Lucius at The Royale

A few years ago, JO and I were at a Chad Stokes concert at the House of Blues.  Of course, Chad was awesome, but the opening act, Lucius, really caught our attention.  I joined their mailing list and patiently awaited another local show.  It took two years, but when I saw that Lucius would be playing a show in March I jumped on the chance to see them again.

Before the show we headed over to the lounge at the W Hotel to grab a drink.  I've been on a mojito kick and the lounge didn't disappoint.  The lounge was really fun, not loud at all, which is always a plus.  There was a variety of seating:  tables, bar, and couches.  I would definitely go back to this place in the future.

After drinks, we headed over to the Royale.  I've never seen a show here and I'm now in love with this venue.  The Royale has this grand ballroom feel.  You enter to a huge staircase decked out in red carpet and gold accents.  When you get upstairs there are two levels, the ground/stage area and then an upper mezzanine.  The plus of the mezzanine is that there is seating along the back, great couches with a solid top so you can elevate yourself during the show and then a railing area.  There's even a ledge for your drinks.  The acoustics were really good.  I was super impressed with this venue and Lucius put on a great show!

I had so much fun that I already scooped up concert tickets for their fall show at the House of Blues, although I will miss the awesome mezzanine at the Royale.

March Madness

March Madness is my favorite part of the year!  I love the buzzer beaters, bracket challenges, and general craziness that comes with three weeks of college basketball.

This year, just like the last several, I took a personal day for the first day of the tournament and headed to Parlor Sports to watch hours and hours of basketball.  I was glad JO could join me again this year.  We were the first ones there, scoring two coveted seats at the bar.   We watched about four ours of games culminated in the UConn come from behind victory.

We ended up visiting Parlor Sports a few times during the tournament.  This place is so great.  I can't say enough good things about this place.  I especially love how each time we visit the bartenders chat about my Huskies with me.  They really know their sports, no matter whether it's men's or women's sports, and that means a lot to me.

We ended up back at Parlor Sports after my Huskies won their 11th championship.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  We walked in and got a big cheer and high five!  It was an awesome end to the season, that had started at Parlor Sports back in November.

Craicfest 5K

A sure sign of spring is the start of 5k season.  I was definitely in better shape this year than last.  Last year I was coming off a back injury and had only started running about three weeks before the first race.  I wasn't even sure I could finish it.

This year, the weather was great, and I was pretty pleased with my time for the first race.  The best part about the Cambridge 5k races is the post party.  This party was in the mall garage and had great music to celebrate with.

Puritan and Company and Brassiere JO

My birthday weekend was all about eating yummy food and living the city life.  Friday started with dinner with a friend at Ole and Saturday featured dinner at another local restaurant, Puritan and Company.

It's been a while since JO and I have eaten, or even gone for drinks, at Puritan and Company.  We made sure to make reservations, because Puritan is not the kind of place you can just walk into on a Saturday night and get a table.  We got a table against the back wall.  I liked the way our table was set up, with the couch seating the curved behind the table, since JO and I could sit next to each other for a change.

Puritan is an upscale restaurant with a causal, relaxed feel.  I love the atmosphere.  I'm eating some of the best food in the entire city but I never feel out of place or like I might do something wrong.  We started with oysters and they were delicious!  I also was happy to see a new sparkling rose ont heir menu, priced at only $10.  It was very good and I can picture going back just for the rose and oysters.  Next, we got the bibb salad.  Here's how you know you are at a great restaurant.  They take something as simple as bibb lettuce and radishes and make it mouth watering.  The ingredients are just so fresh and delicious, and so perfectly prepared as to highlight the natural flavors.  I got the chicken and JO got the ragu and both were extremely good.

After dinner we headed into the city to meet up with some friends at City Bar.  City Bar was mobbed so we headed over to Brassiere JO for drinks.  We got a table in the bar area.  It was nice to be out and about with good friends and a perfect way to wrap up my birthday weekend.

Ole

Next up was birthday dinners at Ole!  JO's parents and brother came down for his birthday.  We were having a little trouble finding a place for dinner and then we remembered Ole, right in our neighborhood.  Ole is not your ordinary Mexican restaurant, it's a bit upscale with some really creative options on their menu.

Every meal at Ole starts with homemade guacamole, which is a can't miss item on the menu.  JO's parents both got these steak taco things that came with beautiful spoons full of different delicious sauces for dipping.  I went with my standard enchilada verde because I cannot pass up verde sauce.  JO got the paella and I have been wanting it ever since.  We ended the meal with the churros with chocolate sauce and they were pretty amazing!

The meal was so delicious, that when my friend came down for my birthday a week later we went there.  The atmosphere is just so great there and the food is always delicious.  It's definitely a very reliable pick for a dinner spot!

Brattle's Oscar Party

Last year I got JO a membership to the Brattle Theater for his birthday.  Sure, we love going to the theater to watch movies, but when you are a member you get access to the Brattle's Oscar Party.  Since we had so much fun last year we decided to go again this year.

Some people get really dressed up, which makes for some great people watching.  JO and I went with business casual (no full length gowns for us) and had fun posing for pictures on the red carpet before heading inside to sip prosecco and watch the awards.  It's definitely a fun way to watch the Oscars.

The River Bar

I've been really interested in checking out The River Bar at Assembly Row ever since it opened.  The lure of couches and fire pits was quite alluring.  We finally had a reason to go towards the end of February.  We hadn't seen my dad in a while and he lives near Assembly Row so we picked him up and headed over to the River Bar.

It was too cold for couches and fire pits but we did get three seats at the bar.  They tried to seat us in their enclosed "winter" patio but it was pretty chilly.  I was glad they were ok with us changing locations.  I got the St. Cecilia cocktail, featuring gin, prosecco, cardamom, lime, and pomegranate.  It was delicious!  The food was only so-so, in my opinion.  The menu features an Asian fusion menu and I didn't love it, or the food prices, but I would go back for the cocktail!

It was a really cozy place, with a nice vibe, to hang out at.  It was nice catching up with my dad and I think he enjoyed getting out to somewhere different!