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

I joined a fun group of bloggers for a glass of wine prior to dinner, and then we proceeded to our table to get started on dinner. Turner’s General Manager, Wayne Wood, dined with us, and was able to walk us through the menu using his expert knowledge of the dishes to help us all order.

First up was the Atlantic Shelf platter for the table to share.

The cold seafood platter was one of my favorite parts of the meal. I could pair the delicious Viognier we were sipping (Bridlewood), with cold seafood and spicy cocktail sauce for dinner every night. Mussels, clams,s callops,  oysters, and shrimp were all super fresh and delicious with a spicy cocktail sauce. As always, I dipped my bread in the mignonette. It makes for a zingy bread topping. Sometimes we make mignonette just to top lettuce or bread. This platter reminded me of summer in New England, just perfect.

In the menu introduction, Wayne  recommended the tomato bisque, even as someone generally not a fan of tomato soup. The soup, in addition to being delicious, also happens to be vegan; the pureeing of the tomatoes creates the creaminess. It was smoky, basil-y, smooth and creamy, and clearly I hated it.

It was a dreary soup kind of day, and this hit the spot big time.

Turner’s has many tempting entrée options, and I literally went back and forth on a few until it was time to order. I just couldn’t resist the stuffed shrimp though. I love that you order them by the piece to decide how much you want to eat. I hate being super full after a meal or wasting food, so two of these large shrimp were perfect. The citrus cream underneath? To die for.

By the time dessert rolled around, I was fairly full, but I still wanted to give dessert a try. I thought an espresso and the Boston Cream Pie would pair nicely, and I was right.

The Boston Cream Pie was a delight, but it was Fiona’s dessert, the Meyer Lemon Puffs, that won me over.

I loved the fresh, lemony cream and light pastry. It was perfect for warmer weather, and I will definitely be ordering these next time.

Turner’s always does a really great job, and I was happy to be invited to try their latest menu. It’s great that they change things up seasonally; it doesn’t just guarantee the freshest ingredients, but it also keeps diners coming back to see what’s new.

*Dinner was provided by Turner’s, but as always, my opinions are my own.

Technorati Tags: blogger events, events, Food, restaurant, seafood, Turner Fisheries, wine

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

The Rioja, divided into three sub-regions, Alta, Alavesa, and Baja, all which have, as I learned on the chat have different seasons as far as harvest goes. I was .sent two different wines to taste (There were three, but I never received the third.) Both the wines were classified Crianza which means they were aged for at least two years, once of which has to be in oak. The first wine we tasted was the Ontañon Rioja Crianza 2008 which was a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha. Half our group liked the smokiness and spice of this wine. I could really taste the oak, but not in a bad way at all. It was balanced and had some nice fruit flavors.

I absolutely loved the second wine, the Conde de Valdemar Rioja Crianza 2007. A blend of Tempranillo and Mazuelo (Carignan). It also had a bit of smokiness, dried leaves, spice, and fruit. Someone on the Tweet Chat pointed out that Rioja wines are mysterious, and they kind of have that quality. They’re also a great value. The Conde de Valdemar retails for around $11.

What do you pair with Rioja? I didn’t have much experience, so I just went with what I felt like making and what was easy to put out for a Sunday. One of our guests is a trained chef and the best hostess I know, so as always, I was a little nervous!

On the menu:

Sliced goat cheddar

Sliced sharp cheddar (I wanted to get Manchego but Roche Brothers had a terrible cheese selection.)

Stonewall Kitchen Hot Pepper Jelly over baked brie (I didn’t do a puff pastry wrap, just baked a wedge of brie topped with jam at 350 for about 15 minutes until nice and gooey.)

Spicy turkey meatballs (store bought meatballs in a homemade spicy marinara, super easy)

Baguette slices and lots of different crackers

Amazing homemade calamari and sauce made by our friends

Lots of wine. Too much wine for a Sunday, but it made for a very fun and delicious evening.

We ate and drank wine until 10:00 which is definitely wild and crazy for a Sunday night. Sometimes it just has to be done.

My work week is crazy this week. I am basically jumping between 4-5 jobs every day all day and commuting into Boston for half days, then coming home at 6 and finishing the rest of my work. And I am determined to get in shape for summer, so there’s that. I have a bunch of way overdue doctor’s appointments scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so I took a few hours off. I am actually looking forward to sitting in the waiting room and reading.

Do you watch Mad Men? I am finding this season boring, but lots of people on Twitter disagreed with me on Monday. I just can’t seem to get into it.

Technorati Tags: blogger events, events, Food, Rioja, Twitter, wine