Saltie Girl

You guys!! I'm finally getting around to sharing my dinner at Saltie Girl, where one of the most talked about food trends - tinned seafood! reigns supreme. 

This was an impromptu dinner on August 2nd;  a memorable summer night because we had just taken our engagement photos. I was wearing my late grandmother Julia Fenton's vintage party dress and feeling like a 1960's goddess as we gallivanted about our final shoot location on the Esplanade. 

Ready to celebrate the evening we ended up at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen for fancy martini service before Saltie Girl coaxed us in. As luck would have it we entered just as two cozy seats opened up at the far end of the bar. Serving seasonally-inspired, fresh and tinned iterations of seafood, the intimate restaurant set in a regal brownstone at Dartmouth + Newbury affirmed one of my favorite evenings of the summer with fantastic food and wine. 

We choose first from a variety of toasts - the Smoked Salmon with greek yogurt, truffle wildflower honey and cured yolk on potato bread was a revelation. Second, from the hyped, exceptionally curated menu of tinned fish the Tuna Filets in olive oil come with piquillo peppers, artisan bread and hand churned butter on a handsome slate board. Tinned fish is much more expensive than I expected; it was very good though! We also shared Toasted Handmade Gnocchi with caviar, and absolutely could not pass up Saltie Girl's Fried Lobsters and Waffles with sweet corn butter and spicy maple syrup. 

Saltie Girl

28 Dartmouth Street

Boston, MA 02116

Shepard

Hay Roasted Oysters ($18) | cultured sorrel butter

Monte Grappa ($12) | Rittenhouse Rye, Punt e Mes, allspice, nutmeg
Fluke Head ($10) | parsley butter, carrot + cabbage slaw

 Old Fashioned ($13) | High West Double Rye, Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon, bitters, sugar

Crab Head Custard ($11) | ham, cabbage, calabrian chili

Whole Wheat Gnocchi ($16) | sea urchin, chive, lemon zest cream

Cappellachi ($17) | countneck clams, ramps, swiss chard

bathroom paper towel holder (loved this, how creative!)

Apple Butter Cremeux ($10) | hazelnut shortbread, black walnut ice cream

 Campfire Sundae ($9) | torched marshmallow, chocolate ice cream, candied peanuts
bathroom mirror selfie + loving the bathroom light sconce

I had a wonderful dining experience the other weekend at Shepard! 
On cozy a residential street between Cambridge's Harvard and Porter Squares, Shepard serves thoughtful, unique French-meets-New England inspired dishes in a clean, stylish ambiance.  

We were celebrating 4 years together and they greeted us with glasses of sparkling Rosé! Such a special touch. 

Shepard

1 Shepard Street

 Cambridge, MA 02138 

Napa Valley Wine Tasting

Last week had me exhausted between a busy work week and dealing with a close co-workers death.

I was all set to hit publish on this post and out of nowhere the content deleted on me. I have very rarely had this issue with blogger over the last 6 years, but when it happens, it's frustrating to say the least. I had detailed musings and opinions about each winery and all the photographs just right. I'm sure it goes without saying, loosing a loved one almost out of nowhere to cancer (my heart huts for her family) certainly puts a lot in perspective.

So, Napa Valley with no words will suffice - for now at least. I loved our time here. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about the wineries we visited. If you go - we loved Intimate Wine Tours. A personal concierge in wine country was a must for us. The company was great to work with from start to finish.

{Domaine Carneros}
 

Domaine Carneros

10 am - 5:30 pm daily // reservations required // tastings start at $30
1240 Duhig Rd, 

Napa, CA 94559

{Artesa Vineyards + Winery}

Artesa Winery
10 am - 5 pm daily // Reserve Tasting: 5 wines for $25

1345 Henry Rd

Napa, CA 94559

{Oxbow Public Market: Lunch at Ca'Momi Enoteca}

Oxbow Public Market

610 & 644 1st Street

Napa, CA 94559

{Caymus Vineyards}

Caymus Vineyards

$30 tasting fee // includes complimentary signature glass

8700 Conn Creek Rd

Rutherford, CA 94573

{Inglenook}

Inglenook

Inglenook Experience // tour of the chateau + infinity caves // 

seated tasting + cheese pairing // $50

1991 St Helena Hwy

Rutherford, CA 94573  

{Peju Winery}

Peju Province Winery

classic tastings start at $25 in a presentation style setting
8466 St Helena Hwy

Rutherford, CA 94573

  I'm hopeful you could gather a decent amount from my photos anyways: Domaine Carneros to start the morning off with bubbly, Artesa for panoramic views and unique art installations and Inglenook for an infinity caves tour + cheese pairing. The best wines we tasted were at Caymus, Inglenook and Peju!