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Boston’s best waterfront dining space, and the site for a blogger dinner last night, Aragosta at the Fairmont Battery Wharf replaces Sensing and is the new place to be for sunset on a beautiful spring/summer evening.

Aragosta Boston

Last night I arrived a little early to the Aragosta event and got to take a few photos of the Boston waterfront, breathing in the salty air and, for what seemed like the very first time in my life, soaking up some spring sunshine.

Boston Harbor

I have said it before, but Boston does not utilize its expansive waterfront for dining the way that it could, but the Fairmont certainly makes an exception to that rule. Every little detail at Aragosta, from the sea grass to the comfy wicker couches to the fire pit tables makes it feel like New England summer.

Fairmont Battery Wharf image

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The staff at Aragosta was amazing, first sharing with us some of their homemade cocktails which included a Moscow Mule and their signature drink, a Yellow Pepper Lemoncello Sour. Both drinks were beautiful and fresh, but the spicy ginger of the Moscow Mule won me over immediately. You know I love my ginger!

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While we relaxed in the open air, we got to taste through many of Aragosta’s menu items:

Hand Crafted Selection of Salumi, Caponata, Hot Cherry Peppers, Crusty Bread

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Bread with olives in olive oil

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Fries cooked in duck fat with truffle aioli, a religious experience for a fry-lover like me. So good. I will return for cocktails and fries in the very near future.

fries

Lobster & Truffle Crostini, White Bean Puree – when you go to Aragosta, get this! Sweet chunks of lobster, plus truffle and creamy white beans on crunchy crostini = three messy but perfect bites.

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Sautéed Calamari Salad, Baby Arugula, San Marzano Tomato, Balsamic

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Braised Veal & Pancetta Meatballs, Soft Polenta, Arugula – I didn’t know there was veal in there, oops, but this meatball with soft, fluffy polenta was right up my tastebuds’ alley. It was rich, welcoming, and great for sharing.

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We moved on to more house-made cocktails. Megan, Daisy, and I opted to have the Setanta Cinque:

The Italian version of the “French 75”; a cocktail that “hits with remarkable precision.” Aperol liquor shaken with freshly squeezed lemon juice charged with Prosecco.

I loved the slight bitterness of this cocktail. As a huge Aperol fan, I found the flavors to work really well, and I totally got that it was an Italian French 75.

Setanta Cinque

And then there was more food

Pappardelle Bolognese, Veal Cheek & Ox Tail Ragu, Porcini Powder – another favorite, this dish was hearty. It was full of love, the kind of recipe that comes from a nonna’s kitchen somewhere in Italy, straight to people’s hearts and bellies. Both the sauce and handmade pasta were beautiful.

pappardelle bolognese

Gnocchi, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Rosemary Citrus Jus, Asparagus – Soft, pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi with meat just falling apart. I don’t eat lamb, but I didn’t realize this was lamb. . . another delicious oops. Winking smile

gnocchi and shortribs

I ended the night with a glass of Prosecco. There were more food courses which I missed photographing because Aragosta is one of those places where you just melt into the experience, the delicious flavors, textures, sights, sounds, and friends you are with. While I was invited as a blogger, I left as a huge fan and as someone who will be longing to return, especially when the warm weather awaits.

Prosecco

Thanks to the Fairmont staff for taking such great care of us and for the generous food and beverages they provided, making the first night of nice Boston weather one of the most memorable. I was sad my husband could not join me, but I will be bringing him back soon. And I am grateful they kept my brunch favorite, the Coast Guard Omelet, from the Sensing menu! Smile

Do you have a favorite outdoor restaurant or bar space where you live?

In other news, I never heard back from the first winner of my Stop & Shop gas card giveaway, so the new winner is Megan! Megan please email me with your address so I can mail the card out today!

Also, one of the consulting projects I expected to start this week is postponed for a few weeks, so I have some open hours. If you know anyone looking for PR, Marketing, or Social Media assistance, please send them on over!

Aragosta Bar + Bistro on Urbanspoon

Tags: Aragosta, Boston, cocktails, Fairmont, Fairmont Battery Wharf, Food, Restaurants, wine

After my first Boston Center for Adult Education Celebrity Chef event, I knew that I needed to attend another. And when I looked ahead in the recipe book and saw that the final event in the series brought two chefs from Bermuda, I was intrigued.

You may or may not know that Boston at the end of February can be unbearable. It feels like it has been dark, cold, windy, and slushy for about forever. If you are training for the Boston Marathon, the winter has its moments of feeling doubly long. By the time February comes to a close, it is as though you can not take one more second of winter.

I have probably mentioned in the past that I ran the 2004 Bermuda Marathon and absolutely loved the time I spent there, despite the fairly difficult race course and my failure to qualify for Boston. I stayed at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess which was really beautiful, located right in town, and made the best post-marathon breakfast, a smoked salmon and brie omelet, ever. Longing for that same sunny experience this winter, I was happy to find that the BCAE still had room for me to attend this event.

