North | 26 Restaurant & Bar

I've walked by North 26 located in the Millennium Bostonian Hotel countless times. In fact, Adam and I were walking by Sunday morning with a different brunch destination in mind when we spotted an open table on the patio and decided, why not? The host greeted us warmly and offered the table he noticed us eying. The breakfast menu looked pretty standard, broken down into sections such as farm fresh eggs, the griddle & waffle, favorites, and cereals.
It looked pricey. It was pricey. But I suppose that's to be expected from any hotel restaurant. I started with the Perfect Bloody Mary ($8). Looks pretty perfect to me, appropriately garnished and everything.
There was even a seasoned rim - someone behind the bar was paying attention to detail.
Adam ordered the Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice ($4)

It was a refreshing blend of tart and sweet.

It was h-o-t out. I am loving the heat though. We both ordered our favorites, no doubt off the "favorites" section of the menu. Our dishes were delivered in no time, along with ice waters, mini ketchup bottles and jars of jam.
After digging in, Adam exclaimed this was one of the best breakfasts he's ever tasted. He's not the type to use that statement lightly.
He ordered the Red Flannel Hash ($14) House-cured corned beef hash with two poached eggs & hollandaise.
I've had many versions of Eggs Benedict over the years. I'm not overly picky - I like my poached eggs anywhere from slightly runny to very runny. I think egg yolk variety, within reason, is good for you. I've had this dish with avocado, asparagus, tomato, spinach florentine, you name it, I'll try it on my Benedict.
North 26's traditional version the Bostonian Benedict ($13) was flawless. Two poached eggs, Berkshire ham & hollandaise on our signature English muffin.
It's tough to even put into words how amazing their signature English Muffins are. Just stare at that picture for a minute. They were actually reminiscent of a cornbread consistency. The taste was oh so rich yet fluffy at the same time. Golden brown and crispy on the top with a moist buttery inside, perfect for soaking up every last drop of the mildly runny egg yolk.
The generous slices of Berkshire ham were smokey and flavorful. The poached eggs sat undisturbed with their bright yellow yolk just waiting to be exposed, surrounded by a fluffy oval of egg white bathed in a creamy savory Hollandaise sauce. The homefried potatoes were crispy crunchy and seasoned just right.
While the prices might be a little steep, I believe the food was worth it. I was impressed with our excellent breakfast drinks and dishes, as well the attentiveness of our waitstaff.
I decided to check out the hotel grounds and lobby while I was here. A bubbling fountain in the small courtyard welcomes you inside. 

In they lobby I was surprised to see they had a fire burning! A cozy touch, but it's 90 degrees outside! Crazy. 

The zen bookshelves meets zebra stools and damask couches meets large gold apples made for a unique atmosphere in the reception lounge. 

After I saw what there was to see of the Millennium Bostonian Hotel, we headed home to prep for Gretchen and Derek's patio opening party. To Be Continued....

Saturday in the Park

After a bellini and martini filled Friday night I was happy to have absolutely no plans on Saturday. So, I ate a leisurely breakfast here:

Boston Runs on Dunkin?
Hangovers cured by Dunkin?

It was so gorgeous out that after breakfast I came back with a blanket, a pillow, and other essentials.

-H2O
-sunblock
-magazine
-book

-journalI read. I wrote. I napped. I felt perfectly content to just lay here. All afternoon...

...until I got hungry again. I picked up some fruits and veggies at Haymarket, which will be used in dishes that will accompany me to a BBQ on Sunday.

The berries were looking absolutely fabulous.
Raspberries are IN (season.)
Vegetables are looking fresh.

Then I picked up some lunch eats at the Golden Goose in the form of smoked salmon and bagels. I already had cream cheese, capers and lemon in the fridge.

