Celebrations at the Four Seasons Hotel

While Bret certainly appreciated the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I wanted to plan something truly special to help celebrate my new job and to thank Bret for being helping me get to this important decision in my career.  I initially wanted to plan a quick weekend getaway but our schedules are so jam-packed that it seemed impossible.  Instead, I reached out to Lei-Ann Fields at the Four Seasons Hotel and she graciously helped me plan a wonderful celebratory stay-cation this past weekend.

I gave Bret vague hints about a surprise date on Saturday and I think I convinced him that we were going sailing.  So you can imagine his surprise when I told him to pack an overnight bag for a special evening at the Four Seasons!

When we were escorted to our Executive Garden-View Suite, there were some kind notes from the management at the Four Seasons along with some complimentary treats!

With a glass of champagne, Bret and I spent the next twenty-four hours enjoying our relaxing stay with a dip in the pool and whirlpool, dinner in the South End, late-night cocktails at the Bristol Lounge (along with some delightful complimentary pork belly treats from the chef), followed by Sunday brunch at the Bristol Lounge...and finally a ride home from the hotel car service. 

Thank you to Lei-Ann and the rest of the staff for making this a memorable stay.  The Four Seasons Hotel was thoughtful in every detail to make us feel so special and welcome, and our stay was the perfect way to celebrate new beginnings.

The Four Seasons Hotel is located at 200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Introducing the "Daisy" Burger!

One of the reasons that I enjoy writing this blog is that it has opened my world to new food, new people and new opportunities.  I've been lucky to meet some extraordinary people who I first considered my "blogger pals" but quickly became good friends.  Kristen is one of these wonderful people!  Although Kristen and I followed each other's blogs for a little while, we actually first met at a Mystery Meet dinner at Ten Tables last summer.  Since then, we've shared so many meals, drinks and emails together, and I'm grateful for our friendship! 

Last month, Kristen took a cooking class at the Bristol Lounge where she created her own burger.  The folks at Bristol Lounge are celebrating National Burger Month by featuring a new special burger every day in May.  Kristen's burger creation was the burger of the day on Tuesday, May 3rd, so a group of twenty of her closest friends and family gathered to celebrate the "Daisy" burger!  We nibbled on complimentary avocado fries and deep-fried Brussels sprouts as Kristen gave a little speech before we dug into her burger!

The "Daisy" burger featured melted goat cheese, sauteed mushrooms, fennel slaw and lettuce on a brioche bun.  In case you're wondering about the name of the burger, I should mention that Kristen's nickname is "Daisy".

The burger also came with tomatoes, red onion and pickle chips.  I kept a few of the red onion slices but removed the tomatoes and ate the pickles on the side.  The burger was juicy and I loved the combination of goat cheese and sauteed mushrooms.  I was nervous that the fennel slaw would be a little overpowering but it balanced out nicely with the tangy goat cheese.  The burger was served with deliciously crispy Parmesan truffle frites, which I always find addictive!

Thanks to Kristen for inviting me to celebrate her name-sake burger and congratulations on your burger of the day!

The Bristol Lounge is located in the Four Seasons Hotel located at 200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Bloggers Cooking Class at the Four Seasons Hotel

Last night, I was lucky enough to participate in a cooking class at the Four Seasons Hotel.  This class was originally supposed to take place in December and has been rescheduled several times but last night was definitely worth the wait!  After indulging in burgers and burgundy at the Bristol Lounge last week, I couldn't wait to get a sneak peak inside the kitchen to see where everything comes to life.  At Executive Chef Brooke Vosika's instruction, I learned some fantastic cooking tips, ate some wonderful nibbles and drank some fabulous wine (including some wine made by the Executive Chef himself!).  Plus, I got to hang out with some of my favorite food bloggers, which made for a perfect Wednesday night.

I want to share some of my favorite photos (of many) from last night:

Executive Chef Brooke Vosika cleaning the bay scallops.

A sampling from the bar menu - deep-fried Brussels sprouts.

Did you know the Bay Scallop Chowder uses gin in it?

The Executive Chef let us sample some of his own homemade wine!

If you cook, you know that a glass of wine is a must!

The Bay Scallop Chowder was SO easy to make and I can't wait to make it on my own!

The Four Seasons Hotel dry ages their own beef and we got a sneak peek in the dry age room.

Executive Chef Vosika gave some great tips to breaking down a whole chicken and Megan did a fabulous job!

We got to sample another bar bite - seared pork belly on a corncake with an Asian-style sauce.

Even the kitchen follows social media and there was a lot of live tweeting!

