Boston Re-cap: The Eats

If you are anything like me one of the first things you think about when planning a trip somewhere is: where am I going to eat?  Well, that task certainly fell to me when thinking about Boston and I must say, I was ready to take on that challenge!  While I won't say that we ended up eating at all the places I wrote down, or that some of them turned out to seem like quite duds, we did ultimately have a good array of yummy meals.  There wasn't one I truly hated (well, except for lunch at a museum...).

The first dinner was accidentally a restaurant that I had put on my original list.  We were heading for a different place, but saw this restaurant, realized we were all starving and decided to give it a go!  It was The Parish Cafe.  They had a lovely outdoor seating patio/deck, but since it was raining lightly when we arrived, we opted to eat inside, which was perfectly lovely!

I got a mushroom sandwich with white bean salad on mixed greens.  It was all really good, but the white bean salad was my favorite part of the meal!

The next day we went to a simple diner for breakfast.  It was close to our hotel and we all started the day out starving, so it seemed like a good choice!

We ended up having a table with a great view of Newbury Street.  Definitely one of the highlights of the meal!

For breakfast I got an omelette with spinach and mushrooms.  It came with toasted whole wheat bread and home fries. 

Looks quite a bit like the previous meal, no?

After breakfast we headed to Caffe L'Aroma for a quick coffee.  Which I obviously need to start my day.

Again, they had a lovely outdoor seating area, but since it was full, we opted to have our coffees inside.

My mom got a cappuccino (and gave me the schiuma, thanks mom!), my dad got an espresso and I got a cafe au lait.  Or at least, I got one at first.  It tasted like dirty water so I went back and got a latte instead.

It was much MUCH better.

For lunch that day we ate an (unphotographed) lunch from the cafeteria at the Museum of Fine Arts.  I was way unimpressed by the choices and ending up only having a little bit from the salad bar and eating a Clif z bar I brought with me.

Luckily that afternoon they were handing out free peanuts near the harbor.

We rallied for the food department with dinner, however.  We found that Boston has Wagamama!  I was totally thrilled.  Once again, no photos, but I got the Yasai Yaki Soba with yasai gyoza as a starter and a melon juice that I split with my mom.  Wonderful.

The next day for breakfast we opted for the cafe route.  We went to Espresso Royale Cafe on Newbury street.

I got a croissant, my mom got a poppy seed bagel with butter and my dad got an everything bagel with peanut butter.

My croissant was good, but a little on the sweet side; I generally prefer them flaky and buttery.  My dad's peanut butter bagel was definitely the winner out of this lot!

Being from New York, my family is definitely bagel snobs, so to say that these were good is quite the compliment!

Of course, I had to get some coffee, another latte!  I'm usually a cappuccino girl, but this trip I seemed to morph into a latte lover.

For dinner that night we went out to Figs.  I don't have any photos—I was positively ravenous by the time our meal arrived—but if you are ever in Boston go to Figs.  Seriously, it was phenomenal.  My parents and I split a half mushroom half eggplant pizza and loved every bite of it.  Brilliant, truly brilliant.

Overall, we only ended up eating at a couple of the restaurants I listed (Figs, Parish Cafe and L'Aroma), but enjoyed every dining experience, museum excluded.  Still, I would recommend doing some advance research; it will always pay to have a list of places you'd like to try!  My favorite meal was at Figs, followed by my mushroom sandwich on the first night.  Totally brilliant.

Have you ever been to Boston?  What was your favorite meal?  Do you enjoy finding restaurants on vacation?

Back from Boston

Just got back from an absolutely lovely long weekend in Boston.  The city was pretty and the weather was spectacular!  Certainly a good time.

Some of my favorite photos from the trip...

Here's to a good week!

Beach Week by Susan Coll

I'm always in the mood for summer fun.  During summer, it's a pretty good bet you can fin me reading a summer-y book at some point in the day.  Of course, I don't really discriminate against any type of book set during the summer, but when you add the idea of a beach in, I am totally 100% there.  I'll even bring the sunblock, Nivea spf 20.

That's what I thought Coll's book, Beach Week, was going to be like.  A romp with a group of just-graduated high school students while they go absolutely insane on a beach.  Sure, I read the blurb and knew the parents were going to be featured, but at least they would be at home sweating and thinking about the beach, right?

Wrong.

