Gimme a Sandwich!

Okay, first and foremost… I KNOW… I dropped the ball! It’s been WAY too long since I posted. That said… hopefully I will be back on track now.

_____________________
So we headed down to the Cape Labor Day weekend… Sandwich, to be exact… to celebrate our 4-year anniversary and to get away for a few days.

While away, we had the luxury of being able to eat out a few times… at places both worthy and not-so-worthy. If you ever feel like getting away for a night or the weekend, Sandwich is a great and often overlooked spot. Just minutes over the bridge…we didn’t even hit traffic driving down on Friday or back on Sunday (Labor Day weekend mind you). We definitely recommend this quaint little (and the oldest) town on the Cape.

As far as food goes… we had one really good experience and one really bad experience! Therefore, if you find yourself taking our advice and heading down to Sandwich… here are a few tips:

DO NOT eat at Hemisphere Restaurant (http://www.hemispherecapecod.com/). While the location is great (and was only .1 miles from the house we stayed in) — the view overlooking Cape Cod Bay is awesome (it’s right the beach) — the food is overpriced (6 very small raw oysters for $13) and the service is AWFUL (45 minutes for just the apps to arrive and TWO — not one, but TWO — hairs in our dining companion’s salad)! Our overall experience was quite awful… so awful, that they actually gave us our entire party’s lunch order (4 adults and 2 toddlers) for free. I had read that the service and food didn’t leave much to be desired, however the location and the view were too good to pass up. Boy… was THAT a mistake! Just imagine… two 2.5 year olds at lunchtime (BEFORE their naps) waiting 45 minutes to get their noodles and hot dogs… NOT a fun time.

On the flip side… DEFINITELY eat at Belfry Inn & Bistro (http://www.belfryinn.com/). In fact — and better yet, try to plan a romantic overnight visit to this B&B located in a converted church and a beautiful Victorian home. This uber romantic and tasty bistro attracted us after a day on the beach… in casual clothes… and with Chance in tow. I figured they wouldn’t want to seat us b/c it is clearly a more formal atmosphere. I asked for seating outside b/c I didn’t want Chance to drive any of the patrons away with his “end-of-the-day bantering and hyperactivity”! They had a cocktail party going on outside… so to accommodate us, they SET UP a table on their deck and made sure that our requests were made! AND… had no issues with our casual dress (I asked). These two factors alone sold me right off the bat. A really nice restaurant… a Saturday night… a Toddler… causal dress… AND accommodating our request to sit out side by CREATING a place for us to sit. You can’t beat that…

And to top if off, the food was good too! Dan and I both started with the Watercress and Beet Salad (at $8) and Chance had the Caesar Salad ($7)… but without the actual Caesar dressing due to his egg allergy. He had just a plain vinaigrette instead (yes, our picking child eats salad). For dinners, I had a Truffle Risotto topped with Lobster and served with a lobster cream sauce ($31). It was very good. Dan had one of thier specials… Sea Bass with Jasmine Rice and sweet red peppers in a coconut broth. Very delish!

All in all… head down to this place. If not for an overnight, at least for a dinner… it’s worth the trip!

Gimme a Sandwich!

Okay, first and foremost… I KNOW… I dropped the ball! It’s been WAY too long since I posted. That said… hopefully I will be back on track now.

_____________________
So we headed down to the Cape Labor Day weekend… Sandwich, to be exact… to celebrate our 4-year anniversary and to get away for a few days.

While away, we had the luxury of being able to eat out a few times… at places both worthy and not-so-worthy. If you ever feel like getting away for a night or the weekend, Sandwich is a great and often overlooked spot. Just minutes over the bridge…we didn’t even hit traffic driving down on Friday or back on Sunday (Labor Day weekend mind you). We definitely recommend this quaint little (and the oldest) town on the Cape.