Executive Pastry Chef Tim Fonseca demonstrated his seasonal fruit crisp.

We were generously treated to some perfectly (and I mean perfectly) cooked dry aged steak!

The Chicken and Truffle Dumplings was comfort food done right.

And there is no better way to end the night than with Warm Chocolate Cake.

Thank you to the wonderful folks at the Four Seasons Hotel for inviting me to this fabulous cooking (and dining) experience.  The Four Seasons Hotel has some other cooking classes scheduled and you can find out more information about it here.

The Four Seasons Hotel is located at 200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Full disclosure: The Four Seasons Hotel cooking class was fully complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.

Bristol Lounge: Burgers and Burgundy

On Wednesday night, I had a dinner date with one of my favorite Boston bloggers - Melissa of Beantown Prepster.  Melissa and I have only randomly run into each other once in the city but I honestly don't know why we never met sooner.  We have so much in common - from our law schools to our engagements and of course, our love for food.  It took us quite some time (and a lot of rescheduling) but we finally met for dinner at the Bristol Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel.

On Wednesday nights, the Bristol Lounge offers their "Burgers and Burgundy" menu.  You can choose a burger and they pair it with two glasses of Burgundian-style wines.

I've never eaten a burger at the Bristol Lounge but I've heard wonderful things about it.  There were four different options, which included toppings like goat cheese and oven-roasted tomatoes....a fried egg for a Croque Madame...or one with foie gras.  Despite these tantalizing options, for my first Bristol Lounge burger, I went with the original, which had Vermont aged cheddar cheese and pickles.  Let me just say that this burger did not disappoint!  It was cooked to a beautiful medium and served on a ginormous buttery brioche bun.  In fact, I only ate half the burger with the bun but went bun-less on the second half since it was way too filling.

The truffle fries, which I have had the pleasure to eat before, were addictively delicious and it took a remarkable amount of self-restraint to not eat it all!

Melissa and I had a fabulous time chatting about everything from law school, pop culture and weddings.  And we even had a celebrity sighting - Lamar Odom of the L.A. Lakers (a/k/a Mr. Khloe Kardashian).  We almost took a photo with him but wimped out in the end...but he did say hello with a smile and a wink!

This burger was by far the best thing I've eaten all week and I definitely will be returning to try one of their other burger options!

Tell me, what's the best thing you've eaten all week?




The Bristol Lounge is located in the Four Seasons Hotel at 200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Wednesday's Musings

It is finally starting to feel like winter and I was perfectly giddy when big fat snowflakes dropped from the sky last night!  I have a lot of happy thoughts this morning that I wanted to share with my readers:

1.  First, congratulations are in order for my friends Karen and Gene.

They have been dating for three years now and they got engaged last night!  I was there the night that they met at a bar when we were all out for a girls night out to help a friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend.  (As a sidenote, that same friend got back together with the boyfriend, are engaged to be married this February and I'm in her wedding!).  I remember I yelled at Karen the next day for letting him drive her home that night because he was a complete stranger and could have been a serial killer.  I know, I'm a bit paranoid.  Thankfully Gene turned out to be a great guy and I'm sending them all my love and best wishes!

2.  While I've gotten used to be recognized at blogger events, I am always a mix of proud and embarrassed when I'm recognized from my blog or Twitter in "real life."  Last night, I met my friends Liz and Emily for drinks at the Bristol Lounge.  After a first glass of wine, the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage came over to our table, introduced himself and asked me "Are you @FunFearlessBean?"  It turns out the Assistant Director is Simon of @SimonCanCook, who I've been following on Twitter for quite some time.  He graciously sent us a complimentary round of wine.  Thank you Simon for your kind words, generosity and hospitality!

3.  This also leads me to mention how unbelievable the trio of French fries at the Bristol Lounge?  The three of us split the sweet potato, truffle and barbecue fries (with four accompanying dipping sauces) for dinner and it was AWESOME!  We couldn't stop nibbling on them, even after they were no longer hot.  The sweet potato and truffle fries were my favorites for sure and I'm definitely excited about checking out their famous burger the next time I'm there.

4.  Last night, I checked my walking pedometer and clocked in 11,072 steps.  I've been conscious of walking more where I can and am grateful for all of your helpful comments and tips!  I won't be accurately clocking myself today as I have a dress on and nowhere to clip it.  There is a necklace to wear but um, no thanks,  Still, I'm hoping that I can continue taking over 10,000 steps a day on a regular basis.

5.  Finally, the polls close for Boston's A-List's Best Local Blogger on December 22nd.  Could you please send a vote my way here?

Happy Wednesday!  What has you smiling today?