A Perfect City Afternoon

One of my favorite "city people" was back in town this week and we planned on a little city adventure for Monday.

We started with lunch at Grotto.  Grotto is my favorite restaurant in the city.  Well, it might actually be tied with it's sister restaurant Marliave.  Both restaurants are fabulous and never disappoint.  Whenever someone asks for a Boston restaurant recommendation these two are always at the top of the list.  Grotto is a small, subterranean (basement) Italian restaurant on Beacon Hill with beautifully crafted dishes that compliment their lovely selection of wine.

My friend had never been to Grotto and I knew she would love it so I suggested we go there for lunch before wandering around Charles Street.  It's Restaurant Week so we were able to each get an appetizer and entree for $20.  We both loved our food, I of course, went with the short rib gnocchi dish.  The service was great and the waiter did a great job recommending a dish for my friend who couldn't make up her mind.  Grotto is a great place to enjoy a special lunch in the city.  I was reminiscing about the night, in the middle of the horrible winter last year, when JO planned a night out here because we had to get out of our neighborhood.

After lunch we wandered down Charles Street and then up Newbury Street.  Our plan was to go to City Table, as in the City Table I just ate at last week and loved, for bubbles.  Unfortunately, City Table and City Bar both are closed between 2:00 and 4:30.  We were totally stumped for a place to go.  Everywhere we thought of seemed to be closed.  Hawthorne, Wink and Nod, and a few others were all closed.  Who knew it was so hard to grab a drink during the afternoon in the city.  We ended up asking the Bell Boys if they had a suggestion, which was rough since I live here and she used to live on Comm Ave.  We should have been able to think of a place but we were drawing a blank.  The Bell Boy recommended Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Hotel so we headed over there.

Bar Boulud is an open, airy space.  One side is the bar and lounge and the other side is the dining room.  The bar has great, big comfy seats with a sturdy back.  I'm sick of sitting in stools or the almost backless chairs that a lot of bars feature now.  We were the only ones at the bar and the bartender spent some time explaining the difference between Cava and Prosecco to us before pouring our glasses.  We had a great time catching up and talking about how much had happened in the year in between her move and her visit.  You know you have a great friend when you can pick up right where you left off after an entire year.

I really enjoyed the day out in the city.  It was a great way to spend the Monday of my last week of vacation!  (In other news- I am so not ready to have a schedule again.  I'm not sure if I can do it.)