Cocktails, Lately

Trade / 540 Atlantic Avenue / Financial District

Beets by Trade / Bully Boy vodka, beet + cucumber simple syrup, lime, pineapple 

Waxy's / 1032 Beacon St / Brookline

Shake Rattle + Rum / Three Olives coconut water vodka, The Real McCoy 5 year rum, pineapple, ginger, angostura bitters 

Il Molo / 326 Commercial Street / North End

Sidecar / Cognac, Contreau, lemon juice, orange slice + demerarra sugared glass

Three destination worthy drinks! 
 Where have you had a great cocktail lately?!

Finale Desserts

Last Tuesday I got my fix of sweet treats at yet another fantastic Finale Desserts tasting event. You may recall I attended the Craft Beer Tasting back in May and embraced the unique concept of pairing beer with pastries. This time around Nicole Cody - Finale's pastry chef extraordinaire paired five of her signature desserts with summer cocktails crafted by Tim Murphy of Horizon Beverage.Tonight I was joined by Mindy, Megan and Emily who were just as excited to have dessert for dinner as I was. The pairings flowed from cocktails and desserts that were light, fruity, creamy and custardy to ones that were rich and decadent with flavors of coffee and chocolate.

First up - the Tropical Sunset Cocktail blends X-Rated Fusion liqueur with pineapple juice, raspberry puree and a splash of soda water. This fruity libation was paired with a light and fluffy crust free version of Cheesecake that I unexpectedly adored. If this were a competition, cocktail versus dessert, the dessert wins this round hands down. The Lemon Tart in a handmade sugar dough shell complimented a Wild Berry Mojito with sweet mixed berry puree, brut cava, peach schnapps and a splash of sprite. I wasn't the biggest fan of this mojito - perhaps because it strayed too far from a typical rum based version with muddled mint and sugar. But the tart was pretty good - I'm sensing a trend....The third paring of a St. Germain Sparkler with with a traditional Creme Brulee was one of my overall favorites. A super sweet sip of the ever popular elderflower liqueur mixed with Nivole Moscato was balanced by a similar level of sweetness in the caramelized vanilla custard. The Chocolate Bliss Cocktail tasted like a grown up version of chocolate milk. The decadent blend of Godiva Caramel, Godiva Dark, Creme de Cacao and Finale Chocolate Ganache went with a classic Tiramisu, layering coffee soaked ladyfingers, rich mascarpone mousse and a dusting of Valhorona cocoa powder. Lastly, a rich flourless Chocolate Decadence cake was paired off with a strong blend of Svedka Vodka shaken with Godiva Dark, Kahlua and espresso for a non traditional espresso martini. Dessert for dinner? Definitely a good idea every once in awhile, especially when enjoyed with cocktails. This particular tasting will also take place on August 9th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at Finale Coolidge Corner located at 1306 Beacon Street. My tasting was complimentary since I attended as a media guest, but at only $20 per person it is an inexpensive and fun way to switch up your summer after work routine!

Golden Temple | Brookline

One of my best friends recently accepted a job in Milwaukee. On Saturday night we threw her a farewell dinner party at Golden Temple. When we graduated college Tricia and I moved to Brookline together, our beloved Reservoir Court apartment was just up the street. The restaurant served as the location for her send off dinner party; providing a hint of nostalgia, delicious Chinese food, strong tropical drinks, sake bombs and an evening of dancing to top 40 hits. Might I also announce before I begin the photo recap, that I am the proud new owner of a Canon Rebel T3!! After over a year with my Canon Powershot point and shoot (which I still love) I was ready to upgrade, DSLR style. The other night at the Golden Temple saw her first outing and so far I am impressed with the resulting photos. The evening started on a high note with Sapporo, Mai Thais and Singapore Slings. Warm colors and seductive lighting set the scene. Our table was positioned along the back wall in the main dining room looking out to the bar complete with a DJ booth and dance floor. We brought in balloons and confetti for a little extra table décor. 
The festivities continued with a few Sake Bombs!For dinner I ordered the Special Pad Thai ($19.95) - a heaping plate of noodles with chicken, shrimp, broccoli, mushrooms, pea pods, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, organic eggs and crushed peanuts. A little something to line the walls of her new apartment in Milwaukee. A stunning four foot canvas of the Boston skyline. Obligatory shot of the college roommates!I'm certainly going to miss this girl! I envision a Milwaukee visit in my future. I should also add we were extremely pleased with Golden Temple as a venue choice. We received spot on service and the transition from dinner party to dance party atmosphere was perfect, everyone had a blast.

