Restaurants

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Warm weather makes everything better.  Since the temperatures started to creep above freezing, we have done a good job of moving more and eating healthier dinners like big salads topped with lean meat and bowls of roasted veggies and whole grains. We’ve also been marveling at all of the flowers that are popping up in our new yard and the restaurants that have popped up in Boston. This is the time of year I start to fall fully head over heels in love with Boston again. Our relationship is complicated, but right now, things are good, as long as this dear city makes up for winter with a spring and summer that are weather perfection. This past weekend was a pretty epic one, filled with time outside, great friends, and food. Below are just a few things I have been loving this week.

Now that we have our own back yard, we decided to see if one of our cats would be interested in taking a walk. With a little help from The Pooped Pooch in Lower Mills, we had Smuckers out and about this weekend. Walking a cat on a leash results in a lot of laughing, but she absolutely loved it.

duck eggsEarlier in the week we followed up a sunny walk in the Seaport with polenta fries at MC Spiedo. The service was so fantastic, and while we barely scraped the surface of the menu, the impression we got was really great. The cocktails were pretty amazing too.

polenta fries

 

 

We did about as much eating this week as we did walking and playing in the sun.  The duck eggs at Steel and Rye are like everything else at this Milton favorite, perfection. Steel and Rye’s brunch is as good as it gets, especially their cocktails, and it is the ideal place for a leisurely Sunday.

 

imageAnother of our walks took us to Ashmont Grill, another favorite, where we fought over Korean BBQ Chicken and Waffles. We couldn’t get enough of the sauce on the chicken, and we were literally gnawing every last drop off the chicken bones.

Korean BBQ chicken and wafflesAnother stop on our weekend travels was ester, the brand new eatery in Lower Mills. It replaced neighborhood favorite The Ledge, and from the looks of things, it will be a great addition to the neighborhood once they settle in.

The DotI could eat shishito peppers for days. ester was only serving small snacks at the bar, and we enjoyed these and some nicely salted chips. The vibe was really wonderful; the restaurant was filled with locals from the second the door opened. I love Lower Mills so much.

shishito peppersIn addition to walking, we spent a lot of time in our yard, raking, examining new growth, and swinging. When the seller asked if we wanted the swing set, it was a no brainer. There’s nothing like being a kid again while getting a nice little workout in!

swing set

To fuel up for a busy day, I have been absolutely loving Suja drinks like this Macachino. It has a serious coffee kick but doesn’t make me jittery like coffee sometimes does. I also love the Suja master cleanse juice; it is simply delicious.

Suja Elements MacachinoWell, there you have some of the sips and bites and fun we enjoyed this weekend as we started to emerge from our wintry hibernation. I am exhausted and have a tiny bit of sunburn, and it feels so good.

How did you enjoy the nice weather this weekend? Loving any restaurants or products lately?

 

Tags: Boston, brunch, cocktails, Dining out, Dorchester, flowers, gardening, Restaurants, weekend

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

A winter getaway to a warm destination is most definitely a little slice of paradise. Our trip to Miami included lots of sunshine by the pool, dinner on the beach, and tons of really good food right from the start. Right after we checked in to the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel, we headed for the pool deck for lunch. The warm weather made me opt for a lighter option, a grilled Caesar salad and a glass of delightfully oaky Chardonnay.

Grilled caesarGoing for the more local flavor, my husband had a Cuban sandwich with to-die-for garlicky fries. The fries took away the light aspect of my lunch. What can I say? There’s nothing I love more than good fries.

Cuban sandwich

During our stay at the Sonesta, we visited their restaurant, Panorama, and their pool area bar a number of times for drinks and snacks. Sitting by the pool with Prosecco and soaking up the Florida sunshine was perfect, as was Sunday brunch at the pool. Panorama’s signature French Toast was covered in fresh fruit, a decadent treat to start the day (with mimosas, naturally).

Right next to the hotel was Peacock Garden Cafe, a fabulous cocktail bar and restaurant that featured live jazz in the garden. I didn’t snap any photos, but it made me feel like Hemingway was going to walk into the room at any time. I stuck to the Southern vibe and sipped mint juleps while listening to the jazz and enjoying warm Saturday night breezes. . . aaaaah.

Sonesta French ToastOne of our favorite meals of our Coconut Grove stay was at Jaguar.  As we tend to do, we sat at the bar and absolutely loved our server, who explained everything to us, including their extensive, amazing ceviche menu.

First up, I had a black pepper passion fruit capirinhia.

capirinhiaUnlike Massachusetts, Florida has happy hour, and we enjoyed discount drinks that came with ceviche spoons. In addition, we ordered the entire ceviche spoon menu and a ceviche special. Chunks of tender fish, lots of citrus, avocado, and spice filled the plate, and we had fun sharing all the flavors before moving on to a bigger plate.

Jaguar cevicheBelow is the Tiradito Nikkei, a plate made up of the following: tuna, ginger, soy, shallots, jalapeños, cilantro, lime, cucumber, avocado & sesame seeds. It woke up every sense and was fresh and light, the perfect way to eat. I could eat Jaguar’s ceviche every day. I truly miss it.

tiradito nikkei ceviche Jaguar

Chart House Miami viewsOur final meal in Coconut Grove was a spectacular one as we had lunch al fresco at The Chart House. Being obsessed with all things boating, we loved being able to see every kind of boat, from ones that cost millions to kayaks, going by as we ate lunch.

We were all about the seafood again. This crab stack, with mango and avocado, was as delicious as it was beautiful. It fit right in with the bright sunshiny day and felt like a healthy-ish lunch option.

Crab, Mango, and Avocado StackOur jumbo shrimp came with a flair, presented in dry ice. It was your standard shrimp cocktail, but it was pretty great.

Chart House shrimp cocktailFinally, we shared the “East Meets West” tuna dish, zesty tuna tartare drizzled with wasabi cream paired with seared peppered tuna & avocado, with kim chee slaw & plantain chips. Again, the flavors in this dish were off-the-hook. I think I could eat tuna tartare with avocado and wasabi cream all the days of my life. With lunch I enjoyed a tart and mineral-y Bogle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, perfectly bright and seafood-friendly. The one downside of the meal was that our server tried to upsell us on everything, right to the very end, when he tried to pitch a credit card of some sort to us. Otherwise, he was very nice and probably just doing his job with the sales pitches. Still, we just wanted to relax.

East Meets West TunaWe didn’t even scratch the surface of the dining scene in Coconut Grove, much less the rest of Miami. This is a place for bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and of course a little spice. I didn’t know what to expect when we planned the trip and I was very pleasantly surprised.

What has been your favorite foodie travel destination so far?

Tags: brunch, ceviche, Coconut Grove, Dining out, dinner, Food, Lunch, Miami, Restaurants, Travel

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