Sevilla | España

The rest of our time in Seville was fabulous, however, getting there was not. We boarded the ferry from Tangier, Morocco for the short journey to Tarifa, Spain. After our ferry docked in Tarifa and we cleared customs our driver was no where to be found. We booked with what seemed a reputable transfer company and the bizarre part is we had been texting with the driver prior to arriving. He ghosted us! A mildly stressful situation - there was a lot of back and fourth, then dinner in Tarifa, finding an ATM and eventually a taxi to get us 2 hours to Seville. I had our amenable taxi driver stop for cervesas and we made the best of our much-later-than-planned road-trip! 

We were so ready to enjoy a night out (remember, we couldn't really drink in Chefchaouen) and it was midnight by the time we checked into our hotel. Fortunately, it was a stones throw from some swanky cocktail bars. 

At The Second Room the girls sipped fruity sangria and I a classic manhattan. Delicious drinks and winding down from all the transfer stress just in time for some extremely drunk old men to hit on us. Off to Torero - a beautiful Brandy cocktail bar. Perfect nightcap! I was enamored with the the presentation of my aged brandy. I was also ready for a comfy bed. 

Palacio Pinello delivered a comfy bed and then some. This 4 star boutique hotel in the Santa Cruz district is housed in a late 15th century palace. The rooms are situated around the stunning central courtyard where we had our breakfast each morning. Our triple room was very spacious, the bathroom and waterfall shower were too! It had soaring ceilings and really pretty furnishings .

In the heart of the historic center we arrived briskly to Real Alcazar where we spent the better part of the morning. I was glad we booked advance tickets to skip the lines. We lunched in Plaza de San Francisco, shopped for the kids, and went for rooftop cava spritzes at La Terraza del EME.  

La Terraraza boasts up close views of the Catedral and La Giralda which we would head to next! The Cathedral de Sevilla is majestic, we breezed through with audio guides. The climb to the top of the bell tower was worth it! Finally, we went for a late afternoon wine tasting at Lama La Uva which allowed a meandering walk to take in more of the sprawling city. 

Sevilla - rallying not dallying. purposefully meandering.

Country Mile | Watertown

 

Country Mile is OUTSTANDING. It is brand new from a husband and wife (chef + front of the house) duo from Vermont. I guarantee you will see it on all the Best of Boston lists in 2019. I was not into mocktails throughout my pregnancy but the bartender here does them justice; they are exceptionally crafted and were the price of an actual soda. (Although perhaps this was a birthday deal?!) The group can vouch for the cocktails being fantastic, too. 

I have included a photo of the menu since four of us shared about half of it. You will literally want every vegetable dish in that first section. I'm still swooning + Happy 35th Birthday to me!

Curried Mussels + Japanese Eggplant

Gimlet Mocktail

Black Trumpet Mushrooms

Lomo w cave aged Gruyere

Seared U10 Scallops

Chocolate + Cheese dessert plate

Country Mile

136 Belmont St

Watertown, MA 02472

Frenchie Wine Bistro

Bienvenue, Frenchie! To quote Boston Magazines top 25 new restaurants issue: every neighborhood in Paris has a Frenchie: an overachiever all day café that will serve you beyond-solid renditions of a dozen or so classics. 

True to it's name, this subterranean South End Bistro transcends you to the chic streets of Paris, France. The atmosphere isn't trying to hard. The neighborhood crowd is young and hip. All white pressed tin ceilings meet white exposed brick walls with a single white fluorescent sign that reads In Vino Veritas. In wine there is truth.

While in the midst of wedding planning (the to do list that never ends) an impromptu date night book-ended by cocktails at The Beehive and beers at Anchovies was the prefect respite. Because it was -14 degrees outside we ordered everything of the hot side of the menu, which meant lots of rich dishes and subsequently lots of bread as a vessel for delicious bites of garlicky escargots, slippery foie gras and creamy goat cheese. 

Escargot Toast ($11) on grilled country bread, lavished with herbed garlic butter.
Foie Gras ($18) accompanied by candied quince and crunchy hazelnuts over brioche.
Goat Cheese a la plancha ($9) - grilled boucheron cheese is a wonderful thing, especially when paired with raw honey and a concord grape compote.
Beef Bourguignon ($19) with brussels sprouts + pearl onions takes comfort to another level. And yes, we needed another bread basket to swipe every drop of that earthy red wine mushroom sauce. 
Chocolate Croissant Pudding ($10) - flaky croissant layers are sandwiched between dense moka (espresso) flavored chocolate with a scoop of housemade vanilla ice cream. 

Frenchie spoils us in the wine department with 32 carefully selected by the glass (32!) I loved the Daniele Croquet Sancerre Rouge (Loire Valley, France) a delicate red that paired expertly with the food. Also - not sure I've ever had RED SANCERRE so that is noteworthy!

Their menu design is fun and playful, I was charmed by the little black and white illustrations and the fact that they don't take themselves to seriously. Lines like "what the fork is for dinner" and "voulez-vous cafe avec moi?" keep things light. The food, however, is taken very seriously and it is utterly fantastic! 

P.S. I got a macro lens for Christmas and this was my first time using it. Please excuse the blurry portions of the images. 

Frenchie Boston

560 Tremont St

Boston, MA 02118