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24 Hours in Boston

This week's travels brought me to Boston for about 24 hours. A quick trip with not enough time to do everything that I want. An exhibit at the MFA closes this weekend, and alas, I did not make it.

I did, however, manage to have two great meals.

Little did I know that "restaurant week" was happening in Boston until I opened the menu at Sel de la Terre, a restaurant across from the Aquarium. In February I lunched at SDLT & knew that dinner needed to happen the next time I was in town. Not to disappoint, the food was excellent. To quote the menu, I ordered braised boneless beef shortribs with celery root whipped potatoes, roasted Provençal vegetables and crispy onions (sorry non-meat eaters) as the entree, and for a starter, a roasted tomato soup with a crab fritter.

The next day I needed a place to go for lunch. I found Rachel's Kitchen on a Chowhound board. By the way, Chowhound is addictive and has never let me down. Just look up a city and BAM! lots of recommendations. So, Rachel's Kitchen (RK) is this tiny cafe on a corner in the Bay Village area of Boston. It is a quiet neighborhood just off some busy streets. The owners of RK actually work there (wow) and cook the food (wow squared) in a kitchen thats about the size of a bread box (kidding, sort of). Breakfast (all day) & lunch are served. Highly recommend the quiche du jour & salad. The chai latte could rank up there with my all time favorite from Teaism in Washington DC (see the post from December 2006). One item that I want to try next time is the brioche with Nutella. Free wi-fi & local music completes the friendly atmosphere. In the future when I own my own restaurant, I would definitely model it after RK's.

Word of the Day

Courtesy of Google.com:

jeroboam:(noun) A wine bottle holding 4/5 of a gallon (3.03 liters).

Synonyms: double-magnum

Usage: In 1725, winemakers in Bordeaux were already referring to larger bottles as “jeroboams," after the founder of Israel who ruled between 931 and 910 BC.

*thats a lot of wine*

Denver

Its always fun to go to the same city twice in seven days. While the flight to Denver is not short, its nice for a change of scenery.

Whats even better is going to the same restaurant twice & ordering a different item. At the recommendation of two Colorado-loving friends, Illegal Pete's (IP) made the cut for lunch. Totally non-chainy & local, it was a great choice for downtown Denver. Located on 16th street, IP plays great music, sells groovy t-shirts, and makes a nice taco plate. The cheese dip is a winner as well. And how can you not like a place that serves New Belgium products on tap.

The second recommendation is Vesta Dipping Grill. Kind of a funny name, but you get to choose your entree & mix & match sauces. I had the grilled venison, ginger ale mushrooms, and fries. Very delicious, but I really didn't care for the three accompanying sauces. The menu has a wide variety of meats, but not a lot for the veggie eater. Nice wine list too.

My only complaint about both trips is the Denver airport: the distance to the rental car facilities, the trams between terminals, and the security line for frequent fliers. Very time consuming.