It's not every night you get to experience a traditional Nova Scotia Kitchen Party with a gourmet menu, cocktails with blue noses on them, fiddle music and square dancing under a tent on the Charles River with a sunset viewof the Boston skyline.
Rockport, MA: Roy Moore Lobster Co.
A recent trip to Rockport immediately made me crave lobster rolls, which, in the past in Boston has been good but not as exciting as I would have anticipated.
Boston: Pauli's
Location:
65 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
The North End of Boston is one of my favorite parts of this city, it's great for photoshoots and of course, for the food. So, I couldn't believe I had never been to Pauli's before.
Guys, it really is WICKED fresh and CRAZY GOOD!!
The lobster grilled cheese sandwich was not only massive, it was chockful of fresh and huge chunks of LOBSTAH and lots of melted cheesy-goodness (don't worry, I Lactaid-ed myself out).
The catchy "Pauli-tician" sandwich caught my eye, for it's name and for its ingredients (chicken cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Those are my must-haves for literally everything, plus, it's approved by Paul himself! I could eat it again, right now.
Another not to be missed sandwich is the Vito. Why? Because it was created by the "Vito" from The Sopranos.
That's right.
Looking for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Pauli and his team have got you covered. If that's not enough, they also have a full catering menu, as well. Want to order online for delivery? They've got you covered there, as well. I knew the battery powered bikes were there for a reason!
And the team there? They're awesome!
Thank you Paul and the team for treating us to an incredible dinner!
Cambridge: Beat Hotel
Location:
13 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA (below The Gap in Harvard Square)
It takes a certain type of restaurant to get me out on a weeknight after work in this city. The Beat Hotel is that type of restaurant. A grand opening party at a bohemian American brasserie inspired by the Beat generation of the 50s Paris, with live music and cockails named "Electric Sidecar"? Well, the food was just the icing on the cake at that point.
The restaurant features live music e'ry night with jazz, blues and world adding to the bohemian vibe. This night we were treated to Kate McGarry along with Steve Santoro and the Tim Ray trio.
Throughout the evening, our host and co-owner Bertil Jean-Chronberg suggested a variety of American artisanal wines and craft beers to complement the items on the menu.
Serving a very eclectic menu of seasonal dishes to tempt both the carnivorous palate as well as the herbavore, our table covered the entire spectrum.
We began the evening with flavorful craft cocktails; my favorite was the American Breed, complete with Maker's Mark and St. Edler's elderflower liqueur and apple cider...it felt like the perfect drink for an Autumn evening.
We started with a slew of appetizers, spanning the entire table. A must-try dish is the Hamachi (yellowtail) Sashimi, served on avocado, sambal and black olives...literally melts in your mouth.
There was crispy calamari and tempura veggies, crispy tuna spring rolls, a bohemian platter of hummus, cheese, veggies, pickles, enough for everyone to share.
If that wasn't filling enough, we moved onto our mains, I decided on the 1/2 roasted natural chicken with frites, mustard jus and pickes, generous in portion and robust in flavor.
The Tandoori spiced halibut with lentils and cucumber raita was a tasty alternative to the chicken, and the Earth Bowls (options vary from vegan, shrimp, chicken, steak and salmon) are yet another satisfying choice.
Don't get me started on the desserts...the bread pudding is to die for.
It's the best when you can share in a food experience with food lovers, and amongst these, at my table it was great to meet Tiffany and see Elizabeth who I hung out with in Miami!
If you're looking for a lively spot to wine and dine with live music every night, be sure to check out the calendar at The Beat Hotel.
Thank you to The Beat Hotel for treating us to an incredible evening in Harvard Square.
All photographs ©Hogger & Co., processed with VSCO Film 04
TEA WITH: Ana + Alaina at Tatte
Location:
318 3rd St, Cambridge, MAI had the pleasure of having tea with these two lovelies recently, after a wonderful afternoon at this place.
Here we are at Tatte Bakery, one of the cutest bakeries in Kendall Square. A bakery that is not new to my Instagram feed!
As part of a new series, here I am having tea withAna and Alaina.
Boston: L'Espalier
Location:
774 Boylston Street Boston, MA
L'Espalier is one of the restaurants participating in Boston Magazine's TASTE this year, and having dined there after shooting Zac Posen's show, I have to say it capped off the, already elegant, evening very well.
Here's a TASTE of one of the spectacular desserts. Talk about dinner and a show!
MA: Priya Indian Cuisine
Location:
1270 Westford Street, Lowell, MA
Looking for amazing Indian food in Massachusetts? Look no further than Priya's.
Authentic north and south indian fare that's well priced and so delicious. We ordered half the things on the menu (some not pictured) and everything was excellent. Service, although friendly, is a bit slow. One of the tables beside us pre-ordered on the phone prior to coming in, which seemed like a good idea as they sat down after us but were eating well before us.
Still, a great place for indian food and big enough to host parties and functions. (Photos via underwater camera)
Boston: Samurai
Location:
827 Boylston Street Boston, MA
After the Zoora launch at the Apple Store on Boylston, and after the recommendation of Samurai from some of the Apple employees, we ended up there, a tad daunted by it's basement entry and dimly lit interior.
However we were in the mood for Japanese and gave it a shot.
Once inside, we realized the interior was rather nice and cosy and were warmly welcomed.
A disclaimer, we are not sushi conoisseurs; in fact, our tempura heavy selections may reflect that, anyway.
Delicious miso soup, and splendid tempura sushi - I've never had this type of sushi before, where the whole roll is tempura-fied. Not realizing that it would be as such, we also ordered a massive tempura dish (also not realizing it would be so massive!).
Great portion size and wonderful food. Our server was also top-notch.
Samurai is highly recommended by me, but see above.
Provincetown, MA: Fanizzi's
Location:
539 Commercial Street Provincetown, MA
For the MLK long weekend, we decided to check out Cape Cod for the day. Yes, it was freezing, and yes, everything, save for a few shops, was closed. However, we were recommended Fanizzi's by the water and decided to grab dinner there before heading back.
We scored the best seat of the house, overlooking the water and the sunset.
The service was lovely and the place filled up quickly as the sun began to set.
We chose a dish of sea scallops n' pasta in marinara sauce and fish n' chips, both downed with beers. The coleslaw that came with the fish n' chips was to die for. It must have had some green apple or something, as it was both sweet and perfectly coleslaw-y. The bread basket arrived piping hot which is always welcome. We also had coffees and the molten lava chocolate cake, which took me well over my sugar quota for the day, but was totally worth it.
I can't recommend this place, enough. We'll be back this summer!
