James Beard Award

The list of semi-finalists for the prestigious James Beard Awards was released earlier this week and Inman Square is well represented in several categories.  Puritan and Company and Oleana are up for awards in several categories!

Spontaneous Vacation Outing

I wasn't planning on doing too much over this vacation, besides relaxing, that is.  JO has been really busy with work and I have a ton of school work to catch up on.  Next weekend is jam packed, although I am hoping to sneak in an ice skating trip (keep your eyes peeled.)  Plus, with March Madness fast approaching I was hoping to get ahead on some spring tasks like planning our summer road trip.

Yesterday I spent the day watching a House Hunters marathon, grading papers, and trying not to freak out about MCAS!  I was also patiently waiting for the 9:00 p.m. tip time of the Baylor @ UConn basketball game so certainly was caught off guard when JO walked into the apartment and told me to get ready for dinner at The Marliave.  Marliave is probably my favorite restaurant in Boston, as evidenced by this post and this post.  I'm actually surprised I haven't written more about Marliave.

Of course, he did have an ulterior motive.  JO has recently been revamping his video game options.  We currently have six gaming consoles ranging from SNES to XBOX 360.  Last weekend we stopped by Sudden Impact in Winthrop to add the Sega Master System to our collection.  While we were there I picked up two games for the PS2 to play over vacation.  Sadly, when we tried to play the games at home we learned that the PS2 had died.  JO had a hunch that the Game Stop in Downtown Crossing had some used systems. Marliave happens to be really close to Downtown Crossing so after picking up the system we headed over to Bosworth Street and the delicious food that was waiting for us.

We were lucky and got a great window table.  In my opinion, this restaurant has some of the most reliable dishes in the city.  You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu.  They even make a simple salad mouthwatering.  I love that the hot dishes are served with a metal cover that is removed at your table.  The raviolis are better than anything you can get in the North End, in my opinion.  They are served with a sweet tomato cream sauce and parmesan cheese.  Delicious!!!  An added bonus is the service is outstanding.  You never feel rushed.

For dessert we got the chocolate truffles.  I'm pretty sure this is the prettiest dessert in the city.

In the end we went to Boston, shopped, had a leisurely dinner, and took the train home and were back in our living room at 9:02, just in time for the game.  I love where we live!

City Girl Essentials

Sure, living in the city has a ton of perks but to truly enjoy those perks you need a few key items.

First and foremost, any true City Girl needs a puffy down jacket.  JO and I refer to mine as the "pufferator."  It can be downright frigid in the city during the winter but you don't want that stopping you from walking around the city!  A puffy jacket is the perfect defense against subzero temps.  Sure, they aren't super stylish, and you might feel a bit like a snowman, but if you're a true city dweller the puffy jacket must be part of your winter gear.  I purchased mine a few years ago and it has revolutionized my view on winter.  Bonus- if you're a teacher it's really helpful during winter outdoor recess!








Next up, a pair of real winter boots.  During my twenties I didn't have extra money to invest in anything but the very necessities so I never had a pair of winter boots.  Instead, I wore extra socks and hoped for the best.  A few years ago we decided to spend New Year's Eve out in Boston with friends.  I did not want to be freezing so I manned up and purchased a pair of Rubber Duck Snow Joggers and I've never looked back.  These boots are reasonably priced, last a long time (I had my last pair for four years), and keep your feet warm and dry.  The rubber soles are thick enough to keep your feet off the ground and the velcro makes for easy on/easy off.  I absolutely love these boots!  My dad got me a new pair for Christmas this year and I put them to good use during the blizzard.  Walking around the city in the winter will involve walking through snowbanks and slush.  A good pair of winter boots is a must!

The third, and final essential item, is a good pair of galoshes!  Back in 2010 we had two different "Biblical" rainstorms mere weeks apart.  After the first rainstorm I decided to spend the whopping $25 on a pair of galoshes from Target.  You know what?  That $25 has paid off big time.  They lasted me three years.  I only recently replaced them back in October in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy.  But galoshes aren't just good for walking in city puddles during spring rains.  Galoshes come in real handy in the days after a snowstorm when those snowbanks you were walking through in your winter boots turn all gross and slushy.  You don't want to ruin your snow boots (even though your feet will be dry because those boots are really good) so enter your galoshes.  Galoshes give you the easy cleaning necessary to tackle the huge, slushy puddles sure to be littering the city streets in the aftermath of a big storm.

Finally, there is one last optional item.  A carry all tote bag is essential for the City Girl on the go.  A large tote bag can accomodate such necessities as:

*umbrella
*cardigan (perfect for all day city outings when temps change from morning to night)
*book (perfect for passing time on the train or sitting in Columbus Park on a gorgeous spring day)
*change of shoes (flip flops for walking, cute sandals for restaurants)
*bottle of water (for keeping cool on a hot day)
*camera (for playing tourist)
*and so much more

I highly recommend the Longchamps Le Pliage medium.