As far as food goes… we had one really good experience and one really bad experience! Therefore, if you find yourself taking our advice and heading down to Sandwich… here are a few tips:

DO NOT eat at Hemisphere Restaurant (http://www.hemispherecapecod.com/). While the location is great (and was only .1 miles from the house we stayed in) — the view overlooking Cape Cod Bay is awesome (it’s right the beach) — the food is overpriced (6 very small raw oysters for $13) and the service is AWFUL (45 minutes for just the apps to arrive and TWO — not one, but TWO — hairs in our dining companion’s salad)! Our overall experience was quite awful… so awful, that they actually gave us our entire party’s lunch order (4 adults and 2 toddlers) for free. I had read that the service and food didn’t leave much to be desired, however the location and the view were too good to pass up. Boy… was THAT a mistake! Just imagine… two 2.5 year olds at lunchtime (BEFORE their naps) waiting 45 minutes to get their noodles and hot dogs… NOT a fun time.

On the flip side… DEFINITELY eat at Belfry Inn & Bistro (http://www.belfryinn.com/). In fact — and better yet, try to plan a romantic overnight visit to this B&B located in a converted church and a beautiful Victorian home. This uber romantic and tasty bistro attracted us after a day on the beach… in casual clothes… and with Chance in tow. I figured they wouldn’t want to seat us b/c it is clearly a more formal atmosphere. I asked for seating outside b/c I didn’t want Chance to drive any of the patrons away with his “end-of-the-day bantering and hyperactivity”! They had a cocktail party going on outside… so to accommodate us, they SET UP a table on their deck and made sure that our requests were made! AND… had no issues with our casual dress (I asked). These two factors alone sold me right off the bat. A really nice restaurant… a Saturday night… a Toddler… causal dress… AND accommodating our request to sit out side by CREATING a place for us to sit. You can’t beat that…

And to top if off, the food was good too! Dan and I both started with the Watercress and Beet Salad (at $8) and Chance had the Caesar Salad ($7)… but without the actual Caesar dressing due to his egg allergy. He had just a plain vinaigrette instead (yes, our picking child eats salad). For dinners, I had a Truffle Risotto topped with Lobster and served with a lobster cream sauce ($31). It was very good. Dan had one of thier specials… Sea Bass with Jasmine Rice and sweet red peppers in a coconut broth. Very delish!

All in all… head down to this place. If not for an overnight, at least for a dinner… it’s worth the trip!

Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun… (at Ivy and the Foundation Lounge)

Ahhh… the much needed and highly anticipated “girl’s night out”. How we DO look so forward to these! One of my very best friends and I try to get together on a somewhat regular basis, though it usually winds up being no more than a few times a year. She has a 2 year old as well… and while we keep saying we’re going to get together for more playdates and more dinners out, we rarely do. However, the summer is special for us because my birthday is in July and hers is one month later in August, so we generally get to see each other for TWO GNO’s, two months in a row!

Last night we tried The Foundation Lounge in Kenmore Square… http://www.thefoundationlounge.com/ It was our first visit and I had heard some good things about this place. It is located in the new Hotel Commonwealth and is known to cater to an “older crowd” (30 and 40-something yo hipsters)… which unfortunately, we belong to (both my girlfriend and I turn 40 next year).

When I arrived at 7:30, the place was DEAD… practically empty (and this was a Thursday night). I sat at the bar and had a mojito while I waited for my friend to arrive. The drink was pretty good… strong, but a bit too much lime for my taste (my second one was better though). Our reservations were for 7:30, but since the place was so quiet, we sat at the bar for an hour having drinks, munching on mixed nuts and catching up. We finally sat down to eat at 8:30 and decided to sit outside on the patio (despite the fact that this place is know for their “loungey” atmosphere). At 8:30, the place was still very quiet.