I arrived once again at the beautiful Fairmont Copley Hotel, a place I love to visit and actually just had drinks at the other night when Emily from Maiden Voyage was in town.

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The room was set for lunch, with tasting portions of Goslings rum at each place setting.

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Goslings Black Seal and Gold Rums

The slightly sweet smell of the rum was warm and welcoming. Later on in the event, we were provided with a lot of great information about the rums including the history of the company, how they are made and stored, and ways to use them in cocktails. To be honest, I was a little nervous to try them as I don’t drink hard alcohol often. However, there was nothing hard about these. Smooth, sweet, velvety almost, both rums were a pleasure to drink and completely lacked that sharp, alcoholic taste I anticipated.

Once again, the room was set up with a demo kitchen.

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Spending an afternoon with Chef Thomas Frost, Executive Chef of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Chef Christopher Chafe, Executive Chef of the Fairmont Southampton is a surefire cure to the winter blues. They played off of one another in a way that the facilitator called the Thomas and Chris show, making the audience laugh many times throughout the afternoon.

The first dish that we sampled was a “Confused Bermudian”, a traditional codfish cake served with marinated Bermuda pumpkin “noodles” and Gombey jam aioli. The fish cake was delicate and flavorful, and I really enjoyed the noodles, which were actually made of butternut squash and “cooked” by sitting in rice vinegar. The noodle mixture also included a good hit of ginger and colorful, crunchy red peppers.

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The codfish cakes were served with Goslings’ signature drink, a Goslings Dark & Stormy made with Black Seal Rum and Ginger Beer. Refreshing, with a kick of spice from the ginger beer and more than a little kick from the rum 😉

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The second dish was a Taste of the Island “Papillote” made with grouper, chorizo, confetti vegetables, and herbs baked in a wine-soaked parchment envelope. As in the last event I attended, these Fairmont chefs talked about the Fairmont’s commitment to sustainability and using what is local and in season.

The presentation of the Papillote was lovely, but you had to be there to smell the incredible aromas that escaped once the paper was cut.

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This dish included both white wine and rum. What stole the show for me was the chopped fennel root. It really gave the entire dish a slight licorice flavor, and as you all know I have been loving the fennel lately!

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This was served with another cocktail! One thing is for certain, the Celebrity Chef Series is worth every single penny! This cocktail was a Rum Swizzle. I may have had a few of these in Hamilton after the Bermuda Marathon. 😉  A Rum Swizzle is made with Goslings Gold Rum, Black Seal Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine, and Angostura bitters. Fruity and slightly sweet, this drink is almost too easy to knock back.

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The final dish of the demonstration was Inside-Out Beef Wellington made with beef tenderloin, wild mushrooms, crisp pastry, truffle butter, creamy foie gras, and angostura splashed jus. I don’t eat beef, but I will admit to eating the pastry dipped in the jus. It was buttery and flaky, and I wanted to soak up every drop of the sweet jus which actually tasted like reduced port.

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After the Wellington was served,  Bermuda Jam Factory opened up their jam bar, featuring unique, delicious jams that provided varying levels of spices and intense flavor.  Included in the mix were a habanero jam, jalapeno jam, and ginger pepper jam. Don’t they sound interesting? They were really yummy, especially for spice lovers like me.  These pair well with cheeses and bread, but can also be used in sauces or as a glaze for fish or meat. I was a little full after all of the great food and drinks, so I only had tiny tastes.

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I did save room for the last rum, Goslings Old Rum, which tasted and smelled of warm molasses and is something that I could definitely get used to drinking. Paired with a square of 72% Ghirardelli chocolate, this end to the meal was rich and perfectly satisfying.

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Before I left, I snapped a quick photo of our entertainers and chefs for the afternoon. The representatives from Goslings and Bermuda Jam Factory were wearing Bermuda shorts; I really wish I had also gotten a photo of them.

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Of course no visit to the Fairmont Copley is complete without stopping to visit Catie Copley. She was clearly interested in me. . .

What a life!

 

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For the first time in months, I didn’t rush to get on the T because of a howling, bitter wind. Instead, I walked to South Station, and by the time I got there I was HOT in my winter coat! Could it be that spring is almost here? My perfect Saturday afternoon tells me that it might be right around the corner.

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Many thanks to the BCAE for planning such an outstanding series and to the Fairmont Hotels for hosting it. I can not wait until next year; I will attend every weekend if I can!

 

Speaking of Boston, spring, and marathons. . .

Please consider my charity raffle for The ALLY Foundation! $10/ticket at http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally

The prizes so far? A custom me & goji mix, a one month membership to Healthworks fitness, a case of wine from Wine Cellars of Stoneham, a tour and private tasting for 10 at Westport Rivers Winery, and a $100 Williams Sonoma gift certificate. There aren’t a ton of entries, so there is a good chance of winning!

Tags: beef, Bermuda, Bermuda Jam Factory, Boston, Celebrity Chefs, chef, cocktails, Fairmont, fish, Food, Goslings, Lunch, recipes, rum, Travel

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