) was a kicking taste of fall. Bar staff was a delight, and even though I was first at the event, I was made to feel incredibly welcome.

  Beat Hotel cocktails

Beat Hotel cocktails

Even more exciting are the wines on tap, which allows Beat Hotel to offer a variety of wines by the glass, always fresh and delicious.

wine on tapThe wine list is comprised of mostly (maybe all?) California wines, but I loved that it offered far more than your typical Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Grapes like Gruener Veltliner, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Cabernet Franc help to make up this list, and it’s exciting for wine lovers.

wines on tap

Rousanne

tuna spring rolls

{Tuna Spring Rolls}

The food at Beat Hotel is as fun, funky, and innovative as the decor and drinks. I loved everything I tried. The fun part about dining with a big group, especially of food bloggers, is the opportunity to share lots of dishes. These are just a few photos of what we sampled. Everything was outstanding, except for my photos, clearly.

butcher's platter{Butcher Platter}

smoky chipotle spareribs{Smoky Chipotle BBQ Spareribs}

duck salad{Duck Salad}

raw bar platter{Raw Bar Platter}

vegan bowl{Vegan Earth Bowl}

It was the Vegan Earth Bowl that blew me away, even after some more intricate dishes before it. I have a little marathon coming up this weekend so decided on a healthier option for my entree at Beat Hotel. The Vegan Earth Bowl was the best choice, and I have been craving it since. Veggies, edamame, pilaf, roasted pumpkin, and pumpkin tahini made this dish burst with flavor. It’s portion was large enough that I had leftovers, and it was so fresh and yummy that it was positively addictive.

I had an amazing experience at Beat Hotel and look forward to going back again soon to sample the rest of the menu. Apologies for the weirdly sized and blurry photos in this post, blog issues abound, as always!

Dinner was complimentary, however all opinions are my own.

Tags: Boston, cambridge, cocktails, Dining out, Restaurants, wine

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