The smoke salmon had cracked pepper and garlic added. I also purchased a 6-pack of Brooklyn Summer Ale and drank one with my meal. Commercial Description: Brooklyn Summer Ale is a modern rendition of the "Light Dinner Ales" brewed in England throughout the 1800's right up until the 1940's. They were also called "luncheon ales" or even "family ales", because they were refreshing and flavorful without being too heavy. We brew our Brooklyn Summer Ale from premium English barley malt, which gives this light-bodied golden beer a fresh bready flavor. German and American hops lend a light, crisp bitterness and a citrus/floral aroma resulting in a beer with a very sunny disposition.
Note the beautiful Red Leaf lettuce from my Mom's garden.

This very late lunch washed down with a cold Brooklyn Summer ale hit the spot.

We toyed with the idea of going out for dinner. But since I had such a late lunch and Adam was still pooped from a long Friday, (18 holes of golf - he was in a work tournament, followed by a late night out) we stayed in. Much later on I made a wrap with more of that amazing lettuce.
I didn't have many ingredients to add to the lettuce. On the tortilla is ranch dressing, spinach leaves, feta cheese and some croutons. Random. I think you could pair this lettuce with just about anything and it would taste good.
Hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday. More Memorial Day Weekend re-caps to come!

Asparagus Pizza

As I was uploading pictures of this dish, I noticed Deb's post in my google reader and stopped in my tracks.   A shaved asparagus pizza--seriously??   It's not that I don't drool over everything in her smitten kitchen, because I do.  And every recipe I've made from her site has been a winner.

It's just that I made a shaved asparagus pizza.

Great minds think alike?

While the recipes seem different at first, you'll find many aspects of the pizza I made a couple of weeks ago in the tweaks section.    I made the pizza twice, but only photographed it the first time, so you might notice a few differences between the photos and the recipe.   I hope that doesn't deter you from making it, as it would be a perfect summer pie!


Shaved Asparagus-Egg Pizza w/Truffle Oil
Recipe by Shannon
Serves 2

pizza dough (I used a portion of Jenna's recipe made with white whole wheat flour, ~6-8oz)
3-4oz goat cheese
~1T milk
10-12 asparagus spears (or more, I lost count)
2 eggs
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
black truffle oil

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 425deg.

Mix goat cheese with milk using the back of a spoon until it becomes spreadable, almost saucy.     Holding the tough end of the asparagus spears, use a vegetable peeler to create thin shavings of asparagus.  This works best when the asparagus is laying flat on your counter or cutting board.  Discard the tough ends.   Crack the eggs into a bowl (two bowls, or one at a time).   Roll out pizza dough to the size of your pizza stone or pie plate (I usually use a light dusting of cornmeal or flour).

Once the pizza stone has preheated, transfer the dough to the pizza stone.  Spread the goat cheese over the dough, then top with shaved asparagus.  I made two little pockets in the asparagus for each of the eggs, then carefully added the eggs to the pizza.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.   Bake for 10-12min, until the crust is nice and crispy and the egg is barely set (I was going for a runny yolk, but overshot a bit).  Remove from oven, drizzle generously with truffle oil, slice and serve!


I got some black truffle oil as a christmas gift, and it was my first time trying it.  It smelled much stronger than it tasted.  Does anyone know if this always the case?  I expected it to impart a stronger flavor to the dish, but it was happy as a subtle complement to the fresh asparagus.  Have you ever tried asparagus on pizza?

Gone Bananas With Fried Green Plantains & Garlicky Twist

I grew up eating plantains. Every week my mom would bring home bundles of these muscular green bananas, allow them to ripen under the kitchen counter until the skin was mottled with black streaks against a yellow canvas. She'd then pop one into the microwave for 4-5 minutes, carefully slit open the steamed black peel, which would reveal a concentrated, sweet and dense cooked banana. It was almost like a warm doughy banana pudding, very comforting.

