c h e e r s | best bars

hipster haunt: The Automatic | 15 Hampshire St | Kendall Square | get the MUDSLIDE.

Best in Brighton: Brighton Bodega | 328 Washington St | REDRUM (Tiki) ($14)- Hibiscus Rum/triple sec/oleo/orgeat/lime

when the weather turns warm: The Barking Crab | 88 Sleeper St | Seaport District | Sangria was great!

when in DTX: The Marliave | 11 Bosworth | The Great Experiment ($12)

Hendricks Gin/mint/lemon/orange/cucumber

TORONTO

I've been dying to tell you about so many things going on around here. I can't believe my last post was Telluride! In January! My heart longs for travel recapping. Why!? Lately I've been firing off recommendation emails like crazy - a girlfriend headed to Palm Springs, soo many requests for my Bali posts, an old colleague needing my Savannah advice! If someone were to ask me for all my Toronto recs - and there are many - they would certainly feel slighted without a post to reference. 

So, where to begin again? My BACHELORETTE Party! We traveled to Toronto in mid April and it was the best. I'm sure every bride thinks her own bachelorette party is but mine truly was. My MOH (sister) and bridesmaids planned the most kick-ass / comprehensive itinerary in the history of bachelorette trips. Coupled with all our amazing reservations and must hit spots was a spontaneous weekend full of dive bars and dance parties. The weather was messy - snow, sleet, pellets, rain, hail, slush, whipping wind - (The weather app actually reported pellets one morning!) But, we're a group of tough ladies. The weekend was perfect!

A recent text from one of the gals: "Hi Ladies. Was at a work dinner tonight with several of my Canadian counterparts and they were VERY impressed with our Toronto bar and restaurant selection." Nailed it! If you are going to Toronto you should pretty much copy everything we did. 

The majority of us flew Porter Airlines from BOS to YTZ (Billy Bishop Airport). Gals that flew in from SFO and DEN flew into YYZ - Pearson Intl. 

We stayed at the super nice and conveniently located Sheraton Centre Hotel. This was one of those bustling hotels where if you are an early riser but some of the crew is sleeping in, you can grab coffee downstairs and chill in the well appointed lobby, which is a good spot to people watch. (Or hit the gym, or the pool.) I was very happy with the accommodations, 11 of us in three rooms. The Sheraton is connected to the underground shopping tunnels (so COOL!) and our rooms overlooked the T-O-R-O-N-T-O sign which was fun, too!

Friday Night 

Dinner @ Miss Things - a tropical Pan Asian Restaurant + Cocktail Bar located in a funky hipster neighborhood: West Queen West. The interior was so pretty with its Hawaiian tiki culture meets mid- century modern vibes. We shared appetizers like the Hoke Poke and Tempura Corn Fritters. For dinner I had the Pineapple Fried Rice with sweet and sour jackfruit - you could also get it with braised pork belly which many of the girls did. Inspired cocktails are playful yet decadent - my margarita w Tromba Tequila, contreau, red chili, lime, mint and pineapple juice called Maggie Made Me Do It came in an art deco pineapple with a sparkler. Others were served in real coconuts or ceramic parakeets...

Drinks @ Pretty Ugly Bar - two blocks from Miss Things this cocktail den was our next stop and we ended up imbibing here rest of the night! My drink of choice was Sup Wit Dat made with Mezcal, dry vermouth, lime, cucumber, pretty fir lq and pine salt. There is a funky cocktail on the menu to please everyone. 

Saturday Day. We meandered through the maze of underground tunnels and then through the rain to St Lawrence Market. (This place reminded me of Westside Market in Cleveland, Ohio.) With an array of food stalls everyone could grab what they wanted to eat from smoothies to lobster rolls. Most of us opted for Breakfast on a Bun - a delicious egg sandwich with Peameal Bacon from Carousel Bakery.

Since it was bitter cold and the city streets were a slippery mess, we ubered across town to check out Bar Raval. This tapas bar had a good crowd, a kind and attentive bar and waitstaff, a Gaudi inspired interior, and an unparalleled cocktail and sherry menu. It totally reminded me of Barcelona. 

I was so content here. We tucked into the idyllic corner section of the bar by the windows sipping well made drink, after drink and noshing on pinxtos. 

We meandered through the snow and did a little shopping. (I believe the neighborhood we were in is Little Italy, even though we were just at a very Spanish restaurant....) 

Some girls went back to the Sheraton to rest up for the night while others came across this gem of a dive bar: Ronnies Local 069. 

This gritty hole in the wall was right up our alley. They had a deck of cards featuring 80's Lingerie models which we got the biggest kick out of. We played card games while drinking from a solid draft beer selection, snuggled in a tiny wood booth.

