Back from the Ashes~ East Coast Grill

A year ago today, or so Facebook tells me, East Coast Grill, an Inman institution, announced that they would be closing.  This was a tough one to take.  East Coast Grill had been around since 1985 and pretty much put Inman Square on the map.  We began lamenting that we didn't go there enough and started wondering how the block, without the iconic swirly colored exterior and neon martini glass sign, would change.

A few months later, we celebrated when we heard that the team behind Highland Kitchen was going to purchase the restaurant and keep it as East Coast Grill.  It finally opened up again just last Monday and it seems like everyone is thrilled.  We tried to get a drink there on Monday but it was so crowded.  We were lucky to get a table last night and it seemed like a great way to deal with SnoWin in Inman.  We were in the midst of a storm that went from being  predicted to be 1 inch to 8-12 inches in a day.
We headed over around 6:30 and got a table in the back room.  I love how the team has kept the basic footprint of East Coast Grill but brightened up the place with fresh paint and brightly colored murals.  I loved the bar area and definitely want to go back to sit there.  Definitely nailed the tropical vibe, complete with little monkeys to decorate your cocktail glasses and a thatched roof over the entrance.

The beer menu was great, with lots of varieties to choose from.  The menu also kept some of the classics but added some new dishes.  Overall the food is vastly improved from the last time we ate at East Coast Grill.

We started with some oysters, yum!  I'm not a huge fan of their funky mignonette sauce  but the cocktail sauce and lemon was just fine.

JO got the short rib because he had read online that it was delicious, and yes, yes it was!

I tried the fish tacos and they were quite tasty with just the right amount of spice from the siracha tarter sauce.

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be headed back.  With some of the recent changes in the neighborhood, Stellabella Toys closing and our business association merging with the East Cambridge Business Association, it's nice that East Coast Grill was able to come back.  The neighborhood needs it!

These Guys

Gosh, the Bitties really turned up the cuteness factor this weekend.  Maybe it was the snowy, cold weather.  We are so lucky these guys didn't escape when our apartment door got stuck and ended up being open all day Thursday.  That wasn't scary or anything :-)

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions since New Year's is kind of the middle of my year.  I make most of my resolutions in September, when school starts.  That being said, it's always good to reevaluate how things are going.  Some things are going well this year, some are not.  So, in no particular order, here are some of my resolutions.  Maybe if I write them down I'll be more apt to stick with them.

*City, city, city~  I need to take advantage, even more than I do already, of living in the city.

*Arts/entertainment~ I need to take advantage more of the arts and entertainment opportunities in the city

*Rock gym~ I need to climb more, no more excuses, just climb

*Spend less time on school work~ this will be impossible to keep, but I need to try

New Year's Eve for the Win

We usually put off New Year's Eve planning until the week before and inevitably it gets stressful, and really NYE should not be stressful.  Our last few New Year's Eves have been great but I really wanted to go out to an event, but I didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money so when I saw Brass Union was having a party and tickets were just $25 I suggested it to JO and some of our friends.  We all agreed it would be fun.   We decided to extend the fun by going to the fireworks and dinner before hand.

The fireworks were really fun, and it wasn't too cold, and we even caught the end of the parade.

After the fireworks we headed over to Kika Tapas in Kendall.  I was a little nervous when I booked this place because I've had one good experience and one ok experience but I was really in the mood for tapas, and they actually had a reservation for four on NYE.  Tapas, with it's casual nature, was the perfect thing for dinner with friends.  I've never eaten inside the restaurant before because we've gone for their patio in the summer, but I loved the decor inside.  It was really fun and whimsical and vibrant.  The food was really good this time and the service was good.  My favorites were the artichoke and mushroom crostini, the beef in a mango cream sauce, and the olives and red peppers.

