This is the season to walk the sidewalks of Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay and admire the beautiful holiday decorations. This doorway is on the Arlington to Berkeley Block.
If you happen to be near here on December 20th from 5-6pm, you may hear the Back Bay Bell Ringers performing at the entrance to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall on Arlington Street.
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Our readers are already searching our past posts to figure out where to dine this New Year's Eve in Boston. It's time for you to grab a reservation at a special place!
We all have our ideas of the perfect New Year's Eve. Are you looking for a place to ring in 2013 with a happy crowd? Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration?
We fall into the food-loving, quiet celebration group, and we'll tell you about some places where that's possible.
But, we have to admit one of our more memorable New Year's Eves was spent at the bar at Hamersley's Bistro. We had planned to slip in and out for a quick, quiet dinner and managed to stay for a much longer time enjoying the company of a great group at the bar. This year, they're planning a four-course prix fixe menu with a champagne toast if you're there at midnight.
Everyone can begin at Open Table. They maintain a list of special New Year's celebrations at area restaurants. This is perfect if you're meeting up with a group here in the city and the site even offers places like AKA Bistro in Lincoln for those who prefer a suburban location.
You can put a time into the reservation box on the main page and see what's available. Remember, many places have special prix fixe menus for occasions like this and some may require a credit card to hold a reservation.
The site Boston Chefs always posts a listing of its member restaurants that have special plans for New Year's Eve. Here is their New Year's Eve list. And, here's the list for New Year's Day.
There are also restaurants that have planned a special New Year's Eve menu but have built their reputation on high quality food. These are places where you can expect to have a wonderful meal any day of the year.
Island Creek Oyster Bar is serving its regular menu and, for that kindness, we've put them at the top of this list.
Eastern Standard, next door, is doing the same. Regular menu, great wine list, craft cocktails.
Grotto on Beacon Hill, Kitchen in the South End, and Marliave downtown all join that list of places sticking with the food you love.
Craigie On Main is planning two sets of seatings for two prix fixe menus. Call fast, these reservations will be snatched up quickly.
Brasserie JO has a special menu but alway provides great food in a relaxed atmosphere, and their desserts are a party in themselves.
La Morra in Brookline – chef Josh Ziskin says he saves some of his most prized dishes just for this evening. He's serving a four-course Italian dinner with a glass of Prosecco for toasting.
Where are you spending the evening? What's your favorite way to celebrate? Come back on January 1st and tell us about your New Year's Eve.
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Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photography: Photo: iStockphoto.com
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Our readers are already searching our past posts to figure out where to dine this New Year's Eve in Boston. It's time for you to grab a reservation at a special place!
We all have our ideas of the perfect New Year's Eve. Are you looking for a place to ring in 2013 with a happy crowd? Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration?
We fall into the food-loving, quiet celebration group, and we'll tell you about some places where that's possible.
But, we have to admit one of our more memorable New Year's Eves was spent at the bar at Hamersley's Bistro. We had planned to slip in and out for a quick, quiet dinner and managed to stay for a much longer time enjoying the company of a great group at the bar. This year, they're planning a four-course prix fixe menu with a champagne toast if you're there at midnight.
Everyone can begin at Open Table. They maintain a list of special New Year's celebrations at area restaurants. This is perfect if you're meeting up with a group here in the city and the site even offers places like AKA Bistro in Lincoln for those who prefer a suburban location.
You can put a time into the reservation box on the main page and see what's available. Remember, many places have special prix fixe menus for occasions like this and some may require a credit card to hold a reservation.
The site Boston Chefs always posts a listing of its member restaurants that have special plans for New Year's Eve. Here is their New Year's Eve list. And, here's the list for New Year's Day.
There are also restaurants that have planned a special New Year's Eve menu but have built their reputation on high quality food. These are places where you can expect to have a wonderful meal any day of the year.
Island Creek Oyster Bar is serving its regular menu and, for that kindness, we've put them at the top of this list.
Eastern Standard, next door, is doing the same. Regular menu, great wine list, craft cocktails.
