Restaurants

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2013 was a different sort of year for us. It involved a lot of change (new jobs for both of us and a new house) and not so much travel, which was really the low point of the year for me. I crave travel planning and having an adventure to look forward to, but starting out a new job means no vacation time and having two mortgages means eating ramen every night limited travel funds.

Luckily, 2014 will bring some excitement in the way of travel. We’re headed to Miami in January and Ireland in March; we may even check out Champagne (aka my heaven) and Paris on that trip. We’ve also got tickets to James Taylor at Tanglewood for July 4th. And lots and lots of house unpacking and projects to do. It looks to be a full year!

Before we jump into 2014 though, I wanted to share a few of the highlights of 2013. It may have been a different year, but it still had plenty of great times. Here’s my best of 2013.

A blissful wine tasting afternoon at Truett Hurst – Our April trip to Sonoma and Napa was pretty magical. We tasted a lot of great wine and caught up with awesome people. As you know we love Northern California, and I bet there will be a wine country trip in 2014. It will definitely include lunch and wine at Truett Hurst.

Truett Hurst Gardens

 

The New York City Marathon – it wasn’t my favorite marathon, but it was my fastest! A cold day running 26.2 miles through the boroughs of New York City is not something I will soon forget. I still have my eye on a 4 hour marathon though!

NYC Marathon finish

 

Our anniversary on Martha’s Vineyard – Summer in New England is the best thing ever. Being able to spend a leisurely day at the beach and exploring Oak Bluffs and Edgartown was the perfect way to spend our anniversary. We’re hoping in 2014 for some more Vineyard time. I’m not-so-secretly hoping the terribly awesome reality TV show of the same name returns.

view of Boston

 

A return to the Jersey Shore and a blissful, spontaneous evening swim with my niece and nephew – This was the perfect day with my family; warm weather, great food, surf, and ice cream. 2013 included lots of family time, but it’s never enough. In 2014 I will try for a little more.

Sandy Hook, New Jersey

My favorite restaurants of 2013 included Ten Tables in Provincetown, Boston Chops (though we had an unfortunate service experience that has kept us from going back since June), Sycamore in Newton, Row 34, and of course, my all time 2013 favorite, Steel & Rye in Milton.

What were your favorite moments/meals/restaurants of 2013?

Tags: Food, highlights, Restaurants, Travel

Row 34

What started out as a quick stop for a few oysters while we waited out particularly bad traffic, turned into a full fledged dinner at the bar (my favorite) with rounds of Cava, perfect recommendations, and great conversation. Row 34 in Boston’s buzzing Fort Point area is one of my new favorite places. If we didn’t have to work the next day and weren’t moving a few days later (more on that at a later date!), we could have easily hung out at the bar into the night. Row 34 is just an easy place to be. At first, because it is sparsely decorated and pretty spacious, I thought it might be a little cold and stiff. That was not the case at all. In fact, I would call it cozy, and the food is to die for.

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Once seated at the bar, I decided on bubbly, because there’s pretty much no occasion where I don’t want sparkling wine. Row 34 had a few options, and I decided on a zippy Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava. My husband loved their selection of beers, which included beer from Row 34’s neighbor Trillium.

As we slurped oysters, we tried to decide on the rest of our order. Row 34 is definitely a place where you will want many courses of small bites. There are just too many to try, and in our experience, they are all incredible.

Below is the only food photo I grabbed of the food we had; if I could sum up our experience at Row 34 in one photo,  this is a perfect one to do it.

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This is Deviled Crab Toast, chunks of tangy crab on buttery toast, with a little freshness from a watercress garnish. Simple, perfect.

We also devoured Shrimp Sliders with crunchy pickles (times two, our first order was so good we needed more), Tuna Tartare, Tuna Crudo, and Smoked Salmon. I love the extensive and creative raw bar offerings; they go well beyond your typical shellfish options. The Tuna Crudo was from the raw bar menu, and the black garlic sauce left me wanting to lick the plate.

The restaurant  also offers larger plates and a pretty mouthwatering list of fried seafood and sauces that I will definitely be trying on my next visit. Row 34 is definitely one of those places you want to go again and again, which is always nice to find. Steel and Rye is another one of those places; I can’t get enough!

Is there a restaurant you find yourself going back to again and again?

Tags: Boston, Fort Point, oysters, Restaurants, seafood

Boston’s dining scene? I just can’t keep up these days. If I did, my bank account would be empty, my pants wouldn’t fit, and I would probably be missing a good chunk of the work week. Every day it seems something new opens, and it makes me super proud and excited to live and work in Boston. It also stresses me out a little! I want to eat it all. Luckily, we are able to have fun and delicious nights out like last Friday at the newly opened Commonwealth in bustling Kendall Square, just a short walk from my office.
Commonwealth Cambridge

I had passed by Commonwealth many times while it was under construction and even popped my head inside a couple of times after it opened, but Friday was my first experience dining there. It is made for fun, social dining, from the decor to the menus and everything in between.

Commonwealth Cambridge menuThe menu is made up of starters, proteins, veggies, and sides, allowing you to mix and match and have a different meal every single time.

Commonwealth cocktail menuCommonwealth also offers a bunch of fun cocktails, beers, and wines by the glass. We were with our favorite cocktail experts, so we did a lot of sipping and sharing tastes. I loved my Lord Nelson, a Commonwealth classic. (Rum Clementine, Creole Shrubb, Burnt Orange)

Lord Nelson cocktailButtery, fluffy Parker House Rolls started off our meal. I was ravenous, and these rolls tasted so good. I am kind of inspired to try to bake them one of these cold evenings. We’ll see.

Parker House Rolls

squid

Since we were with another couple, we were able to order and try a bunch of different menu items. I was not a fan of the grilled squid; unfortunately it tasted very fishy to me. Luckily, everything improved immensely from there.

beet salad

In a continued effort to eat my vegetables, I devoured the beet and arugula salad, a combo that is a favorite of mine, and was super fresh and well executed at Commonwealth. We also ordered up a bunch of delectable sides, including scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts, kale, and duck fat fries. Oh my.

sides

I didn’t feel like any of the choices on the protein menu, so I went to the starters and had the oyster po’boy, which was the perfect size in a warm buttered hot dog roll. It was pretty much amazing. Aren’t fried oysters just so decadent?

oyster po boy

Commonwealth dessert menu

We ordered too much food and definitely packed some to bring home, but I had to check out the desserts. From someone who often skips the dessert menu altogether, that sounds kind of strange, but I love the mixing and matching in the Commonwealth dessert menu. Vanilla bean ice cream, a cinnamon waffle, and hot fudge was the obvious dessert choice for me. Waffles and ice cream were a favorite in our home growing up, and they remind me of the New Jersey boardwalk. It was hard to eat another bite, but this dessert made me very, very happy. It was a sweet way to end a fun night.

waffles and ice creamAs I mentioned earlier, I really love the setup of the menu at Commonwealth, and the way that it offers so many choices for sharing. This is definitely a place you want to visit with fellow food lovers so you can cover more of the menu. I can’t wait to return to eat the rest of the sides, cocktails, and desserts!

Do you like ordering a bunch of items to share, or are you all about an entree for yourself?

Tags: cambridge, cocktails, Food, Restaurants

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