Search Results

Your search for secco returned the following results.

Glorious weekend! Saturday was a feast for the senses, and stepping outside has never felt so good! I started the day off by blogging about spring, then read a bunch of other blogs and did some other bloggy work.

Then the husband and I went to Castle Island in South Boston. Castle Island is a beautiful place to walk, run, or picnic and provides a nice paved loop that juts out into the bay. I love going there not only for the views and the lovely ocean air, but also for the zillion dogs out walking and running! So cute. There is also a refreshment stand, Sully’s, that sells all sorts of delicious treats. If you live in Boston and have never been, I would definitely suggest going.

After our 2.5 mile walk, I went for a run and did a hill workout. I felt great! This weather makes me feel so much looser and more free, and I think more of my energy is directed to running rather than my aches and pains.

I was ravenous when I returned home, and French toast was all I wanted. I made a simple egg and milk blend with freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg for dipping the bread. Then we cooked it up and topped it with a mix of organic maple syrup and agave nectar.

 

image

We had our French toast with Trader Joe’s Organic Cranberry Green Tea. Since reading The 02 Diet (post to come this week), I have been trying to integrate more green tea into my diet. For some reason regular green tea makes me nauseous – to the point where I almost had to leave work one day. But this cranberry green tea blend tastes great and makes me feel fine.

image

After eating, we spent some time just lounging around the house with the windows open. My cats loved it.

image

This is Scout’s favorite time of year. She actually looks at the windows in the middle of winter and squeaks at me to open them.

Since the hubby didn’t have to work, we decided to go on a little date to celebrate the nice day with some food and wine. Since we have been talking about Morton’s a lot this week after my events post, he chose Mortons’ Seaport location for our dinner. We had previously only been to the Back Bay location and thought it would be fun to go somewhere near the waterfront.

We were able to get a reservation and were seated right at 7:00. Water glasses filled, and a giant loaf of bread served, we were then shown a presentation of the menu which involved a staff member going through the starters, sides, cuts of meat, fish, and any of the desserts that needed to be pre-ordered. Its fun to see how much attention is paid to the quality of the food.

image

We started with oysters on the half shell, of course. I don’t think we ever go to a restaurant that has oysters and NOT order them. These came with an entire little cup full of just horseradish, plus a separate cup of cocktail sauce. I was in spicy heaven!

image

I really wanted to have a couple of appetizers for my meal, as I often do. I ordered the tuna tartare which was stacked with avocado and served with a little side of cucumbers and tomatoes. I had a nice soy flavor to it, and the avocado and super fresh tuna went perfectly together. This was a pretty spectacular and healthy dish.

 

image

On the not—so-healthy side, the hubs and I split a wedge salad topped with homemade, out of this world blue cheese, tomatoes, hardboiled eggs, and crispy bacon. Quite obviously not the healthiest option on the menu, but it was oh so good. Morton’s does sides and salads incredibly well.

image

We each had a glass of wine with dinner. I stuck with the spring-like theme of the day and had a glass of Lunetta Prosecco. Light and bubbly, it was like honeydew melon in a glass. So refreshing. The husband’s wine, however, was amazing. He ordered the featured Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon, Krug 1881. It was blissful. A big, dark red Cab, it had a slightly woodsy nose to it and tasted of dark fruits. It almost coated the sides of the glass. If you can get your hands on a glass, definitely do!

After all of that, we were too full for dessert, and I was tired from so much fresh air! We headed home and watched some Mad Men before konking out at around 11.

I love how alive I feel right now! I normally find Sundays to be a little depressing, but today has been another great day of walking dogs at the MSPCA, walking around Castle Island, and I am off to a Yoga Nidra workshop.

I’ll be back later! Make sure to enter my giveaway if you haven’t already!

Tags: Boston, breakfast, Dining out, Food, giveaway, running, spring, tea, wine

A date night was much in order this week. With the hubs stuck working for the entire weekend (literally from 6 am – midnight on Saturday. . . after being in the office until 10 Friday night) we wouldn’t have much down time together, and I always find that going out to dinner is a good way to spend quality time together without our laptops or phones or any other home distractions.

As Elina, Melissa, and I discussed during our run today (more on that later!), it seems like there are so many new restaurants in Boston, and so many not so new ones that I have not tried. We decided on Sportello because I need pasta to fuel for my 20 miler, its pretty close to our house, and can you ever go wrong with Barbara Lynch? It was a last minute sort of decision, so I unfortunately didn’t have my camera, but the restaurant’s website has some beautiful photos if you are interested!

We were a little bit early for our reservation on a night that brought torrential downpours and hurricane-like winds, so we decided to dry off and warm up with a cocktail at Drink. I decided on a Bone, the very spicy drink that I enjoyed on my last visit, and my husband ordered a Gosling’s Dark & Stormy, a drink that I had the opportunity to sample at last week’s Taste of Bermuda. Hehe even though I just ran 20 miles, I am sort of craving the spicy ginger and sweet rum of a Dark & Stormy as I write this! Both drinks were, as always, scrumptious and expertly made with fresh ingredients and quality spirits. Even though we were just in for one drink, our bartender was SO friendly. He gave us recommendations on what to order at Sportello, and was just very pleasant overall. It was the perfect way to wind down and to get ready for dinner.

