I will never pass up a Lula Wiles show at Passim. Nor will I ever pass up any solo show put on by any of the members. Any night spent at Club Passim is a good one and Ellie's show did not disappoint. It was nice to start getting back into live music and Club Passim is a great place to do that. They still have a vax only policy and still require masks when not actively eating or drinking. And the best part is no one complains about it!
Well, after a year and a half of having almost no plans, my May got filled with things to do (yay!) and all of the work stress that comes with the final eight weeks of school. I wasn't up to the challenge of balancing everything and I feel like I just barely survived until the last day of school.
Since starting vacation, I've been sleeping...a lot and catching up on all kinds of life things I hadn't been able to get to. I almost gave up on this blog but I find myself coming back to reading old posts quite often so I'm going to power through and get caught up.
At some point in the last few months, JO and I stopped in Longfellow's. We've been cautiously returning to indoor city living, although each time I feel a big regretful, like it's a risk we don't really need to be taking. That being said, sitting at the bar at Longfellow's is always fun and the drinks never disappoint. I honestly can't believe this craft cocktail bar survived the pandemic but I'm so glad. The space is beautiful and it gives me quintessential Harvard Square vibes every time we visit.
A few weeks ago I headed into the ballet. As I always do, I stopped at Teatro for dinner and drinks first. The green line had just opened so JO joined me because he wanted to ride the train. I'm so glad he did because while we were eating, we heard the news that Teatro was closing that weekend. The hostess came over and said she was glad to see me again because the restaurant was closing. I guess I did go here a lot 😀 (It's being renovated and reinvented so it will still be owned by the same group but will be different when it does reopen.) I'm so disappointed about this and so glad I got one last meal there with JO.
Teatro was the perfect pre-theater spot. The food and drinks were great and the service was quick so you were sure not to miss your show. Plus the prices were super reasonable. The atmosphere was always great. You definitely felt like you were in the city but there was also this warmth to the space and to the people who worked there.
We weren't able to get many details about what the new space will look like and what it will offer. I really hope they keep the casual but classy atmosphere and the reasonable prices. This was always my go to spot for solo dinners. (Some restaurants work for solo meals and some don't...this place definitely did.) For now, I have to find a new place to go for pre-ballet dinner.
Pax East is back. Thanks to a strict vaccine and mask policy, it felt pretty safe. I loved going on Thursday because it was definitely not as crowded as it was on Friday and Saturday so we could try out the games without waiting in super long lines.
I took a little time this week to spruce up our patio. (I still can't believe we have such an amazing outdoor space.) I stopped by Ricky's Flower Mart and got some flowers. (Apparently I'm a gardener now!)
I pretty much limped, figuratively not literally, into April vacation. I was sick for almost a week before and still wasn't feeling 100% when it started. I had fallen behind in my school work and life stuff and I was basically feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. JO's schedule this week was pretty hectic so it didn't appear we would get any time to enjoy a city day.
Thankfully, we did end up with a free day and the weather cooperated a bit. It was marathon weekend so I wasn't sure heading into the city was our best bet but JO was sure it would be fine. The city was full of hustle and bustle and it was great to see all the runners walking around. The marathon is such a big deal for the city and there was just a great energy in the air. We headed to one of our favorite patio spots, Piatini Wine Bar and were lucky to get a table outside.
After lunch, we meandered down Newbury Street, popped into some stores, and even walked all the way over to the Fenway area.
We wanted to extend the day so we grabbed a table at Sulmona in Kendall Square for dinner. I love Sulmona. There's a great vibe inside, the food is always delicious, and the service is great. I decided to try their espresso martini and it was fantastic! I knew the upcoming week was going to be busy so it was nice to be able to enjoy the city for the day!
February was a crazy month. I was trying to recover from Covid and get ready for a Palm Springs vacation. Palm Springs was fantastic but then it took another two weeks to recover and catch up from that trip.
Last night, we were both finally all caught up and we could enjoy a city night out. Back in December we went to Trade a couple of times and had a great time. So for my birthday, I booked us a table in the dining room. Trade is a Greek/Mediterranean inspired restaurant from the amazing Jody Adams.
First, I'll start with the decor. Trade has huge ceilings and lots of room so the space feels really open and airy. Tables aren't on top of each other, like they are in a lot of other restaurants in the city. The ceilings are this curved brick that has been painted white and there are huge steel beams anchoring the space. That industrial vibe is paired with massive, bohemian lighting fixtures that throw off a lovely dim glow. There are tons of faux olive trees and candles adorn each table. The entire atmosphere is so relaxing and peaceful.
We started with some cocktails and they were quite good. It's clear that the bartenders know what they are doing and the Greek spins on cocktails is done with absolute quality. We decided we would try a bunch of the food so we started with the village salad and the dips. The village salad was amazing. The perfectly fresh veggies was topped with a mixture of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano. It was perfection and has pretty much ruined all greek salads for me. The dips were really good but we ended up sticking with the spicy whipped feta (to die for) and didn't really eat much of the other two so I'm not sure I would order this again.
For dinner we got the burrata which was perfectly paired with roasted beets and fig and the half chicken with lemon potatoes and arugula. The presentation of the chicken was really eye catching. It was served on a big wooden board. Definitely picture worthy. The chicken itself was moist on the inside with crispy skin that had a touch of sweetness from the figs. The lemon potatoes were insanely good, especially in the whipped form.
After dinner we headed over to the bar to continue the night. The bar is definitely a fun place to hang out and we enjoyed dessert to extend the evening.
I was telling JO that this is the kind of place I could see myself going to each Friday night to have dinner. I love that the lighting is dim, there's great music playing but it's not loud, and it just feels like a place you want to be. I don't feel too old there and in fact, I feel kind of young there. It's really a wonderful restaurant.
