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Boston’s newest waterfront watering hole, Pier 6 in Charlestown, might just become our winter hangout as we while away time away from boat season. Our favorite time of year is dwindling; we can’t really go out on the boat after work anymore due to the lack of daylight, and we’ve had plenty of weekend days that are just too windy for us to leave the dock.

Sunday was not that day. Glorious sunshine made for a day of lounging and reading on the bow, my favorite place on the planet. When 5:00 rolled around we decided that it was time to pack up, but we did not want to go home. Pier 6 was the perfect place to get a little more fresh air while enjoying the Boston skyline we love so much.

Pier 6 Charlestown Located in the Charlestown Navy Yard on Pier 6, the restaurant offers three stories, including a first floor bar, a middle floor dining room, and a roof deck, which is where we sat. Look at these views!

Pier 6, Charlestown Pier 6, Charlestown Being obsessed with boats, we were delighted to be able to see so many while we relaxed on the Pier 6 roof deck.

Pier 6, Charlestown Pier 6, Charlestown Pier 6 has some great offerings for wine and beer. My husband went with the Harpoon stout while I had a rose of Cinsault, a nod to the beautiful late summer evening.

rose of cinsault

Pier 6 has a great menu that has a slight emphasis on seafood but a variety of other options, including a BBQ plate that looked amazing.

Pier 6 menu We decided to have all the oysters, going with two each of the Wellfleet, Island Creek, Chatham, Salt Air, Conway, and Snow Cove. I love oyster tasting; much like with wine, the oysters’ terroir really stands out in flavor, texture, and size.

oysters Sticking with a seafood theme, we also went with some simple jumbo shrimp with a delicious, mildly spicy sauce.

shrimp cocktailAnd as the evening got chillier, we split a bowl of lobster bisque, which was like no lobster bisque I had ever had. It featured chunks of lobster and sweet potato in a light creamy broth that had a nice salinity as well as a hint of sherry to it without being overpowering.

lobster bisque

We also split the delightfully messy Sweet & Sticky Wings which were addictive, with a soy and ginger glaze.

Overall, we really enjoyed everything about our first visit to Pier 6. Service was a little slow, but I think that can be expected, especially when a place is new and so crowded. We will definitely be visiting again soon and getting our water fix here this winter.

Tags: Boston, Charlestown, Dining out, Food, Restaurants, wine

I can literally count the number of times I have cooked a real meal this summer on one hand. This blog, once full of recipes and food photos hasn’t seen a homecooked meal since our Bastille Day bouilliabase feast.  With such gorgeous weather, the thought of spending any time inside just hasn’t appealed to me, so there have been plenty of dinners out, calls to Shanti, and turkey subs. . . lots of turkey subs on the boat. I am okay with all of this, hoping that now with the depressing darkness and cooler temperatures, I will be more inclined to stay inside to cook and blog.

One of the best parts about the summer is that there have been lots of date nights, often spontaneous ones, that turn out to be incredibly special and memorable.  Our date night at Mamma Maria was one of them. We met up after work, our only plan to wander the North End, and when hunger started to set in, we found ourselves near Mamma Maria. In the past we have enjoyed cozy meals in their Piccolo Room, a dining room that seats four, overlooking North Square. It was just our luck that the Piccolo Room was open for the next two hours, and we were soon seated in our own private restaurant.

Mamma Maria Piccolo Room

We caught up on our days over cocktails. I don’t quite remember what mine was called, but it was full of fresh peach puree, summery and delicious.

cocktail

Villa Bucci Verdicchio

We decided to share a half bottle of wine with our meals, which consisted of several small plates. The Villa Bucci Verdicchio was perfect with food, acidic and full of floral and mineral notes.

burrata

To start, we shared the burrata with tomatoes and the zucchini special, which included zucchini blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and fried. Heaven is fried zucchini blossoms.

zucchini blossoms

scallops

Our second course was all about gorgeous seafood. We shared the scallops, which were perfectly seared and accompanied by orange slices, fennel, and peppery arugula.

lobster ravioli

The lobster ravioli, a signature Mamma Maria dish, were full of sweet lobster and dressed with the perfect amount of rich sauce, asparagus, and mushrooms. The portion sizes were perfect for sharing, and every bite was absolutely delicious. The fact that we were all alone in the room with really attentive service made it a romantic evening to remember.

We decided to skip indoor dessert in order to take a neighborhood stroll, taking in all of the locals enjoying the warm summer evening. We eventually landed at Bova’s for cannolis, a sweet way to end the perfect date night.

If you live in Boston, what’s your favorite North End restaurant? If you don’t what’s your favorite place for a date?

Happy Birthday today to my mom, the most wonderful woman in the world!

 

Tags: Boston, Dining out, Food, North End, Restaurants, wine

It’s a summer Saturday! What do you have planned? If you are thinking of going for a wander in Boston on this gorgeous day, you may want to consider stopping at Miel for their summery rosé wine and cheese pairing and some sunshine on their patio. A couple of weeks ago we decided to do just this, and it turned out to be a great idea.

Miel wine tasting

The wine and cheese pairings may change from week to week. The below wines and cheeses are what we tried:

Codorniu Pinot Noir Brut Rosé Cava with Coach Farm Triple Cream

Chateau d’Esclans Cotes de Provence (a favorite!) with Shelburne Farms aged cheddar

Chateau Valcombe Rosé with Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise

rose wine tasting

cheese pairing

Our server, who was a total pro and knew his wine, encouraged us to try the wine and cheese pairings as listed first, then mix and match to see what we liked best. Remember, if you like it, it’s good! We followed his advice and found ourselves chatting about the different flavors brought out in each pairing but overall just enjoying lots of yummy sips and bites. The tasting finished with a top off of our bubbly glasses, only the restaurant had run out of cava and instead gave us Nicholas Feuillate Brut Rosé Champagne. Any time someone wants to pour me Champagne, I am a happy girl. Float away on those bubbles!

cheese pairing

We were having such a good time and enjoying the patio so much that we decided to stay for another glass of the Nicholas Feuillate and some lunch.

Nicholas Feuillate Brut Rose

When you’re sipping Champagne, oysters are naturally a necessity. Miel has a fantastic raw bar, one of my favorites in the city, and they never disappoint.

oysters at Miel

A ham and cheese crepe shared between the two of us was just what our rumbling stomachs needed to be full. It was light yet comforting, cheesy, gooey, delectable.

ham and cheese crepe

And because they were on the menu, we had to order pommes frites. I know from prior experience that the frites at Miel are perfection, and this cone was full of hot, crispy, truffled delight.

frites

A bite of goat cheese cake was the perfect way to end our late lunch. Not too sweet, not too savory, this cake reminded me why I love goat cheese cake so much. Divine!

goat cheese cake

The whole time we were indulging in Miel’s wine and food offerings, we were surrounded by beautiful flowers and views of Fort Point Channel, happy locals and tourists passing by enjoying the perfection that is summer in Boston.

Miel Boston

love

Needless to say, we were two very happy, slightly sleepy people after our sun-drenched feast.

I love Champagne

Miel hopes to have a different wine pairing featured each month, and after this fantastic experience, you can bet that we will be there for a tasting!

http://www.intercontinentalboston.com/dining/miel.aspx

Tags: Boston, champagne, Dining out, Miel, Restaurants, wine, wine and cheese pairing

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