Once upstairs, we were seated right away and got to take in the interesting decor of Sportello. It is like an old style diner, a lot of white, with stools at rectangular counters and an open kitchen. We got two seats in a cozy corner with a perfect kitchen view, allowing us to watch all of the food being made. I am always so impressed by all that goes on in a restaurant kitchen!

After looking through the wine list, I ordered a prosecco from the Veneto region, and the hubs got an absolutely beautiful, juicy Barbera. Yummmm. We started by splitting the smoked salmon special which came with crème fraiche and avocado cream, topped with frisee salad.

For my entree, I needed pasta and was immediately sold on the gnocchi with porcini, peas, and cream. The hubs got the pork ravioli special topped with a decadent cream sauce.

My gnocchi melted in my mouth. It tasted like it had been dusted with truffles, and it had a lovely, creamy texture and earthy aroma. The pork ravioli was smoky in a sweeter cream sauce that was a “lick your plate clean” kind of sauce.

Since we were out on a date and wanted to extend our wonderful meal, we split a rich, dense, flourless chocolate torte topped with spicy cinnamon chantilly cream and walnuts. It was the perfect portion for two to share.

I thought Sportello was outstanding, and the fact that Drink is in the same complex makes it a fun option for a night out. My only gripe, and its sort of  a big one, was that the stools in Sportello were REALLY hard. Nothing like enjoying an amazing bowl of gnocchi with a bum that hurts! Still, I would go back and maybe sit on my coat or something.

The Fort Point area of Boston is a great place to wander around, especially as the weather gets nicer in the city. Drink and Sportello are both great places to stop in to quench your thirst and hunger.

Tags: Barbara Lynch, Boston, cocktails, Dining out, Food, Italian food, wine

Last week I was very happy to receive an invitation to an Austrian wine tasting at the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston. Despite its during the workday timing, I really wanted to attend, so I took a half day and yesterday after a crazy morning, was on my way to the tasting.

Hosted by Winebow, the Austrian wine tasting featured over 40 wines from the following winemakers:

Stadt Krems, Rudi Pichler, Fritz Wieninger, Fred Loimer, Szigeti, Prager,
Neckenmarkt, Paul Achs, Gernot Heinrich, and Gölles eau-de-vie.

Winemakers Rudi Pichler, Fritz Miesbauer and Paul Achs were in attendance to pour and talk about their wines. It was a very nice touch to be able to speak with and listen to the winemakers, like taking a trip to the wineries without leaving town 😉

The tasting room was spacious and set up beautifully with lots of seating, ideal for taking photos and for sitting down to take notes.

wine tasting event

image

Over the course of the afternoon, I was able to taste a variety of Austrian wines, from sparkling to whites and reds. There were some obvious standouts for me.

Beautiful, dry sparkling wines from Szigeti provided the perfect start to my tasting experience. (Note that I did go somewhat out of the order that the tables were in, due to crowds at the beginning. Hopefully this wasn’t too much of a tasting faux pas. . .)

Out of the three Szigeti sparkling wines that I tasted, the Cuvee Prestige was my personal favorite. With a slight sweetness, a pretty intense pop of grape flavor, and delightful bubbles, this wine rivals many of my favorite cavas and proseccos. The next time you are looking for a little bubbly to celebrate, why not look to Austria?

image

Staying with lighter wines, I also tasted the Wieninger Rosé de Pinot, a lovely pale pink, delicate, slightly fruit wine with a smooth finish.

Isn’t it pretty?

 

image

image

Many of the white wines available were Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Luckily for me, though I do not drink  white wine that often, these are two of my favorites. I enjoyed the Fred Loimer Lois, which I have tasted before. With a fresh taste of apples, this Grüner Veltliner is very easy to drink and would be an excellent introduction to Austrian wine.

image

My favorite table of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling was most definitely the Stadt Krems table. I tasted all of the wines (and at this point felt a lot less awkward spitting!) The winemaker walked me through his wines, explaining the growing regions of the wine and the reason for the fruitiness and minerality of the wines. I especially enjoyed the 2008 Riesling Kögl and the 2008 Grüner Veltliner Wachtberg, but I would recommend any of the wines at the table, especially for spring and summer consumption. Each of these wines offered something different, but they were all very fresh with a lot of fruit and absolutely perfect for a hot summer’s day barbeque.

Not surprisingly, I enjoyed many of the reds that were poured at the event. I became a fan of Blaufränkisch last summer at Newport Vineyards and tried it again several times in Prague.

My two favorite reds of the day were the Paul Achs Blaufränkisch Edelgrund and the 2006 Heinrich St. Laurent. The St. Laurent was outstanding starting with a nose of dark berries all the way to a full finish. Its possible that I did not spit this taste out, and I may have gone back for another tiny sip. . . 😉

After all of this, there was a table of eau de vie from Gölles . I only tasted the poire which had an intense pear flavored punch, and a warming effect on the mouth. A tiny bit of this would go a very long way, but I could most definitely see this eau de vie as a nice apres ski drink.

 

image

As you all know from my Vienna post, I love Austria. I also love learning about lesser known wine regions, and I am grateful to have had the chance to attend this event today.

If you get the chance to try Austrian wine, you should jump at it. There is an entire world of wine out there waiting to be discovered by us US wine drinkers!

Have you ever tried wine from a less commonly known wine region? Let me know your favorites!

Tags: Austrian wine, Blaufrankish, Gruner Veltliner, riesling, wine, wine tasting

« Previous results § More results »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera