Fooooooood…

So we’re both in food comas now.  It may not be the best time to write a restaurant review.  But we’re going to do it anyway because that’s how we roll.

Tonight we had dinner here, at The Fireplace in Brookline.  As some of you may or may not know or care, we’ve been on the search for a place to have our rehearsal dinner since… June?  The search started in earnest in August and then stopped when I fell, got laid off, and Geoff got deep into his school work and then Internship.  Now that all of that is over and we’ve passed the T Minus One and Counting mark to the wedding, we started looking again.  And, boy, what a find.

First of all, this is a large rehearsal dinner, 60ish people.  It’s for a popular night in November 2011, and we have not only some food allergies and special diets to contend with, we have some exceptionally picky eaters to worry about as well.  This meant that some of our favorite cuisines, and restaurants that could seat large parties like ours, that served good food, and that were proximate to the church were out.  We needed something relatively nearby, that had great food and wine, a good atmosphere, was handicap accessible, and had parking.

The Fireplace is all that and more.  We contacted the General Manager via email at the end of last week.  His name is Kevin.  Kevin, to put it plainly, rocks.  He got back to us basically when his shift was over.  So, in the middle of the night.  The prices he quoted were great and the menu, well, it rocked our socks.  We were thrilled.  In the back of my mind I remembered reading in the Globe about when The Fireplace had opened, but I wasn’t spending much time in Brookline then.  So I had never made it there for a meal.  That, was my loss.

We made arrangements with Kevin to come by this afternoon or evening.  We were initially entertained at the bar when we arrived by the fabulous Erica.  The woman knows how to mix a mean margarita, she’s fun to talk to, was willing to let us talk to her about our quest for the perfect purple cocktail, and is an all around fabulous bartender.  Seriously, people, go there and ask her to make you something.  With her talent and her well stocked bar, you won’t regret it.  (Also, there was a majorly famous Boston Sports figure at the bar who I happen to know lives in the neighborhood.  She treated him with respect and without fawning all over him, clearly he’s a regular.  I won’t reveal his name so this place can remain a regular haunt for him, but it was quite cool to see him there, especially for Geoff.)

Kevin came over and chatted with us and then took us to our table.  It was clear from our talk that he knows his food and wine exceedingly well and that he loves what he does.  From our vantage point in the back at the top of the room we could see everything and get an idea of how we’d seat people, how the curtains would close off the rest of the top section from the bottom bar area, where the handicap entrance was, etc.   Then there was the food.  I’ll let Geoff take over from here….

Geoff here – I am so very glad we found this place.  The menu is just amazing.  They had a lot of really good traditional New England cuisine, and it’s obvious the owners and management are history aficionados, which is something I can definitely appreciate.  Among other things, they serve a lot of traditional New England beverages like hot mulled cider, hot buttered rum, and Madeira.  Yes, Madeira is a traditional New England beverage, as it was one of the most popular wines in colonial America – it was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite, for example.  Anyway, the wine list is quite good, and they have a decent selection of ports and other dessert wines, as well as an extensive list of fine cognacs and Scotch whiskeys.

Kelly started with a cup of the Butternut Squash Bisque with Great Hill Blue Cheese, and I ordered a cup of the Classic Clam Chowder with New Hampshire Bacon.  I tried both, and both were delicious.  (Note from Kelly: The Bisque?  Oh my goodness, I think I could have a little cup of that with every meal this winter.)  Then we moved on the main course.  Kelly had the Acorn Squash & Sheep Milk Cheese Ravioli in a Brown Butter Sage Light Cream Sauce w/Sautéed Greens, Shaved Fennel, Asiago & Crushed Hazelnuts (although she got it without the Hazelnuts).  I ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese with Asiago, Mozzarella, Vermont Creamery ‘Cremont’ & Great Hill ‘Blue Cheese’, Caramelized Cauliflower & Lemony Spinach, which Kevin warned me I would not be able to finish in one sitting, and he was absolutely right.  But it was phenomenal.  And finally we shared dessert – Peanut Butter Fudge on Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Sauce, Toasted Almonds & Hot Chocolate Fudge.  My eyes almost popped out of my head, this was so good.  I can hardly wait to try some other items.  (Note from Kelly: Seriously, he was without speech for several minutes after taking the first bite.  The Peanut Butter Fudge?  Was magical.)

Afterward, we talked again with Kevin and confirmed with him that we were going to go ahead and book the place for our rehearsal dinner.  It is just perfect.  In fact, I am looking forward to coming to some of their wine tastings sometime down the road.  They even have some historically-themed events, such as a Valentine’s Day diner that includes “John Adams” and “Abigail Adams” in period clothing reading their letters to each other in first person.  So yeah, I am really liking this place.  I can hardly wait to see how everyone else will like it.

So, Boston people?  Wanna do Dinner?  Lunch?  Brunch?  You know where we’re going to celebrate when Geoff and I get jobs, right?

~Kelly & Geoff

What is it with my dogs and baked goods?

Geoff here – many people not in my immediate family may not be familiar with the infamous Thanksgiving holiday story about the family dog, Frank, eating an entire pumpkin pie.  My dad had baked several pumpkin pies for the family to enjoy, and apparently one of them was just a little bit to close to the edge of the dining room table.  So Frank, being the clever little food-obsessed beagle that he was, managed to sneak into the dining room (where he was usually not allowed to be) and get the pie off the table with no one noticing.  The next time my dad went into the dining room, he found a completely empty aluminum pie dish, looking as if it had never been used, just sitting on the floor.  There was no pie debris anywhere.  Not a crumb.   And one less pie on the table.  And one very bloated looking beagle under the dining room table.  Frank had made an entire pumpkin pie disappear.

