This past December 17th - 19th I spent 72 hours with two of my most favorite relatives, my cousins Carly and Cassie who were in town from Boca Raton, Florida.
Our time together proved an adventure filled whirlwind beginning Friday with an early lunch Downtown at
Woodward at the Ames Hotel, followed by drinks at a classic Boston Irish Pub,
The Black Rose. It was here where Adam met up with us to partake in the Miller High Life and shots of Jameson filled afternoon. Joined by Leah, Tray and our friend Doug for dinner in the North End at
Bricco and drinks out in the South End at Delux with even more friends made for quite an evening of debauchery. Day number two we shopped the North End boutiques and then checked into
The Liberty Hotel in Beacon Hill, enjoying complementary champagne and the fantastic Bloody Mary Bar at
Clink. That evening we dinned at
Cuchi Cuchi in Central Square Cambridge, compliments of a gift certificate from my Mom. To close out cousin time on day three we hit up
Harvard Gardens for brunch before checking out of the Liberty. We strolled down Charles Street, making our way to the Back Bay neighborhood through the Public Garden and onto Newbury Street. Our final outing was at the rowdy Football fan infused
Pour House, where it was clear we didn't want our time together to end. We sipped, we shopped, we dined, we made friends, we painted the town orange, red and green gallivanting via the T and on foot. Is anyone else tired just reading that?! I already know I won't be able contain all this fun and food in one post, but here goes nothing.....
For one of the most indulgent lunches, liquid or otherwise in Downtown Boston,
Woodward aims to please. Be prepared to spend as salads and entrees don't come cheap, nor do their specialty cocktails. We left satisfied with our lunch, feeling rejuvenated by the polished scene and well taken care of by the hospitable waitstaff.
Carly and I sipped a
1692 Brew ($11) Old Monk rum and Laird's Applejack with honey simple syrup, smoked cinnamon bitters and cold mulled apple cider. Now
that is a cold weather cocktail at its finest. Cassie, a girl after my own heart went for the
Hot Nantucket Night ($15) Milagro silver with muddled cranberries, jalapeno, agave nectar and fresh lime juice a drink you may remember I had a
love affair with of over the summer. I was happy to discover it remains on the menu year round.
Much to our delight, a chefs tasting of in-house pickled fruit and vegetables were served as a a starter. The array of sweet and tangy grapes and onions with briny carrots, cucumbers, and cauliflower was one of the most exciting and innovative ideas I've seen to jump on the pickle trend bandwagon to date!
We began with salad of
Grilled Chicken over baby arugula ($18) with local blue cheese and crispy shallots tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. Eighteen dollars seems crazy for a salad if you ask me, but now that I think about it, the menu listing of sirloin was substituted by us for chicken. Money aside it was a well prepared heaping portion with fresh ingredients.
The Hamburger ($17) was juicy and cooked to our liking, served on a rectangular shaped bun with a smoked tomato jam and lots of melty Vermont aged cheddar.
The thin cut fries that came piled alongside were well seasoned and addictive. Good to know that
Woodward can stand up to the always questionable burger task.
The Grilled Cheese ($14) with gruyere, comté, bacon and tomato soup is a sophisticated version of the lunch staple. That bowl of tomato soup, I'm telling you, might be the best one I've had. A luscious velvety pool of light orange soup achieves a nice balance of creamy tomato to a slightly frothy ever so sweet finish in every spoonful.
The accompanying grilled cheese held up its end of the bargain. Thick slices of toast surround savory strips of bacon and soft musty-sweet gruyere and comte cheese.
The crust was overwhelmingly crispy, which is quite perfect for dunking in its smooth creamy counterpart.
We weren't through catching up on the latest and lounging comfortably in the deepset black leather booths just yet. A bottle of
Pinot Grigio, Tolloy ($36) Alto Adige, Italy, 2009 was ordered to share.
A fruity light bodied white to wash down a filling lunch was just what we needed before a shopping jaunt at Kids Foot Locker and a ridiculously crowded H&M.
P.S. Check out the itty bitty Nikes Carly purchased for her one year old son Jett!
We sipped shots of
Jameson Irish Whiskey ($6.50) and
Miller High Life bottles ($4).
The hours passed, life talks ensued, Adam joined us for a
Bud Light draft ($4.50), I ordered a
Magners Pear ($7) and the cousins a
Spinach Dip ($8).
For a lively local Irish Pub scene in Faneuil Hall, head to the Black Rose at 160 State Street.
Bricco Enoteca and Lounge located at 214 Hanover Street was our dinner destination after a cat nap and an evening attire refresher session at our apartment. Serving sophisticated Italian cuisine in a boutique nightclub setting, I had high expectations for this spot I'd been meaning to dine at for quite sometime. (Stumbling into the bar after a long night of drinking is all I'd managed to count as having "been" to Bricco.) Now in this case I was stumbling in after a long day of drinking, but at least I was in the mindset to order food.