Grotto on Beacon Hill, Kitchen in the South End, and Marliave downtown all join that list of places sticking with the food you love.
Craigie On Main is planning two sets of seatings for two prix fixe menus. Call fast, these reservations will be snatched up quickly.
Brasserie JO has a special menu but alway provides great food in a relaxed atmosphere, and their desserts are a party in themselves.
La Morra in Brookline – chef Josh Ziskin says he saves some of his most prized dishes just for this evening. He's serving a four-course Italian dinner with a glass of Prosecco for toasting.
Where are you spending the evening? What's your favorite way to celebrate? Come back on January 1st and tell us about your New Year's Eve.
To be notified of updates to this post, sign-on to the comment feed for this post or follow us on Twitter for updates.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photography: Photo: iStockphoto.com
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
But, seriously, she really did collect a lot of information in preparing to write this book. As perpetual students of Boston's rich history, we loved learning so many new aspects and seeing how alcohol, the places where drinking took place, and social reformer movements fit into what we already know.
The book takes you on a time travel trek from inside Boston’s first colonial taverns, through the saloon era, on to Prohibition, stopping at the 1930s and 1940s nightclub scene, and bringing you right up to the current craft cocktail movement. Did you know that early taverns sometimes served as courtrooms?
Along the way Schorow delves into the issues of class, social reform, and reminds you of the breweries, neighborhood bars, and some of the people who were an important part of what she calls a “…drinking town.”
Put Drinking Boston On Your Gift List
This book will make a great gift for anyone who loves Boston history and would like to see it through a different perspective.
It can help a newcomer to the city understand references to places like Scollay Square and many beloved neighborhood bars.
It’s peppered with background and cocktail recipes for your favorite mixologist.
And, it includes a great collection of photos.
Here's Jackson Cannon from The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard, and Island Creek Oyster Bar.
You'll learn more about him as Drinking Boston moves into Boston's current craft cocktail scene. Schorow also takes you on visits with Patrick Sullivan, Robert "Cleve' Toomey, Misty Kalkofen, Todd Maul and others who are a part of the scene.
The book wraps up with a glossary of drinks and cocktail lingo to help you communicate with your favorite person behind the bar.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photography: Courtesy of Union Park Press, Photo of Jackson Cannon by Stephanie Schorow
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
But, seriously, she really did collect a lot of information in preparing to write this book. As perpetual students of Boston's rich history, we loved learning so many new aspects and seeing how alcohol, the places where drinking took place, and social reformer movements fit into what we already know.
The book takes you on a time travel trek from inside Boston’s first colonial taverns, through the saloon era, on to Prohibition, stopping at the 1930s and 1940s nightclub scene, and bringing you right up to the current craft cocktail movement. Did you know that early taverns sometimes served as courtrooms?
Along the way Schorow delves into the issues of class, social reform, and reminds you of the breweries, neighborhood bars, and some of the people who were an important part of what she calls a “…drinking town.”
Put Drinking Boston On Your Gift List
This book will make a great gift for anyone who loves Boston history and would like to see it through a different perspective.
It can help a newcomer to the city understand references to places like Scollay Square and many beloved neighborhood bars.
It’s peppered with background and cocktail recipes for your favorite mixologist.
And, it includes a great collection of photos.
Here's Jackson Cannon from The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard, and Island Creek Oyster Bar.
You'll learn more about him as Drinking Boston moves into Boston's current craft cocktail scene. Schorow also takes you on visits with Patrick Sullivan, Robert "Cleve' Toomey, Misty Kalkofen, Todd Maul and others who are a part of the scene.
The book wraps up with a glossary of drinks and cocktail lingo to help you communicate with your favorite person behind the bar.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photography: Courtesy of Union Park Press, Photo of Jackson Cannon by Stephanie Schorow
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
This package was sitting on a doorstep in the Back Bay. Just saying, I wouldn't be surprised if this tempted someone to help themself to the check enclosed.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
This package was sitting on a doorstep in the Back Bay. Just saying, I wouldn't be surprised if this tempted someone to help themself to the check enclosed.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
There’s nothing like a visit to a beautiful New England town, decorated for the holidays, to give you a dose of holiday spirit. Concord and Lexington fit this bill perfectly and you can get a bit of shopping done at the same time.
