FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Hopfields And Burlap Bag

by

Considering that I will either be out of town, have a visitor, or be moving for the next eight weekends in a row, I needed to make the most of this weekend.  So when Lauren shot me an “it’s been too long” email, I thought “man, she’s right, and if I don’t see her this weekend, it’s going to be even longer!”.  I forwarded her an event invite that Macarons by Jane had sent me for Burlap Bag‘s first birthday party and we made plans to meet beforehand at Hopfields.

Two new friends, Elonie and Anna, also met up with us at Hopfields.  We made our introductions and promptly sipped and snacked away.  Lauren and Elonie shared the cheese plate and I had the salad nicoise.  The salad, consisting of fresh greens, haricots verts, fingerling potatoes, olives, tuna and egg, was super impressive for a bar.  Fresh tuna and haricots verts?  Yum.  Between the food, atmosphere, and uber friendly staff, I’d definitely pay a second visit to Hopfields.

When we arrived at Burlap Bag, the place was already packed.  And as soon as we saw Jane’s tower of macarons and all of the other dessert filled tables, we knew exactly why.  A boat load of sweets is sure to lure in a crowd.

We poked around the shop, sweet snacking and goods browsing.

And then we found ourselves back at Hopfields so I could balance out all the sweet with a salty snack and we could continue conversation.  So let me revise my previous statement…  Between the food, atmosphere, and uber friendly staff, I’d definitely pay a second third visit to Hopfields!

#HLS12 – Strolling Through Boston

by

After three days of Summit happenings on the Cambridge side of town, I was antsy to cross the river and see what Boston was all about.  I convinced four other exhausted bloggers (Mary, Danielle, Emily & Kelly) to join me for a dinner adventure.  We hopped on the T and made our way to Scollay Square.

Scollay Square was decent, but it wasn’t nearly as special as anything I’d eaten on the Cambridge side.  We finished our meals at record pace and decided to walk around the city and take advantage of unseasonably cool weather.

We made our way through the bustling North End on Mission: Dessert and found ourselves in line at Emily’s favorite, Mike’s Pastry.  The line was so out of control that you just knew anything would be amazing.  And knowing this, made it impossible to settle on just one sweet.

I ordered an eclair, a cannoli, and a neopolitan, perfectly aware at how ridiculous the order must have seemed.  And honestly, the over-ordering me had little intention of sharing.  But the post-few-bites me recognized that I was seconds away from a total food coma and would need to give away the extras.  I curled up in the covers and sent Emily and Danielle downstairs with my Mike’s Pastry box so they could spread the food coma love.

#HLS12 – Russell House Tavern

by

After an afternoon of swag bag stuffing, a few of the Healthy Living Summit early arrivers headed to Harvard Square for dinner.  We ended up at Russell House Tavern which had a variety-filled menu with lots and lots of drink options.

They sat us at a huge round table with a decent amount of light for a place with a tavern-esque ambiance, perfect for a table full of SLR carrying bloggers.

Meghann and I split an entire side of the menu, which wasn’t apparent until the waitstaff delivered the abundance of plates.  Oops!!

Everything we ordered was pretty delish.  Meghann favored the brussels sprouts and I was pretty obsessed with the lobster slider.  I have a feeling this won’t be my only interaction with lobster during this trip!

Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better setting for a hip, get-to-know-you dinner.  The restaurant accepts open table reservations for parties of up to seven, so this would be an excellent place for small groups to eat and be merry on Saturday night after the conference!

On The Books

by

For one reason or another, I hadn’t seen Skylar since my birthday.  There’s no excuse, but I’d like to blame it on her being a teacher and me being ridiculously jealous of her summer schedule.  But now that her vacation is almost over, I figured it was time to get a date on the books.  I sent her a calendar invite and we stuck to it.

We started out at Cru for half priced bottles of prosecco and cheaper than cheap apps.  And although I wouldn’t order food there again, half priced bubbly could be worth a second trip.  On our way to Peche, we noticed a lone musical soldier playing in the Cedar Street Courtyard.  I couldn’t help but get Miike Snow’s “Song For No One”  stuck in my head…

Peche was on point as usual.  I couldn’t bring myself to order absinthe on a Thursday, so the bartender jazzed up a traditional cucumber gimlet with some bitters.  I haven’t had a flawless off-menu cocktail since  my regular Tampa hangout.  It was nice.

As Skylar and I parted ways in 100 degree Texas heat, we assured each other that we wouldn’t let time fly quite as easily again.  We made plans for a yoga brunchtastic Saturday, plans that I plan on sticking to!