After dinner we headed over to Brass Union.  They did a nice job decorating the space and there were lots of party favors for everyone.  When we first got there it was pretty empty and I was nervous it was going to be a bust.  That was not the case as it filled in nicely by 10:00.  We grabbed a couch in the back bar, got some drinks, and enjoyed the appetizers.  The dj played a great mix of songs and we did some dancing before the ball dropped, which was what I really wanted out of NYE.  It was really fun to be at a party at midnight and even better to just walk home!  In all honesty, Brass Union nailed it with a party that was a bit fancy, but totally not over the top, great music, and a super fun vibe!

Their decor was better than this picture does it justice

I loved this window display at the wine store on Charles Street

Friday Fun Day

On Friday JO and I planned a "Day of Fun."  Our first stop was ice skating at the Kendall Community Outdoor Rink, but in what's becoming a running joke for us, it was too crowded.  Our next stop was lunch at Shanti in Kendall.  I was not impressed with Shanti's Indian lunch buffet and was beginning to feel a bit defeated, especially as I watched these unexpected giant snowflakes fall.  Thankfully, JO got me to rally and we hopped on the Red Line.

Our next destination was the Boston Public Market, my new favorite place in the city.  So many vendors, such variety, and everything looked so good!  We had fun exploring and vowed to come back another day for lunch and grocery shopping.

After the Market, we headed towards the movie theater by the park, with a quick stop at Back Deck (because apparently it's very hard to get a drink in the city at 3:30) for a quick drink, before watching Moana, which was fantastic by the way.

After the movie we decided to carry on to our final destination, La Casa de Pedro in the Seaport, despite the frigid weather.  If you do this restaurant, do not follow Apple Maps, because you will end up in a parking lot far from any restaurants.  After quickly recalibrating, thanks to Google Maps, we arrived at La Casa de Pedro and I was officially in love.  Who wouldn't love this entrance?

I love how full force this restaurant went with it's decor.  From the jeep, fake palm trees with white lights, beautiful tiling, and lots of bold colors it's just fun and who doesn't want to have fun.

I was all ready to order a class of their white sangria, because it's perfection, but when I saw they had mojitos I changed my mind and I was not disappointed.  The mojito was delicious and refreshing.

We started with the street corn tapas and it was absolutely delicious.  Beautifully charred and seasoned, with lots of broiled cheese on the top, each bite was a flavor explosion.

We each ordered a quesedilla for dinner and they were ok, definitely not as good as at the original restaurant in Watertown.  That was a bit of a bummer but it just means I get to explore the other menu items next time.  And yes, there will be a next time, since we were informed they are going to have a big patio with an outdoor bar.  Hello Seaport Lounge Crawl!!!

A cute touch- your bill comes in this box

It was such a fun day of city adventuring!

A Me Day!

One of my favorite things to do on a day off is go out for lunch.  There's something so freeing about eating out for lunch during a weekday.  On Wednesday JO had plans so I decided to capitalize on the free time with a little me day.  I actually don't mind going out for lunch by myself.  I feel like it's a very city thing to do.

I walked to Harvard Square, got a table at Toscano's, ordered a prosecco, and settled in for a lovely Italian lunch.  You can always count on Toscano's for a delicious meal.  I had been craving pasta and their rigatoni norcinia hit the spot.  Who doesn't love sausage in a truffle cream sauce?

After lunch I did some shopping, picked up a slice of tiramisu from Mike's Pastry, and walked home. Of course I had to stop at Barismo, a coffee shop halfway home, for a cappuccino and some summer adventure planning.  It was definitely a perfect vacation day!

The Automatic and Lamplighter Finally

After watching the fabulous La La Land at the Kendall Theater we headed over to The Automatic.  The Automatic recently opened up on Hampshire Street, near Kendall.  I watched the evolution of the restaurant on Facebook so I was definitely interested in checking it out.  After my cousin, who lives in Seattle, gave me the heads up about their blue margaritas I was even more interested.

We were lucky enough to get a table.  The space isn't huge but it's not small either.  The space is totally retro 60s, and reminds me something you would see in Palm Springs.  They nailed the decor.  The menu is eclectic but not off putting.  We got a few things to sample:  the chili, a nori skewer, pimento cheese, and the special of the night Greek gyro.  The pimento cheese was just so so but everything else was great.  The chili is more of a steak stew with chili flavors but deliciously warm with just the right amount of spice.  I could have drank the ponzu sauce that came with the chicken skewers, that's how delicious that was and the gyro was yummy!  My blue margarita was exactly what it should be and I loved that they also had mudslides on their menu~ hello patio drinks!  This place is definitely a great addition to that area and would be fun to go to with friends.

