Aquitaine | Chestnut Hill

Camden's NanaK visited and we took her out to Aquitaine for Mother's Day! 

Perfectly cooked Seared Duck Breast ($36) with a crispy skin encasing tender meat parades around a luscious madeira jus with artichokes and fava beans. This was a memorable entrée.

Profiteroles ($14.50) are a revelation sandwiching a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with Belgian chocolate and a topping of powdered sugar.

This little video is a boomerang look at the piping hot Escargot Bourguignon sizzling in butter, garlic, parsley and pernod. ($15.50). A must order appetizer!

A classic French bistro atmosphere and well executed cuisine to match, Aquitaine Chestnut Hill is one of our favorites!

Aquitaine

11 Boylston St

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

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

Wine Tasting in Healdsburg

Sonoma in January possesses a unique kind of beauty. Temperatures hover around a toasty 59 degrees, the rain spits from the thick fog cloaking the mountains, naked vines stand in stark contrast along the rolling patchy green hills. I'm relaxed and happy to be here for the first time with my best ladies. 

On Saturday morning after an early check in at the Renaissance Marriot Lodge at Sonoma Resort + Spa our driver, David, of Intimate Wine Tours whisked us off to Healdsburg, a small city located in Northern Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley where we tasted wines at Bella Winery and Yoakim Bridge. Because of the 1:30 Patriots playoff game we only had time for two tastings before booking it over to Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma to ensure prime seating in front of their one TV!

Bella Vineyards + Wine Caves 

$10 tasting / beautiful wine caves / relaxed tasting atmosphere /

gorgeous property / excellent Zinfandel.

9711 W Dry Creek Rd

Healdsburg, CA 95448

Yoakim Bridge Estate

$10 tasting / intimate yet lively tasting room run by a spunky couple /

great Zins and a really delicious 2010 merlot.

7209 Dry Creek Road

Healdsburg, CA 95448

Lagunitas Brewing Company

noshed on soft pretzels + smoked pork nachos /

tasted unique beers - a range of hits and misses.

1280 N. McDowell Blvd

Petaluma, CA 94954

Post Lagunitas and a Patriots Win(!!) we headed back to The Renaissance Lodge where we were just in time for wine tasting happy hour, along with the rest of the hotel guests. After some hotel lobby shenanigans it was off to Sonoma Plaza for one last tasting. Our good natured driver who is now off the clock joins in on the fun at Roche Winery Tasting Room before bidding us farewell until tomorrow. We make our way across the square for dinner featuring inventive contemporary 

Portuguese cuisine at La Salette. Pictured is the Tasca Tasting Platter: Fried Goat Cheese, Spicy Fried Pig Ears and Escargot in Garlic Butter.

Roche Winery

popular downtown Sonoma tasting room 

outdoor patio on the square

122 West Spain St.

Sonoma, CA 95476

La Salette

Cozinha Nova Portuguesa

452 First St East

Sonoma, CA 95476  

La Brasa

The girls and I have been on a roll these last few months with making reservations to visit the Somerville up-and-comers! First there was Sarma, followed by Bronwyn and now La Brasa! With excellent chefs at the helm offering unique dishes of varied cuisines, Boston's neighboring city is lucky to have them all. La Brasa itself draws on a wide influence - Mexican, Peruvian, Spanish, Chinese - a grand mixture of flavors from all over. 

{What we ate}

mexican fried rice with charred scallions, fava beans, radishes, cilantro

tacos de carnitas - slow roasted pork shoulder with salsa verde & chile de arbol

artisanal cheese with ginger-rhubarb chutney

a table-side cart delivers prime rib with cilantro chimichuri

smoked bone in pork milanese with mushy peas

swiss chard pie with colorado chile, coddled farm fresh egg, spanish ham & piperade

fried soft shell crab with arugula & cherries

that fried rice again. it was my favorite. tacos de carnitas were second.

la brasa fried chicken with escargot-brown butter viniagrette, parsley and fresh horseradish

butterscotch pudding with Rice Krispies

La Brasa

124 Broadway St

Somerville, MA 02145

Chamonix - Mont Blanc | France

A big, crazy, adventurous group of friends rented a chalet in the French Alps for a week. In the mighty, crevasse filled, powder steeped, bluebird sky tipped mountains of Chamonix, France (and Cormayeur, Italy) we skied hard. It snowed heavy nearly every evening. By morning as the fog rose steadily above the vast jagged peaks, the warmth of the sunshine combined with the fresh, deep powder, our happiness radiated at a constant high.

The quintessentially French mountain village of Chamonix on the one hand is quaint and inviting, with patisseries and boulangeries where croque monsieur, crepes and Vin Chaud are sold street-side. Fantastic restaurants range from the cozy and homey with steaming French onion soup, pots of fondue, and rich spaghetti carbonara, (topped with a layer of parmesan cheese and a runny egg yolk) to the elegant and refined with escargots bathing in a pesto sauce, buttery foie gras dishes and perfectly cooked duck a l'orange. Add to that a bustling tourist scene with elegant fromage and chocolate shoppes and an endless variety of name brand ski apparel stores. On the other hand it hosts a vibrant après ski and nightlife party, with live music and table dancing, pitchers of Pelfourth and Kronenbourg, bottle service and rounds of shots.

Skiing in the Alps was incomparable. Most notably, there was the 20km off piste run, the legendary Vallee Blanche - which begins with a descent from the top of the Aiguille du Midi. Harnessed to one another and our guides we hiked down a ridge edge with a 40 degree pitch on both sides. Then we skied all day among the glaciers, untouched snow and the most breathtaking scenery Mont Blanc range has to offer. 

 Favorite spots in downtown Chamonix:

Apres Ski - Elevation 1904, Chambre Neuf

Fine Dining - Hameau Albet 1er, Le Cap Horn

Party - Les Caves, Barberousse