Beacon Hill

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Most of our time spent in Boston this summer was spent dining out in old favorites in Dorchester and Milton. I have been a bad Bostonian and have rarely even gone downtown. I’ll chalk it up to work busy-ness but also my desire to kind of just be during the summer. Rather than getting ready and rushing into the crowds for dinnertime, I preferred to throw on a sundress and sandals for a last minute, relaxing local bite.

One exception was a reunion of our Tanzania travel group (Read all about my trip to Tanzania on posts on my travel blog page.) at Poe’s Tip Tap Room. Chosen for the possibility of game on the menu, the Tip Tap Room ended up being a nice surprise.

First of all, I had driven and run past it many many times before and never even noticed it. It’s not hidden at all, but does sort of blend in, and it just wasn’t on my radar as a place to go.

We arrived early and found the bartender to be excellent, funny, warm, and welcoming. The beer selection, as you would imagine in a tap room, was also really great.

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

We love Anderson Valley and beer from Anderson Valley, and we were both excited to see this Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, a favorite.

The Tip Tap Room was perfectly noisy, a must for our excited group, and it offered lots of great plates for sharing. As we caught up on the months since camping in the Serengeti together, small plates flew around the table.

  IMG_0960 {Baked Brie: poached apricots / smoked milk & honey / endive / lemon thyme}

 

IMG_0961 {To.die.for. Grilled Corn: korean pepper aioli / ricotta salata / lime}

 

IMG_0962 {Brussels Sprouts: caramelized / spaghetti squash / almonds / long pepper-honey butter}

We shared so many delicious plates that when it came down to dinner, I was full and went a “lighter” route with a chopped salad topped with a poached egg and a corn gazpacho, both amazing and totally filling. I felt like I could barely move to leave the restaurant!

corn soup

{Roasted Corn Gazpacho: coconut milk / heirloom tomato / verbena / lump crab}

The food and beer at The Tip Tap Room was outstanding. Every dish had perfectly chosen ingredients and flavors, and everything was great quality. Service was great, the beer selection left almost too many options and more of a reason to return. It’s a great spot for after work and for slightly noisy groups. I look forward to a return visit with friends.

Tags: Beacon Hill, beer, Boston, Dining out, Food, Restaurants

Cozy Beacon Hill spot 75 Chestnut made the perfect location for a friend’s recent birthday celebration. The food and company were so good that I forgot to take photos. Still, I thought our wonderful dining experience was more than worth sharing. And it was definitely worth repeating again and again.

75 Chestnut

Tucked away on a quaint side street in Beacon Hill, 75 Chestnut is small, dimly lit, and warm. It was packed from the start of our meal until we left, and I would definitely recommend reservations.

75 Chestnut

75 Chestnut

We were seated in a corner table perfect for the occasion and a little away from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant. A quick review of the cocktail menu, and we ordered drinks. I, of course, had studied the menu carefully days prior and knew I wanted the Ginger Sidecar:  This take on a classic blends Remy Martin VSOP, Domaine de Canton and fresh lemon juice.

It was delicious and tart, and although on the fall cocktail menu, it was perfect for the hot and humid evening.

Our table decided to share an order of  Tomato & Basil Bruschetta: Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, ricotta cheese, kalamata olives,  grilled focaccia bread and aged balsamic reduction . Chewy grilled bread made a smoky bed for salty olives. creamy cheese, fresh tomatoes, and a sweet balsamic reduction. The plate contained four pieces of bruschetta, providing the perfect bite for each of us.

For dinner I ordered one of the specials, a tuna steak with a pineapple salsa atop salad greens. Cooked to perfection, the meaty tuna was definitely brightened by the salsa, and the crunchy vegetables provided a nice freshness. It was another winning course, and one I finished the next day for lunch.

I’m not always a huge dessert fan, but the dessert menu at 75 Chestnut offered a bunch of tantalizing options. We decided to split two amongst the four of us. My friend and I also ordered pumpkin martinis, seriously swoon-worthy concoctions made with Baileys caramel, vanilla vodka, cinnamon schnapps, and pumpkin pie spice, a glass of creamy pumpkin pie.

Our desserts rounded out the perfect evening.  We chose The 75 Chestnut Sinful Chocolate Trilogy, a sampling of miniature desserts featuring warm chocolate bread pudding, Swiss chocolate and almond soup
and a bitter sweet chocolate crème brûlée  and  Grandma’s Carrot Cake, three layers of carrot spice cake with coconut,  pineapple and fresh whipped cream. Both desserts were outstanding and provided flavors on opposite ends of the dessert spectrum, sweet and rich, and spicy and fruity. They were large enough that two desserts for four people were perfect.

