The patio features a fire pit, stone walls, overhead covers to make it a little les sunny, and even fleece blankets for chilly nights. Before dinner, I enjoyed a delicious sour cherry cocktail. Ashmont Grill always has fun and creative cocktails on the menu. It’s definitely a good place to go if you are looking for a drink.

To start, we shared a plate of the messy Trainwreck Fries. They’re basically smothered in cheese, bacon, sour cream, and jalapenos.

My husband ordered a wedge salad, which we ended up also sharing because it was amazing. Oven roasted tomatoes and lardons really make this salad special. The flavor in the tomatoes was incredible.

I had the Truffled English Pea Arancini, hearty balls of risotto with mushrooms and a tomato dipping sauce. Alongside that I had a bowl of lobster chowder which was delicious, but I was stuffed at this point.

We spent a good deal of time just relaxing after our meal and enjoying the cool evening. It was a perfect night for patio dining and a great way to kick off a fun weekend.

Other favorite Boston patios? Interestingly, Dorchester has a few. dbar has a gorgeous outdoor oasis, and The Ledge does as well. Sam’s at Louis one of my favorites in all of Boston. And of course, the roof deck at Legal’s Harborside is a great place for cocktails and bar bites, and I like the Legal Seafoods outdoor space in Harvard Square too.

Do you have a favorite restaurant patio in Boston or another city?

Technorati Tags: Ashmont Grill, Boston, cocktails, dinner, Dorchester, Food

It was all worth it. Ceol na Mara is back in the water for the 2012 boating season. On Saturday we went down to the winter storage dock to pick her up and drive her back to the Dorchester Yacht Club.

It was a lovely weekend on the water, on our boat and on a friend’s boat.

Each day, we promised we would get home early to get things done around the house.

But somehow we couldn’t leave this behind.

So we stayed  a little bit longer. We’ve waited for this weekend for what seemed like an eternity, and it was so good to have our favorite pastime back.

Also back was a sandwich I left on the boat, unrefrigerated, by accident in October. This veggie and hummus wrap from Shaw’s was still in perfect condition and didn’t smell. We are still marveling over it. How can that be?!

More importantly, is it bed time yet? I can barely keep my eyes open!

How was your weekend?

Technorati Tags: boating, Boston

I actually started this post last week while on my first BoltBus. What I had hoped would be a pleasant and cheap trip to Newark, NJ to then take a train to my family turned into somewhat of a nightmare (Almost two hours late and an incessant beeping noise for six hours because the engine was overheating, nice!).

I certainly tweet my fair share of gripes, especially when it comes to transport, but since it’s been awhile since my last post on such a topic, I thought it would be fun for a Friday. Here are a few annoyances of late.

Food on public transportation – I thought it was a no-brainer, but there are certain foods that just don’t belong on planes, trains, or shared automobiles. These include fish, eggs, and really anything that leaves a tons of crumbs or mess. Am I wrong? The girl next to me on the bus pulled out a giant container of meat and rice, and every time the bus hit a bump, rice went flying everywhere. It was really appetizing.

Music on public transportation – Traveling to an office part time again has me back on the good old MBTA, and I am remembering the many things I can’t stand about the system. One is definitely people with iPods so loud that they drown out my own music. How do these people still hear anything?! Yesterday I could hear every (profane) word from the music of a woman at the other end of the car. Turn it down, kids.

Air conditioning – When we were having our condo built, central air conditioning was a must. I love it on hot summer nights when getting to sleep otherwise would be difficult. I do appreciate it, I really do. But why does every office and store have to go to the extreme the second the outside temperatures go above 70? Working in freezing conditions does not keep me awake; quite the opposite, it makes me feel like it’s bed time. It also makes me hungry. This summer, offices of America, let’s save some energy and let us ladies wear actual seasonal attire; “cool it” with the ac!

Tourists – I know they are good for the city, and I love people to love our great hometown, but can they step out of the way while some of us are sprinting to meetings? A Silver Line for tourists might be a good start.

Neighbors – Mine have been pretty quiet over the past few weeks, but there is literally an overflowing bucket of empty packs of Camel Lights on our porch. Gross. And I can’t remember if I told you about the vomit on the porch incident? Summer with the neighbors might be a post in itself. . .

In short, people need to step it up and realize they’re not the only ones on the planet.

Be sure to share one (or more!) of your recent rants in the comments. And then go and enjoy a beautiful weekend!

I’ve been doing my best cooking up meals with the ingredients we had in the house, but nothing has been very exciting. I had cheese and crackers for lunch yesterday and counted pickles as a vegetable on Tuesday. Yeah, it’s one of those weeks.

As a result, I was doubly, maybe triply delighted when I checked the mail on the way to my afternoon office and found a coupon for a free Willow Tree Poultry Farm chicken pie.

Willow Tree contacted me last week asking if I would be interested in trying a pie, and since I love chicken pot pie, I gladly accepted.

Willow Tree is based in Attleboro, MA and has been around for 60 years. Their products are prepared by hand, and as a local business, they are great in supporting the local community. It was fun to read up on the company’s story.

I literally thought about the chicken pie all day long. I could not wait to run to Shaw’s on my way home to pick one up and to have dinner made for us.

I popped the chicken pie in the oven and got back to work, eventually having to stop because the aromas of the baking crust and bubbling gravy were filling the house. We eagerly cut into the pie about 10 minutes before it was meant to be done, and it was piping hot.

Look at those chunks of chicken! They  and the veggies were integrated nicely throughout the pie and made it a filling, hearty meal. The gravy is homemade, and you can definitely taste the care and quality ingredients. It was rich and just salty enough, as gravy should be.

I was most looking forward to the crust, and it did not disappoint. Golden, flaky, and buttery, it made for the comfort food I was craving during the rainy, dreary weather.

My nana made an amazing chicken pot pie when I was younger, and there was definitely a resemblance. This is the stuff of childhood memories and modern day meals all at once.

With zero trans fats and lots of homemade flavor, Willow Tree’s chicken pies are a great option for dinner on a busy weeknight. The 26 ounce pie said that it serves three, but we paired ours with a quick kale salad and got four servings out of the pie, enough for lunch the next day, which made me very happy.

Thank you to Willow Tree for sending me the coupon and allowing me to experience the chicken pie. I will definitely be trying the other varieties on busy work days to come.

Do you have any favorite convenience foods?

Technorati Tags: chicken, chicken pot pie, dinner, easy meals, local food