We spent the early part of the day in Concord. Our puppy Poppy was with us as we walked around the town stopping to window shop and paying our traditional visits to the Concord Shop to pick up a few kitchen items and to the Concord Cheese Shop for a few delicious things to take home.
It was a nice day, so we ordered cups of a great chili from the Main Streets Market & Cafe and dined al fresco. The chili had big pieces of winter squash – an idea Penny plans to copy – and was delicious! It also came with big pieces of cornbread.
Photo by StevenErat used under creative commons license
Concord is a great place to shop with someone who appreciates quality and is looking for a selection that goes beyond the chains. For example, The Grasshopper Shop on Main Street sells clothing and accessories that are selected to appeal to women of all ages.
A stop at Wilson Farm is always on our list when we’re in the area, so we were off to Lexington after lunch. The greenhouses were filled with red, white, and green, and the smell of pine was in the air.
They had gingerbread houses ready to go or with tubes of frosting to do your own decorating. They even had Holiday Gingerbread Decorating Workshops coming up on Thursday.
And, of course, this working farm is always a beautiful place for us city folk to feel more connected with the land. Ed and Poppy relaxed on a bench overlooking the fields and woods while I shopped for our supper.
We recommend a road trip to Concord and Lexington whenever you feel the need to enjoy the taste of small town life. It can be a wonderful alternative to holiday shopping at the mall or a great daytrip with holiday guests.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
There’s nothing like a visit to a beautiful New England town, decorated for the holidays, to give you a dose of holiday spirit. Concord and Lexington fit this bill perfectly and you can get a bit of shopping done at the same time.
We spent the early part of the day in Concord. Our puppy Poppy was with us as we walked around the town stopping to window shop and paying our traditional visits to the Concord Shop to pick up a few kitchen items and to the Concord Cheese Shop for a few delicious things to take home.
It was a nice day, so we ordered cups of a great chili from the Main Streets Market & Cafe and dined al fresco. The chili had big pieces of winter squash – an idea Penny plans to copy – and was delicious! It also came with big pieces of cornbread.
Photo by StevenErat used under creative commons license
Concord is a great place to shop with someone who appreciates quality and is looking for a selection that goes beyond the chains. For example, The Grasshopper Shop on Main Street sells clothing and accessories that are selected to appeal to women of all ages.
A stop at Wilson Farm is always on our list when we’re in the area, so we were off to Lexington after lunch. The greenhouses were filled with red, white, and green, and the smell of pine was in the air.
They had gingerbread houses ready to go or with tubes of frosting to do your own decorating. They even had Holiday Gingerbread Decorating Workshops coming up on Thursday.
And, of course, this working farm is always a beautiful place for us city folk to feel more connected with the land. Ed and Poppy relaxed on a bench overlooking the fields and woods while I shopped for our supper.
We recommend a road trip to Concord and Lexington whenever you feel the need to enjoy the taste of small town life. It can be a wonderful alternative to holiday shopping at the mall or a great daytrip with holiday guests.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Over the years I've written a lot of articles for print and web publications about the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Most of them have quotes from Margaret Pokorny. She's been my personal tutor and resource on important aspects of our neighborhood like the Mall and the trees that make it such a special place.
During the weekend I saw a post from The Garden Club of the Back Bay that said Margaret will present "The Grandest Boulevard: Commonwealth Avenue Mall" at the Boston Public Library, this Thursday at 6 p.m., as part of the BPL's Building Boston Initiative.
From the BPL's Collection (circa 1880 – 1889)
I will be there because I'm not about to miss an opportunity to pick up a few more interesting facts about the park and see some of the visuals in her wonderful collection of materials about the Mall.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
. But, we bet she had fun doing it!
