I had so much fun at Saturday’s Boston Rose Cruise (check out Kat’s recap too!) – a whale-sized (aka large) amount of fun. Not only did Kat come to Boston to join me, my 90+ Cellars co-workers, and Eventbrite ticket-buyers for the three-hour Rose-only all-pink-wearing boat cruise, but my mom, sister, Greg, and Jen did as well!
MY PEOPLE! (Photo by Sean Fowler.)
Thanks so much for your support in response to Wednesday’s post! I’m proud of how far I’ve come and your kind words mean the world to me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my readers rock.
Last Tuesday my new friend Jay treated me to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Bistro du Midi, located on Boylston (near Boston’s iconic Newbury Street). I met Jay at Wine Riot (through Jeannie), and we ran into each other again at the Nantucket Wine Festival. He works for Gerard Bertrand, a French wine company that I actually am already very familiar with! Upon meeting I informed Jay of my love for the Gerard Bertrand dessert wine called Banyuls, and also the fact that I was already an overall GB wines fan. He invited me out to a Boston restaurant that carries Gerard Bertrand wines so that we could talk all things wine, restaurants, food, events, and more.
Jay and I at Nantucket Wine Fest!
The two-floor restaurant has a bar on each level and the second floor has spectacular views of the Boston Common! Jay said that around Christmas time, a second floor seat makes for excellent cozy dining and viewing of lights. I’m not anxious for winter to return anytime soon though, and the green Boston Common view was pretty darn nice too.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Nantucket for the island’s annual Wine Festival! I worked the Saturday afternoon Grand Tasting pouring 90+ Cellars and Ironside Cellars, but the rest of the weekend was spent tasting wine and food, exploring Nantucket’s shops and restaurants, and drinking champagne. Lots of champagne.
Jeannie and I hit the road Friday morning and JUST missed our high-speed ferry, but luckily we were able to walk onto a freight (aka slow) ferry so that we could get onto the island ASAP. Our next high-speed ferry option wouldn’t have had us on the island until about 6PM! The crew of the ship got a kick out of us for some reason and invited us up to steer the ship. Okay not actually steer, but I did get to sit in the captain’s chair and use binoculars!
I’ve written many blog posts about my experiences with meals and events at Barcelona Wine Bar‘s West Hartford location. It’s one of my favorite restaurants! So imagine how happy I was to realize that despite the fact that I was leaving Connecticut to move to Boston, I’d still be able to get my Barcelona fix, because there is a location in Brookline’s Washington Square. That’s a mile from my apartment! It’s not every day that one of my favorite restaurants happens to also be a small-ish (but growing!) restaurant group with a location near both my old and new homes. That’s pretty marvelous! (Now I just need a J. Gilbert’s and Krust to show up in Boston and I’ll be set.)
But there are so many restaurants in Boston, and despite the fact that I’ve been living here for over two months now, I still hadn’t made it to Barcelona Brookline. Until this past Saturday night! My Boston blend Jen selected Barcelona as the spot to celebrate her 27th birthday, and I was psyched to finally have a night there planned. But between college graduations and Mother’s Day, the place was pretty booked. Luckily GM Jason Boske was nice enough to set aside a few bar tables for us! I first met Jason back when he was GM of the West Hartford location, and I was thrilled when I found out that he now is GM at Brookline. Seeing him again was so great!
Thanks Jason!
Before I get rolling on this post, I want to announce the FIVE winners of my Taste of Nature bar giveaway! Another huge thanks to the company for offering that many prizes – very generous! The winners are:
I will be emailing you guys to connect you with Taste of Nature so you can arrange the receipt of your bars. Congrats and thanks to all who entered!
I received the food and drinks featured in this post free of charge. I had no idea that would be happening until I finished my meal, and all opinions of my experience are my own. This is not a sponsored post.
Seasons 52 is – as the name would suggest – all about seasonal food and drink. And seasonal often means the freshest, healthiest options. This is one of my favorite chains (it doesn’t even seem like a “chain”) and was first introduced to me when I started reading blogs. Once I finally got the chance to visit I saw what all the hype was about and even “converted” my family into Seasons 52 lovers. Now whenever we visit anywhere with a location nearby, we all have got to go!
I finished up my first full Boston weekend since my recent vacation and man it was just marvelous. I’m going home again this Saturday (for Penelope‘s first birthday party!) so to have a weekend with no events to work and just time to do what I enjoy, in the place I love, felt really great.
Marvelous is…this video. I don’t usually watch YouTube videos but this one is too spot-on not to share. Plus it features two of my favorite things, saying “yaaaaas” and #Hathahate.
The Better Chip provided me with product and/or compensation for this post, however the opinions I shared are my own.
I recently joined The Better Chip Blogger Program and received a kit with samples of many different chip flavors, plus some fun “accessories”.
How awesome is that headband? I already promised Becki the gluten-free button!
As I mentioned previously, my department took me out to dinner at my favorite Simsbury restaurant, Millwright’s, to bid me farewell during my last week at work.
This post is actually being published on my first day at my new job, so I’m writing it the day before and am also making it fairly wordless. I’ve got a TON to do to continue getting settled in Boston! So here’s my recap of our amazing meal, which was the perfect send-off and very appropriate for What I Ate Wednesday.
Work/dinner outfit…skirt purchased at Kohl’s on Black Friday. Not showing: the still-attached sensor. Ugh.
Two days. Said to the “tune” of “2 Chainzzzzz”. As in two days until I move to Boston. Now I will use the 2 Chainz reference to plug my current favorite song.
1. I’m really totally kinda dreading the whole actual act of moving. The movers are arriving Saturday morning around 7:30AM and the day before (aka tomorrow) is my last day of work followed by happy hour co-worker shenanigans. I’m expecting I’ll be feeling the shenanigans the next morning and an early wake up call followed by a drive to Boston won’t be at the top of my list of things to experience. Gotta power through! And drink ALL the water.
I received this meal free of charge. The opinions in this post are my own.
I briefly mentioned dining at a new restaurant this past Sunday night, and if you like Cait Plus Ate on Facebook you saw a carby preview. Now it’s time to share the full scoop on my dinner – with Kat – at Sorella in downtown Hartford.
This What I Ate Wednesday could otherwise be called What I Ate At Sorella!
Sorella is under Dish Restaurant Group, which also owns the downtown Hartford spot just across the street, Dish Bar & Grill. The owner Gary was nice enough to ask Kat and I to come in…though I probably would have made it to Sorella eventually anyway, because Kat has been giving it rave reviews.
I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!
