Restaurants

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It feels like it was years ago that we took our little Miami getaway. Many inches of snow later, lots of cold dark nights, and another nasty fall on black ice later, and I am spending Travel Tuesday dreaming of a romantic seaside dinner we had in Miami at Red Fish Grill. If you are planning on a Miami trip, definitely do yourself a favor and book dinner around sunset.

Miami skyline

MiamiWe spent the day wandering around the beach and Coconut Grove, followed by some pool time at the Sonesta. When dinner time came around, we made the short drive to Coral Gables to the Red Fish Grill. The restaurant is in the opposite direction from the crowded, modern, sexy downtown Miami and is more remote, set in the Matheson Hammock Park.

Red Fish GrillThere’s plenty of beach and park to stroll before or after dinner, and the views of the Miami skyline are priceless, as are the colors at sunset.

Red Fish GrillIt was getting a little chilly when we sat down for dinner, and since we were tired from so much sun (and not being used to sun!) we opted to sit inside for dinner, though there were plenty of people dining outside. There was also a wedding rehearsal on the beach. I love love, and this area would be the perfect setting for a wedding.

Red Fish Grill

Red Fish Grill

Red Fish GrillOnce we were settled, we decided on a bottle of Iron Horse Vineyards sparkling wine, a favorite winery since we visited their fabulous tasting room a couple of years ago. Red Fish Grill only serves beer and wine, so cocktail lovers might want to stop somewhere for a cocktail before or after.

Our server was incredibly friendly and paced our meal perfectly. We decided to share a bunch of items, as we often do. I didn’t get to photograph everything because as the sun set, the light got very dim. It was bad for photography but excellent for cozying up and enjoying the view.

corn and crab chowderOur array of dishes included Corn and Crab Chowder and a perfectly fresh Tuna Tartare with black garlic puree. I am loving black garlic everything these days, and the flavors, along with the fish, just made for an amazing little dish.

 

image

We also shared a Black Mission Fig Salad with Goat Cheese and Crab Cakes.

black mission fig salad

The food was so good! Every bite was amazing, and it was evident that everything was super fresh and made with love. Everyone at the restaurant seemed very happy and invested in what they were doing, and that dedication made for a very special meal for us.

The next time we are in Miami, we will definitely be making a beeline to the Red Fish Grill. I would even plan on arriving an hour earlier next time to be able to have plenty of time to wander the beach and watch the boats going by. Better yet, Red Fish Grill is accessible by boat so if I can find a boat in Miami. . . 😉

 

 

Tags: Coral Gables, Dining out, Florida, Food, Miami, Restaurants, seafood, sparkling wine, Travel, travel bug, wine

As we settle into our new home, we are marveling at our location and excited about warmer weather, longer days, and more time to explore. Life in the new house hasn’t been perfect; it’s been cold, there’s work to be done, and our shower is the coldest I have ever used. Still, we know we hit the jackpot with this home, and we stop almost daily to say how much we love the house.

I love that we were able to stay in Dorchester. Everyone is so friendly, and there are great restaurants and  some beautiful scenery within walking distance from our house.

We’re technically in Lower Mills in Dorchester, close to the Milton line, but we are also very close to Ashmont, making commuting into downtown Boston and Cambridge pretty easy. . . as easy as life on the MBTA can be.

Baker Chocolate Factory

Lower Mills has some beautiful spots, including the Baker Chocolate complex. I love the old mill and mill-style architecture. It always makes me wonder what life was like when the chocolate factory dominated Lower Mills. I bet it smelled great, but I am fairly certain life was not easy for anyone back then!

The shops and restaurants around Lower Mills are adorable. When we were in the process of buying our house, we stumbled upon the Lower Mills holiday stroll, and it was so charming, right out of a holiday movie.

The Ice Creamsmith is currently closed for the winter, but it’s old fashioned exterior adds to the charm of the village, and the promise of homemade ice cream will get us through to March when they reopen.

Ice Creamsmith

The Ledge Kitchen and Drinks is one of our absolute favorites. We have been fans a long time, especially of the Ledge patio. The Ledge is a short walk from our house, and we have been enjoying dollar oysters and their flatbreads. Sadly, the restaurant has been sold, and a new one will take its place, only no one, including the staff, knows when.

Until they close we will continue to stop in. The food and staff are so great, and we will be sad to see them go.

