Restaurants

You are currently browsing articles tagged Restaurants.

A small, cozy dining space, understated décor, and views of the harbor are just the beginning when it comes to Liberty Wharf Boston’s newest restaurant, 75 on Liberty Wharf. Warm, attentive service, a long list of libations, including green cocktails, and outstanding food round out the experience.

Friday night, after a wine tasting at Del Frisco’s (more on that soon), we were in the mood for some more time out and saw that 75 didn’t look too crowded. We walked in and were seated right away. The first thing I noticed is that the restaurant just felt really good. The energy that it has is very calm and cozy; despite sitting in the middle of the room, something I dislike, I felt completely at ease.

The menu and cocktail lists are both lengthy, and it was hard to decide what to order. One thing I loved instantly about 75 on Liberty Wharf was that they offered half portions for a lot of their salads and other things which meant I didn’t have to decide on just one.

75 on Liberty Wharf

First we started with cocktails. I overheard the woman next to me raving about the Spicy and Dirty Martini, so I went with that. The flavors in this cocktail were delicious; it had a nice kick of pepperoncini, rounded out by briny olive juice. I loved this cocktail, but it was strong, and there was no way I could drink more than one.

Spicy and Dirty Martini

I decided to go with a classic favorite, the wedge salad. This is just a half order, so you could imagine the full order would be pretty large. This was perfect for me, just enough blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on top of the crunchy wedge.

wedge salad

Whenever I’m near the ocean, I crave seafood, so we split the shrimp cocktail which came with a positively addictive tequila cocktail sauce. We dipped our baguette in it once the shrimp were gone. It was that good.

shrimp cocktail

My entrée was a half order of the pumpkin ravioli (and handfuls of perfect fries from my husband’s plate). Again, the half order felt like a full; I had leftovers to bring home! I loved that this pumpkin ravioli had pumpkin in the pasta and butternut squash on top, adding a little more nutrition to an otherwise decadent dish. Absolutely delicious. pumpkin ravioli

My Spicy and Dirty Martini at the start of dinner told me that it was a great idea to finish with a Chocolate Martini, which I missed photographing because I was leaning back in my chair, relaxed, and marveling over the dessert cocktail, which was divine. The dessert menu looked great, but we were both way too full for another bite.

Before we left we were given souvenir mugs, a sweet touch to a really warm and relaxing experience.

75 on Liberty Wharf

I am a huge fan of Liberty Wharf, but it can feel fast, crowded, and like it’s trying too hard sometimes. 75 on Liberty Wharf reminded me of something I would find in Galway, just a great little neighborhood spot that happens to have a prime location on the water. It’s the place you go when you want to shake off the work week, and that’s exactly what we did.

75 On Liberty Wharf on Urbanspoon

Tags: Boston, cocktails, Dining out, Food, Liberty Wharf, Restaurants

Take me away to someplace warm and beautiful please! Away from crazy, insulting neighbor drama and snow and commuting in freezing rain and cancellations all over the place. Can we just make that happen, please?

Probably not, so amazing travel memories are the next best thing, I would say. I love poring through photos from all sorts of trips throughout the years and feeling the warm memories that come with them, even if they are from places like Galway, that can be chilly.
On the day of our engagement anniversary, after spending a long day in Connemara, we wandered into the center of Galway to see what was going on about town.

Cooke's Wine Bar, Galway

Ireland can be mild and lovely in the winter, but when it’s not, the cold gets right into your bones. On this evening, we realized we needed to duck into someplace warm for a little bit of food and wine, and we made our way to Cooke’s Wine Bar. I always laugh when we walk by Cooke’s because when I was a student in Galway, I lived just a couple of blocks away, but it was one of those nice places we didn’t go to, even though I always really wanted to. We would walk by it, coat-less of course, on the way to the nearby nightclub, freezing to avoid a one pound coat check fee, seeing all the grown-ups inside enjoying a nice dinner. Ten years later, I finally made it to Cooke’s!

romantic dining

Galway is a medieval city, and many of the buildings are old, like 1500’s old. Cooke’s is housed in a stone building and decorated inside with rich fabrics, antiques, and tall taper candles. It’s cozy and romantic, and it is a gorgeous, multi-level space that I would recommend exploring. The top floor, on a quiet night, however, was a wee bit creepy. So much history there! I love the candles, but I also have a history of accidental menu fires, so I was sure to steer clear.

Cooke's Wine Bar, Galway

Cooke's Wine Bar, Galway

Cooke’s might be in an old building, but the cuisine is fresh and new, incorporating the many cultures that have found their way to this beautiful little city.  The wine list is worth the trip alone; it’s not overwhelming like some places can be, but it is full of little gems. You could easily sip a rainy night away, chatting to locals and tourists and making new friends. As we ate, new diners came in to be seated, all saying hello and chatting a bit with us.