The medium is more than big enough to fit all of the above and more (the other day I fit a fleece in there...I kid you not.)  The added bonus is that it is stylish but able to take the wear and tear of traversing the city because the canvas is really easy to clean.  Plus if it's good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge herself than it's good enough for you.

These City Girl Essentials really help you enjoy everything the city has to offer, no matter the weather or where you go!

Urban Art Bar

A while back there was a Living Social deal for The Urban Art Bar and JO and I snapped it up right away.  A lot of my coworkers have gone to the Paint Bar in Newton and have really enjoyed it so I figured I'd investigate to see what it was all about.

Neither JO or I have any painting experience so we weren't quite sure how this would turn out.  The Urban Art Bar is in South Boston with plenty of free on-street parking.  The studio walls are covered with sample paintings and there are several workstations.  Each workstation seats 6-8 people.  Easels are set up with blank canvases.

The instructor takes you step by step through the painting process.  We had a great instructor.  She had a great sense of humor and made you feel confident in what you were doing.  She walked around to give you helpful tips and answer questions as needed.  An awesome playlist played on the radio during the painting time.

Blank Canvas

and we have sky

JO had the best water in the place

Almost done...just missing one more swan

The studio is working on obtaining their liquor license so you can sip while you paint.  They allow you to bring in food and they sell snacks, although we were quite busy painting so I'm not sure when you would have time to eat.  I think we were both surprised by how much fun we had and we were both certainly pleased with the final products.

My finished painting

Both of our final products

After painting we across the street to The Stadium for lunch.  In one of those cosmic moments the UConn game was on tv, one of my favorite Dispatch songs was playing on the radio, and they had churros on the menu (I had been craving churros last night but our burrito place didn't have any made when we went last night...and that was the sole reason we had burritos last night.)  JO joked that I was probably going to fall in a sink hole tomorrow because of all of this luck but no worries.  This place also wasn't serving churros even though they were on the menu.

In other news, churros will be my February vacation quest!

Casablanca at the Brattle

Every year, for Valentine's Day, JO and I go to the Brattle Theater to watch Casablanca on the big screen, the way it was meant to be viewed.  (Funny side story, the first year we did this there was a messy snow storm and the theater ended up being evacuated due to a gas leak next door.)  Unfortunately, last year the theater wasn't able to show the movie so we had alternate plans but everything was back to normal this year.

One of the problems we always run into on Valentine's Day is that the movie starts at 7:00 which makes getting dinner a bit of a challenge.  This year we decided to eat at Park since it's so close to theater and the food is so good.  I've raved about this place before and I'll do it again.  The decor is so awesome it was featured in Boston Magazine a few months ago and for good reason.  Each of the rooms has it's own feel.  We sat in the back room near the fireplace and it made for the perfect setting for Valentine's Day.  I spent a long time talking to JO about how awesome Valentine's Day was with my class.  I loved all of the handmade cars they made me.  They really are a special group!  We ended up exchanging cards during dinner and the funny thing was that we both got our cards from Boutique Fabulous in Inman Square.

After dinner we headed over to the Brattle to get good seats for the movie.  We learned the hard way a while back that it gets pretty hot up in the balcony so we try to avoid that if possible.  The Brattle is a really special place for us since it's where we went on our first date.  We love this place so much we volunteered as extras in their video campaign for their Kickstarter fundraising drive.  That's us front and center at minute 2:05!

We love this tradition so much that our first dance at our wedding was to "As Time Goes By" from the movie.  We knew we could always look forward to hearing the song when we watch the movie on Valentine's Day.  We even got a picture with the Casablanca mural in Harvard Square on our wedding day.  After missing out on this tradition last year this Valentine's Day was extra special.

Blizzard City Style Part 2

I left off yesterday with JO and I planning our Inman Square outing for the evening.  With the travel ban lifted more restaurants were open.  Normally we would've headed over to Trina's Starlite Lounge but they didn't have a full kitchen staff.  As a result they were serving grilled cheeses courtesy of Roxy's Grilled Cheese Food Truck.  This would usually be a no brainer for me, seeing as I love grilled cheeses, but we had eaten so much cheese earlier in the day that we decided to go in a different direction.

We tried the Druid but it was super crowded so we ended up at the Ginger Exchange.  We we were certainly glad they were open.


We haven't eaten here in a long time and they've added some new items to their menu.  The garlic chicken stir fry was quite yummy!