Toronto treated us to a ridiculously fun Friday night and Saturday day.

Lots more in store for Saturday night and Sunday day....

Palm Springs | Eat + Drink

Truss + Twine | Uptown Design District | 800 North Palm Canyon Drive

We arrived to Palm Springs from Joshua Tree on a sleepy Monday evening. I quickly realized 3-4 places on my hit list were either closed (Monday is the industry off day!) or done serving dinner by 8pm. We hit the jackpot with Truss + Twine located a few blocks away and serving food until late. A super dark, industrial, minimalist space, was quietly suffering from lack of a crowd, but the staff turned out to be incredibly welcoming! They got to work shaking up strong cocktails and were eager to serve us from the small plates menu of elevated desert cuisine. 

We drank: Brooklyn ($15) rye, dry vermouth, Amaro Cio-Ciara, maraschino, orange bitters, lemon zest. And drank: Game Changer ($12) gin, lime, cucumber, sugar, onion brine, sea salt, celery bitters. And drank some more: Velvet Touch ($15) Dickel rye, Amaro Nonino, Pedro Ximinez sherry, orange zest

~~~

And we ate! Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18) celery root puree, horseradish, pickled quail egg
Red Snapper Crudo ($10) golden beet, pink peppercorn, shiso pesto 
Smoked Trout Rillettes ($10) trout roe, cucumber gel
Drake Farm's Goat Cheese ($8) bougainvillea dust, Temecula valley honeycomb, cactus confit

Bootlegger Tiki | Uptown Design District | 1011 N Palm Canyon Drive

Does it get any better than a night cap at the Hawaiian themed tiki-cocktail den that happens to be your next door neighbor? From the Pod Thai ($10) with white rum, lime, coconut crème, cardamom lemongrass syrup and soda to the For Luck Sake ($12) with tequila, mezcal, lime, honey, yellow chartreuse, serrano pepper tincture, and basil - these expertly crafted cocktails prove even if you aren't staying right next door, this Palm Springs speakeasy is a must visit.

Ernest Coffee | Uptown Design District

Conveniently located next door to The Twist (our Airbnb) is Ernest Coffee - Palm Springs only independent roasters. This hip, light filled, booze serving coffee shop (it is actually the front for Bootlegger Tiki) was our first stop each morning for fresh brewed Stumptown Coffee alongside chocolate croissants and spinach quiches on the sunny patio. 

Lulu California Bistro | Downtown | 200 S Palm Canyon Drive

Lulu is affirmatively the it spot in town. The large colorful terrace sprawling along Palm Canyon Drive opens to a retro airy bar defined by two massive chandeliers covered in pastel green and purple lampshades. The dining room is awash in all white everything, bordered by tall scalloped booths and lined with Old Hollywood photos. Every seat in the house is packed with breezy lunch dates and mingling locals. Nothing we ate or drank was particularly must visit worthy - Cobb Salad, Asian Lettuce Wraps, a Desert Haze Martini and a Raspberry Mojito, but they do have a vast menu and offer prompt and polished service. Lulu proved a fun, energetic stop for lunch as we continued on our bike ride exploring the city!

Purple Palm | Colony Palms Hotel | 572 N Indian Canyon Drive

The Purple Palm is one restaurant not to miss in Palm Springs. The menu features imaginative California fare and the Hollywood hideaway atmosphere is so incredibly alluring. Fantastic food and excellent wines are enhanced by dining under a cabana overlooking the relaxed pool setting, backed by a gorgeous open interior with towering halo light fixtures and striking purple wallpaper, ceilings, and tiled floors. We had the best time here. A top trip moment for sure!

Aperol on Fire - Aperol, gin, lemon, singed orange
Pinot Noir ($16) | Colene Clemens, Willamette Valley, Oregon

West Coast Oysters ($18) | Kumaia - Baja, California | watermelon mignonette 

Gai Lan ($8) | maitake mushrooms, goat cheese, black garlic, Chile de arbol
Seared Scallops + Smoked Pork Belly ($30) | chanterelles, parsnip, arugula, lemon verbena

Marinated + Grilled Swordfish ($29) | red pomelo, toasted pine nuts, baby spinach, pearl couscous, fresh herbs, saffron yogurt citronette

Our night out followed with drinks at Trio and Bootlegger!

 

Peabody's Cafe | Downtown | 134 S Palm Canyon Drive

Peabody's is a casual café + bar with an outdoor patio. We brunched here on a whim after learning our first choice (Cheeky's - Uptown) was a 45 minute wait. While we might have missed out on bacon flights back at Cheeky's, this runny egg - crispy potato - cheesy refried beans - homemade salsa + hot sauce covered plate of Huevos Rancheros was everything I needed to affirm the choice. 

More on where we stayed and all the desert modern vibes up next!