The menu was difficult to decide on. My cold hands needed some warming up, so I decided to go with the Moroccan Tagine
(
Spiced chickpeas, carrots and potatoes, served with mint infused couscous and topped with Greek yogurt).  I would usually pair a Sauvignon Blanc, un-oaked Chard, or Gruner with a dish like this, but I was all about being warm, so I had a Tempranillo instead, a gorgeous wine, but white definitely would have paired better.

Cooke's Wine Bar, Galway

This dish was so full of spices and flavor with just enough heat to warm me up. I needed vegetables after so many days of vacationing, and the veggies and couscous were more than enough for a hearty, healthy meal. I love this place.

This past weekend was a mix of fun and stress, ending on the stressful side, our home once again feeling like a hostile place we don’t want to be, thanks to other people’s lack of consideration. Writing this post reminded me what a fun little escape blogging can be and why I keep on doing it. Despite being really down last night, it was nice to be reminded how much this little blog has done for my life; I’ve met so many of you.  Thanks for reading. And can my awesome blogging community just be my new neighbors too? 🙂

If you were in a blizzard zone this weekend, how did you fare?

Tags: Dining out, Food, Galway, history, Restaurants, travel. Ireland, wine

Last week was quite the week! I learned, above all, that I can not go out three nights in a row. I was nice and disciplined with my workouts and buying vegetables and healthy meal ingredients, but somehow I ended up wining and dining around Boston instead. I am excited to have no plans this week. You know you are getting old when. . .

All kidding aside, I felt pretty lucky all at all of the delicious sips and bites I got to have over the last week. One dinner, Post 390’s Farm to Post, will get its own post (ha) later in the week, but below are a few places I highly recommend if you are looking for restaurants in Boston to visit.

 

Barcelona Brookline

Barcelona Wine Bar, Brookline

 

I had a work engagement at Barcelona in Brookline, meeting a few visiting journalists who are on a very exciting journey around the US. More on that later, but because of their visit, I got to feel like a complete VIP at the gorgeously appointed new wine bar in Brookline’s Washington Square. A cold, crisp glass of Verdejo in hand, I got the menu rundown straight from Chef Steven Brand, who is doing delectable things at Barcelona. Its menu is different than other locations, and they seem to be having a ton of fun with it all while being incredibly knowledgeable about wine, food, cocktails, and especially jamón.

 

jamon

Part of the training included a professional cutter of jamón being flown in from Spain to teach the delicate, precise art of cutting this special meat. Another plus? Barcelona’s bread comes from nearby Clear Flour Bread, an obsession when I lived in Allston.

Barcelona Wine Bar

In addition to an extensive tapas menu and several types of paella, Barcelona stocks a fantastic by-the-glass wine list. It’s definitely a good place to go to try a few new wines while enjoying lots of little bites. And really, how beautiful is that bar?

Barcelona Wine Bar

Bistro du Midi, Croque and Cocktail Tuesdays

Par Avion

Bistro du Midi, a favorite I have visited many times, has launched a new deal that makes going out on a Tuesday a little more delicious. Every Tuesday at the bar and cafe, Executive Chef Robert Sisca will present several $5 croques including a weekly ‘skinny croque’.  There will be wine and cocktail pairings by Beverage Director Todd Lipman.

On this visit, we enjoyed the Par Avion cocktail along with three different Croques, a traditional, a smoked salmon and Gruyere, and a skinny Croque made absolutely addictive with pesto. Buttery, warm sandwiches and cocktails? Park me at Bistro du Midi Tuesdays this winter!

skinny croques

Cinquecento ( Times Two) We have had two fantastic experiences at Cinquecento in the South End so far, one a Saturday night date and another a Friday night double date with friends. After making our way through most of the menu on two visits, we have to say that we are huge fans. (Please excuse the size of the photos!)

Cinquecento Boston

Cinquecento feels like a chic-yet-comfy Roman trattoria, and they make some gorgeous food. From the kale salad (my favorite) to big bowls of pasta to creative cocktails to a great wine list. Cinquecento delivers.

Cocktails at Cinquecento

 

salumi at Cinquecento

 

It’s really hard to not order everything at Cinquecento, but a salumi platter is a great way to kick things off. And the Rigatoni alla Norcia (Fennel Sausage, Cognac Cream,‏ Basil, Pecorino) is to-die-for, especially on a cold winter’s night.

pasta at Cinquecento

The service at Cinquecento is really above and beyond as well. The first night we were there, I kept my coat on for awhile, and the manager came over to see if I wanted the heat turned up. That’s service, if you ask me!

As you can see, I have been eating up a storm. Barcelona Wine Bar, Bistro du Midi, and Cinquecento all made for fantastic wining and dining destinations in the Boston area over the past week. The Boston area is definitely the place to be these days when it comes to food and wine, and I am excited to be a part of it.

Where have you been dining lately?

Tags: Boston, Brookline, cocktails, Dining out, events, Food, Restaurants, wine

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera