bostonzest

Category: Events

  • Where to Dine on New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day Brunch 2017

    Our readers are already searching our past posts to figure out where to dine on New Year's Eve in Boston. It's time for you to grab a reservation at a special place! (From now on we'll just update this post for future years, so you can come back here anytime for our latest information.)

    And, since it was popular last year, we're adding a few places we think might be great for starting off 2017 with friends and family around a brunch table.

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    We all have our ideas of the perfect New Year's Eve.

    • Are you looking for a place to ring in 2017 with a happy crowd?
    • Will you be out and about dropping in on events or house parties?
    • Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration? 
    • Is a walk to view skating on the Frog Pond more your style?

    We'll leave the New Year's Eve reservation for those of you who like to be part of a bigger celebration, while we spend the evening with some sparkling wine, good food, and great companions. However, we have gathered resources to help you find a place for any kind of New Year's Eve you'd like. 

    Everyone can begin at Open Table. They maintain a list of special New Year's Eve celebrations at area restaurants. 

    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. We'll update this section as we spot new information from these sources.

    We'll add updates with other lists, as they become available, from trusted sources around town. Please remember that when we provide a link to a list, we are just giving you a resource. It doesn't mean we are recommending the restaurants on that list. These summaries often include places we love, but since other publishers have different standards, their list may include restaurants we would never recommend.

    We Do Recommend!

    There are restaurants that have planned a special New Year's Eve menu but have built their reputations on high-quality food. These are places where you can expect to have a wonderful meal any day of the year.

    • Select Oyster Bar offering a 3 course New Year's Eve menu all day Saturday, December 31st alongside their full regular menu this NYE.
    • Coppa will be serving their regular a la carte menu throughout the evening for revelers who want to end the year with a meal full of familiar favorites.
    • Row 34 Chef Sewall will be serving the regular dinner menu with luxurious additions, like Ossestra caviar service or plates like potato latkes with caviar and salmon pastrami.
    • Bistro du Midi is offering two seatings at two prices with two prix fixe menus.
    • Craigie on Main early seating for a five-course prix fixe menu, with optional add-on wine pairings. Or, if you're ready to celebrate into night, choose the later seating for a six-course menu and Champagne toast.
    • Grotto on Beacon Hill, and Marliave downtown all join that list of places sticking with the food you love.
    • La Morra in Brookline will serve a three-course prix fixe menu with a glass of Prosecco!
    • Myers + Chang will add special items to their regular menu and serve it all Dim Sum style.

     

    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.

    New Year's Day Brunch

    Here is a list of brunches from the members of Boston Chefs. Our pick from this list would be Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel. 

    Open Table did not have a New Year's Day Brunch list when we prepared this post. We put a request in for a table at 11:30 a.m. to come up with our recommendations. 

    • Craigie on Main decided to do away with their regular Sunday brunch, but they will have brunch on a few selected holidays like New Year's Day. 
    • Petit Robert Bistro would be a great place to enjoy the beginning of a new year with a gang. 
    • Eastern Standard will be open with their great brunch menu.
    • La Voile on Newbury serves a lovely meal and is a great way to start the year.

    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

    Related articles
    SELECT Oyster Bar: Our First Taste
    Notes on a New Year's Eve Toast with Bollinger Rosé

  • What’s Open in Boston on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2017, Plus Parking, Trash, & More

    Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston on Christmas, December 25, 2017, plus information on: trash collection, parking, MBTA schedule changes, and whatever else we were able to gather to answer your Chrismas week questions.

    Remember, many businesses close early on Christmas Eve. Call before you leave, if you plan to visit a business on the 24th.

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    Welcome to all of you who have found BostonZest.com while searching for this information. We hope you'll look around at the other resources we provide, subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter, and come back often.

    Restaurants, bars: Some will be open. Check for special hours and menus and take a look at our piece on Where to Dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2017 Around Boston. 

    Convenience stores: Some will be open. Check for special hours.

    Supermarkets: Closed due to "Massachusetts "Blue Laws" on Christmas Day, December 25th.

    Retail stores: Closed due to "Massachusetts "Blue Laws" on Christmas Day, December 25th.

    Liquor stores: Closed due to "Massachusetts "Blue Laws" on Christmas Day, December 25th.

    City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service. Only emergency services are available.

    Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply. When we have official hours for the Tow Lot over the holiday, we'll update this section. Call before going on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

    Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open.

    Trash Collection & Recycling

    Boston Trash Collection for Christmas: The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now must go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information. 

    The MBTA no longer publishes schedule information before each holiday

    For information, call the T’s Customer Information Center at 617-222-3200 (TTY 617-222-5146) or visit the MBTA website."

    For information on MBTA services, routes, schedules, and fares, please call MBTA Customer Support at (617) 222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100 (TTY 617-222-5146)," or visit the MBTA website.

    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: © 2013 Penny Cherubino  

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  • It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas …

    "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
    Ev'rywhere you go …"

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    But especially at 131 Commonwealth Avenue! (map)

    And, as a special holiday gift for those who love to know more about the history of buildings like this, here's a link to this building on the award-winning site, BackBayHouses.org.

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.
    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: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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  • Where to Dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Around Boston 2017

    Where can you dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Boston area?

    There are a few great choices! But, if you're planning to dine at one of Boston's fine restaurants over the holidays, make a reservation! More than ever, family and friends are gathering in area restaurants on holidays like this, which means spots at your favorites may be gone if you wait too long.

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    Don't be surprised if a deposit is required to hold your reservation or if there are special menus and seatings for these special holiday meals. Unfortunately, restaurants have been forced to do this because of people who make multiple reservations so they can decide at the last minute where to go. This leaves other diners without choices and the restaurants with empty tables.

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    What's Open on Christmas Eve?

    There are more choices on Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day. Some of our favorite, special places have wonderful holiday meals planned for those who reserve for the 24th.

    At the early date of this posting, some places have not announced their traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes events for Christmas Eve. Check back or follow us on Twitter for updates on this fun, holiday dining option. 

    • Coppa Enoteca is one of our favorites and is offering their version of this tradition.
    • Dante in Cambridge will present Chef Dante de Magistris' version of the feast with other menu items available.
    • Grotto was one of the first to present this holiday tradition. They tell us that it will be a nightly special every night in December! 

    Which Boston Area Restaurants Are Open on Christmas?

    Hotel restaurants, since they must serve the hotel's guests, are normally open on holidays.

    In Boston, hotel restaurants open both the 24th and 25th.

    • The Bristol at the Four Seasons Hotel
    • Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel 
    • Eastern Standard: They will normally open Christmas Day for breakfast and then for a special 3-course prix fixe meal. 

    Other places open on holidays would include chain restaurants and some places in Chinatown. We once asked a longtime Boston cabbie where we could get something we needed on Christmas, and he said Chinatown was the place to go.

    Other Resources:

    As we included above, the reservation site Open Table has a feature list of its member restaurants with Christmas Eve Specials and Christmas Day Dining. 

    But you can also input information on the reservation you want on Open Table and come up with a list of restaurants open at that hour. Change the hour and the list will change and some are not on the featured lists. It's a good place to start.

    The Boston Chefs site has posted a list of its participating member restaurants with special features for the holidays. Here's the Christmas Eve List & the Christmas Day list.

     

    Follow us on Twitter for notice of updates to this post.

    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

    Photos: from iStockphoto.com

    Related articles
    Greeting November with a Special Treat: Champagne H. Billiot Fils Rosé
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  • Where to Dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Around Boston 2017

    Where can you dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Boston area?

    There are a few great choices! But, if you're planning to dine at one of Boston's fine restaurants over the holidays, make a reservation! More than ever, family and friends are gathering in area restaurants on holidays like this, which means spots at your favorites may be gone if you wait too long.

    6a00e54fc42bb888340147e031dab7970b-800wi

    Don't be surprised if a deposit is required to hold your reservation or if there are special menus and seatings for these special holiday meals. Unfortunately, restaurants have been forced to do this because of people who make multiple reservations so they can decide at the last minute where to go. This leaves other diners without choices and the restaurants with empty tables.

    6a00e54fc42bb888340120a6fe484b970b-800wi

    What's Open on Christmas Eve?

    There are more choices on Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day. Some of our favorite, special places have wonderful holiday meals planned for those who reserve for the 24th.

    At the early date of this posting, some places have not announced their traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes events for Christmas Eve. Check back or follow us on Twitter for updates on this fun, holiday dining option. 

    • Coppa Enoteca is one of our favorites and is offering their version of this tradition.
    • Dante in Cambridge will present Chef Dante de Magistris' version of the feast with other menu items available.
    • Grotto was one of the first to present this holiday tradition. They tell us that it will be a nightly special every night in December! 

    Which Boston Area Restaurants Are Open on Christmas?

    Hotel restaurants, since they must serve the hotel's guests, are normally open on holidays.

    In Boston, hotel restaurants open both the 24th and 25th.

    • The Bristol at the Four Seasons Hotel
    • Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel 
    • Eastern Standard: They will normally open Christmas Day for breakfast and then for a special 3-course prix fixe meal. 

    Other places open on holidays would include chain restaurants and some places in Chinatown. We once asked a longtime Boston cabbie where we could get something we needed on Christmas, and he said Chinatown was the place to go.

    Other Resources:

    As we included above, the reservation site Open Table has a feature list of its member restaurants with Christmas Eve Specials and Christmas Day Dining. 

    But you can also input information on the reservation you want on Open Table and come up with a list of restaurants open at that hour. Change the hour and the list will change and some are not on the featured lists. It's a good place to start.

    The Boston Chefs site has posted a list of its participating member restaurants with special features for the holidays. Here's the Christmas Eve List & the Christmas Day list.

     

    Follow us on Twitter for notice of updates to this post.

    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

    Photos: from iStockphoto.com

    Related articles
    Greeting November with a Special Treat: Champagne H. Billiot Fils Rosé
    You Never Know What's Under Boston Streets

  • Save These “Shadow Hearings Dates,” Boston’s Historic Parks Need Your Voice

    There are two hearings scheduled in the busy weeks ahead on the City's attempt to allow a developer to construct buildings that will cast additional shadows on the Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

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    Plan to speak up for our precious, historic parks at one of the two scheduled meetings.

    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH:
     Suffolk Law School, Moot Court Room, 4th Floor, 120 Tremont Street (map)
     
    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH
    290 Congress Street (near South Station) in the Fort Point Room (map)
     
     
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    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has taken a strong stand on this issue, saying: "It is critical that citizens attend these meetings and voice their concerns about the project and the importance of protecting our open spaces. Even if you can't attend the meeting, please express your concerns in writing (by letter or email) so that they are received by the BPDA (formerly the BRA) by January 2nd, the new deadline the BPDA has established for public comments. Your comments should stress the importance of protecting the parks by retaining the existing shadow laws, and should be sent to:
     
    Christopher Tracy, Senior Project Manager
    Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)
    One City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201
    christopher.tracy@boston.gov"
     
     
    IMG_4903 copy
     
    Here at BostonZest, we'll continue to show you photos of sunlight in the parks to remind you of what's at stake.
     
     
    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: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Save These “Shadow Hearings Dates,” Boston’s Historic Parks Need Your Voice

    There are two hearings scheduled in the busy weeks ahead on the City's attempt to allow a developer to construct buildings that will cast additional shadows on the Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

    IMG_4723 copy

    Plan to speak up for our precious, historic parks at one of the two scheduled meetings.

    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH:
     Suffolk Law School, Moot Court Room, 4th Floor, 120 Tremont Street (map)
     
    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH
    290 Congress Street (near South Station) in the Fort Point Room (map)
     
     
    IMG_1080 copy
     
    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has taken a strong stand on this issue, saying: "It is critical that citizens attend these meetings and voice their concerns about the project and the importance of protecting our open spaces. Even if you can't attend the meeting, please express your concerns in writing (by letter or email) so that they are received by the BPDA (formerly the BRA) by January 2nd, the new deadline the BPDA has established for public comments. Your comments should stress the importance of protecting the parks by retaining the existing shadow laws, and should be sent to:
     
    Christopher Tracy, Senior Project Manager
    Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)
    One City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201
    christopher.tracy@boston.gov"
     
     
    IMG_4903 copy
     
    Here at BostonZest, we'll continue to show you photos of sunlight in the parks to remind you of what's at stake.
     
     
    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: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • What’s Open in Boston on Thanksgiving, Plus MBTA Schedule Changes, Parking, Trash & More! Our Updated Resource Page

    What's open in Boston on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23, 2017? What's closed?

    Do I have to feed the parking meters? What about street sweeping? Are the liquor stores and packies open? When do I put out my trash? And what changes are there to the MBTA schedules?

    We have the answers for you all organized in one post that we'll update each year as new information comes our way.

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    Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston on Thanksgiving 2017

    We feature these rundowns early, when we notice our readers looking for the information on older posts. Because it's early, we will update as new information is announced. So bookmark this page and check back. We'll send out notice of updates on Twitter.

    Restaurants, bars: Many will be open, check for special hours and menus. Here's our post on Where to Dine Out on Thanksgiving.

    Convenience stores: Many are open, check for special hours

    Supermarkets: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws"

    Retail stores: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws"

    Liquor stores: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws" 

    Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. International markets are open.

    City, Town, State, and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes schools, libraries, and the Postal Service. Only emergency services are available.

    Parking & Street Sweeping

    Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

    Street Sweeping: The City says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."

    Trash Collection & Recycling

    Boston Trash Collection for Thanksgiving week – The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information. 

    (Note that trash pick-ups scheduled for Thanksgiving day in our neighborhood have been cancelled with pickup resuming on the next normally scheduled day.)