The service at 75 Chestnut was great, attentive and not at all rushed, despite the never ending coming and going of diners. It was a perfect place to have dinner with friends, with top notch food and drink and a great comfy vibe.

Do you have a favorite place to celebrate a special occasion or get together with friends?

75 Chestnut on Urbanspoon

Tags: 75 Chestnut, Beacon Hill, Boston, cocktails, Dining out, Food, Restaurants, wine

Book a spot now, because Boston’s newest food tour is going to fill up fast. On Friday I was fortunate enough to be invited to Boston Food Finds’ inaugural Beacon Hill/ Back Bay food tour. I worked my work schedule around taking Friday afternoon off, and while it made for some overwhelming moments during the week, it was 110% worth it.

I met the tour group at 1:15 in the swanky lobby of the Liberty Hotel, and we then made our way down the stairs to Lydia Shire’s Scampo for an unforgettable experience.

Scampo

Scampo’s GM gave us a complete tour, pointing out some of Lydia Shire’s personal touches, like this chandelier, which she shipped to the hotel by individually wrapping each of the crystals by hand. It is in Scampo’s beautiful private dining area which can also be part of the main dining room when groups are not using it.

Scampo

Our tour even brought us into the small kitchen where all of Scampo’s magic happens.

Scampo

We got in their way a little, but everyone seemed happy to see us!

Scampo

When we arrived back at our seats, we were presented with gorgeous plates of food. A perfectly fresh tomato, topped with soft mozzarella, a chiffonade of basil, and balsamic and olive oil was paired with spicy local arugula. Scampo uses local ingredients whenever possible.

caprese

The best part of our visit to Scampo was meeting Lydia Shire’s son, Alex. Alex showed us how to make the naan bread for Patrick’s Naan, which we then got to devour. Alex also chatted with us about his incredible future culinary plans, his mother, and his family. He was delightful and makes some tasty naan!

Scampo

Patrick’s naan is house made naan topped with arugula, prosciutto, and saba sauce, a reduction of red wine, clove, juniper berries, and cinnamon. It was crunchy, salty, spicy, and sweet, all in one bite. Our tastes of Scampo definitely have me wanting more!

Patrick's Naan

Once we said goodbye to the folks at Scampo, we headed just across the street to another air conditioned refuge, Savenor’s. The Saveor’s brand is over 65 years old and has been a Boston favorite of many, including the Kennedys and Julia Child, who bought the meat for The French Chef from Savenor’s for 11 years.

Savenor's

Savenor’s is gourmet to the hilt. Their cheese case had me drooling, and their butcher shop is known for its unusual offerings like kangaroo, alligator, and bear bacon, as well as its high quality beef. We were treated to sandwiches made with wild boar and yak!

Savenor's

Savenor's

I have been to Savenor’s before, and it is definitely a place you can spend an hour or more, browsing around and planning the perfect dinner party.

My final stop on the tour, because I had plans to meet a friend, (but only the halfway point for the actual tour!) was Beacon Hill Chocolates. I have been wanting to visit Beacon Hill Chocolates for some time, and I was so happy that it was part of the tour.

Beacon Hill ChocolatesBeacon Hill Chocolates

Beacon Hill Chocolatesmacarons

Once inside this gem of a boutique, we were presented with multiple sweet treats including chocolate orange ladybugs that were decadent and as smooth as silk. We also got to sample gelato and to bring home either a brownie pop or S’more pop and another sample of chocolate. We were treated so well, and each sample was sweet perfection.

chocolate covered marshmallows

 

Beacon Hill Chocolates

After I left them, the tour went on to the Copley Square Farmers Market, Turner Fisheries, and Sweet cupcakes. If the second half was anything like the first, I would imagine everyone had a great time.

The Boston Food Finds Beacon Hill/Back Bay food tour was well organized and perfectly paced, with delicious, manageable samples of each culinary destination. Founder and tour guide Audrey had done her homework and was able to share lots of fun facts with us. It was definitely a special experience and one I would recommend.

If you were to put together a food tour, what area or cuisine would it focus on?

 

Disclaimer – I was invited on this tour as a guest and therefore did not pay for the experience. However my opinions and observations are entirely my own.

Tags: Beacon Hill, Beacon Hill Chocolates, Boston, chocolate, Food, food tour, Savenor's, Scampo

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