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Memorial Day Weekend Kick Off

How fitting that after this weeks review of Market in the Financial District, I end up at Market in the W Hotel.
How are there two places in this small city with the same name? Confusing much? Well hopefully not because what they have in common begins and ends with the name.
You won't find a Reggae jam band at the W hotel. ;) Tricia, Erin and I meandered over to the W located in the Theater District, after we saw the sold out 7:30 showing of Sex and The City 2 at the Boston Common Loews. As you are probably already aware, SATC 2 is getting lackluster to terrible reviews. My latest issue of Entertainment Weekly gave it a C-. Barely Average. Whatever. I'm a cheesy movie lover, and the ladies of NYC delivered a host of cheese filled lines and as to be expected, over the top, unrealistic scenes. I can see why it got some bad reviews. I really can....
But I loved it. The laughs were non-stop. I'm not sure why the movie poster only includes SJP strutting through the dessert of Abu Dabi in heels. (Well technically it was filmed in Morocco.) I know probably not all of you have seen it yet, so I'll keep the spoiler alerts to a minimum and continue on my picture montage of the intimate urban garden that is Market Lounge at the W Hotel.

The sophisticated Market Lounge actually sits across the hall from the restaurant. This funky sculpture of mirror cut-outs spans the length of the natural stone wall.

Did I mention my Canon Powershot takes phenomenal pictures in low light?! I know I've taken some low light shots before but I don't think I mentioned just how pleased I am. I no longer have to suffer through to-dark-to-see shots or blind the entire lounge with my flash.
Once we decided on our drinks, it took a little while to place an order at the bar, (large group ahead of us / only one bartender paying attention to standing patrons...) but once we managed the male bartender was super nice and poured some brilliant libations. We sunk back into our seats on the plush couch situated low to the floor directly behind the bar, in between these dramatic metallic curtains. On the left, Tricia's Pomegranite Fizz ($12) which the bartender noted was his favorite drink on the menu contains Skyy Vodka, Cuvée Brut NV Domaine St. Michelle, Pomegranate and Blueberry
I was impressed with my Lychee Raspberry Bellini ($9) with Prosecco ‘Il Fresco’ NV Villa Sandi, Lychee and Raspberry. Served in a tall champagne flute, it delighted the taste buds with the dry Prosecco fizz and went down easy with sweet lychee and raspberry flavors. The three of us agreed we must make another appearance at this trendy establishment, as we bid them farewell and headed to Delux. We still had a good 3 hours left on the town!
If your a faithful reader you've seen a shot similar to the above (or just read about my Delux outings) here, here , here oh and here. That would be the bottomless dirty martini, my drink of choice poured by the gal who puts up with all our drunken shenanigans, Nikki. But I mean really, how could you ever tire of viewing the picture perfect cocktail that is the dirty martini?!
Nikki made Tricia a fun martini too. Something sweet is all I know. For last call, as usual (reference above links) I drank a Magners before we re-convened on Clarendon St. and headed to....
If you are quick to catch on, and you guessed Beehive, you would be correct.  A hip bohemian underground jazz club, draped with deep red beaded curtains, massive ornate chandeliers and local artwork, it gives a feel quite unlike any other spot in the city.
The infamous Beehive mug is filled with Kronenbourg 1664. The distinct taste of this aromatic hoppy beer is reminiscent of time spent in Paris last September. What I would not give to be sipping one outside at a cafe. Sigh. 

Since I have a super great functioning low light camera, I took some more shots to show off The Beehive. If you are a local and haven't visited Beehive yet, you must.

A few of the men with whom I spend my Friday nights.

And the ladies accompanying me, Tricia and Erin. I fed them and the mysterious man pictured with them below dinner last night at 3am. I made a mini feast of spaghetti with the last of my vodka cream sauce leftovers and a side of sauteed spinach. Oh how we love late night eats.

The Beehive has some of the coolest bathrooms ever. I adore funky the mirror collage against exposed brick alternating with a bright pink and brown damask wallpaper design. 

What a Friday! How did you kick off Memorial Day Weekend?