Category Archives: Restaurants

Brussels and Bread at BISq

It usually takes a bit of extra motivation for me to go “all the way across the river” to Cambridge, but the chance to try food and wine at a new-to-me restaurant was more than enough incentive to get me walking to my car and driving over to Inman Square to check out BISq!

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The restaurant appears to be small in terms of width, but it occupies a deep space that extends back and ends with a dim, cozy bar. My friend Kelly and I always opt to dine at the bar if we can, so we chose to sit there.

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Summer: It’s Not Actually Over

I refuse to believe that Labor Day means the end of summer…especially when Boston just recently went through a heat wave. Fall is cute and all, but to me it just means the impending doom of winter. So I’ve continued to soak up every last bit of summer I can, which includes plenty of fun events, new restaurants, and sweaty fitness adventures. I’ve got a lot to talk about so let’s get down to it.

Sister-Sister Spin

My younger sister came to visit from NC over Labor Day weekend, and we had a blast watching the Tennessee football opener at alumni bar (North Star), brunching, taking a duck boat tour, and going out dancing. But all that involved a lot of drinks and food, so we also scheduled a couple of sweat sessions during her trip. Firstly, a 60-minute Back to the 2000’s ride on Saturday, at Velo-City in Back Bay.

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Marvelous Summer Send-Off

I had such a marvelous weekend here in Boston, and the last one in August at that. It seems like an appropriate time to share a Marvelous In My Monday post – my first in quite awhile! (Has it really been since February?!)

Thank you to Katie for hosting this link-up, as it always puts a positive spin on Monday!

Friday night started with a marvelous dinner at one of my favorite downtown spots, Townsman. My friends Jeannie, Allie, and I often like to start our weekend at a restaurant that’s new to at least one of us, and it was Allie’s first visit. I arrived early and snagged us some patio seats.

I started with one of my favorite whiskey cocktails, a Red Hook.

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Venturing Out To Tempo Kitchen

The food and drinks in this post were provided by Tempo Kitchen. All opinions of the experience are my own. 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to visit a restaurant that I probably would never have made it out to had I not been invited in – because I had to venture out to “the burbs” to get there. Not a typical move for me, since there are so many restaurants right in my backyard, easily accessible by foot or the T. But I wasn’t going to turn down a night out at Waltham’s recently renovated Tempo, especially when it involved spending time with friends!

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View from our table.

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Kelly, Dave, Matt, and I!

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Boston Moves & Food

During this summer in Boston I have continued to eat great food, while also trying out some new fitness options (and keeping with old favorites). I’m back with another round-up post to catch you guys up, and this one focuses on both moves, and the food that makes all that moving worth it.

Vélo-city Spin in Back Bay

I went to Vélo-city once before, and was excited when one of the owners recently reached out and invited me and my partner in crime Emily to try out a class! We opted for this past Tuesday’s 5:30pm Britney vs Beyonce ride. FYI, Vélo-city offers a TON of fun theme rides, including country, which Emily and I plan to return for.

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The door to the studio is in an alley and looks like a portal to another world, like something out of Harry Potter.

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203 Wedding Weekend!

Last weekend I ventured back to the 203 area code of Connecticut for two important events – a visit to Kaitlin in Fairfield on Saturday, and the New Haven wedding of one of my friends from college, on Sunday!

I arrived in Fairfield at about 3PM on Saturday, and we immediately hit the road. Some friends of Kaitlin and her husband were having a BBQ, so I tagged along with them for a fun afternoon of beverages, burgers, and hot dogs.

I contributed a bottle of Earthshaker Wines Rose de Pinot Noir. Kaitlin and I had no trouble crushing it and I wished I’d brought another!

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Doubling Up on Barcelona

This month I’ve had the chance to visit both Barcelona Wine Bar locations in Boston! First I went to Brookline to attend a Tour of Galicia dinner (and take over the Barcelona Brookline Facebook to share my experience).

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My favorite bread of all time!

As usual there was no shortage of wine at this event…each course was paired with two different varietals!

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GNO at Foxwoods!

Part of my dinner as well as the tickets to the show mentioned in this post were provided free of charge by Foxwoods Casino. 

A couple of weeks ago, Emily mentioned to me that she had been asked by Foxwoods Restort Casino to come visit for the “ultimate girls night”, which obviously included male revue show Thunder Down Under. It had certainly been awhile since my last casino trip, and a night out with one of my favorite people sounded great, so I immediately said yes!

Matching MANhattans before going to watch a bunch of shirtless men. Source.

We got a room at a nearby hotel, Hilltop Inn & Suites, that was relatively affordable and offered a free shuttle to/from the casino. That way we could enjoy ourselves to the fullest and not have to worry about driving back to Boston at midnight. Despite some Friday traffic, we made it to the hotel just in time to freshen up, grab the 6:30 shuttle, and make it to our dinner reservation.

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Making Sherry Cocktails in the South End

I received complimentary admission to this event for media purposes. All opinions are my own and I’d pay for a Barcelona event in a hot second!

I had the chance a couple of weeks ago to attend a sherry cocktail making class at Barcelona Wine Bar‘s South End location in Boston. Regular readers will know this is definitely not my first event at Barcelona Wine Bar, and not even my first cocktail-related event – I attended a class about bitters at the West Hartford location a couple of years ago. This time around, the sherry-focused class was led by Corporate Bar Manager Jeff Marron.

The class started with some words from Jeff about sherry, but he quickly led us into the hands-on portion. He called up a couple people at a time to make four different cocktails, and the class got to sample each one!

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Two Islands, One 4th

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! I first want to start by thanking any readers who gave me positive feedback in response to my recent #TransformationTuesday Instagram. I’ve definitely been feeling some self doubt since getting back from four days in one of my favorite places – Newport, RI. But this summer has been so much fun so far and I’m glad that I’ve embraced every opportunity I’ve been given to enjoy myself…especially given the winter we had.

View from our timeshare deck!

My family has been going to Newport every summer since we moved to New England. And as of a few years ago, I’ve started taking my own trips with friends, because one Newport visit per summer is not enough. Here are some previous Newport posts from this blog:

Recently my parents got a timeshare for the 4th of July week, right in the city’s downtown. It’s awesome to be able to arrive, park the car, and not move it for the entirety of our stay! Newport is the largest city on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. And on Sunday, my family took the high-speed ferry to Block Island for the day. Hence the title of this post – two islands.

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