Well, Rerun has picked up the torch and is running with it.  Our upstairs neighbors had given us a gift of a loaf of pumpkin bread to thank us for watching their cat while they were out of town.  The family recipe that Lindsey uses includes chocolate chips, something I would not think of as being appropriate for pumpkin bread but turns out to be absolutely delicious.  So Kelly and were very much looking forward to enjoying the pumpkin bread.  We set it down on a table in the dining room and headed out for the evening to do various things.  When we returned, there were little pieces of aluminum foil on the floor all over the living room, and an almost entirely empty aluminum bread pan that was just sitting there.  Rerun, looking suspiciously bloated, was nearby.  Needless to say we were not pleased.

InterviewS!

Today I had my interview with the women’s health organization.  It went pretty well.  They’re looking to hire soon, so that’s good.  Also, I got a phone call yesterday and had a surprise phone interview with one of the area colleges where I had applied and had been coaxing some connections.  The called back today as I was literally walking in the door from today’s interview and scheduled an in-person for next week.  This is FANTASTIC.  I cannot explain how excited I am.  Of the two I think I’d prefer the latter, but they’re both really great opportunities, so who knows?

Watch this space for updates…

~Kelly

Um, no. Just no.

As we have already established, I get regular emails from Etsy.  One of them is a weekly email about Wedding stuff.  Some of the stuff in the email is just lovely.  Some of it is a little rustic for my tastes.  Some of it is downright bizarre.  I think this falls into the bizarre category.

Fascinating?
Hair "fascinator"

These things, often made out of ribbon, feathers, buttons, lace, fake flowers, or other materials, are called “Hair Fascinators”.  Veils, while I’m not wearing one, I get.  Tiaras, I *completely* understand.  (Queen for a day, woohoo!)  But stuff like the above?  I’m lost.  It’s clearly beautifully made and photographed but I think that it might actually be larger than the model’s head.

Can someone explain this to me?

~Kelly

If this is you, speak up, please.

Hi folks,

I randomly received a Groupon to Bukhara this morning.  It was very cool, $30 to a restaurant where Geoff and I eat every Christmas Eve and whenever we’re in JP.  Here’s the thing, it was from “Dantilla” and it was addressed to “Keff” and “Gelly”.  Color me confused.  I have a fairly short list of people in mind who this might be from, but if you’re the generous giver, please step forward.

Thanks,

~Kelly

Creepy, no?

I get emails every day from Etsy.  For those of you who have never been to Etsy or who don’t have an account there I highly recommend shopping there for very cool vintage stuff and for neat handmade treasures.  I know for a fact that there are some people who read this blog regularly who have received Etsy gifts from me or who shop there on a regular basis.  I even got my mom to buy some things from there.

Anyway, today I got my daily email from them and this was the featured piece at the bottom:

Massacre of the Barbies?

Yes, folks, that’s a necklace.  Made with Barbie/doll faces.  I don’t even know…  It does beg the question though.  Where would one wear such a thing?  Is this appropriate for a Black Tie fete?  (Answer: NO)  Does it go with jeans and a tee?  I have no idea.  Furthermore, should a psychological profile be done on the person who created it?  (Answer: YES)

I rather think something like this belongs here.

Happy Browsing!

~Kelly

Snow!

Well, we had a white Christmas more or less.  There was a little snow on the ground from Monday’s poorly forecast Rush Hour storm that snarled traffic and left Geoff in a traffic jam that meant it took him about an hour to get the 4 miles home from his interview.

Yesterday, however, was an entirely different story.  This time they got the forecast pretty much dead on.  They even got it right that the snowfall amounts would vary *wildly* not only from city to town but from block to block.  What started out as light fluffy snow ended up as heavy wet stuff.  Trees have come down and at one point about 60,000 people state wide were without power (that’s nothing compared to the ice storm from a few years back.)

Anyway, once we dug out from under our own Winter Wonderland, we took the dogs, dressed them (much to Rerun’s distress) and put them in the AWESOME red wagon my mom got us for my birthday last year.  It was intended as a Brimfield accessory, but it has all terrain wheels, so we figured we might as well try it out in the snow.

Behold, photos!  Of annoyed Chilly Dogs!  And snowed in trucks!

View from the front door, BEFORE shoveling.
Do you see stairs? I don't.
A view looking down our street.
The quietest you will ever see our street.
The truck, still snow covered.
No, we haven't actually dug it out yet.
See the hidden kitty?
This is what happens when you don't have storm windows.
Our Little Red All Terrain Wagon
Geoff and the Little Red Wagon of Awesomeness
Impatient Chilly Dogs.
Waiting for Daddy while he's in the store.
Spoiled, who's spoiled?
We may be freezing, but we're riding in style.

And, a picture from the dog park that we took on our way home.

A snowperson presides over the park.
Braver dogs than ours play in the background.

We’re back inside now nice and safe and warm.  The dogs are not traumatized from their wagon ride, and dinner is cooking in the oven.  We hope that wherever you are that you’re nice and safe and warm.

~Kelly