On our way home we decided to continue our quest to get into the new brewery that opened near us, Lamplighter.  We had tried, unsuccessfully, a few times prior and not been able to get in.  Much to our delight, there was no line and we were able to check this place out.  I love what they have done with their space.  It's not the super casual space that Aeronaut, Slumbrew, and Night Shift (which I love) are but it's totally not stuffy either.  There's soft lighting, a black, white, gray, and light blue color scheme with natural wood and white painted exposed brick.   During the morning and afternoon the space is home to a coffee and waffle shop so I think that's why they went in the direction they did with the decor.  It really works.  We got a flight so we could taste a bunch of different beers and they were all really good.  Some of them were a bit strong, and usually I don't like to drink stronger beers, but these were very smooth and drinkable.

Boston Winter and Ruka

After a lovely Christmas with our families it was nice to really start the "city" part of our vacation.  For the first time in a long time, JO had the week off too so we planned on doing a lot of fun things in the city.

First up, we tried to go skating at Boston Winter.  It was super crowded so the skating didn't happen but I loved what the city did here.  Boston basically created a Boston version of European Christmas Markets with vendors, a beer and wine hall, and the big skating rink and loop.  I totally understand why it was super crowded.

Since we were in the neighborhood we headed over the Faneuil Hall to see their tree and check out some of the shops.  The tree was huge with a crazy light show.

From Faneuil we walked over to the Godfrey Hotel in Downtown Crossing.  Back when we went to the Nutcracker we had seen this new hotel, and their super cool restobar Ruka.  The decor in Ruka was what originally caught our eye.  Between the sculptures on the pillars, the loom weaving on the ceiling, and the interesting wood it's really a lot to look at.

We grabbed two seats at the bar and our plan was just to get some drinks but we ended up ordering some of the sushi after watching the sushi makers at work.  JO got a crazy tiki drink that was delicious and super balanced and I tried a Japanese wheat beer.

For food, we tried a chicken skewer with some kind of delicious sauce on it and a yellow fin roll with seared baby corn, julienned jalapeño, and some kind of salsa and other sauces.  The food was excellent.  I love when a place uses a ton of ingredients and they all come together in one perfect bite.  Who ever is envisioning these dishes knows what they are doing.  The food is pricey, I think the sushi roll was $17 but to be honest, it was worth it.

I loved the atmosphere at Ruka.  I definitely felt like I was somewhere "cool" without needing to be dressed up.  My Patagonia Better Sweater and Bean Boots were welcomed with open arms and the older I get the more I appreciate that!  We will definitely be going back to Ruka, hopefully sooner rather than later.

One Last Christmas Tree

It always feels like such an accomplishment when the bell rings at 3:00 and December Vacation begins.  For the past few years, if I'm still standing when that bell rings (and this year was questionable with me suffering from a wicked cold) JO and I head over to Nubar at the Commander for a Christmas Eve Eve dinner to toast the season.

Obviously, Nubar and the Commander, are very special to us since that's where we got married.  Nubar always has delicious food.  I got the chicken with these amazing garlic mashed potatoes and perfectly roasted brussel sprouts.  The atmosphere in Nubar is quiet and relaxing and just what you need after surviving a month of the December Crazies!

Inman Square Neighborhood Association

Our neighborhood recently started a neighborhood association and of course I joined!  The group's goals include:

We are starting a neighborhood association! We have just had our first meeting on November 30, and were delighted that 40 of our neighbors came. Now as we are getting ready for our second meeting, we would love to have you join us.

We want to get to know you, to hear your ideas and to share a few ideas of our own. Most importantly, we want the people who live in Inman Square to have a say in the many changes that are happening here.

