Boston Common Coffee Co.

Last Friday my camera was tucked safely away in my suitcase and a 12pm departure time to Falmouth for a friends wedding was fast approaching. Perhaps the shortest Summer Lunch series to date, there was no time for a leisurely meal so I opted for something quick and reliable.

Boston Common Coffee Co. is a cozy North End coffee shop located at 97 Salem Street. I've mentioned them quite a few times before; their coffee, baked goods and paninis remain top notch. Their cozy living room space offers free wi-fi, so often I'll head over with my computer when a change of scenery from my own living room is in order. One of my favorite paninis, basically a glorified grilled ham and cheese is the Hanover ($6.75) which satisfied as the second to last (ah where did summer go?!?) lunch. 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!

Caffe Graffiti

I was fairly busy last Friday being that it was the first one in two weeks where I was not traveling, so I knew I wanted to lunch close to home. And although it was overcast, I wanted to challenge the impending rainstorms and dine on a patio. The North End isn't known for its abundance of outdoor dining space, but a select few restaurants bordering the Greenway on Cross Street offer fairly spacious patios. One of these is Caffe Graffiti located directly on the Freedom Trail with a lunch menu offering simple Italian staples like pizzas, paninis and pastas. The hostess allowed me to choose a table, so I settled in at a two top and situated myself facing the downtown skyline. I started off by ordering a glass of Prosecco ($9). Friday at noon? Why not! Caffe Graffiti offers a small wine list, beer and cordials as well as specialty Italian sodas and coffees. My crisp and refreshing prosecco hit the spot and my Prosciutto Panini ($7) followed in similar form. Soft hearty focaccia bread evenly sandwiches layers of salty prosciutto, fresh mozzarella + tomatoes laced with thinly sliced basil and drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was a delicious panini and the lightly dressed greens were a perfect side. I was impressed with Caffe Graffiti for a quick and easy lunch with polite service to fit the bill. I would be happy to return and sample more of the menu, or to relax even longer and sip a cappuccino or espresso. (I have since heard the make some of the best cappuccinos around and now I wish I didn't miss out!) The patio is clean and inviting dotted with blue Peroni umbrellas. It beckoned in quite a few Freedom Trail walkers during the course of my lunch. In addition, it makes for some prime people watching amid the hustle and bustle of the North End gateway. Serving well made Italian staples with fresh ingredients, I would recommend Caffe Graffiti for a low key, inexpensive lunch outing in the North End.

Caffe Graffiti

64 Cross St

Boston, MA 02113

LDW | West Dennis Beach

Despite the harsh weather reports of Hurricane Earls path towards Cape Cod and his warning from Gretchen's email: It could be bad - water under the house, 80 MPH winds, no power, roof flying off, 2 feet of water in the driveway and road, the adventurous spirits (or just the crazy one's in our group of friends) Gretchen, Derek, Colucci and I loaded up the car and headed straight for West Dennis Beach. The picturesque beach cottage built by Gretchen's grandfather sits just a few hundred feet back from Nantucket Sound. With an evacuation plan in place (My Mom's house 10 minutes up the road) and plenty of food and booze, not even warnings of a category 3 Hurricane could keep us between our 3rd Annual Labor Day Weekend long bash. We kept a loose eye on the weather and a tight fist on our beers as the hurricane was reduced to a category 2, then eventually a 1 and by the time it hit us that evening, a mere rain and heavy windstorm. Lisa drove down late Friday night just in time for a hurricane swim, while Adam and Douglas ventured down early Saturday morning, just as the sun came out to play. DeMane, Holly and Reuter - friends whose travel plans were disrupted by Earl were missed but not forgotten. (We got to act them out in a drunken game of Celebrity ,which is a more fun version of charades!)
This stack of blueberry pancakes and bacon pancakes kicked off a weekend of great eats.

The neighbors boarded up their house.

We took a beach walk.

We ate lunch, drank some beers, went for a swim, and G and I attempted a puzzle while the boys flew kites. Make your own paninis with ham, turkey, cheese, roasted zucchini and tomato.
Black and white puzzles are impossibly hard.
Colucci made a Tom Collins mix: fresh squeezed lemons, limes, simple syrup, lots of gin and a little club soda.
A bruschetta appetizer was just as tasty as it looks.
Dinner night 1: Seafood Lasagna with Tomato Basil Bechamel and Caesar salad. I might have forgotten about this salad if I hadn't taken pictures. Not that it didn't taste incredible with crusty croutons, diced hard boiled egg and fresh grated parmesan cheese - but the Seafood Lasagna out-shined not only the salad, but any other lasagna I've ever tasted. Fresh lobster, scallops and shrimp with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan in a creamy Bechamel, SO GOOD. Antics ensued. We made it through the storm alive.

The Beach day 2:

The view out my bedroom slider door at the early hours of 9 am. Looks promising today!

Breakfast: ham, egg, cheese & tomato on a homemade biscuit.

My better half and Cappy arrived. Just in time....