Day of Freedom!

There is nothing sweeter than the sound of the bell at 3:00 on the last day of school!  It was extra sweet this year.  As those millennials like to say, the struggle was real this year.  I felt like I was behind from the beginning of the year, and I never really caught up.  I missed both the fall and spring hiking seasons because of the immense amount of school work I had to do and I had to deal with a sprained ankle, sleep problems, and a month of unexplained muscle aches and pains.  I really needed summer vacation and I think I have really earned it this year.  So when that bell rang, I zipped right out of school and was home in record time.

I had some time to kill before JO got home so I headed over to Tatte in Kendall for a coffee and some reading.  It's amazing how the school stress just kind of rapidly exits your body!  Within an hour I felt completed settled into vacation mode.

When JO got home we headed out for a celebration night out!  In planning the evening we went through a huge list of restaurants we could go to (patio dining was a must) but finally settled on a new place near the Prudential.  I don't know what kind of rock I've been living under that I haven't heard of Porto before now.  With a great location adjacent to the Pru, food my Jody Adams, a big patio and outdoor bar, and expansive dining room and lounge space inside (I love the inside- modern Mediterranean), it's pretty much perfect.  They scored major bonus points because they let us reserve a table on the patio (which would not have been available otherwise.)

The elevated patio is great.  It's got Edison bulbs strung about and views of the Copley Square sign.  Ring Road is relatively quiet which makes for a peaceful evening.  Sometimes those patios on Boylston Street can get really loud.  I love that there is a bar on the patio (perfect for when you just want to drink a glass of wine outside but don't necessarily want to order food.)







We ordered our wines (a prosecco for me and a pinot noir for JO.)  Both were delicious but JO's was especially delicious.

 Porto's menu is all about small plates, although they also serve some main dishes and half and full portions of pasta.  We opted for the small plates.  We sampled the street corn, burrata, lobster lettuce wraps, and the grilled lamb chops.  Delicious, delicious, and more delicious.   The service was also great.  Our waiter was friendly, informative, and had no problem letting us take our time with the menus and ordering.  The prices were really reasonable and having learned more about the restuarnt since our visit, they also offer drink specials on their patio.  Porto is definitely going to be  taking a place in our restaurant rotation.


 

After dinner we tried to get on the roof deck of Earl's at the Pru.  This ended up being a horrible experience and I have no desire to ever go back.  This was a bit of a setback because we were looking for a place to get another drink outside (which is actually a bit challenging in this part of the city.)  It was a beautiful night out so we decided to walk over to the Fenway area to go to The Hawthorne.  Unexplainably, the patio was empty so we grabbed two seats and continued the city fun!

This place never disappoints.  They have excellent customer service and great drinks.  I asked for something with mint, gin, and bubbles and they made me a South Side.  It's a delicious concoction and was the perfect drink to toast summer vacation!