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Patio Season!

May 22, 2012 in Restaurants by traveleatlove | 7 comments

It is patio dining time in Boston, and we kicked it off Friday night on one of our favorite patios in the Boston area, Ashmont Grill. From the smells of wood burning to the lingering daylight to the always delicious cocktails and food, Ashmont Grill made yet another date night memorable.

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

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

Art of Absinthe

May 16, 2012 in cocktail, Cocktails, events, Food by traveleatlove | 12 comments

Have you ever tried absinthe? Prior to Monday’s Art of Absinthe event with La Clandestine Swiss Absinthe at ArtBar in Cambridge, I may have had it a few times in cocktails, definitely when we were in Prague, but never sipped it on its own. Like many people, when I heard absinthe, I thought of The Green Fairy and the supposed hallucinogenic properties of the spirit. I instantly equated that to absinthe’s illegal status but soon learned that some of the mystique around absinthe is pure misinformation.

Over the course of a couple of hours, I got to see some of my favorite Boston bloggers, learned a ton about absinthe, and enjoyed some tasty bites from ArtBar’s new menu. (Speaking of the menu, I really just want to eat the macaroni and cheese eggs rolls all day, every day. Extra truffle fondue, please.)

First up, I had to get a cocktail to see what La Clandestine was all about.

ArtBar’s head bartender, Elizabeth Powell, whipped up a Clandestino for me. Based on the Caipirinha, the Clandestino contains La Clandestine absinthe instead of cachacha. The absinthe is mixed with demerara sugar, lime, and lots of crushed ice.

I won’t lie. On my first sip, I made a face. The wormwood in absinthe gives it an herbal, licorice flavor that was at first a little surprising. A couple of sips later, I got into the refreshing qualities of the drink, and the licorice flavor definitely mellowed. Overall, I ended up enjoying the cocktail.

In addition to the Clandestino, Elizabeth had made a punch containing absinthe and was also making a drink called East Meets West. Of course, the absinthe drip, which we learned about later, was also available.

Before presenting to the group, Alan Moss, Global Brand Ambassador for La Clandestine, greeted our little blogger group. We soon learned he is a blogger himself and writes The Real Absinthe Blog.

Alan started with 10 Things you didn’t know about absinthe, and pretty much all of the items on the list were news to me! Absinthe originated in Switzerland (For some reason I thought it was from Eastern Europe as it is popular in Prague.) Over the history of absinthe production, women have been key players, preserving the tradition and passing recipes down from mother to daughter.

Absinthe experienced bans and booms over the years, but the Swiss ignored the bans which has resulted in absinthe being continuously produced in Switzerland for 220 years. Funny enough, one of the bans was not due to hallucination but to the alcohol binge of a Swiss laborer who then killed his family. Absinthe made for two of the drinks he had that night, two of the 17 drinks, that is!

And what about The Green Fairy, you ask? Here’s what Alan’s blog/presentation has to say:

Absinthe will not help you see green fairies, and is no more likely to cause any effects
than any other strong spirit. While there is a naturally occurring substance in absinthe called thujone and while this can have “effects,” you’d have to drink so many bottles of absinthe to get them, you’d die of alcohol poisoning long beforehand.

Once the presentation was finished, Alan demonstrated a traditional way of drinking absinthe. Absinthe starts clear, and water slowly drips through the metal fountain, mixing with the essential oils and making it cloudy. One of the highlights of the evening was trying Butterfly Absinthe which originated in Boston in the early 1900’s. It’s made in Switzerland now and not yet available in the US. I loved how smooth and refreshing this absinthe was due to the use of mint and citrus in this recipe. It also had a creaminess to it making it easy to sip with just a bit of water.

As always, ArtBar kept us well fed. Sliders, tacos, and of course those mac and cheese egg rolls filled us up as we drank and mingled.