Ledge Kitchen and Drinks

Just down from the Ledge is the sweetest little bakery, Sweet Life. Their cookies and pastries and breads are SO good. Their coffee is also great, and I am pretty sure that Sweet Life will be our fuel-up stop on the way to the boat on summer weekends. I am imagining that everything we love in our neighborhood now will be that much better when it’s light and warm.

Sweet Life Bakery

Then there is one of my favorite features of our new house’s location: we can walk to Steel and Rye.

Steel & Rye

Steel and Rye recently started serving brunch, and we have already been twice. With a serious brunch cocktail list, oysters, house-made donuts, and other incredible treats, their brunch is one of the best in the Boston area.

Steel & Rye

Last, but certainly not least, are Chris Douglass’ Ashmont area restaurants Tavolo and Ashmont Grill. Tavolo is perfect for pizza and wine, while Ashmont Grill is just perfect for everything.

Tavolo

We especially love to wander over to Ashmont Grill for cocktails and apps. What’s even better is how, with these restaurants, Douglass really added to positive change in the Ashmont area. Many other businesses followed him into the area, resulting in a vibrant neighborhood.

Bee's Knees Cocktail

So there you have it; our little corner of the world, and all of the fun and food that we are looking forward to being part of our lives. It’s an exciting time; now if it would just get warmer so we can actually spend some time outdoors, it would be perfect.

Tags: Boston, cocktail, Dining out, Dorchester, Food, pizza, Restaurants

Happy New Year! I hope you had great one! Did you go out or stay in? We made a fire, drank Champagne, and ordered Thai food. Being in a new home is interesting in that we are still figuring out what takeaway restaurants we like, but we lucked out with Kapow in Lower Mills. The avocado curry was to-die-for! We made it to 12:02 before shutting out the lights and promptly falling asleep. This holiday season was stressful for a number of reasons, and I am actually pretty glad to see it over. Next stop, a fabulous 2014!

Life has been moving quickly, and we have been out and about in Boston quite a bit here and there for drinks and appetizers mostly. Below are some photos from Barlow’s and Ward 8, two recent after work stops.

I always sort of forget about Barlow’s but on one particularly bad traffic night (Seriously, what’s up with Boston traffic lately?!), found ourselves off 93 and in South Boston, hungry and trying to wait out traffic. We ended up finding easy parking near Barlow’s, and we were delighted to find it festively decorated and bustling with great energy. Their cocktail list is long and really fun, and the appetizer menu is the same. We ordered up drinks and then shared a few really delicious items: Thai Chicken Dumplings, Short Rib Tacos, Pretzels with Sam Adams Cheese Fondue.

dumplings

I didn’t expect too much from our bar food items, but everything was so good! The tacos, especially, wowed me, with tender and flavorful short rib meat

short rib tacos

And we were practically fighting over the fondue. Once we finished the warm, soft pretzels, our server gave us house made chips to dip in the decadent fondue. Barlow’s is sort of on our way home, and I would not hesitate to stop again for snacks and drinks or dinner.

soft pretzels

Another place we visited recently was Ward 8, which took the spot of Nebo in the North End. I followed the progress of Ward 8 as they worked on the space, so I was excited to finally sit at the beautiful, huge white marble bar. The space is fantastic, and the cocktail menu is really great. I had a Ward 8, naturally.

Ward 8

We decided once again on bar snacks, and we really enjoyed the Bacon Cashew Caramel Corn (Really, how can you go wrong?) and the 3 Cheese Spinach Dip. The full menu looked great as well, and Ward 8 has a raw bar I would love to return for

Ward 8

The Fry Sampler was just kind of meh. You know I love my fries, and these were kind of underdone. The lemon aioli was good, but for a fry fix in the area, Saus has my heart.

fries

I think Ward 8 has some real potential once they get a good rhythm going. Service was great but not very friendly; other than that I would definitely say it was a good after work experience.

I’ve said it a million times, but Boston is chock full of great restaurants, new and old, and snacks and drinks are a great way to be able to experience more but within a budget. We’ll often go home and make a dinner with food we already have after sampling a few things out.

In this New Year I am hoping to cook more at home and to move more, plain and simple. I have a good feeling about 2014 and hope yours started off fabulously!

What did you do for New Year’s? Do you have any resolutions?

Tags: Boston, cocktails, Dining out, Food, restaurant, Restaurants

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