The menu here is very limited, with a small selection of Japanese tapas (“Zensai”), so we ordered four items to share. All four were very good. We had the salmon bruschetta ($15), hand made crab rangoon ($8), mini spring rolls ($14) and the spicy double tuna maki ($14). Between the four plates we had plenty of food… though a little over-priced. The spicy tuna wasn’t very spicy, but it was good none the less. The salmon was very fresh and was also a good sized portion… though, there weren’t enough “toasts” with it to cover all the salmon.

By the time we left, there were maybe 30 or so 20-something year old (BU?) students. Not really our idea of a more mature crowd… but this could be because the hostess told me they were having an Asian theme night. Perhaps during normal nights, when they have live jazz, or on the weekends the place is a bit more happening. I would have to try it a second time to determine its actual worthiness. However, that said… I would not consider this a date night place. It is more of a singles scene. So… I give The Foundation Lounge a 3 out of a possible 10 for DNW. Perhaps if you hit this place AFTER you had dinner someplace else… and cuddled up on one of the corner couches… you could have a nice wrap-up to date night.

————————————-

Last month, for my b-day, we hit Ivy Restaurant in the Financial District… http://www.ivyrestaurantgroup.com/ This was my second visit to this place, as Dan (my husband) and I had shared our date night with another couple (and good friend’s of ours), who… you guessed it… have a two year old as well!

I like Ivy. They offer Italian inspired small plates and actually have over 60 bottles of wine that “are less than $26″ (as they advertise). Good food and cheap wine always make for a good date night! Couple that with good ambience and yourself a DNW (date night worthy) restaurant. During my first visit there, with our friends, we were seated right across from the bar in one of their booths. While this location was okay, I wouldn’t recommend it for DN. A little too open and exposed to the bar and dining traffic. My second visit, during GNO, we were seated in the back of the restaurant. The ambiance was much better in this area.

Of the small plates I have tasted at Ivy, I can truly say I enjoyed most, if not all of them. AND… their martinis are VERY tasty! For food, I can personally recommend the roast red and gold beet salad with a warm goat cheese crouton ($9), arancini with fontina and black truffles (my personal favorite at $8), herb frites ($6), “three cheese” macaroni and cheese with truffle oil ($12) and the formaggio plate ($14). I believe I have tried some of the other plates as well, though they did not stand out the way these did. My dining partners have also enjoyed the Italian butcher block ($14) — I don’t eat red meat and VERY rarely eat any chicken or turkey — and the grilled lamb rack with mint pesto and lemon yogurt ($12).

Overall, I give Ivy a 9 out of a possible 10 on DNW (date night worthiness). A 9 because — if you get seated in the front of the restaurant it’s not all that romantic. However, keep in mind that downstairs they have the Cava Cocktail Lounge that you can always hit up for a nightcap and some smooching… if you can afford to keep the babysitter around for a few more hours…

Ivy:
Foundation Lounge:

Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun… (at Ivy and the Foundation Lounge)

Ahhh… the much needed and highly anticipated “girl’s night out”. How we DO look so forward to these! One of my very best friends and I try to get together on a somewhat regular basis, though it usually winds up being no more than a few times a year. She has a 2 year old as well… and while we keep saying we’re going to get together for more playdates and more dinners out, we rarely do. However, the summer is special for us because my birthday is in July and hers is one month later in August, so we generally get to see each other for TWO GNO’s, two months in a row!

Last night we tried The Foundation Lounge in Kenmore Square… http://www.thefoundationlounge.com/ It was our first visit and I had heard some good things about this place. It is located in the new Hotel Commonwealth and is known to cater to an “older crowd” (30 and 40-something yo hipsters)… which unfortunately, we belong to (both my girlfriend and I turn 40 next year).

When I arrived at 7:30, the place was DEAD… practically empty (and this was a Thursday night). I sat at the bar and had a mojito while I waited for my friend to arrive. The drink was pretty good… strong, but a bit too much lime for my taste (my second one was better though). Our reservations were for 7:30, but since the place was so quiet, we sat at the bar for an hour having drinks, munching on mixed nuts and catching up. We finally sat down to eat at 8:30 and decided to sit outside on the patio (despite the fact that this place is know for their “loungey” atmosphere). At 8:30, the place was still very quiet.

The menu here is very limited, with a small selection of Japanese tapas (“Zensai”), so we ordered four items to share. All four were very good. We had the salmon bruschetta ($15), hand made crab rangoon ($8), mini spring rolls ($14) and the spicy double tuna maki ($14). Between the four plates we had plenty of food… though a little over-priced. The spicy tuna wasn’t very spicy, but it was good none the less. The salmon was very fresh and was also a good sized portion… though, there weren’t enough “toasts” with it to cover all the salmon.

By the time we left, there were maybe 30 or so 20-something year old (BU?) students. Not really our idea of a more mature crowd… but this could be because the hostess told me they were having an Asian theme night. Perhaps during normal nights, when they have live jazz, or on the weekends the place is a bit more happening. I would have to try it a second time to determine its actual worthiness. However, that said… I would not consider this a date night place. It is more of a singles scene. So… I give The Foundation Lounge a 3 out of a possible 10 for DNW. Perhaps if you hit this place AFTER you had dinner someplace else… and cuddled up on one of the corner couches… you could have a nice wrap-up to date night.

————————————-

Last month, for my b-day, we hit Ivy Restaurant in the Financial District… http://www.ivyrestaurantgroup.com/ This was my second visit to this place, as Dan (my husband) and I had shared our date night with another couple (and good friend’s of ours), who… you guessed it… have a two year old as well!

I like Ivy. They offer Italian inspired small plates and actually have over 60 bottles of wine that “are less than $26″ (as they advertise). Good food and cheap wine always make for a good date night! Couple that with good ambience and yourself a DNW (date night worthy) restaurant. During my first visit there, with our friends, we were seated right across from the bar in one of their booths. While this location was okay, I wouldn’t recommend it for DN. A little too open and exposed to the bar and dining traffic. My second visit, during GNO, we were seated in the back of the restaurant. The ambiance was much better in this area.

Of the small plates I have tasted at Ivy, I can truly say I enjoyed most, if not all of them. AND… their martinis are VERY tasty! For food, I can personally recommend the roast red and gold beet salad with a warm goat cheese crouton ($9), arancini with fontina and black truffles (my personal favorite at $8), herb frites ($6), “three cheese” macaroni and cheese with truffle oil ($12) and the formaggio plate ($14). I believe I have tried some of the other plates as well, though they did not stand out the way these did. My dining partners have also enjoyed the Italian butcher block ($14) — I don’t eat red meat and VERY rarely eat any chicken or turkey — and the grilled lamb rack with mint pesto and lemon yogurt ($12).

Overall, I give Ivy a 9 out of a possible 10 on DNW (date night worthiness). A 9 because — if you get seated in the front of the restaurant it’s not all that romantic. However, keep in mind that downstairs they have the Cava Cocktail Lounge that you can always hit up for a nightcap and some smooching… if you can afford to keep the babysitter around for a few more hours…

Ivy:
Foundation Lounge:

Jamming to Latin Music in the North End… Restaurant Week 2007 at Taranta

Once a year in Boston, foodies unite and make their annual pilgrimage through Restaurant Week. The week where many participating restaurants in the Greater Boston area offer discounted lunches (for $20.07 — with the 07 representing the year) and dinners (at $33.07). Each price includes three courses… an appetizer, entree and dessert… from a limited version of their menu (generally 3 or 4 choices depending on the restaurant). This is a big deal to us foodies, as this gives us an opportunity to try restaurants we might otherwise consider too pricey.

This year, Dan and I had our regularly scheduled DN (date night) land smack in the middle of RW. I scoured the available reservations on http://www.opentable.com/ trying to decide where we should eat. Most of the “good places” booked up ages ago… and since I was trying to book dinner for Friday night on the Tuesday of that week, the pickings were a little slim. One rule of thumb for us is that we don’t generally go to a place we’ve already been too… especially during RW, unless the place is absolutely coveted to us. That said, I didn’t have a lot to choose from that seemed enticing to me.