I had a great time and learned a lot at the Art of Absinthe event. ArtBar and the Royal Sonesta is doing a really great job with their food and beverage, and they have some great events. I can’t wait to return to celebrate some of my favorite blogger bachelorettes over Memorial Day weekend!

If you’ve tried absinthe, what did you think? How did you drink it?

Technorati Tags: absinthe, ArtBar, cambridge, cocktails, events, Royal Sonesta

Tags: absinthe, ArtBar, cambridge, cocktails, events, Royal Sonesta

Luxury Dining At Bond

May 7, 2012 in Cocktails, events, Food, Restaurants by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Last Wednesday evening I attended a media dinner at Bond at The Langham Hotel in Boston. I’ve been to The Langham many times for their chocolate bar in addition to attending a Boston Brunchers brunch there and a media preview of brunch and the chocolate bar, but I had never even stepped inside Bond.

Wow.

My photos are all awful (I will learn to take a good photo someday!), but Bond is gorgeous. High ceilings, chandeliers, leather chairs, a stunning bar, and jazz music on Wednesdays all add to the swanky feel of the lounge.

A creative cocktail list features cocktails all named within a financial theme; it makes sense since the building was once the Federal Reserve Bank.

Since it was almost Derby Day, I had the Derby Debt, Bond’s version of the mint julep. It was delicious. . . and strong! Then the food started coming. I loved almost everything, and though I left before dessert (To get a ride home, I will always skip dessert if it means avoiding the MBTA!), I left stuffed.

{Vietnamese Fresh Rolls – Shrimp, Chicken, and Spicy Peanut Sauce}

Delicate and flavorful, these were a healthy, fresh way to start.

{Stracchino Cheese and Heirloom Tomatoes – Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic}

Surprise! These tomatoes were stuffed with a creamy cheese. I am definitely stealing this idea for summer.

{Crispy Point Judith Calamari – Sweet Chili, Black Sesame, and Cilantro}

This was definitely a favorite. The fried, but not greasy, calamari was spicy and sweet. It was a great twist on a New England classic.

{Grilled Baby Corn with Esplette – Cotija Cheese, Aioli, Lime}

This was my least favorite dish of the night. It probably would have been delicious with real-sized corn; I just didn’t love the flavor of the baby corn.

{Sweet Soy and Ginger Chicken Wings}

These were sticky, sweet, and amazing. They reminded me a little of my mom’s BBQ chicken, but the presentation definitely fit the upscale lounge feel. The bone “handle” on each was perfectly clean which meant no sticky fingers as we ate the tender chicken.

{Lobster and Chorizo Quesadilla – Queso Blanco and Sweet Corn}

You really can’t go wrong with smoky chorizo and perfectly cooked sweet lobster. Again, an upscale twist on a favorite type of food. I liked that the rolled up quesadillas were easy to eat and less messy than the regular version.

{Flat Bread Pizza – Great Hill Blue, Grilled Stone Fruit, Pancetta, and Arugula}

I was almost too full to try this pizza, but it was one of the things we were looking forward to. I love blue cheese, fruit, and arugula, and adding them to a pizza with pancetta, well it was incredible. Salty, sweet, and gooey; I love that Bond’s menu really seems to be about flavorful contrasts and twists on comfort fare that fit really well into the atmosphere.

Before I left, I took a quick trip up to the Dom Perignon lounge, which sits above the dining rooms, looking out over everyone. Dom Perignon in a private lounge? Now you’re talking!

Bond’s service was top notch, and my dining companions, Megan, Daisy, Lindsey, and Will, were fabulous. It was a great way to unwind after a very long Wednesday. As I mentioned, they do have live music every Wednesday, making it feel a little like a weekend mid-week. Who doesn’t love that?

I enjoyed a complimentary dinner as a media guest of Bond. However, I was not required to write a post, and all opinions are my own.

Technorati Tags: blogger events, Bond, Boston, cocktails, dining, events, Food, hotels, Restaurants, The Langham