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Celebration Weekend

May 29, 2012 in Cocktails, events, Food, Restaurants, wine by traveleatlove | 10 comments

We met through blogging, chatted via Twitter, and connected in real life at a wine tasting and tomato dinner, and this past Saturday, a group of Boston friends celebrated a pretty epic bachelorette party day.

Alicia, Daisy, Megan, Michelle and I were once blogger friends, now I just consider them great friends, people who share a lot of the same interests: food, wine, cocktails, travel, blogging, and a love of fun. They (and the other blogger friends I have made) are the absolute best part of blogging, and I could not wait to celebrate upcoming weddings with them.

It all kicked off at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, which offers some of the best views the area has to offer. We were able to snag the Artist’s Suite, which, in addition to being spacious, gorgeous, and offering this view, had some pretty great décor was well.

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Royal Sonesta Suite

The room proved to be a perfect place for sipping on bubbly and doing some much-needed catching up.

prosecco

Light and refreshing Prosecco in a beautiful bottle, and a favorite for toasting wonderful women, Veuve Clicquot. Megan made us all gift bags with mini wedding cakes in them. They were adorable!

Veuve Clicquot

Our friends at the Royal Sonesta treated us to our afternoon snacks, a beautiful display of cheese, fruit, and meat, along with individually bottled Corpse Revivers, a nod to ArtBar’s absinthe-tasting.

cheese display

There was lunch at ArtBar, complete with adult Root Beer Floats (House Vanilla Vodka, Root, Sarsparilla, Salted Cream, CO2).

root beer float

I went for a lighter option, the eggplant and tomato soup, just enough to fill me up and to save room for snacking later on.

eggplant tomato soup

We lounged poolside, sipped more bubbly, and got ready for a night on the town that started with oysters and cocktails at Abigail’s in Kendall Square.

oysters

But it didn’t stop there! Stay tuned for dinner at The Blue Room, coming tomorrow.

Did you do any celebrating this weekend?

Tags: Abigails, ArtBar, bloggers, Boston, cambridge, champagne, oysters, parties, restaurant, Royal Sonesta, Veuve Clicquot, wine

Turner Fisheries’ Newest Menu

May 14, 2012 in events, Food, wine by traveleatlove | 8 comments

Last week I had the delicious opportunity to attend a blogger dinner to taste the newest menu at Turner Fisheries. When I was invited to the event, my first thought was, new menu already? I felt like I had just attended a new menu tasting. Time definitely flies, but more importantly, Turner’s updates its menu frequently to reflect the seasons and the ingredients available.

I joined a fun group of bloggers for a glass of wine prior to dinner, and then we proceeded to our table to get started on dinner. Turner’s General Manager, Wayne Wood, dined with us, and was able to walk us through the menu using his expert knowledge of the dishes to help us all order.

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First up was the Atlantic Shelf platter for the table to share.

The cold seafood platter was one of my favorite parts of the meal. I could pair the delicious Viognier we were sipping (Bridlewood), with cold seafood and spicy cocktail sauce for dinner every night. Mussels, clams,s callops,  oysters, and shrimp were all super fresh and delicious with a spicy cocktail sauce. As always, I dipped my bread in the mignonette. It makes for a zingy bread topping. Sometimes we make mignonette just to top lettuce or bread. This platter reminded me of summer in New England, just perfect.

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In the menu introduction, Wayne  recommended the tomato bisque, even as someone generally not a fan of tomato soup. The soup, in addition to being delicious, also happens to be vegan; the pureeing of the tomatoes creates the creaminess. It was smoky, basil-y, smooth and creamy, and clearly I hated it. Winking smile

It was a dreary soup kind of day, and this hit the spot big time.

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Turner’s has many tempting entrée options, and I literally went back and forth on a few until it was time to order. I just couldn’t resist the stuffed shrimp though. I love that you order them by the piece to decide how much you want to eat. I hate being super full after a meal or wasting food, so two of these large shrimp were perfect. The citrus cream underneath? To die for.

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By the time dessert rolled around, I was fairly full, but I still wanted to give dessert a try. I thought an espresso and the Boston Cream Pie would pair nicely, and I was right.

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The Boston Cream Pie was a delight, but it was Fiona’s dessert, the Meyer Lemon Puffs, that won me over.

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I loved the fresh, lemony cream and light pastry. It was perfect for warmer weather, and I will definitely be ordering these next time.

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Turner’s always does a really great job, and I was happy to be invited to try their latest menu. It’s great that they change things up seasonally; it doesn’t just guarantee the freshest ingredients, but it also keeps diners coming back to see what’s new.

*Dinner was provided by Turner’s, but as always, my opinions are my own.

Tags: blogger events, events, Food, restaurant, seafood, Turner Fisheries, wine

TerraVino Wines

May 5, 2012 in wine by traveleatlove | 6 comments

Edited 10/3/12 – I have learned that, unfortunately, TerraVino has closed its doors. Best wishes to the owners in their future endeavours!

Blogging, wine and food events, and social media have introduced me to hundreds of great people over the years. Sometimes I remember when and where we met, other times, it seems like people are just kind of there, familiar faces that pop up in a crowd and I am always glad to see.

Knowing people, first through a channel like Twitter and then in real life, has also given me the great privilege of following people as they make life changes; moves, marriages, babies, new jobs, and starting businesses. This past Thursday I finally had the time to stop by TerraVino Wines, Brookline’s newest wine store, opened by a great young local family.

I met TerraVino’s owner, Christopher, at a wine event last year, and his knowledge of and passion for wines that are sustainable, biodynamic, and organic has come to life in this spacious store on Harvard Street, very close to the Brookline Trader Joe’s.

TerraVino Wines

The store is uncluttered and well-lit, making it easy to read labels and check out the selection Christopher has chosen for his customers. Shiny wood floors, wooden shelves, and a rustic tasting table all make for a cozy and comfortable space, perfect for tasting and browsing.

TerraVino Wines

This is a true neighborhood store with great deals and a selection of interesting and affordable wines. For example. last Saturday, the store did a tasting of Yellow +  Blue, boxed wines that get great reviews and sell at the store for $12.

TerraVino Wines

TerraVino Wines

For me, it was love at first sight when I saw this table of pink. Everything about rosé is lovely. We just need some rosé weather!

TerraVino Wines

TerraVino also sells craft beer, and just as they do with wine, they have local beer in stock.

craft beer

TerraVino Wines offers a variety of wine tasting events, including a Spanish wine event for Cinco de Mayo today.

In addition to tasting events, the store has eight wines available for tasting in their tasting machine. Almost all of the wines currently in the wine station are under $20, making this the perfect opportunity to try a wine or two and to stock up for May events.

This month’s featured wines:

Whites/Rosés

  • Honig Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $17.00
  • Angerer Grüner Veltliner 2010 $18.00
  • Guy Bossard Muscadet 2009 $17.00
  • Domaine de Fontsainte Corbiéres ‘gris de gris’ 2011 $16.00

Reds

  • The Pinot Project 2011 $17.00
  • Monje Listan Negro 2008 $24.00
  • Fuso ‘Barbera’ 2010 $14.00
  • Peyrassol ‘La Croix’ Red Blend 2010 $16.00

wine tasting machine

sparkling wine

Christopher has done a great job with the store, and I really look forward to seeing what he has up his sleeve for his customers as time passes. If you are in Brookline, definitely stop in and say hi. And if you are on Twitter, you can follow and stay up-to-date on TerraVino news.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

Tags: Brookline, wine

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