The Joys of June

Where on earth did the month of June go?! I feel like I blinked and it was over! Despite its fleeting presence, I somehow managed to pack a lot in. Here's a round up of the things I ate / saw / made / did this month to kick off summer in the city that didn't get a post all their own.

Not that they each didn't deserve one.

Ice Cream Sundae @ Emack & Bolio's

Nothing embraces hot summer evenings (hey, there has been a select few) like a trip for ice cream sundaes. It's always all about gelato where I live in Little Italy, but when I crave actual ice cream I head just outside the neighborhood confines to Emack & Bolio's at Long Wharf. A scoop of ice cream or three hits the spot. Their batches are fresh made weekly with the highest quality ingredients and extracts. My go-to flavor is the Grasshopper Pie which contains creme de menthe liquor with Oreo chunks and chocolate flakes. Top it with warm gooey hot fudge, fresh whipped cream and thick chunks of peanuts and pecans and you've got a treat that says summer like nothing else.

Paul Simon Concert at The House of Blues.

Located on Lansdowne Street across from Fenway Park, The House of Blues is always a fun venue for live music and dancing. My whole life I've been wanting to see Paul Simon in concert. I grew up to the tunes of Graceland, it still ranks up there as one of my favorite albums of all time. He played a number of songs off that album and many more of the classic tunes I know and love him for. It was a truly memorable evening and I hope he comes back to Boston soon!

Layered Taco Salad - recipe courtesy of Chelsee @ We Are Not Martha.

See, I do cook sometimes. If you consider browning beef and prepping ingredients for a salad cooking. Actually, I should give myself a little more credit since the recipe calls for making your own taco seasoning and mixing dressing from scratch.
This salad was so good and yielded an insane amount of leftovers. I ate it every day for lunch the entire week after I made it. Thanks so much to Chelsee for the recipe inspiration.

Boating in Essex, MA

My sister's boyfriend grew up nearby, and some of his friends were nice enough to invite us out on their boats for the day. This picturesque coastal New England town on the North Shore of Massachusetts is home to beaches and waterways perfect for boating, relaxing, drinking, grilling, swimming and fishing.Which is just what we did on Saturday, June 18th. Gorgeous and sunny, with no rain in sight until the final boatride home, where we experienced a heavy downpour followed by a rainbow spanning its full arch across the marsh. It was a rare breathtaking sight - my camera was packed safely away from the rain. Hopefully the rest of the landscape views suffice. We drank vodka raspberry lemonades and grilled some marinated shrimp, along with burgers and chicken. This is what summer days are made for! I felt incredibly blessed for this day since I am usually mulling about the city.

Belgian Poutine ($8) @ Saus

One of my favorite spots to open this year is Belgian street food haven turned city household name, Saus. If you're local, you've probably been. Or should I say, hopefully you've been. If you haven't you'll definitely want to check it out, stat! The team at Saus perfects the art of fusing traditional Belgian frites into this infamous dish native to Canada and the very Northern parts of Maine and New Hampshire. Hand cut potatoes are deep fried and piled with heaping helpings of dense haphazardly shaped cheddar cheese curds, then slathered with rich, made-from-scratch savory brown gravy. The cheese curds are mildly salty with a unique springy texture that makes them rather fun to eat. Thick and silky, the gravy coats the crispy fries without overwhelming their texture.

I crave this dish on a fairly regular basis!

Chicken Stir Fry w/ Edamame Slaw

This ones all my own. It combines frozen edamame, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage and cilantro with chicken in a ginger-soy-terriyaki sauce. It was a delicious quick and easy creation. Did the month of June fly by for anyone else?! What are you looking forward to in July?

Monday Funday!