Okay, maybe not totally wrong.  They DO go to the beach, but the majority of the book is not set on the sandy shores.  In fact, it opens in winter.  That's right, winter.  The book opens and it's snowing in Verona, a fictional suburb of Washington DC.  Not exactly what you expect with a book entitled: Beach Week.

Thus, we come to one of the major reasons Beach Week fails to live up to its title.  Instead of focusing on the recent high school grad's trip to party away from the watchful eyes of their parents, the majority of the book is spent in the preparations and negotiations for this legendary post-graduation week.  It is within the realm of the discussions amongst parents and children, children and children and parents and parents that the book's true message comes to life.

The interactions between the parents and the kids intricately detail one family's experience on the brink of momentous change; not only with a child going away to university, but also the repercussions of freedom, letting go and acceptance.  Through the unique challenge's of one family, Coll manages to spin a story that tells a universal tale.  Anyone who has gone through the process of letting go and growing up after high school will be able to relate to this story.

That is not to say that Beach Week is not without it's hitch.  At times the pace gets frustrating.  One moment it's snowing and spring, then all of a sudden they are about to go on the fabled week away.  This can be frustrating at moments, when one feels that they are moving on a different sphere than the characters.  The movement at time prevents the reader from truly becoming friends with the characters.

Unfortunately, there are other ways that the reader is stopped from inhabiting the character's world.  At first, the sheer number of characters and their different views becomes overwhelming.  While the reader is still trying to assimilate into the novel's word, they are bombarded by a myriad of strong characters.  Yet, even though the characters seem overpowering initially, this happens because of how good the characters are.  They approach you like real people, annoying spots and all.

I may not always be going back to Beach Week, but the book tells a strong story with a good message.  Parents and children having gone through the process of assimilating to college-life will be able to appreciate the message and experience the hardships once again.  Coll manages to masterly capture an evanescent time, despite the difficulties in gauging time and overly-real characters with feisty personalities.

Do you enjoy books with a linear time line or an amorphous one?


photo source

Handling the Heat

If you haven't heard, New York has been dying from a heat wave for the past couple days.  From Thursday-Sunday there was unbearable, record-breaking heat that caused normal life to come to a near standstill.   I managed to do pretty well during those days, however, escaping the bubble of air-conditioning to live a bit ;)

There were plenty of iced coffees used to chill off!

I managed to get a wee bit of baking in before the heat really set in.  I made chocolate chip cookies that ended up a bit flat, but they were eaten straight from the oven which made the DELICIOUS!

I had my first experience with oats in a jar; they were beyond delicious.

I used the worlds best nut butter ever, PB & co Cinnamon Raisin Swirl.  Words cannot describe my abundant love for this stuff!  I recently got White Chocolate Wonderful, which tastes like the inside the middle of a peanut butter cup to me.  Good, but I prefer this one.

Sunday evening was considerably less hot and I jumped at the chance to bake a bit, meet chocolate mint cookies.  These were absolutely incredible!  They have an extraordinarily rich chocolatey taste with a unique fudge-like texture.  I highly recommend you making them as soon as possible, the minty flavor is absolutely perfect for summer.

Since the hot weather has more/less left these shores for a bit, my mother and I headed out on some errands/fun stuff on Monday.

I've been wanting to try Argo Tea for quite a while (say early April) and finally managed to today!  Yes, much celebration ensued.

Okay, so maybe you cannot actually read the menu from this photo, but the point was to show you all the really cool screen.  Of course, none of the awesome-ness comes across in this photo.  Basically, there was a t.v. screen that displayed all the drinks and changed so you could see the different variations.

After much deliberation I chose...

An Iced Coconut Chai Latte!  It was beyond beyond.  The coconut flavor was nice and subtle, yet pronounced.  That being said, it most definitely did NOT overwhelm the spice-y chai taste that I love oh-so-much.  Perfect way to enjoy a chai latte during the summer :)

The rest of the day was spent running around and doing fun errands.  This involved going to Fishes Eddy and totally not getting the dishes we planned to get, a trip to Lulu Lemon that ended up in shorts and a racerback tank top (so so so excited to go running in these!) and a lovely little jaunt through Whole Foods purely to get Guittard chocolate chips. What can I say, I need the good stuff for baking!  Not to mention (another) trip to the container store and lunch at Pret (avocado and pine nut wrap, go get this now.  you will NOT be sorry!).