I settled on selecting a place in the North End. We hadn’t been there in about a year and do not get there very often since we moved out of the city 5 years ago. I figured you cannot go wrong in the NE for ambiance… but I’ve had my share of good and bad experiences in the food category. I narrowed down the available reservations to include only those in the NE and then I started sleuthing… checking out the restaurant’s website (if they had one) and the reviews on City Search. I settled on a place called Taranta, on Hanover Street… http://www.tarantarist.com/v4/index.html A somewhat newer restaurant that claimed to be a fusion of southern Italian and Peruvian fair. Sounded interesting… and different.

The menu looked good; however, they did not specify which entrees would be on the menu for RW. I was a little concerned, as they didn’t seem to have any shortage of reservations available. A sign? I went to City Search to see what other like-minded folks had to say about this place. With 32 reviews under their belt, they had an average rating of 4.5 (out of 5) stars. This is quite high by City Search standards… elevating my interest. However, when I began reading the actual reviews, all the 5 star ratings occurred during the first year of their operation. Many of the reviews from this year gave them very low ratings (like 1 star). The most recent posts were from May of this year and both were 5 stars… so I was hopeful.

The last negative review was from March of this year and the bulk of the negative reviews were based on cost. The reviewers thought the price outweighed the quality of food. This would not be an issue for us, as it was a set price. Maybe this WAS a good place to try for RW… seeing how they tended to be on the pricey side. The other negative reviews focused on service… basically that is sucked. This can definitely be a downer on a date night… as you want to have a good time and feel waited on and taken care of (instead of being the caretaker). Since no one had posted a negative review all summer… I decided I would take it upon myself to try this place out and then place an updated review on City Search (should be coming soon).

I booked our reservation… though hesitantly, as this was the only restaurant I have EVER encountered on Open Table that required a credit card number too book. They had a 48 hour cancellation fee… $25 per person! We all know that a child can whip up a fever at the last minute, so this concerned me. I don’t know if this policy was directly tied to RW, or if this is the standard. In either case, this is definitely a negative check for me. I was determined to book something before it was too late though, so I bit the bullet and clicked the submit button.

Taranta does not have valet parking (negative check number 2)… though, most restaurants in the NE don’t… so I cannot really hold this factor against them. There is a lot that is located within short walking distance to Hanover and they validate the parking… so in the end, it only cost us $3… a nice surprise and a BIG savings in the Boston parking world! It had been raining all day, but had cleared by early evening, providing us with a clear, cool night for strolling through the (extremely tourist-heavy) streets.

We arrived right on time… at 7:30. We were seated immediately and bread and water were brought to the table just moments later (service? check). The RW menu offered 3 choices for apps, 4 for entree and 2 for desert. You need to select all three up front (which was a little annoying, as I like to see what I feel like for desert after I eat). I selected pan roasted mussels (normally $10.95) in a red wine and balsamic vinegar broth, pasta pomodoro della nonna ($18.95) and mango mousse cake. Dan got the chilled cucumber soup, which was topped with a couscous and shrimp salad (and not on the standard menu), the cassava root gnocchi ($24.95) in a slow-braised green lamb ragu and the lemon sorbet. I also had their signature martini… a “Cholopolitain”… made with Peurvian Pisco (which is similar to grappa), cranberry juice, cointreau, passion fruit juice and lime juice. This was delicious… and strong… with a reminiscence of tequila. I enjoyed it…

Our apps came out in a very timely fashion and we were both very happy with the quality of the ingredients and the overall taste. The broth surrounding the mussels was extremely good… between Dan and I, we sopped up most of it with the leftover bread. Dan also enjoyed the cucumber soup… it had a nice spice to it and tasted very refreshing.

