Birthday Outing

I spent my actual birthday standing with my fellow teachers in support of our union's continued efforts to bargain us a fair contract. Although not ideal, it was very inspiring to be surrounded by colleagues standing up for what we believe in.

We decided to go out for my birthday last Saturday night instead. We decided to start out night at Taranta in the North End. I love this restaurant. It's particularly special because we came here to celebrate after we got engaged. The upstairs dining room is softly lit and has exposed brick and stone work. There are only about 15 tables upstairs so it's really cozy. I also love the fusion aspect of this restaurant- Italian meets Peruvian. It makes for some nice flavor combinations.

We started our meal with the mussels. I think they might be even better than the ones at Daedalus and those are delicious. These are cooked with Marsala and pancetta Abruzzese and balsamic roasted shallots. The flavor is so rich you kind of want to dive into the broth with your bread. JO ordered the pork chop and it was out of this world. It was a double cut chop with a sweet reduction. It was delicious! I got the fusilli Avellinessi al cartoccio which is a fancy name for baked pasta that tastes like gourmet street meat. It has a delicious combination of pancetta, sweet roasted peppers, and roasted tomatoes. It literally smells like the food carts on Lansdown Street on game day. For dessert I got the Limoncello sorbet which has this perfect creamy consistency.

After dinner we decided to go exploring for a new place to get a drink. We ended up at the XV Boston Hotel. This hotel is right off of Tremont Street. The hotel doesn't have a bar but the attached restaurant Mooo does. The bar is white marble and the lighting is very soft. A couple of tables near by were served their food and I have to say this place gets points for presentation. The steaks are served with bone marrow butter served in a small container shaped like a steak bone. A sprig of rosemary sticks out. The steak knives are placed in corks on your table to keep the blade safe. The bar offers an exceptional wine and drink list although the bar tender seemed less than stellar. He got confused making one mixed drink so he just served it the way he had made it when it was clear he had been searching for another ingredient. He also drank right out of the shaker after pouring the drink into a glass. The atmosphere was very relaxed, perfect after a crazy week at school.

After drinks we headed back to the Park Street T station to catch the red line. Walking down the stairs to the train we heard a band playing. There was a full fledged concert going on in the T station.

Me vs. Gravity is a local high school cover band and apparently they have shows in the Park Street T station on Saturday nights. They are really upbeat and exude happiness. We couldn't help but dance. We were having so much fun that we skipped our train to listen to some more of their songs. Looking around at the other people in the station there wasn't anyone who didn't have a smile on their face. It was really the perfect ending to a birthday night out!