Coppa

A few weeks ago, I started a new job, and E took me to one of my favorite brunch spots, Coppa, to celebrate.  A tiny Italian restaurant located on a shady street in the South End of Boston, Coppa boasts one of the best Sunday brunches around.  You won't find pancakes and french toast on the menu, but rather more traditional savory Italian offerings as well as innovative breakfast cocktails.

 

Never ones to miss an opportunity for morning libations, E went for the mimosa (made with prosecco, oj, and blood orange liqueur) and I chose the Cereal Milk (fruit loop vodka, oj, and sweetened condensed milk).  After reading the description, I couldn't not order the Cereal Milk,  and it did taste exactly like a bowl of fruit loops.  It ended up being a bit too sweet for my tastes (I'm not sure what I was expecting) but the novelty factory alone made it worth ordering, and E's mimosa was divine.

 

As for the food, we started things off by sharing the pompelmo, a wood oven caramelized grapefruit.

This is the only grapefruit that I have ever had and liked.  I'm not usually one for the sourness, but the wood-firing mellowed the acidity and gave it an amazing roasted flavor.  After devouring the grapefruit in record time, E moved on to the panino di mattina, a scrumptious panini made with prosciutto, fontina, and egg....

while I chose the uova con polenta:  eggs over easy with cheesy polenta, house bacon, and sourdough toast.

The bacon was a bit tough, but its succulent, salty flavor and the cheesy creaminess of the polenta were to die for.  As usual, E and I maintained our memberships in the Clean Plate Club and ate every bite.  The servings at Coppa aren't huge, but it always feels like you've been given just enough food, and I think that that's a testament to the quality of the ingredients.  I'm convinced that this is why Europeans are usually healthier and thinner than Americans....when you have high-quality food that is made with fresh, delicious ingredients, you don't have to supersize things.  

If you're planning on hitting up Coppa for Sunday brunch, get there right around opening time at 11, as they don't have a ton of seating inside and it's a pretty popular place. 

 

After finishing our meals, E and I decided to walk it off a bit, and moseyed around the lovely streets in the vicinity, admiring the architectural details and the picturesque shady spots and gardens.

 

It was the recipe for a perfect Sunday:  good food, sunshine, and getting lost in a pretty neighborhood.

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July Recap, Part Deux

The rest of July was filled with fun visits from family and friends.  First my sister and brother-in-law, J and J, came to Boston.  They arrived on a Friday night and we had a lazy Saturday together, staying inside to avoid the 90+ degree temps and watching movies and tv shows.  Sunday dawned warm but bearable, though, so we ventured out to see the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival.

Going into it, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I ended up being really impressed by the artistry, intricate details, and sheer size of the sculptures.  These were certainly not your grandmother's sandcastles.

This one was my favorite:

After carefully critiquing all the sculptures and getting distracted by several cute dogs, we decided that we need some nourishment.

What better to have after a hot day at the beach than massive servings of ice cream?  This beauty was considered a "small":

The day after our beach sojourn, P and N arrived in Boston on the last leg of their American vacation.  GK and I met P and N while studying abroad in England and have kept in touch ever since.  J and J also met P during our trip to England two summers ago, so it was a nice reunion for all of us.  One thing that P really wanted to do while he was here was go to a Red Sox game so we dragged ourselves to Fenway and then forced ourselves to try basically all of the food and beer options.  Difficult, I know, but we persevered. 

The day had been an extremely rainy one, but luckily the sky cleared before the start of the game and left us with a brilliant sunset.

It was such a fun night, topped off by the fact that the Sox won, which I thought was super nice of them to do in honor of our English visitors.

Later in the week, P and N offered to make dinner for GK and I before we headed out on the town for the night.  Never being ones to refuse someone who wants to cook for us, GK and I sat back and guzzled sangria while watching the boys work some Mexican magic in the kitchen.

 Isn't P a pro at chopping veg?  When I do it, it looks like a tornado has blown through the kitchen afterwards....

The chicken tacos were delicious, the company, divine, and GK and I informed the boys that they could fly across the pond to cook for us anytime they liked.

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July Recap, Part One

I can't believe that it's mid-August already!  July flew by in a blur of weddings, travel, puppies, and visits from friends and family.  I'll try to give you the shortened version of the story:

First up was my trip home to PA to attend the wedding of my oldest friend, J.  She got married in a rustic country setting on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I've never seen her looking happier, or more gorgeous.  Just look at the back of that dress!

(And yes, that's a dessert buffet that they're standing in front of.  GLORIOUS.) A good time was had by all, including my parents who were also invited since they've also known J forever and our moms were friends and car-pool buddies while pregnant with the two of us.

Aren't they cute?

J organized her special day in only a few months, and I was blown away by all the thoughtful details and cute touches that she included.  I am so happy that I could make the trip home for her wedding and it was so nice to see two wonderful people start their married lives together.  See how excited I was?

After recovering from Saturday's festivities, I spent the next few days relaxing with my parents and doing the things that I love to do when I go home:  eating, porch-sitting, and cuddling with puppies.  First, the eating!

 A trip to PA just wouldn't be complete without a Sunday afternoon outing to Dairy Queen with my parents.  There isn't one nearby in Boston, so it is a treat to stop by and grab a blizzard when I'm home.  I usually go for the Chocolate Xtreme.  I take my chocolate very seriously, so it had better be extreme.

We also went to my mom and dad's favorite country restaurant (I'd tell you the name but then my parents would have to kill me for sharing their secret) which has delicious comfort breakfast food at ridiculously cheap prices.  I think that my scrumptious veggie omelet was about $5.   It's enough to make a Bostonian weep.

Mom went for the chocolate chip pancakes which were also divine, and Dad had eggs, homefries, and scrapple (a PA specialty).

That's my dad's "stop-taking-my-picture-so-I-can-eat-this-in-peace" face.

The rest of the visit was mostly spent lounging on my parents' newly finished screened-in porch, enjoying the view and the quiet country air and the fact that there was nothing to do.

There may have also been a lot of cuddling with these adorable ragamuffins:

That's Daisy's "stop-taking-my-picture-and-feed-me!" face.

Pretty soon, it was time to catch the train back to Boston, because July was rolling on.

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