The dinners came out shortly after our app plates were cleared. I would have preferred a bit more time between courses, but due to the circumstances (RW) I will let this one pass. Dan’s gnocchi looked and smelled wonderful. He was surprised by the amount of lamb in the dish and the overall taste of the meal was very good. My pomodoro was okay. For $18.95 on the normal menu, I would have expected a better tasting sauce. I believe the pasta was homemade, which is always a nice touch. I didn’t really enjoy the overall meal though. Deserts were mediocre. Dan’s lemon sorbet was quite good… but it was sorbet…how do you mess that one up? My mango mousse cake was overly sweet and too creamy (yes, desert CAN be too creamy). I expected a nice tangy punch of mango… so I didn’t even eat half (which is a RARITY for me).

Would we come back again? Probably not. Is it date night worthy? Not in my opinion. I would give it maybe a 4 out of a possible 10 for DNW. My final comment would be that, aside from the gnocchi (which is one of their signature dishes) I felt they picked meals that were on the low-end price-wise. The combination of my 3 courses probably added up to $33 or less… NOT a bargain in my mind. Even the fish option (which I would have normally gotten) was just tilapia. I would have preferred the salmon, trout or tuna dishes over that one any day. I felt like they didn’t really give diners an appropriate mix of meals to try. I can get pasta pomodoro anywhere… it’s RW… dazzle us already!

What’s all the whining about???

Every two weeks a little reminder in my Outlook calendar pops up… “Date Night!!!”.

Prior to my son Chance being born (two and a half years ago), my husband and I went out to dinner quite often. We love to eat out and we definitely love to try new restaurants in the Boston area. We are self-proclaimed foodies… and proud of it. We had a list of “places to try” and looked forward to wandering through Back Bay or the North End, randomly picking a place to eat on any given Friday or Saturday night (or do I dare say it, a WEEK NIGHT!). That was all “BC” (before Chance). Once you have a child, you quickly realize that all those illusions (delusions?) you had about maintaining your pre-baby lifestyle quickly dissipate and “life with child” sets in.

It took about 6 months after Chance was born before we actually went out without him. It was my husband’s company holiday party… woo hoo (please sense the sarcasm here). After that, we called our new babysitter a few times here and there so we could go out to dinner for a special occasion or such. Then a few months ago, I emailed my now veteran (and highly trusted) babysitter and asked if she would be interested in a regular gig with us… every other Friday night, so we could go out on a regular “date night”.

I began thinking about HOW to chose where to eat… after all, these coveted date nights are rare outings and I didn’t want to waste my time on any restaurant that wasn’t “date night worthy”. That’s where this blog comes in. I know many of my mom friends (a term that is a regular in my vocabulary these days) do not get out on date nights as often as they would like either. Staying at home with a child and/or working full or part-time and coming home to a child afterwards, does not leave a whole lot of time for planning or researching where your next night out should be. With or without child…

This blog will keep you in the know about the latest and greatest hot spots in Boston, whether or not they are “date night worthy” and/or “kid friendly” (and why). Additionally, the foodie in me will try to provide some in-depth food reviews on current and past memorable experiences.

I hope you all enjoy this and can gain some information for your future date nights (or family nights). Please feel free to provide feedback and/or ask questions re: restaurants that are not yet listed. We have eaten in many restaurants over the years and also have an extensive network of foodies (plus, I sill DO read the Improper)… so odds are, I will have at least heard some chatter about the place you are interested in.

Bon Appetite! (and book that sitter already!!!)

Jamming to Latin Music in the North End… Restaurant Week 2007 at Taranta

Once a year in Boston, foodies unite and make their annual pilgrimage through Restaurant Week. The week where many participating restaurants in the Greater Boston area offer discounted lunches (for $20.07 — with the 07 representing the year) and dinners (at $33.07). Each price includes three courses… an appetizer, entree and dessert… from a limited version of their menu (generally 3 or 4 choices depending on the restaurant). This is a big deal to us foodies, as this gives us an opportunity to try restaurants we might otherwise consider too pricey.