After dinner we continued down the street for drinks at Puritan and Company.  We've been looking for a reason to go here since trying it out a month or so ago and we thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate the end of the blizzard.  It was pretty crowded and there was only one seat at the bar but we made it work.  The bartender was super nice and when two seats opened up at the end of the bar he moved us over there.  He was telling us that he was enjoying the evening since it was mostly locals and he was having fun getting to know everyone.  We asked him what was opening next door and he told us that that will be a CSA pick up location for the Potager Farm.  We didn't want the night to end so we ordered a slice of the chocolate cake and it was pretty delicious.  The layers are separated with caramel frosting and the cookie was crunchy and delicious.

The snow mound where we threw the snow

Today we spent a couple hours shoveling out our cars.  I preferred the "kicking the snow off the car" method to the more traditional shoveling method.  I recently taught my kids the meaning of the word fruitless and at some points I thought that was the only word to describe our efforts.








But eventually we uncovered my car, although I don't know when I'll be driving it since school is cancelled tomorrow.  No complaints from me.  I've come to realize that makeup days in June are a lot less stressful than regular days in February.

After lunch I decided to test out the T's "limited service."  I really wanted to go to the Skywalk Observatory to see the blizzard from 50 floors up.




After the Skywalk I decided I didn't want to head home right away so I walked around Newbury Street before waiting for the bus at Mass Ave.

Unfortunately, the bus never came.  Typically this would send me into a bit of a "freakout" but I embraced the situation and decided to walk over the bridge to take some more pictures before grabbing a cab home.

Now I find myself with another free day tomorrow!  I'm thinking of breakfast at the S and S followed by checking out Inman Oasis for a soak in the hot tub.

2013 Blizzard- City Style

 Anyone who knows me knows that I despise the snow.  I'm not one who likes to play in the snow and I certainly hate the issues the snow brings to the city (meaning the parking nightmare that follows any major storm.)  Additionally, after the epic winter of two years ago I'm still a bit traumatized.  So when the weathermen started getting all giddy about "a major weather event" early last week I wasn't too thrilled.  I was especially not happy when their special weather maps said "isolated 30+" as that would wreek havoc with our weekend plans.

As Friday crept closer it was clear that Winter Storm Nemo was unavoidable.  Since I couldn't do anything about it and I had a snow day on Friday I decided to embrace the storm and all the awesomeness that the storm would bring to my neighborhood.  I did all my school work Thursday night and early Friday morning so I wouldn't have that hanging over my head.  JO and I settled in for a day of watching the snow fall from our living room.  Lots of neighborhood restaurants were posting on Facebook about Blizzard parties so we were focusing our attention on our evening plans.  After the travel ban was imposed many of the restaurants closed up, but lucky for us a few remained open.  One of the things I love most about where we live is that usually something is open, even in the worst weather so we never really feel trapped inside.




We headed over to City Girl Cafe for dinner and we weren't alone.  It was a good thing we went early as the place filled up rather quickly.  We grabbed a table by the window and watched the snow fall.  We talked about our love of Inman Square and how lucky we are to live here.  Some people think we've overstayed our stay in the city but this is exactly why we live here.  We didn't have to bother with the long lines at the grocery stores or being cooped up inside all day.  There's always a place to go.

After dinner we headed over to East Coast Grill.   All day East Coast Grill had been posting about how they were staying open with a crew that lives locally.  They wanted to stay open for the neighborhood and we were certainly glad they did.  We don't go to this place that often but it's definitely a symbol of Inman Square.  We had a lot of fun celebrating the storm with other Inman Square people.  The owner went around to all the tables to check in.  The crew seemed to be having a great time entertaining everyone who came out.






Before going home we walked around the neighborhood taking pictures and video to capture the storm.

This morning I woke up excited like a little kid on Christmas Day (yes me who hates snow.)  I couldn't wait to see what our neighborhood looked like with all the snow.  As soon as we had eaten breakfast I dragged JO outside to take a tour.  I was pleasantly surprised to find 1369 Coffee was open.  The drifts were incredible.  Our cars are completely buried but it's a small price to pay for being able to call Inman Square home.

1369 ready to serve coffee

My car is somewhere under there

A little while later our friends called to ask if they could borrow JO's skiing poles for some urban skiing.  A couple hours later they arrived at our door having skied over from Boston.  We sat around eating the cheese that was meant for the now cancelled CheeseFest we were supposed to host tonight and sharing pictures from the storm.

Now we're sitting around making plans for how we will enjoy the neighborhood tonight.  Most of the restaurants are going to be open so we'll have lots to choose from.  Sure, the streets are going to be a disaster next week and parking will be an absolute nightmare but I got to enjoy the blizzard in the city so life is good!