Sunday, August 15, 2010

Tommy Doyle's, Marliave, Shakespeare in the Park, and Chauncey Creek: Or How I Spent My Weekend

What a whirlwind of a weekend. I love these kinds of weekends because I feel like I did everything I set out to do! It seemed like everything from friends' schedules to the weather to outdoor dining tables being available just worked out right! I love when that happens.

Friday night was gorgeous. The weather was just perfect and I really wanted to eat outside. I was sure if we went to the Square we wouldn't be able to find a table so we opted for Tommy Doyle's in Kendall Square. We figured if we couldn't get a table there we could always try the Cambridge Brewing Company. Both restaurants offer lots of outdoor dining and since they are in Kendall Square we figured they wouldn't be as crowded.

I haven't been to this area in a long time and I had forgotten what a great outdoor dining spot it is. The trees are all lit up with white Christmas lights. It was so nice to just sit back and relax with friends. The only downside is that they allow dogs in the outdoor patio and I'm not a big fan of dining with canines.

The weather continued to be absolutely beautiful on Saturday so I headed into the Square for some coffee and reading. Last Saturday there was a great singer performing in front on the Au Bon Pain and the music drifted into my reading spot added to the relaxed atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard his music again. Between his music and a fun book my Saturday morning was perfection!

Saturday night we headed into Boston to watch Shakespeare in the Park's performance of Othello. We decided to head in a bit early to grab dinner at a restaurant that is skyrocketing to the top of my favorite restaurants list as evidenced by this and this. This time we tried the outdoor dining at The Marliave and it was nothing short of awesome! We ordered an array of appetizers including the Mac and Cheese which is amazing, the escargot which may be the best in Boston (and I've tried them at a lot of places), a mixed green salad, and meatball sliders and just enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere. The restaurant is at the end of a street that's not very traveled so it's very quiet and peaceful. I love, love, love this place and am already trying to think of an excuse to go back again real soon. After dinner we headed over to the Boston Common where we watched Othello. It was so fun to be in the park at night. This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer because it's a great way to combine the arts and the park. The production was really good and the last act was riveting. Who knew one handkerchief could cause so many problems!

The weather was just as nice this morning so I headed into the Square and the singer was back. This totally made my morning so I made a point to walk past him in hopes of finding out who he is. I was hoping he might have a cd on sale but he didn't. He did have a card though and I now have a name to go with my mystery singer. John Sage's music can be found here. He has definitely been a welcomed addition to my mornings in the Square the past few weekends!

To conclude this ridiculously perfect weekend we headed over to Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery, ME for some seafood with great friends. Our Inman friends joined us, as did my good friend from Portsmouth. It was such a fun day, sitting by the water, eating lobsters and steamers. I highly recommend this place to anyone that likes seafood. It's not too far from Boston, probably about an hour and 15 minutes or so. It's BYOB and you can also bring other food not sold at the restaurant. I'm already thinking about our next trip- judging by the people around us we need to bring tablecloths and flowers and perhaps a gourmet torte!

And the end of summer fun doesn't stop here. We have restaurant week at Toscano's in Boston, which I'm super excited about, a stop at The Alibi, a final visit to the roof deck pool, and maybe even a Brewery Tour... and I can't forget the fun Harvard Square outing planned for this weekend!

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