This year, Dan and I had our regularly scheduled DN (date night) land smack in the middle of RW. I scoured the available reservations on http://www.opentable.com/ trying to decide where we should eat. Most of the “good places” booked up ages ago… and since I was trying to book dinner for Friday night on the Tuesday of that week, the pickings were a little slim. One rule of thumb for us is that we don’t generally go to a place we’ve already been too… especially during RW, unless the place is absolutely coveted to us. That said, I didn’t have a lot to choose from that seemed enticing to me.

I settled on selecting a place in the North End. We hadn’t been there in about a year and do not get there very often since we moved out of the city 5 years ago. I figured you cannot go wrong in the NE for ambiance… but I’ve had my share of good and bad experiences in the food category. I narrowed down the available reservations to include only those in the NE and then I started sleuthing… checking out the restaurant’s website (if they had one) and the reviews on City Search. I settled on a place called Taranta, on Hanover Street… http://www.tarantarist.com/v4/index.html A somewhat newer restaurant that claimed to be a fusion of southern Italian and Peruvian fair. Sounded interesting… and different.

The menu looked good; however, they did not specify which entrees would be on the menu for RW. I was a little concerned, as they didn’t seem to have any shortage of reservations available. A sign? I went to City Search to see what other like-minded folks had to say about this place. With 32 reviews under their belt, they had an average rating of 4.5 (out of 5) stars. This is quite high by City Search standards… elevating my interest. However, when I began reading the actual reviews, all the 5 star ratings occurred during the first year of their operation. Many of the reviews from this year gave them very low ratings (like 1 star). The most recent posts were from May of this year and both were 5 stars… so I was hopeful.

The last negative review was from March of this year and the bulk of the negative reviews were based on cost. The reviewers thought the price outweighed the quality of food. This would not be an issue for us, as it was a set price. Maybe this WAS a good place to try for RW… seeing how they tended to be on the pricey side. The other negative reviews focused on service… basically that is sucked. This can definitely be a downer on a date night… as you want to have a good time and feel waited on and taken care of (instead of being the caretaker). Since no one had posted a negative review all summer… I decided I would take it upon myself to try this place out and then place an updated review on City Search (should be coming soon).

I booked our reservation… though hesitantly, as this was the only restaurant I have EVER encountered on Open Table that required a credit card number too book. They had a 48 hour cancellation fee… $25 per person! We all know that a child can whip up a fever at the last minute, so this concerned me. I don’t know if this policy was directly tied to RW, or if this is the standard. In either case, this is definitely a negative check for me. I was determined to book something before it was too late though, so I bit the bullet and clicked the submit button.

Taranta does not have valet parking (negative check number 2)… though, most restaurants in the NE don’t… so I cannot really hold this factor against them. There is a lot that is located within short walking distance to Hanover and they validate the parking… so in the end, it only cost us $3… a nice surprise and a BIG savings in the Boston parking world! It had been raining all day, but had cleared by early evening, providing us with a clear, cool night for strolling through the (extremely tourist-heavy) streets.

We arrived right on time… at 7:30. We were seated immediately and bread and water were brought to the table just moments later (service? check). The RW menu offered 3 choices for apps, 4 for entree and 2 for desert. You need to select all three up front (which was a little annoying, as I like to see what I feel like for desert after I eat). I selected pan roasted mussels (normally $10.95) in a red wine and balsamic vinegar broth, pasta pomodoro della nonna ($18.95) and mango mousse cake. Dan got the chilled cucumber soup, which was topped with a couscous and shrimp salad (and not on the standard menu), the cassava root gnocchi ($24.95) in a slow-braised green lamb ragu and the lemon sorbet. I also had their signature martini… a “Cholopolitain”… made with Peurvian Pisco (which is similar to grappa), cranberry juice, cointreau, passion fruit juice and lime juice. This was delicious… and strong… with a reminiscence of tequila. I enjoyed it…

Our apps came out in a very timely fashion and we were both very happy with the quality of the ingredients and the overall taste. The broth surrounding the mussels was extremely good… between Dan and I, we sopped up most of it with the leftover bread. Dan also enjoyed the cucumber soup… it had a nice spice to it and tasted very refreshing.