    MBTA Information After the Ad from Amazon!

    More information after these deals from Amazon. When you shop Amazon from here, you keep information like this coming your way!

     

    MBTA Thanksgiving 2017 Schedule has not been published:

    It seems with the new improved website this information is no longer available.

    For further information call an MBTA Customer Support Representative at 617-222-3200 or 800-392-6100, TTY 617-222-5146, Monday through Friday 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Sat/Sun from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM."

    We can guess few things about the schedule. From the printed schedules we were able to access on the new site, it looks like the Subways will run on a Sunday schedule. 

    We checked a number of Bus schedules and those that included holiday information were running on a Sunday Schedule. Check your specific line by going to this link, clicking on the line, and then on the paper schedule pdf, if there is one.

    Commuter Rail schedules – go to this link, click on your line, and check if there is an updated pdf link to a paper schedule that included holiday information.

    Ferry schedules do not mention Thanksgiving Day.

    The Ride information no longer mentions holidays.

    The MBTA has published their Thanksgiving schedule. Here is the link to the MBTA schedule changes for holidays. This link will change sometime before and after the holiday. We have created a PDF version of the page for the 2016 weekend that you can download, if you wish. 

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: iStockphoto

  • What’s Open in Boston on Thanksgiving, Plus MBTA Schedule Changes, Parking, Trash & More! Our Updated Resource Page

    What's open in Boston on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23, 2017? What's closed?

    Do I have to feed the parking meters? What about street sweeping? Are the liquor stores and packies open? When do I put out my trash? And what changes are there to the MBTA schedules?

    We have the answers for you all organized in one post that we'll update each year as new information comes our way.

    6a00e54fc42bb88834019b00b45df2970d-500wi

    Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston on Thanksgiving 2017

    We feature these rundowns early, when we notice our readers looking for the information on older posts. Because it's early, we will update as new information is announced. So bookmark this page and check back. We'll send out notice of updates on Twitter.

    Restaurants, bars: Many will be open, check for special hours and menus. Here's our post on Where to Dine Out on Thanksgiving.

    Convenience stores: Many are open, check for special hours

    Supermarkets: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws"

    Retail stores: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws"

    Liquor stores: Closed due to Massachusetts "Blue Laws" 

    Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. International markets are open.

    City, Town, State, and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes schools, libraries, and the Postal Service. Only emergency services are available.

    Parking & Street Sweeping

    Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

    Street Sweeping: The City says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."

    Trash Collection & Recycling

    Boston Trash Collection for Thanksgiving week – The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information. 

    (Note that trash pick-ups scheduled for Thanksgiving day in our neighborhood have been cancelled with pickup resuming on the next normally scheduled day.)

    MBTA Information After the Ad from Amazon!

    More information after these deals from Amazon. When you shop Amazon from here, you keep information like this coming your way!

     

    MBTA Thanksgiving 2017 Schedule has not been published:

    It seems with the new improved website this information is no longer available.

    For further information call an MBTA Customer Support Representative at 617-222-3200 or 800-392-6100, TTY 617-222-5146, Monday through Friday 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Sat/Sun from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM."

    We can guess few things about the schedule. From the printed schedules we were able to access on the new site, it looks like the Subways will run on a Sunday schedule. 

    We checked a number of Bus schedules and those that included holiday information were running on a Sunday Schedule. Check your specific line by going to this link, clicking on the line, and then on the paper schedule pdf, if there is one.

    Commuter Rail schedules – go to this link, click on your line, and check if there is an updated pdf link to a paper schedule that included holiday information.

    Ferry schedules do not mention Thanksgiving Day.

    The Ride information no longer mentions holidays.

    The MBTA has published their Thanksgiving schedule. Here is the link to the MBTA schedule changes for holidays. This link will change sometime before and after the holiday. We have created a PDF version of the page for the 2016 weekend that you can download, if you wish. 

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: iStockphoto

  • Fenway Studios 2016 Open Studios Is This Weekend, November 12th & 13th

    You are invited behind these historic doors this weekend to visit a fabulous example of purpose-built architecture and a fascinating community of artists that make up Fenway Studios.

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    It is an event we look forward to each year. Rather than trying to visit each floor and each artist, we try to spend some quality time with just a few and then a few different artists the next year.

    Openstudios_86_928890584 (1)

    Here is a list of the artists who will be taking part in this year's event. And, with the event coming just before Thanksgiving, this community is asking visitors to help the larger community. They say, 

    "The Open Studios committee also uses this event as an opportunity to solicit donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item, which the artists then deliver to GBFB. 
    Click here to find out more about the GBFB’s most needed items."

     

    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: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino