sycamore | newton centre

An upscale neighborhood bistro perfect for date night. Consistently winning Best of Boston awards since they opened in 2013. Tempura soft-shell crab with green sriracha. Polenta fries. Unique homemade pasta dishes. Exquisite fish entrées like bluefish with rabe pesto, chickpeas, and sweet pepper jam. Strawberry rhubarb angel food cake with hibiscus sorbet. Beignets with salted caramel sauce. The menu is always changing and no matter what, it is always exceptional. If you ask me for a restaurant recommendation in Boston, I'll ask if you don't mind venturing slightly outside the city because sycamore is consistently at the top of my list. With an easily accessible location in Newton Centre on the Green (D) line, sycamore really is a must if you're looking for somewhere new to impress! 

sycamore.

755 Beacon St

Newton, MA 02459

New Orleans, Louisiana

Back in early June I ventured to one of my favorite cities in the south for a dear friends bachelorette party  - which we named (#) the Summit of Free Spirits. I had not been to New Orleans since a girls trip in 2011 (!!), so it was really nice to return and soak it all in again. 

How badly do you want to dive headfirst into that plate of Beignets / that Sazerac / those broiled oysters topped with crab right now? The food in this city is something special. We had a lot of NOLA first timers and I was excited to re-visit some of the French Quarter musts with them like Hotel Monteleone's Carousel Bar, Pat O'Brien's courtyard, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar and Cafe Du Monde. We hit up terrific restaurants as to be expected and visited some new neighborhoods that I hadn't been to. Here's the rundown: 

Brunch at The Ruby Slipper | Creative southern breakfast fare served in a lively cafe. My dish pictured is The Costa Rican - gallo pinto (slow cooked black beans and rice) over a warm tomato salsa, two fried eggs, spicy chorizo sausage, avocado + crispy plantains.

Dinner at Borgne | Coastal Louisiana Seafood from renowned Chef John Besh. My entrée pictured is the Angel Hair Pontchartrain - creamy shellfish broth, oysters, shrimp, garlic + bottarga. Other girls loved the Crispy Frog Legs over rice vermicelli and herb nuoc cham.

Drinks in The Warehouse District @ Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and the brand new Ace Hotel rooftop pool bar Alto. We sipped Chica Chica Boom's (in the plastic pineapple pictured, so fun!) made with with rum, aperol, pineapple, orange, grapefruit and honey. I really enjoyed wandering the Warehouse District, it was refreshing to get out of the touristy French Quarter for bit and explore a low key but hip residential neighborhood.

Dinner at Bourbon House | Andd back to the heart of the French Quarter for some proper Creole fine dining on Bourbon Street. My incredible meal pictured: Charbroiled Oysters on the half shell in a creole bordelaise butter with jumbo lump crab meat and Gulf Redfish with new potatoes, balsamic glazed red onion + lemon beurre blanc topped with crawfish. 

Ghost Walking Tour in the French Q | On what was my second night and some others third night, this was the perfect low key group activity. It was easy for us to join a tour on a whim. Our guide was animated and knowledgeable; you learn a lot about NOLA history and the ghost stories are legit! Highly recommend.

Confederacy of Cruisers 9th Ward Bike Tour | I recommend this experience above the Ghost Tour if you had limited time. After cruising through the neighborhoods that were flooded under 10 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, I am a changed person. Too see it all up close - the devastation and loss, the spirit and the rebuilding, and the adorable shotgun houses that still remain really made an impression. Photos here.

Be sure to check out my US Travel Page where you can find more NOLA Recommendations!

Simon Pearce | Vermont

 The best of Vermont eats week - that's a wrap (3/3)!

Simon Pearce | Where: Quechee | exit 1 off I89

When: Brunch on the trip home from Killington

Simon Pearce is a famous glassblower + entrepreneur. The location of the restaurant was an addition to the hydro-powered mill glassblowing facility that defines his empire. Browse the expansive shop filled with stylish and elegant glassware, tableware, lighting and home décor. Watch the artisans at work downstairs, and then enjoy brunch in the airy, light filled dining rooms overlooking the river and covered bridge. 

All your food and drinks are served on / in the handmade wares. Start with an order or two of Crispy Buttermilk Beignets ($9) with maple bourbon caramel and apple butter for an instant crowd pleaser. Follow those up with a cup of savory soup like Carrot Ginger, or Creamy Mushroom, Parsnip and Pear or the Vermont Cheddar ($7). The rich velvety broths and generous flavors sing comfort. With fried eggs, prosciutto, shaved parmesan, local tomatoes, and chive hollandaise over roasted garlic naan, the Ham and Eggs ($17) exceed the brunch norm while Pork Fried Biscuits and Gravy offer a refined take on a southern classic. A homemade eggnog and rum cocktail is served in their elegant goblet stemware.

Simon Pearce Restaurant
1760 Quechee Main Street

Quechee, VT 05059

NOLA Eats | Café Du Monde & Brennan's

So far I have reminisced and recommended some pretty fantastic places in New Orleans to enjoy lunch and dinner. There is even more food though, that I absolutely have to fill you in on. The first would fall into the snack (or breakfast, or dessert) category, while the second is definitely a notorious location for brunch. One thing everyone recommends you do while in New Orleans is visit Café du Monde. A quintessential city landmark, the original French Market Coffee stand has been around since 1862.

It may look unkempt and crowded, it will probably take you ten minutes to figure out who your server is, then another ten to flag her down, but the end result is oh so worth it after just one bite of the pillowy Beignets and a sip of frothy Café Au Lait.You've had beignets, but you've never really had beignets unless you've had one here. At least, that is how I felt once I tasted Café du Monde's. A thick piece of dough roughly shaped like a square is fried to obtain a just barely crisp golden exterior, the inside remaining warm and soft. Pillows of fluffy dough cascading with powdered sugar are reminiscent of a doughnut on one hand, fried dough on the other. They are a seriously indulgent all-time favorite treat. While we were here I drank a Café Au Lait. Yes, it was 70 some odd degrees out, but I couldn't pass on French tradition. To their dark roasted coffee they add Chicory (the root of the endive plant). After reading some history I discovered the reason why: During the French civil war coffee was scarce and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste and many other French customs and heritage to Louisiana.The Chicory is roasted and ground not unlike the coffee beans, adding a smooth counterpart to the coffees bitter edge. When you mix in hot milk for a Café Au Lait you have a creamy and frothy treat that remains rich, robust, and slightly sweet without the addition of any sugar.

Café Au Lait is a perfect compliment to the Beignets, even in the heat. Serving these and pretty much only these two items (you do have the option to get your coffee iced) Café Du Monde is situated just across from Jackson Square at 813 Decatur Street.

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Brunch at Brennan's, should you choose to indulge, is also a very noteworthy and memorable experience. Located on Rue Royale which runs parallel to Bourbon in between fancy antique stores and flawless balconies, it feels light years away from the tourist hoopla and neon lit signs. Rue Royale is a shopping haven which we explored on a separate occasion. It also feels remarkably clean. Safe to say, in certain moments this section of the French Quarter actually transported me to Paris. (I know, being in the French Quarter and all you would think that is quite obvious, but not necessarily so.) Brennan's also serves lunch and dinner, but, everyone highly recommends the first meal of the day be eaten here and after doing so, I can see just why that is. We were greeted right away by a cheerful hostess who let us know there would be a short wait and directed us to hang outside in the courtyard. Amidst the streaming sunlight were vine covered brick walls, exotic greenery and a turtle pond. We had the bar at our disposal as well, however, water was all I could manage at this point in the day. And some coffee once we were seated. Exuding class and elegance, embodying a leisurely old world aristocratic tradition, they offer a serious three course prix fix brunch menu. For $36 ($$$ - and that does not include your $6 cup of coffee) this southern soul food breakfast which typically begins with a baked apple and ends with their world famous Bananas Foster, was one I could not pass up. Under twinkling chandeliers hanging from high ceilings surrounded by golden yellow papered walls, we stuffed our faces in the most leisurely way possible. The Southern Baked Apple with Cream was incredible. Never in my life and probably never again unless I come back to Brennan's...(I guess you never know) have I tasted anything quite like it. The apple was soft set, baked to a deep brown, served in a bowl of double cream that mingled with sweet brown sugar to form a warm glaze. Where else can you get away with eating spoon fulls of sweet, sugary cream for breakfast? Yep, thought so. This was bliss. I will admit I was struggling big time (it was Sunday at this point, and we've had three very late nights...) but forget the hangover for a minute, I've got a second course of Eggs Portuguese to put down. Flakey pastry shells are filled with freshly chopped tomatoes sautéed in butter with parsley and shallots, then topped with two perfectly poached eggs and covered in Hollandaise sauce.Obviously reminiscent of my favorite brunch entrée - what else but Eggs Benedict; this was a comforting dish with a new sense of appeal. I barely had it in me for another course after this. Being that I went with the prix fix, dessert was coming whether I was ready or not. Bananas Foster is an original Brennan's creation and now a World-famous dessert. The story of origin should it be of interest, is paraphrased from the website and pasted below. In the 1950's New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blangé, to include bananas in a new culinary creation - Owen's way of promoting the imported fruit. Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster who was a frequent customer of Brennan's and a very good friend of Owen. His creation boasting bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and banana liqueur, then flamed in rum and served over vanilla ice cream is nothing short of outstanding. 

Cafe Du Monde

800 Decatur Street

New Orleans, LA 70116

Brennan's

417 Royal Street

New Orleans, LA 70130