The dinners came out shortly after our app plates were cleared. I would have preferred a bit more time between courses, but due to the circumstances (RW) I will let this one pass. Dan’s gnocchi looked and smelled wonderful. He was surprised by the amount of lamb in the dish and the overall taste of the meal was very good. My pomodoro was okay. For $18.95 on the normal menu, I would have expected a better tasting sauce. I believe the pasta was homemade, which is always a nice touch. I didn’t really enjoy the overall meal though. Deserts were mediocre. Dan’s lemon sorbet was quite good… but it was sorbet…how do you mess that one up? My mango mousse cake was overly sweet and too creamy (yes, desert CAN be too creamy). I expected a nice tangy punch of mango… so I didn’t even eat half (which is a RARITY for me).

Would we come back again? Probably not. Is it date night worthy? Not in my opinion. I would give it maybe a 4 out of a possible 10 for DNW. My final comment would be that, aside from the gnocchi (which is one of their signature dishes) I felt they picked meals that were on the low-end price-wise. The combination of my 3 courses probably added up to $33 or less… NOT a bargain in my mind. Even the fish option (which I would have normally gotten) was just tilapia. I would have preferred the salmon, trout or tuna dishes over that one any day. I felt like they didn’t really give diners an appropriate mix of meals to try. I can get pasta pomodoro anywhere… it’s RW… dazzle us already!

What’s all the whining about???

Every two weeks a little reminder in my Outlook calendar pops up… “Date Night!!!”.

Prior to my son Chance being born (two and a half years ago), my husband and I went out to dinner quite often. We love to eat out and we definitely love to try new restaurants in the Boston area. We are self-proclaimed foodies… and proud of it. We had a list of “places to try” and looked forward to wandering through Back Bay or the North End, randomly picking a place to eat on any given Friday or Saturday night (or do I dare say it, a WEEK NIGHT!). That was all “BC” (before Chance). Once you have a child, you quickly realize that all those illusions (delusions?) you had about maintaining your pre-baby lifestyle quickly dissipate and “life with child” sets in.

It took about 6 months after Chance was born before we actually went out without him. It was my husband’s company holiday party… woo hoo (please sense the sarcasm here). After that, we called our new babysitter a few times here and there so we could go out to dinner for a special occasion or such. Then a few months ago, I emailed my now veteran (and highly trusted) babysitter and asked if she would be interested in a regular gig with us… every other Friday night, so we could go out on a regular “date night”.

I began thinking about HOW to chose where to eat… after all, these coveted date nights are rare outings and I didn’t want to waste my time on any restaurant that wasn’t “date night worthy”. That’s where this blog comes in. I know many of my mom friends (a term that is a regular in my vocabulary these days) do not get out on date nights as often as they would like either. Staying at home with a child and/or working full or part-time and coming home to a child afterwards, does not leave a whole lot of time for planning or researching where your next night out should be. With or without child…

This blog will keep you in the know about the latest and greatest hot spots in Boston, whether or not they are “date night worthy” and/or “kid friendly” (and why). Additionally, the foodie in me will try to provide some in-depth food reviews on current and past memorable experiences.

I hope you all enjoy this and can gain some information for your future date nights (or family nights). Please feel free to provide feedback and/or ask questions re: restaurants that are not yet listed. We have eaten in many restaurants over the years and also have an extensive network of foodies (plus, I sill DO read the Improper)… so odds are, I will have at least heard some chatter about the place you are interested in.

Bon Appetite! (and book that sitter already!!!)