Rialto

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A few weeks ago, I saw a tweet from Megan about meeting up to attend Taste of Cambridge. Being a big fan of “Taste of” events, I bought a ticket and arranged to meet her at the event.

Since it was another beautiful Boston day, I decided to walk through the Public Garden to get to the Charles Street T station. On the way, I met a few very aggressive squirrels and passed by this nesting swan.

Public Garden swan

I stopped to take a few photos of the flowers in the garden. Oh what a difference a few months makes! Boston is at its best this time of year!

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Before meeting up with Megan, I tried a Nantucket Nectars watermelon strawberry drink which was refreshing and not too sweet. I was glad that I was well hydrated as the Taste of Cambridge offered a variety of cocktails in addition to beer and wine.

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As VIP guests, we had a few cocktail tickets in the form of tomatoes on our nametags. We all agreed that we would start with a St. Germain cocktail made by Upstairs on the Square, The Lovely Kathleen.

Upstairs on the Square cocktail

In addition to being really pretty, The Lovely Kathleen had a beautifully tart flavor with a hint of violet. It was delicious.

Creme de Violette St. Germain from Upstairs on the Square

Upstairs on the Square chef Susan Regis was also doing a non-cooking demo with some summery steak and salads. It was pretty entertaining.

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Though I don’t eat beef, the steak looked pretty good. . .

Upstairs on the Square steak

Instead of digging in to the food quite yet, we opted for another cocktail, this time a watermelon basil cooler from Tavern in the Square. It was cool and refreshing and combined two of my favorite summer ingredients, basil and watermelon.

watermelon basil cooler Tavern in the Square

We then dug into the food, some gazpacho and pizza from Stone Hearth Pizza and these shrimp toasts which I THINK were from Russell House Tavern.

Stone Hearth Pizza image

Of the MANY cold soups of the evening, we really enjoyed Ten Tables’ creamy asparagus soup.

Ten Tables soup

I loved the butternut squash arancini from Tavern in the Square but thought the choice of butternut squash was a little too autumnal. . . give me some in October!

Tavern in the Square butternut squash arancini

Jasper White’s Summer Shack offered this lovely clam ceviche.

Jasper White clam ceviche

And the awesomely fun and delicious How2Heroes table was packed full of baked goods.

how 2 heroes baked goods

These creamy minty brownies were just about to die for. image

The How2Heroes team also had Chili Pepper Jell-O shots which required a waiver before consumption! I caught Chelsee and Susie from We are not Martha knocking back some spicy Jell-O.

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After watching these ladies suffer the heat of the shots, I grabbed some kimchi from Koreana. I could live on kimchi, I love it so much.

Koreana Kimchi

My final taste of the evening was a flatbread pizza from Jody Adams of Rialto. It had duck on it, and while I normally do not eat duck, I actually really liked this.

Rialto flatbread pizza by Jody Adams

I also sipped on a Harpoon IPA throughout the evening. There were so many different tastes to try that I couldn’t photograph all of them, but I hope you get the gist: the food at this event was plentiful and delicious!

The best part about Taste of Cambridge is that the whole thing benefits two great charities, City Sprouts and YWCA. I am more than happy to support such great causes and give a big round of applause to the chefs and others who donate their time and resources to an event that raises money for them.

I enjoyed seeing the We are not Martha girls along with Megan and her friend Nina and Justin (@justincancook) and meeting other Twitter friends. Boston has the BEST Twitter/Blogger community, and I can’t wait for the fun events the summer brings.

Tags: beer, bloggers, cambridge, cocktails, Food, How2Heroes, Rialto, Taste of Cambridge, Ten Tables

Happy Paddy’s Day! Despite the fact that my husband is from Ireland, we have no big plans for the day. Its difficult when fun holidays fall on a weekday.  A laid back and quiet night at home will be the perfect way to spend the evening for us. I wish you all a really fun and safe holiday!

Last night we had Boston Restaurant Week reservations at Rialto in Cambridge, and since Chef Jody Adams is on the second season of Top Chef Masters, premiering this April, we thought we would try to get a reservation before it becomes even more in demand.

I left work and walked through the public gardens and down Charles Street to the Charles MGH red line stop. Along the way I took in the lovely spring day.

 

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Beacon Hill. . . the best and worst part of my Boston Marathon training

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Signs of spring on Charles Street

Once we arrived at Rialto, we were seated immediately, and I took in the simple and bright decor.

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I love Gerbera daisies!

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We were there for the Restaurant Week fixed menu which is a fantastic deal. I decided to start with a glass of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. The hubs had Sakonnet Vineyards’ Vidal Blanc, a wine that we tried last summer at the Coastal Wine Trail Kickoff.

We were served crusty rolls with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt.

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And we ordered the obligatory Duxbury Oysters which were perfectly fresh and delicious with a classic shallot mignonette.

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As you can see, we started losing daylight on our first course. Do I need to start eating all of my meals at 5 so that there is good food photo light? 😉

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My first course was Asparagus risotto…aged gouda, chervil. Springtime in a bowl, this green dish was perfect for mid March.

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I tasted a bit of the hubs’ Quercia cured ham with mozzarella, pickled beets, candied walnuts. It was yummy with a blend of salty, sweet, savory flavors.

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My entree, pollack with smashed potatoes and an eggplant caponata, perfectly delicate flavors and just the right portion size.

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Our desserts, Chocolate espresso torta with strawberries and cream and Coconut semifreddo with roasted pineapple and lime-rum syrup. The meal was great, but the desserts were unforgettable. Holy delicious! I still don’t know which I liked more, but the buttery coconut semifreddo might win by a tiny margin. It was topped with the most perfect butter cookie I have ever eaten. The service at Rialto was incredible, and it was a really special yet comfortable meal. Although it is in The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square and has a famous chef, there was absolutely no pretension about the restaurant, just really good food in healthy portions. I can’t wait to go back.

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Outside the Charles Hotel at night

And I hope you don’t mind me sharing, but here are the 30 + tulips that arrived at my office Monday morning, with love from my mom, sister, brother in law, and baby niece.

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Does your city celebrate Restaurant Week? Have you had the chance to try any new spots?

 

Also, just a reminder that my ALLY Foundation raffle ends THIS WEEKEND. To encourage entries, I have changed the raffle pricing. $10 gets you 2 entries, $15 gets you 4 entries, and $20 gets you 6 entries.

The prizes?

$100 gift card to Williams Sonoma

A mixed case of wine from Wine Cellar of Stoneham

A custom granola blend from me & goji

One month membership to all Healthworks Fitness Centers

A private tour and tasting for 10 at Westport Rivers winery

Visit htttp://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally  for information on The ALLY Foundation and on my Boston Marathon fundraising!

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Tags: Boston, Dining out, Food, Jody Adams, Restaurant Week, Rialto, wine

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