Posto

My coworker S and I are obsessed with Posto.  Conveniently located just a five minute drive from where we work, we often find ourselves heading there after a long day when we need to drown our 9-5 sorrows in large glasses of wine or gossip about workplace drama while stuffing ourselves with carbs.  While the food is delicious (and I'll get to that), one of the reasons why I also love Posto is the atmosphere.  It feels more upscale than a lot of places in the area, but there is also a cozy, friendly, and relaxed vibe, like you're sitting down to dinner in the home of your fabulous Italian grandma.

And what's the first thing that you need when you go to visit your fabulous Italian nonna?  A fabulous Italian cocktail, obviously.  Luckily, Posto always has just the thing.  They switch up their cocktail menu seasonally and S and I both went for a drink that screamed summer:   the Vespa.
I could have downed a bucket of these.  Cucumber vodka, basil, lime and prosecco came together to make the perfect zippy drink.  I've always been disappointed by cucumber cocktails that I've tried in the past but this proved to be the perfect combination of flavors...sweet, tangy, and smooth.

As for the food, S and I always start off with the bruschetta (pronounce it in the Italian way:  "brooo-skett-ttaa" or S will get mad at you) which is a dream.  Seriously, S and I talk about how fabulous this bruschetta is so much that I'm pretty sure our other coworkers think it's a code word for something much more scandalous.

Starting to drool yet?

For our main, we decided to split a pizza so that we could save room for dessert (very important at this place, trust me).  We chose the Caponata pizza with goat cheese, cured grapes, pine nuts, eggplant, and tomato conserva.  We weren't sure how all the different toppings would mesh together but we were not disappointed.  The eggplant was the perfect texture, the grapes were unique, and the goat cheese, tomato conserva and pine nuts were bursting with mouth-watering flavor.

I think that we were both sad to see the last crumb disappear, but we consoled ourselves by moving on to dessert.  S plumped for the peach crostata, which was glorious.  The crostata was doughy and not super sweet so it provided the perfect carby complement to the gelato and peaches.

I went for the affogato.  Hazelnut gelato doused in hot espresso and biscotti for dunking.  Need I say more?

A much-needed pick-me-up after a loooong day at work.  I'm already planning our next trip back.

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Weekend Recap

All weekends should be three-day-weekends.  With the normal two-day variety, I never feel like I have enough time to do all the things that I want to do while also taking the time to relax and rejuvenate after a long week.  So Labor Day weekend was just what I needed.  On Friday night, GK and I headed out to the House of Blues for a concert.  The opening act was Rudimental, a band from London that I had honestly never heard of, but they proved to be a fun opener with a unique sound.  Check out their single "Waiting All Night" here.

After a brief wait, during which GK and I passed the time by critiquing the fashion ensembles of fellow concert-goers, exploring the bar options, and comparing and contrasting ourselves with the Olsen twins (the verdict:  we're exactly like them, just less hobo-y), the headliner, Emeli Sande took the stage.  If you haven't heard her music check out this, this, and this.....I can't stop listening to any of them.  Emeli put on an amazing show, full of energy and feeling, and it is always so refreshing to hear a musician sing just as well live as they do on their studio-recorded tracks (cough, cough, Taylor Swift).  If you get the chance to see her, do it!  She's well worth the cost of a concert ticket but not as well known yet (and therefore the tickets aren't as expensive) as some of her fellow Brit musicians.  So jump on it now and in a little while, you can brag about the fact that you saw her before she truly hit it big!

 The rest of the weekend was a bit more mellow, with good food, good company, and quality t.v.  (have you been watching "The Bridge"?  Sooo good.) and chick-lit catch-up time.

A delish salad that I concocted for lunch:  greens, basil, chicken, goat cheese, peaches and a hint of balsamic.  There are times when even I am impressed by my genius.

It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the summer.  I hope that you all had a wonderful, restful holiday weekend as well!

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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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