Same Old Story

Sadly it's been over a month since my last blog post.  It's the same old story.  School plus my dad's house kept me super busy.  Fear not.  I had some time to squeeze in city adventures, but certainly not enough time to blog about them.  Thanks to summer vacation though I have all the time in the world now.  It's only been five days but already I feel like I've been on break for a month.  The last two summers have been super busy for me, getting ready to go back to the classroom and wedding planning, so this summer seems extra relaxing.  Here are a couple of highlights from spring in the city.

The Grafton
Towards the end of April vacation I met a friend of mine in Harvard Square for lunch.  We were trying to figure out where to go and settled on The Grafton due to their outdoor seating.  We were lucky enough to get a seat in the perfect spot.  Our table was right where the full windows open onto the patio.  We had the luxury of shade from the restaurant but all the fun of eating outside.  The Grafton's outdoor seating is really great.  I love not only the patio but the bar seating by the full windows.

Meadhall
I headed home from The Grafton when I got a phone call from a good friend saying he was in Kendall Square and wanted to meet up.  Since he was in Kendall, I took the opportunity to suggest a place I had been wanting to try for awhile.  Meadhall opened about a year ago to rave reviews.  We spent a few hours here sitting by the large full sized windows catching up.  This is a great place to hangout and catch up with friends.  With 100 beers on tap everyone should be able to find something they like.

Park Restaurant and Bar
Park opened up in the space formerly occupied by the Redline in Harvard Square.  It's owned by the people who own The Grafton, Temple Bar, and Russel House Tavern.  I didn't love Russel House Tavern when that opened so I didn't hold out high hopes for Park.  In a testament to social media, a picture from Park came up in my Twitter feed and I was instantly intrigued.  The picture showed a large arm chair and small round table in their lounge area.  It reminded me a little bit of The Last Hurrah and anyone who knows me knows I love that place.  Our friends wanted to meet up for drinks one Saturday night so I of course suggested this place.  We got a table in the main bar area and within minutes I was hooked.  I never realized how huge the space was.  They've decorated it perfectly.  The decor was even featured in Boston Magazine last month.  There is a main bar and dining area, a lounge area, a smaller dining room, and another dining room in the back.  Each room is decorated perfectly with a blend of luxury, rustic, and Harvard Square vibes.  You really have to go in person to really get it since I'm not doing a good job explaining it.  Everything at Park is great.  From cheese plates, to chocolate plates, to a trio of bacon tastings and a toast tasting you can't go wrong.  I was so impressed with our visit that we headed back a few weeks later for dinner.  It's easily already one of my favorite places in the Square.  


First Printer (Again)
To celebrate the end of the school year, JO and I decided to head into Harvard Square for dinner at Daedalus and drinks at First Printer.  I have to say, I really enjoy the bar area at First Printer.  The room is so open and bright and the staff is really friendly.  Both First Printer and Park have great sparkling wine options on their menu, something that was lacking in the Square.  I was surprised at how empty the place was, so I don't want to get too attached.  It was recently rated the 2nd most interesting new restaurant in the Boston area so hopefully it won't be going anywhere anytime soon.


Now if this heatwave would just go away I could get back to enjoying the city!