Golden Temple

1651 Beacon St

Brookline, MA

Finale x Craft Beer Tasting

Ever since I returned home from New Orleans on Monday night I've had a slew of non-stop weekday events and dinners. Luckily, I took Tuesday off from work in advance so I could have a day to breath / unpack / upload photos before going at it again. On Tuesday evening I met my friend Michelle at Coolidge Corner in Brookline to attend a Craft Beer Tasting Event at Finale Bakery. Hosted by their pastry chef Nicole Cody and Craft Brewers beer expert Erika Soucy, these ladies did a fantastic job of planning the pairings and leading us through the tasting; which showcased five flavored craft beers each with a decadent pastry. They encouraged us to taste the dessert first, then sip beer and vise versa. Switching up the order surprises the palate and allows you to determine which order you like better with which pair. My favorite just so happened to be the first pairing of Lindeman’s Peche with a fresh Seasonal Fruit Tart. I love Lindeman's Framboise but I had no idea they made a peach flavor! This light and fruity beer balanced nicely with the richness of the Tahitian vanilla and Bavarian cream in the tart. The next paring was an 8% alcohol, full bodied Bosteel’s Tripel Karmeliet which enhanced the very simple, cold and custardy Crème Brulee. The third pairing introduced me to a beer I can't wait to try again, a Wells Banana Bread which is a traditional ale from England. The bready mouthfeel and prevalent banana notes complimented the Bavarian cream, yellow cake and semi sweet chocolate icing in the Boston Cream Pie. The Schneider Aventinus Eisbock delivered a strong (12% alcohol) Germain ale with a hint of clove and spiciness. The Chocolate Symphony Squares offered three layers of sweet mousse to stand up to the beer with a dark chocolate first, followed by a white chocolate and finally a milk chocolate mousse. For the final round we tasted Atwater Vanilla Java Porter. It was lighter than I expected - a well rounded porter that was smooth and easy to drink. The pairing with the rich, flourless Dark Chocolate Decadence worked out well. I was actually pretty full at this point!

The event was well organized; with the pairings evenly paced and passionately spoken about. I enjoyed the exposure to some unconventional craft beers and who can argue with dessert for dinner?! Finale Coolidge Corner holds different tasting events on certain Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. Let me know if you would like to attend one!

Special thanks to Mindy Valone at CM Communications for the warm welcome and of course Michelle for inviting me as her guest!

The Abbey | Brookline

My girlfriends and I arrived to Washington Square on a warm Friday evening, stepping into a dim lit space roaring with conversation; we had decided to check out The Abbey. The space was formerly occupied by Dalia's Bistro and Wine Bar; where intimate velvet booths, rich chocolate wood table tops, gray walls and carpeted floors are completely redone with exposed brick walls and gleaming hardwood floors. Its opening no secret, The Abbey was already packed with patrons.
We put our names in with the maitre'd, snagged the next available seats to open up at the polished wood bar and ordered ourselves some wine. It did not take long for us to be seated. The menu was perused in anticipation as the wine, cocktails and conversations continued to flow. I ordered a Galliano Sour ($10) Galliano, brandy, bitters, lemon juice, simple syrup and one egg white.

Unexpectedly more sweet compared to sour or bitter, I just now learned Galliano is a sweet herbal Italian liqueur.

We were served bread with a zesty garlic hummus and started with a few small appetizer plates. The Fried Halloumi Cheese ($4) is an unusual and tasty appetizer served with a tangy yogurt dipping sauce. Halloumi is made with sheeps and goats milk and can be pan-fried without melting. This creates an incredibly unique texture where the light crispy batter breaks exposing warm, dry and salty cheese crumbles. We enjoyed vegetable side dishes including the Spicy Julienned Snow Peas ($4.50) which were sautéed and flavored with a bold kick and Hoisin BBQ Broccoli ($4.50) was also excellent. Our entrees were served when we realized the waitress forgot about our Lamb Lollipops - which was disappointing only for a minute. I was certainly excited to try the dish, but it seemed a blessing in disguise as the ladies and I knew we ordered plenty of food otherwise. We shared a beautiful plate of crispy and well seasoned with parsley and parmesan Truffle Fries ($4.50), dipped in a side of roasted garlic mayo, which we absolutely loved!And for the finale of foods - my entrée of Bison Bolognese ($17) served with fresh linguine and romano cheese was the just right portion size of a really excellent dish. With a thoughtful and fun presentation, I was thoroughly satisfied by the toothsome linguine in a richly flavorful sauce and the plentiful chunks of ground bison.

The Abbey does not take reservations but are open for lunch, dinner and late night so there is ample opportunity to check out the new digs. I used to live on Beacon Street @ Englewood not too far up the road, so I'm impressed to see positive change and reasonably priced food in a neighborhood near and dear to my heart!

The Abbey | Washington Square

1657 Beacon Street

Brookline, MA 

Sea To You Sushi

100th post!!

Pretty cool, right? A quick moment to express my appreciation for my followers and commenters. Thank you for your insights, your humor, your good nature and in general thanks for reading. You guys are the best. Now prepare to feast your eyes on the most incredible Sushi platter ever to grace the blog world.
This sushi platter worth $120 was purchased with a Groupon costing $60 in total. That is a steal. Sea To You Sushi & Asian Foods is located at 5 Kendal Street in Brookline. They are a take-out only establishment.
We drank a bottle of Nigori Genshu Sake with our sushi. I have a relatively new obsession with cold unfiltered sake. If you are a sake lover I highly recommend you try some.

We were extremely pleased with the variety of sushi they provided. There was an impressive selection of maki rolls, an assortment of nigiri sushi, sashimi and salads. We had salmon, tuna, unagi, shrimp and scallops as well as seaweed salad and octopus salad.

The sushi was incredibly fresh.

Sea To You Sushi specializes in catered events - for the platters they prefer two days advanced notice. You can pick up at their Brookline location or they offer a delivery service at an extra charge. They also offer professional sushi chefs for hire. Throw a sushi party and their chef(s) will make sushi fresh for your guests. How fun!!

Happy Birthday, Leah!!