The first four topics on our agenda were:
- Working with the Inman Square Business Association to revitalize the square
- Beautification of Inman Square
- New Green Line station and its impact on Inman Square
- Traffic patterns in Inman Square


I definitely wanted to have a say in changes in the neighborhood and I found the meeting to be open and inclusive.  I love that the owner of Ole donated the space, and snacks, for the group.  I found the different intersection plans to be very interesting and thought provoking.  I especially loved the "speed dating" portion of the event which allowed me to meet five fellow Inman neighbors.  I realized that I definitely feel at home here in Inman even though I don't really know anyone who lives here.  This meeting was a great way to get to know some of our neighbors!

The Christmas Tree Challenge 2016

Last year we started The Christmas Tree Challenge, basically just going to every hotel lobby we could find and snapping a picture with the tree.  We had such a blast that we decided to take up the Challenge again this year!  We had some trouble finding a time to go, and with only one weekend left before Christmas time was running out.  We decided to brave the cold and slushy conditions and rack up as many trees as possible in one weekend.

The first night's itinerary included:

*Nine Zero
*Omni Parker
*Macy's
*Godfrey Hotel
*The Ritz
*The Four Seasons
*The Copley Fairmont
*The Taj
*Copley Square
*The Lennox
*The Collonade
*The Mandarin

We also enjoyed a cozy dinner at Mast and drinks at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons!

The next night we stopped in at the Kendall Hotel, before having pizza at Area 4, on our way to the upside down trees, and bubbles, at the Liberty Hotel!

Chad Stokes- Calling All Crows Annual Benefit Concert

Oh how I look forward to this concert every year!  Chad is my favorite singer and the concert supports his charity, Calling All Crows.  He always pulls out something cool for the show and the set list usually includes some State Radio and Dispatch classics, as well as his new stuff.  The concert was at The Paradise, and other than the epic line for the coat check, the show didn't disappoint.  If you've never heard of Chad Stokes I really recommend you check out his work!

Let's Progress Massachusetts

One of the good things that came out of the election was the sense of community and organizing that followed.  When I heard about the Let's Progress Meeting I immediately signed up.  This election made me realize how important our first amendment rights are and I plan on sticking up for the things I believe in.  Too often I sit back and let other people fight the good fight.  Now, I'm going to be part of that fight!

The meeting was held at the Somerville Theater and was sold out almost instantly.  The meeting featured four panels, each featuring representatives from different organizations.  Each panelist explained their issue and what would be challenging for that issue under the new administration.  The panelists gave advice on what we can do to help make change.  The keynote speaker was Council Women Ayana Pressley.  She was phenomenal.  The quote that stuck with me was, "We lost an election, not our humanity."  The whole meeting gave me hope and I was especially impressed with the younger crowd that was there, getting involved.

My next step is getting more involved with The Sierra Club.  The environment, and our public lands, are so important to me.  It's time to rise up and protect them!

Yulefest 5K

The Yulefest 5K is my favorite race of the year.  I willed myself to stay healthy this December in order to run it and enjoy the after party!  I love the course, weaving it's way through Harvard Square and down Cambridge Street towards my neighborhood.  It was real cold so I even bought a running jacket the day before so I would be able to handle the weather.  I was not missing this race!  I ended the 5K season with another sub thirty minute race!

The after party was really fun and make me forget all that school work I had waiting for me at home!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Two years ago I was so busy I thought I might have to postpone Christmas (in fact we didn't even get a tree until December 23rd) and last year I was sick for an entire week leading up to Christmas.  I was resolved to not let that happen again this year, and for most of December I did a good job.

We were able to walk down to Ricky's Flower Market for the annual "pick out a tree and walk home with it" holiday outing.  We found a perfect tree and this lovely "Husky" wreath!

Then a few days later, we headed into Boston to watch The Nutcracker.  I love going to the ballet, especially The Nutcracker.  I love how the Opera House is so beautifully decorated, the costumes, sets, and ballet bubbles!

On our way home we took note of some of the new bars that had opened up in Downtown Crossing, making a mental note for vacation!