Prior to the Boston Food Bloggers Launch Party I spent the Monday holiday with Megan, Alicia, Michelle & Meghan. We enjoyed lunch at Sel de la Terre making good use of two Groupons that were purchased the week prior, sipped rum cocktails in front of a roaring fire at the InterContinental Hotel and befriended the staff at Union Bar and Grille, all before 6pm. Sel de la Terre is a French Brasserie serving seasonal and local cuisine inspired by the rustic country fare of Provencial and Southen France. The original location at 255 State Street sits amongst the bustling Long Wharf waterfront where their affordable and approachable "Salt of the Earth" Southern French cuisine has impressed critics and garnered high praise. Since the Long Wharf location opening ten years ago, they expanded to the suburbs of Natick and then opened a third location in the city's Back Bay neighborhood. Excited to finally pay them a visit, I entered off the frigid (but at least sunny and blue skied) streets around 12:30 where a hostess warmly greeted me and took my coat. Seated in a corner table backed by a semi circular brown leather booth, the sunlight spilled in through the windows making the girls and I feel like we had the best table in the restaurant. I immediately dug into the basket of homemade breads and ordered a glass of Chianti from the cork board wine menu. Apparently if you check in on Foursquare (Alicia took care of this. I'm still skeptical to join) you receive a complementary order of Rosemary Pomme Frites (normally $7). Don't mind if I do! I was leaning towards ordering the Duck Confit Sandwich ($10) fig compote, whole grain mustard, provolone cheese and baby arugula but when our waitress mentioned they were out (before we placed our orders) I decided on The SDLT burger ($15). A massive juicy patty cooked to an ideal medium with Vermont cheddar cheese, apple smoked bacon and a slather of spicy aioli were contained by a toasted brioche bun. The buns outer shell buttery and glistening, ever so slightly crisped at the edges, encased a perfect arch of fluffy white bread. Additionally, I appreciated that it was pre-sliced into perfectly proportioned halves, making it easy to jump right in. I welcomed even more of those extra skinny, precisely seasoned rosemary pomme frites. We scrutinized the dessert menu in all its glory until spotting the Grand Dessert for two ($20) A sampling of our desserts “en miniature”. Each and every one of the dessert menu offerings sounded amazing so we figured why not try them all? The sampling proved a worthwhile choice with more than enough bites to satisfy the three of us partaking in dessert.As the sun moved it cast shadows through the blinds which made for some awkward lighting. I did the best I could! Anyways, lets take a closer look at what sweet treats we have here:Almond chocolate mousse layer cake; coconut chocolate ice cream and toasted coconut.
Maple goat cheese mousse; hazelnut currant tartlet, mini meringue, port wine honey and mint syrup.Granny smith apple bread pudding; cider gastrique and vanilla bean ice cream.
Orange vanilla crème brûlée; fresh kiwi fruit, blood orange and a cinnamon checkerboard cookie.Chocolate molten fondant cake; white chocolate espresso ganache and raspberry sorbet.Chai Tea Panna Cotta with a sesame praline.
I'm always partial to a well made panna cotta or creme brulee, the respective chai tea and orange flavor bases proved exciting. The rich layer cakes paired with luscious ice cream or fruity sorbet were super indulgent while the green apple bread pudding would fare well if you craved a lighter dessert. The maple goat cheese mousse was as inventive as they come, perhaps the dessert I'd order if I could only pick one! The pleasant and attentive service all afternoon was topped off with complementary bags of cookies for each of us. Sel de la Terre boasts a tiny takeout counter in the vestibule where baked goods and takeout sandwiches are sold. I am already contemplating when I can return and why on earth I waited so long to visit in the first place.

We strolled down a chilly Atlantic Avenue, ducking next into RumBa the exclusive rum and champagne themed cocktail bar located inside the InterContinental Boston. The bar looks to pay homage to the history of rum-trade in Boston; once a prominent economic force in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A collection of vintage rums are showcased on the multi-tired shelves that hang over the pewter finished bar and signature rum-based cocktails are the heart of the menu. The girls and I opted for seats in front of the fire, where our table was fashioned from a restored Louis Vuitton trunk. Soaking in the warmth and relaxing in high backed brown leather chairs with specialty rum and champagne cocktails in hand, I couldn't think of a better way to spend an afternoon. Rumba's coktail menus even embraces the historic theme with 18th century style maps for pages. I sipped a Mai Tai ($14) (so into them lately!) made with Appleton Reserve Jamaican Rum (15 year old), Barbancourt Estate Reserve, De Kuyper Curacao, Orgeat, Rock Candy Syrup and Lime juice. The fourteen dollar price tag means cocktails at Rumba don't come cheap. But obviously the fifteen year old rum in my Mai Tai makes all the difference. Okay, maybe it was the giant fireplace. Either way, this sophisticated cocktail bar with an original theme is one I was happy to hang out at today and one I would happily return.

Off to Union Bar and Grille at 1375 Washington Street in the South End where they don't have a fireplace but they have some of the warmest staff on the block. It was t-10 minutes to opening time (5pm) but the host and face behind the tweets, Justin, graciously welcomed us into the bar where the new bartender Justin (formerly of Rocca) crafted some fancy cocktails and proved a worthy photographer. That's two Justins, four and a half cocktails and many group photos.

I definitely sipped the half order that accompanied Megan's French Standard ($10) St. Germain, Lillet Blanc, lemon, vodka, and grapefruit bitters. This drink was a pleasant balance of sweet to sour, garnished with a black cherry. I ordered a Barbadillo Manhattan ($10) rye whiskey, dry and sweet sherry, sweet vermouth, rhubarb bitters. This was a complex martini with a striking appearance. I don't love the taste of vermouth and usually steer clear, but for rhubarb bitters (something new and exciting) I made an exception. The drinks were strong. Thank Goodness. The Gallows awaited.....

I will for sure be returning to Union Bar and Grille because a) their menu looked fabulous and b) I have a $25 gift certificate compliments of the BFB Launch Swag bag.

What.a.day. I wish I could incorporate Monday Fundays into my weekly routine. Who's with me?