Birthday Outing

I spent my actual birthday standing with my fellow teachers in support of our union's continued efforts to bargain us a fair contract. Although not ideal, it was very inspiring to be surrounded by colleagues standing up for what we believe in.

We decided to go out for my birthday last Saturday night instead. We decided to start out night at Taranta in the North End. I love this restaurant. It's particularly special because we came here to celebrate after we got engaged. The upstairs dining room is softly lit and has exposed brick and stone work. There are only about 15 tables upstairs so it's really cozy. I also love the fusion aspect of this restaurant- Italian meets Peruvian. It makes for some nice flavor combinations.

We started our meal with the mussels. I think they might be even better than the ones at Daedalus and those are delicious. These are cooked with Marsala and pancetta Abruzzese and balsamic roasted shallots. The flavor is so rich you kind of want to dive into the broth with your bread. JO ordered the pork chop and it was out of this world. It was a double cut chop with a sweet reduction. It was delicious! I got the fusilli Avellinessi al cartoccio which is a fancy name for baked pasta that tastes like gourmet street meat. It has a delicious combination of pancetta, sweet roasted peppers, and roasted tomatoes. It literally smells like the food carts on Lansdown Street on game day. For dessert I got the Limoncello sorbet which has this perfect creamy consistency.

After dinner we decided to go exploring for a new place to get a drink. We ended up at the XV Boston Hotel. This hotel is right off of Tremont Street. The hotel doesn't have a bar but the attached restaurant Mooo does. The bar is white marble and the lighting is very soft. A couple of tables near by were served their food and I have to say this place gets points for presentation. The steaks are served with bone marrow butter served in a small container shaped like a steak bone. A sprig of rosemary sticks out. The steak knives are placed in corks on your table to keep the blade safe. The bar offers an exceptional wine and drink list although the bar tender seemed less than stellar. He got confused making one mixed drink so he just served it the way he had made it when it was clear he had been searching for another ingredient. He also drank right out of the shaker after pouring the drink into a glass. The atmosphere was very relaxed, perfect after a crazy week at school.

After drinks we headed back to the Park Street T station to catch the red line. Walking down the stairs to the train we heard a band playing. There was a full fledged concert going on in the T station.

Me vs. Gravity is a local high school cover band and apparently they have shows in the Park Street T station on Saturday nights. They are really upbeat and exude happiness. We couldn't help but dance. We were having so much fun that we skipped our train to listen to some more of their songs. Looking around at the other people in the station there wasn't anyone who didn't have a smile on their face. It was really the perfect ending to a birthday night out!

Going to the Cafeteria

A while back JO and I bought a Groupon for Cafeteria on Newbury Street. We headed in one rainy night back in February for dinner. I was looking forward to this place since I've heard good things about it. The place was packed when we arrived so we waited at the bar for a bit. They have a really fun drink menu.

The whole idea of this place is that they reinvent cafeteria food. Other than the name I didn't really get this from the decor or menu. The decor is so neutral it's a bit off putting. You're dining in a sea of tan and cream. The walls are bare except for a small metal "Cafeteria" sign.

We ordered the mussels and they were good but nothing special. Our main meals were good but again nothing special. We did enjoy all the crazy fashion we saw and spent much of dinner trying to figure out what the "Cafeteria" desired attire is. Track suits were big as were designer shoes and accessories. Odd!

February Vacation

Over my February break temps soared into the low 60s. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was and it made me appreciate just how mild this winter has been. I was talking with a good friend about how neither of us had had the winter blahs and we contributed it to the great weather we have had.

Wednesday was particularly gorgeous so I headed out to do some urban hiking. I walked into Harvard Square and took a lovely stroll around the River. It was so nice to see so many people out and about in the Square. I especially liked the people ice skating in front of the Charles Hotel. It looked kind of weird seeing as they were wearing t-shirts. I did some window shopping which is always fun.

On Thursday I met up with a teacher friend of mine for lunch. We decided to check out the Full Moon Cafe in Cambridge. I love the Huron Village area of Cambridge so when my friend suggested this place I thought it was a great idea. Little did we know that this is kid central in Cambridge. We couldn't believe how many kids were there. We looked so out of place without little ones in toe. The last thing I want to do on vacation is hang out with children. That being said the food was really good. The menu offers a lot of different sandwiches and salads and the portions are large.

Saturday night we met up with our friends to enjoy a cover band at Ned Devine's. I hadn't been there in several years and I forgot how fun it can be. We had a great time catching up with our friends. They even had the UConn game on one of the tvs so I lucked out and got to watch the UConn/Syracuse game.

Valentine's Day (Long Overdue)

In what has become the story line for this year, I've been super busy and thus fallen behind on my blog. No fear though- I've had plenty of city fun!

For the last four Valentine's Days we have gone to the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square to watch Casablanca. There's something really special about watching this particular movie on the big screen, in an old theater, the way it was meant to be. This is actually such a special tradition for us that we picked As Time Goes By from the movie as our wedding song. I was really looking forward to watching the movie, and hearing the song, this year but since the company that owns Casablanca is planning a rerelease this spring the Brattle wasn't allowed to screen it on Valentine's Day.

We decided to head to one of our favorite restaurants instead. Of course we stopped at the Last Hurrah at the Omni Parker for drinks first. It was a really perfect winter night...not too cold but cold enough to make sitting inside by the windows in the cozy lounge just perfect.

After drinks we headed over to the Marliave for dinner. I think this is my favorite restaurant in Boston. It's got a great atmosphere and the food is always delicious! This time we ordered a cheese plate. We had fun picking out our cheeses. I had been craving the ravioli dish for a while and it didn't disappoint. We spent a lot of dinner talking about how awesome this winter has been. No parking bans, no human sized snow mounds, and best of all no snow days.