To say Bricco was bustling with activity would be an understatement, it was jam packed. Upon arrival for our 8 pm reservation, we were greeted with smiles and our coats were taken care of by the maitre'd. We were seated promptly no less than a minute later. I had an expectation in my head of a table for 7 amidst the dim trendy nightclub setting, perhaps a spot overlooking Hanover Street, or a square top in the center of the action. We were lead upstairs into a back room and seated at a table in the corner amongst plain white walls, a space that lacked much of an atmosphere at all. Feeling slightly dissapointed in the moment, however, I do realize I can't fault them for seating a large party where they did. In retrospect, I am sure the bright lighting made for much better quality food photos.
I sipped a potent
Boston Manhattan ($12) Michter’s bourbon infused with cherries, vanilla and pomegranate. We shared two appetizers to start; the
Zucchini Flowers ($19) stuffed with truffle ricotta cheese and a tempura of grilled vegetables was tasty but slightly underwhelming. The serious wow factor needed to justify spending $19 on an appetizer was lost on us.
My picture quality is not up to par, but neither is this appetizer.
The
Frittura Mista ($16) calamari, scallops, shrimp, pickled jalapeno, tartar dip was a successful dish with a plentiful bites of delicately battered seafood.
But it was not until the entrees arrived that I finally found what I was looking for in Bricco. Fresh pasta dishes bursting with true Italian flavors, boasting hearty organic meats and exciting presentations. Adam and Tray both ordered the
"Big Night" Timpano ($23) drum-shaped stuffed pasta, organic meat balls, slow braised meat ragú. This dish was as inventive as it was delicious.
A remarkable presentation if you ask me.
Carly and I shared the
Pappardelle al Cinghiale ($22) wild boar braised in red wine with porcini mushrooms. Understandably a traditional Italian dish, it served to showcase a meat otherwise unfamiliar to us in a brilliant light.
Wide perfectly prepared ribbons of Pappardelle pasta folded among a flavorful red wine sauce and chunks of boar so fresh and tender they fell apart to the touch.
Doug enjoyed his Seasonal Risotto.
Cass and Leah seemed content with their choice as well.
On a whole, the evening at
Bricco flowed smoothly. They understand how to cater to a lively crowd on a busy evening. The service by our waiter garnered no complaints, as fuzzy headed as I was I recall him being attentive and pleasant.
Dessert came in the form of cappuccino and espresso! Fond of the uniquely molded ceramic cups and the chewy cookie that accompanied, we ended on a high note. (And presumably a high bill. Many thanks Adam!)
Post dinner drinks at our usual hangout Delux, the cousins enjoyed the record wall avec le large naked woman painting.
After Delux, some of us ended up back at Bricco. (Don't ask.) The bar scene proves for a good time and I think truly captures the full Bricco experience. When in Rome....
Though I for sure did not need that last shot of Whiskey.
What a day! Cousins Do Beantown Part 2 up next!
My sister and I arrived and were happy to learn from the hostess that the grilled cheese special is offered on the patio bar as well. It was a gorgeous Tuesday evening so we took full advantage of the riverside views, settling in first with some cocktails. 
I went with what can only be described as my dream cocktail, the Italian 75 ($9) which combines my two favorite liqueurs - Aperol and St Germain with lemon, prosecco and gin. Leah's Watermelon Basil Margarita wasn't as noteworthy, while it presented a strong taste of tequila, the other flavors were muted - more water than melon, the basil just a dusting. 
For our second round I stuck with my beloved Italian 75 and she decided on Sangria ($9) which was much more satisfying than round one. Along with our cocktails, a sophisticated version of the weekly grilled cheeses were enjoyed; boasting layers of melted mozzarella, peppery arugula and spicy pepperonicni on thick slices of evenly toasted bread.
I should mention one half of a grilled cheese is $2, still a large half and $2 well spent. In addition to this deal, the bar offers $1 oysters daily from 4 - 6 pm. We couldn't pass this up and slurped three briny easy coast oysters each.
We also noshed on some Sfizi - "little tastes" which are individual antipasti plates meant for sharing. 
The Fried Calamari ($6) incorporated delicious little morsels of fried lemon zest along with a grilled lemon thyme aioli. The Pannocchia ($6) which is grilled corn on the cob with pecorino cheese and a spicy aioli, was excellent. 
We exited the patio off the back steps and decided to take an evening turned sunset stroll around the Charles. 
We stopped to feed a family of ducks, meandered over the Longfellow Bridge, watched the Red Line speed by and looped back around to the Boston side of the river and walked the Esplanade home. 
Black Forest Ham is paired with sharp cheddar cheese and bacon, which gets topped with an apple chutney and pressed between 7 grain bread. All paninis come with a free side salad, of either mixed greens, white bean, tabouli or tortellini. I chose the white bean, a lightly dressed mix of chickpea and kidney beans. 
It was noon after all, so I had already sufficed my coffee craving with a cup or two at home. I washed lunch down with a favorite sparkling citrus beverage, Orangina, just in time for our ride to the Cape to arrive. It was a weekend full of wedding festivities, which I'll be sure to recap once I have a moment to go through all the pictures!
