Summer Lunch Series Part 2: Leah's Apartment

On my second Friday off I spent the day in East Cambridge and Somerville with my Mom and my sister, Leah. We had a fantastic day carousing Davis Square and surrounding areas. However, we chose to eat lunch at home. Who needs lunch out when you've got garden fresh ingredients and a Whole Foods down the street. At Whole Foods we purchased a loaf of multi-grain bread and hummus. Mom brought fresh tomato from her garden and the basil is from Leah's plant.
You can always count on my Mom to whip up something creative and tasty. But more on that later. Our day began at Consignment Galleries - 363 Highland Ave in Somerville.
They had a ton of vintage jewelry and fun funky pieces.
Check out this necklace for $20. It could really spice up an outfit - but is it something I am going to rock with confidence? I wasn't sure, so I passed. As I stare at this picture, part of me wished I gave in to impulse and bought it. Should I have?!
Of course the Consignment Galleries had all kinds of antique furniture, household wares, and trinkets.

I love this little gnome cooking eggs. Not sure how I feel about the red pig.

Loving these frosted Margarita glasses.

We strolled down Highland Avenue and through Davis Square.
I was hoping to pop into a clothing consignment store called Poor Little Rich Girl but was sad to learn it went out of business. I was in Davis Square one night back in April and I now can't remember if it was there then? The rest of the stores in Davis Square are not as impressive. We enjoyed some Starbucks while we walked. I drank an Iced Green Tea Latte.

Venti - Grande - TallWe drove over to the Mohr and McPherson Warehouse located at 151 Alewife Brook Parkway. After checking out the incredible (but super expensive) furniture I had a photo shoot in the T sculpture. Alewife is the last stop at the end of the Red Line. I don't think I've ever been to this section of Cambridge before. Good times.

I heart public transportation.

Back at the apartment we drank cold sake spritzers with crystallized ginger and a cucumber garnish.

We ate a delicious lunch, as previously mentioned,and hung out with Sadie.

We drank more cold Sake and relaxed in the sun for the remainder of the afternoon. Such a delightful Friday it was. I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to a Boston restaurant review. I hope the homemade lunch with garden fresh ingredients made up for it. Post on our amazing sushi dinner coming soon.

IFFBoston

I attended opening night of the Independent Film Festival Boston on Wednesday April 21st, at the Somerville Theater in Davis Square. Holding themselves accountable for keeping our 2nd annual tradition alive - our good friends Marc and Lisa got us tickets to see the premiere of The Extra Man an eccentric comedy starting Kevin Kline, Paul Dano and Katie Holmes. While we waited in line outside the theater, much to our delight some of the event sponsors handed out munchies. Utz makes some of the best potato chips out there (thank you Adam for introducing me.) I scored a bag of their Salt-n-Vinegar flavor. These chips are potent with an extreme zing factor that will leave your taste buds tingling.

I washed the Utzs down with an Honest Ade. There were a plethora of flavors handed out including Green Tea, Half-n-Half and Pomegranate. I happened to get the Orange Mango. An organic thirst quencher, that is just a tad sweet, the natural flavors prevailed. I would definitely purchase Honest Ade in the future. The 8th Annual IFFB festival runs through April 28th, showcasing a variety of innovative feature length films, as well as documentaries and shorts, all made outside of mainstream Hollywood Studio. In addition to the Somerville Theater venue, films are shown at The Brattle Theater in Harvard Square, The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline and at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) on the South Boston Waterfront.

Before the movie premiered we were entertained by a talented fellow playing a Theremin. The Extra Man was a hoot. It was pretty over the top, generating lots of laughs. The plot revolves around Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline) who makes a living escorting wealthy widows to posh NYC events. Henry rents out a room in his tiny Manhattan apartment to Louis Ives (Paul Dano) an aspiring playwright, who among other "issues", has a crush on his engaged coworker Mary Powell (Katie Holmes). Paul Dano - if you can't place him, is the actor I best associate with the crazy preacher man in There Will Be Blood. If you didn't catch that 2007 academy award winner, I can't help you. Kevin Kline along with the Director, Robert Pulcini, held a Q&A session on stage after the movie.

Apologies for the extremely blurry shot. It was tough to capture from the balcony section. There were some big Kevin Kline fans in the house (Not admitting I didn't know who he was oops I just did.) His true to life dry witty sense of humor radiated throughout the session.

I adore the Somerville Theater. (Despite my best efforts, I failed to capture its charms in decent photos.) Similar to The Brattle (visited earlier this year) the theater is an older building with a vintage flare; serving beer, wine, candy and popcorn. The Somerville Theater is much larger in size than The Brattle and has a larger selection of beer on tap!

I drank a Belgian white ale - though I don't recall if the chalkboard even listed what company makes this?! It was golden in color, crisp and slightly sweet. I enjoyed this pint and then regretted it once I had to get up and use the bathroom.

The historic essence preserved in the theater provides a charm your regular chain movie theaters can not. (Man's head accurately portrays my view throughout the evening.)

I highly encourage checking out the theater for a movie or a show, especially during IFFB. If you are interested, the movie schedule and film buzz can be found here. There are some really talented artists showcasing inspiring and inventive films. I appreciate the opportunity to support these Independent films and every year I'm always hoping to see more as the week progresses. My weekend is pretty packed, but I wouldn't be opposed to checking out another movie if an opportunity presented, perhaps sometime next week. We ended our night in Davis Square at The Burren a large Irish pub with a plentiful selection of beer on tap and a lively atmosphere.
I drank a couple of Anchor Steams and listened to the live band with friends and fellow movie go-ers before Adam and I called it a night and headed back to the North End via the good old Red Line.