While at the container store I looked a bit at all the crazy things they had to pack lunches in.  This year I'm totally committed to bringing lunch with me to uni.  Of course, now that I'm living properly close and will have even less classes than last year, this could end up being a moot point.  Still, salad bowl anyone?  It even has a little top container for your dressing!  Quite brilliant, if I do say so myself.  I didn't get it, but I am definitely thinking about it.  Need to pack myself nutritious lunches ;)

What have you been up to recently?  What is your favorite summer beverage?

An Ode to Breakfast

Remember back in halls when I absolutely hated the food, hated anything they made me eat and wanted to gag at the smell of the tuna pasta bake?  The one meal that was ok (besides lunch, ha!  They didn't even serve that to us) was breakfast.  How can you go wrong with cereal, yogurt, "toast" and a cooked breakfast?  You kinda can't.  That doesn't mean that it didn't get painfully boring after a while, because it totally did.  I found easy ways that I could merge my tastes with the ones of the hall.  Of course, now I get to eat whatever I want for breakfast!  Yay, celebration time.  So here is my ode to good breakfasts I've been enjoying this summer.

Blueberry Coconut Milk Yogurt with Chocolate O's

Almondine Croissant (the pain au raisin was my mom's) and Cappuccino

Siggi's Passionfruit and Pomegranate Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean and a Cliff z bar

Cookie Dough cereal from fitnessista

A Strawberry Smoothie made with greek yogurt

What is your favorite breakfast food for summer?

Un Bacione,

Emilia

Terrific Tuesdays

Hiya!

It's HOT here.  Too hot to turn on the oven (which means I can't satisfy this HUGE craving I've been having recently to bake cookies...it's starting to get seriously annoying).  Too hot to go running (even in the morning).  And definitely too hot to spend a lot of time outside.  Bummer, right?

Well, Tuesday's itinerary seemed to satisfy the need for coolness and my desire to actually DO something, instead of just bumming around all day (hello Monday!).  So what did I do?

The morning started off with a VERY early wake up time in order to get to the MET early enough to not have to queue up for a lifetime in order to see the very talked about and hyped show: Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty.

It was super crowded, impacting one's ability to actually see the clothing.  I had very mixed feelings about the show, I'll share them in a later post.

After that it was time for a coffee in one of the MET's many cafes.  I got a cappuccino and was expecting some dirty water, though it wasn't actually half bad.  Of course I've had better cappuccini, but I've also had worse.  That being said, I was originally going to get water until I saw their fancy espresso machine.  A fancy machine surely means good coffee, no?

My mother and I had no other plans for the morning, except to head over to Candle Cafe for lunch.  Since we still had some time left before either of us got hungry, we walked through the museum a bit and talked about our feelings about the McQueen show.

Once we worked up an appetite, we hoofed it over to Candle Cafe, though not before stopping at Sur La Table to get some silicone baking cups.  I've been wanting these things since FOREVER and am so glad to finally get them!  I also got a small little heart pan that I have big plans for upon the return to uni and cooking for one.

Candle Cafe was, in a word, awesome.  I've been wanting to go there for quite a while and am so glad I finally made it up there!  It took me forever to decide what to order, partly because by that time I was properly starving and partly because everything looked good!  After some serious deliberation, I decided on the Ginger Miso Stirfry.  I was a little apprehensive about ordering this, not because I didn't think it would be good, but because it seemed a bit normal.  Since I was at a vegan restaurant, surely I should order something totally vegan, like the tuscan lasagna or a seitan sandwich?  Once I took my first bite, however, I was thrilled I with my choice.  The chunks of tofu tasted brilliant, the vegetables were fresh and the rice was spectacular.  I have to say that the ginger miso sauce really brought the whole dish together and was unlike other sauces I have had with similar meals.  A total winner.

My mom got a Green Goddess and the Cajun Seitan Sandwich.  We ended up splitting the juice, which had a lovely fresh, yet spicy flavor.  I might not get it again, but was glad to have tried it.  The cajun seitan sandwich (yes, I definitely had some ;) ) was awesome.  My mom said she felt like it was a little heavy, with the fried seitan and the bread, but I just loved it.  The avocado slices on the sandwich perfectly complemented the spiciness of the seitan and bitterness of the sauteed greens.  She also said the coleslaw was spectacular, I didn't try any as I don't particularly like coleslaw.

Then it was time for one of my favorite New York stores, Bloomingdales!  I went their knowing that I wanted to get some Kiehl's products, their grooming cream and a conditioner to be exact, but also ended up getting some lipgloss.  We walked around a bit, but their contemporary clothing floor was mostly under construction...oh well, still got in a good walk through shoes!

