Dinner at Celeste

 We closed out the summer fun with dinner on the patio at Celeste.  Celeste is this amazing Peruvian restaurant in our neighborhood.  We went for dinner last fall and it ranked as a top 5 meal for me.  I was eager to see if it would be just as amazing this second time around.  I won't keep you in suspense, it was!

We started with a salad (fresh and tasty) and a potato with shrimp dish (odd mix, absolutely delicious) and some pisco sours!  The pisco sours are so delicious.  I had no idea I liked egg whites in my cocktail until I tried these.  

For our main meals we each got seafood dishes.  I went with the shrimp scampi, which is what I had gotten the last time, and JO got the seafood risotto which was drenched (in the best possible way) in a tomato broth.  My shrimp scampi was just as good as I remembered it.  Instead of doing the whole garlic, white wine, sauce thing, the Peruvian version features some Chinese cuisine influences and a mix of vegetables in this delicious broth.  (These pictures are not great quality but the food was outstanding.)

It was such a nice way to close out the summer.  I am not ready to go back to work and not ready to be as busy as I know I'll be.  I know patio nights won't be happening very frequently so this one was extra special.  Each year I head into the school year determined to make this the year that I find work life balance.  Then I get frustrated and upset when that's just not possible.  I'm thinking of heading into this year with a different approach- acknowledging that I'm going to be working at least six days a week and about 55 hours each week.  Maybe if I just start accepting this from the beginning, it won't be so bad. 

Brunching at Harvest

 I'm not a huge Brunch fan but I really enjoy the brunch experience at Harvest in Harvard Square.  Recently, I realized it had been a long time since I'd been there so I asked JO if he would go for Sunday brunch, and of course he said yes!

Harvest doesn't have the biggest or most extravagant brunch menu but what they do have is the perfect patio.  The pergola offers a lot of shade and the ceiling fans ensure there's always a bit of a breeze.  The entire patio is enclosed by wooden fencing which makes it feel like a real oasis.  There are lots of plants that add to the peaceful, chill atmosphere. 

They also feature a very affordable menu (of course they have expensive dishes but overall, the menu is very reasonable) and the most delicious "grand mimosa" that has some sort of secret sauce which makes it extra tasty. 

Before we headed in, I made sure JO knew the plan.  After we finished our main course we would get mock-mojitos and enjoy dessert.  He understood the assignment!

It really was a perfect cap to an excellent "city living" stretch of days.  My city meter is fully charged and I'm feeling a lot more like myself!

Dispatch at Great Woods

I will never miss a chance to see Chad Stokes play live.  Last night we headed down to Great Woods (I can't bring myself to call it the XFinity Center) for the OAR/Dispatch show.  (Look at me- two big concerts back to back.  I guess I'm not totally old yet!)

 

Saturdays in Union Square

 We had a fun little Saturday this past weekend.  We started by visiting the Farmer's Market.  I couldn't resist this bouquet.  (We also bought some fruits and vegetables, don't worry!)

It was such a beautiful day out that we couldn't resist heading over to Bow Market for lunch.  I had heard BlueFin Raw Bar had reopened after some renovations and I was eager to get some of their delicious oysters.  (FYI- their oysters are expensive and they never have reduced pricing but they are so worth it.) We also tried their lobster roll, which was equally scrumptious.

Lady Gaga

 2020 Concert Season is finally upon us 🤣.   A few of my friends joined me for the Lady Gaga concert at Fenway.  The concert was amazing and it was so fun to do something like this with friends again!

Petit Robert

 My city meter has been running on empty for a while now.  Between the heat, impending back to school feelings, train issues, and a general feeling of blahs, my meter was in serious need of a recharge.  Thankfully, the other night, JO and I headed over to the South End for a much needed patio night.  

The patio at Petit Robert had been popping up on my Instagram for a while now, and I jumped on the chance to enjoy some delicious French food with some serious city vibes.  I'm a sucker for a good French restaurant, and even more of a sucker for one that features an authentic bistro style patio.  (I also loved that although this is a super popular restaurant, we were able to get a reservation for a Thursday night just a few days before and we were able to book specifically for the patio.  I'm so sick of these impossible to get in to restaurants- Coquette, I'm looking at you!) 

I'm glad that we booked a table for 7:30.  We got to see the patio go from daylight to twilight and it really added to the mood.  The patio is definitely one of the "it" places in the South End but there isn't an ounce of pretentiousness here at all.  No need to dress to the nines, but if you wanted to, you could.  

We started with some cocktails and escargots and the tomato burrata salad.  

We followed that up with the filet minion which was cooked to perfection.

And of course I had to end with an espresso martini!

I loved everything about this night.  It was just what my city heart needed.  

New England Summer Day

 Last weekend we headed up to the North Shore for a traditional New England Summer Day.  Despite the horrendous heat wave, we were able to enjoy a boat ride around Gloucester, some walking around in Rockport, and of course dinner at Woodman's.

City Fun Day

Last weekend, we had a City Fun Day!  As much as I love my patio, and I really, really, really do love it, I realized we hadn't been out and about in a while.  

We started out by taking the Green Line over the river.  Our plan was to walk down Charles Street and stop somewhere for a pre-dinner drink.  We didn't get very far because we stopped at the first place we saw~ the patio at Alibi at the Liberty Hotel.

It's been a long time since we've been here and they've really upgraded the space since then.  They have an outdoor bar, lots of greenery, and couch seating with large umbrellas.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we grabbed two seats at the bar.  (Pro tip- get here between 5:00 and 6:00 and you can easily get a seat.)

The drinks are expensive here but both my spritz, and JO's aviationesque cocktail, were both really well crafted.  We also ordered the tomato and mozzarella salad and it never disappoints.  The food comes from Scampo and they are known for the mozzarella bar.  We had a great time just relaxing and chatting with the bartender who was headed to Seattle for vacation.  (We were having such a great time, we contemplated staying longer, but we did have some other things on our agenda so we pried ourselves away.)

The next part of our Fun Day involved a picnic featuring a charcuterie plate from Kured!  I've been wanting to try this place for so long.  (They do to-go charcuterie plates.  There are featured plates and then you have the option to make customizable plates too!  They even have a charcuterie to go "cone.")

We picked up our plate and headed back to the Cambridge side of the river to find a spot for a picnic.  The views from the Longfellow Bridge are always fantastic, but they seemed extra special on this day.

We found a spot and settled in to enjoy our meats and cheeses.  Here's my review- super convenient and well priced.  I like the customizable options and the meats were tasty.  The cheeses we tried were just so-so and they don't put lids on the honey and jam which we didn't realize, causing it to spill all over the place.  Overall, I'll probably try it again and it served it's picnic purpose well.

After the picnic, we headed over to the mall to enjoy a sunset boat ride with the Charles River Boat Company.  I love this boat ride and we try to go at least once a year.  The ride lasts about an hour and half and is really well priced at $26.  We had a fantastic night for the ride and the city was sparkling!

After the boat ride we didn't want to end the night so we headed over the Cambridge Crossing and tried The Lexington.  We had our choice of patio, bar, or roof deck.  The weather was still so beautiful so we opted for the roof deck but if we go again, I'll definitely choose the downstairs patio.  It's cuter and has a lot more personality.  The roof deck was nice but the view is really just of the surrounding apartment buildings.  The bar looks super cute and cozy and we even talked about how nice it would be in the winter with (gasp) snow!

Overall, it was a fantastic City Fun Day and just what I needed as the "August Scaries" start to set in.