That was basically my Tuesday in a nutshell.  I'm hoping to get some more recipes up soon, though you may have to wait until it cools down a bit!  In the meantime, I'll be eating fro-yo like it's my job (you mean it isn't?) ;)

What's been going on with you lately?  Is it hot where you are?


Un Bacione,

Emilia

The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand

The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand

I love me some beach reads.  This book fits the bill perfectly.  This book not only is a beach read, but it is a really really good beach read.  The kind of story that you wish all summer themed novels could be like.  The plot may be "light", but it has emotional resonance, which elevates the overall pleasure of reading.

We are on a beach club/hotel on Nantucket Island, following the owners, staff and guests of the institution during a watershed summer for all the characters.  One could approach this book and dissuaded by the fact that it is set in rich Nantucket.  Rest assured, however, Hilderbrand does not write a novel centering around the lives and problems of the rich guests.  Instead, she makes the staff the focal point of the novel, illustrating their interactions with the evanescent world of a Nantucket summer.

What stuck with me most about the book was how the organization really supported Hilderbrand's unique storytelling style.  She focuses the plot on her unique characters and their goals for the summer.  They all have a history and an uncertain future that makes them highly relateable.  Each chapter focuses on a certain member of staff and a particular guest.  This evokes the passage of time during the summer marvelously, from the quick beginning, to the never-ending days of August, leading right up to the sudden ending in September; the reader will truly feel that they have experienced a summer after reading The Beach Club.

The main issues with the novel that prevents it from being an exceptional read in general is the amount of characters.  Although the reader is able to connect with the majority of them, there are times when the vast number seems overwhelming, preventing each character from being fully developed.  Immediately after getting an insight into one character, the reader is thrust into the world of another, which can be a disjointing and nearly alienating experience whilst reading.

Overall, The Beach Club is a fun book that I would reach for during the summer months, but could not see myself enjoying during an English winter.  The time and atmosphere of summer is evoked excellently, yet the characters, though highly entertaining, are not given adequate time to take off.  Take this to the beach, on the subway, or whenever you feel the need for a little summer fun.  Yet don't go for this during the winter, it just won't shine in the proper way.

Do you like to read books based on season?  What are your picks for this summer?


Un Bacione,

Emilia

photo source

We'll Still Have the Summer

I'm totally into this summer thing and I do it quite well, if I do say so myself!  Because, you see, when summer comes around I do things like take silly photos of myself drinking iced coffee.

Of course, it was on the way to Ikea to look for some furniture for my room.  I've had the same bed since I was six or something, I think it's time for something new!  

During summer, you can't spend the entire day inside a super-air conditioned store, though. You have to include some pretty views, not to mention lunch!  Ikea food does NOT do it for me.

This hasn't been the only exciting summer event during the past week.  I like to get my culture on sometimes, so I went to the ballet with my mother.  I was a little nervous that I'd be sitting there slightly bored, but I loved it!  We saw Sleeping Beauty and it was absolutely fantastic!

Afterwards, we got some eats from Whole Foods and sat in Columbus Circle.  I love sitting there, it's so pretty and calming with the fountains, like a little oasis in the centre of the city.

That afternoon we also stopped by Grom and enjoyed a small cup with albicocca and bacio, a brilliant combination!  I absolutely loved it and would definitely get either flavor again.

Friday, I had to work, but managed to squeeze in a cup of coffee before hitting the daily grind, or the scanner.

It was good, but I cannot say that it was the best.  The schiuma art was pretty despite the lack luster flavor.

Another important part of having an awesome summer is going around New York to do random things.  Sounds fun, no?  Yesterday, I went to the container store and paragon with a couple stops along the way.  My mother and I went to Terri Vegetarian to get some lunch.  I've been wanting to try this place for a while and I was definitely not disappointed.

My mom got the grilled vegetable sandwich, which she really liked, though wasn't too keen on the bread.

I go the Thai Chicken wrap, which I thought was fantastic.  I was surprised at how huge this thing was!  At first the prices may seem steep, but for the quality and amount it's definitely worth it.

Now, I'm chilling out, drinking some iced tea and contemplating my week.  Don't you just love summer?

What have you done recently that epitomizes summer to you?  Any summer projects you're working on?

Un Bacione,

Emilia