Tag: Boston

Irish Truffles From Burdick Chocolate for Saint Patrick’s Day
Did you know that Burdick Chocolate makes special truffles and shamrock cookies for Saint Patrick's Day?

We were walking by yesterday and stopped in to ask about the prospective opening date for the cafe part of the new shop on Berkeley Street. While waiting for the staff to take care of other customers, we noticed a bit of green.

Need to make some Irish eyes smile? How about:
- Irish Coffee Bonbons made with dark chocolate, coffee, cream, and Irish Whiskey coated with dark and white chocolate to look like an Irish coffee.
- Irish Whiskey truffles made with Black Bush Bushmill's Irish whiskey
- Baileys Irish Cream Truffles dusted in cocoa powder
- Shamrock cookies– pistachio-orange shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate.
Ah, the joy of having our own Burdick shop in the Back Bay. We took home a small box of chocolates and are diligently trying to choose our favorite of the three flavors.

Related Post:

Boston, Say "Welcome" to Burdick Chocolate on Valentine's Day

What's on your Saint Patrick's Day shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Burdick Chocolate

Back Bay Boston Chocolate Shop & Café

220 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116 (map)

www.burdickchocolate.com

617-303-0113

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
March 13, 2012
Meet Hudson, He Doesn’t Need a Dog License!

That's because this adorable Chihuahua puppy is only four months old. He has settled into the Back Bay with his special person and is filling her heart with joy. He will need a license once he reaches six months.

For the rest of the pups, applications for the 2012 Boston Dog Licenses have been arriving in area homes. If your dog is currently licensed, you should receive the application in the mail. Under state law, all dogs over the age of six months must be licensed by April 1st of each year.

If you didn't get a Boston Dog license application in the mail, you can download one here.

The list of 2012 Boston Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics around the state is now posted. This includes the clinics in Boston and those where you can get your license at the same time.

If you get to meet Mr Hudson, you'll quickly learn that he's a charmer who probably should be given a special license for stealing hearts– because he's gonna do that anyway! I'm sure you'll be seeing more of this little guy in our Sunday Dog files.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

What's on your dog walking shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! How about some walking shoes from Amazon's own free shipping, free U.S. return shipping shoe site, endless.com.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 11, 2012
Alley People

Each alley has a community.

Trash pickers and trash haulers.

Car parkers and shortcutters.

Workers working and workers on breaks.

Fire escape gardeners and window people.

The alley is part of their lives.

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 10, 2012
When Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2012) Falls on a Saturday…

For the latest information, go to:

When Saint Patrick's Day (March 17, 2013) Falls on a Sunday

This year, Saint Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday so I was curious, would city and state workers in Suffolk County get Friday off or Monday? And will parking, trash, and liquor sales change for the day. You'll find those answers below.

I do know that a lot of people will be taking advantage of the weekend date to come to Boston. Questions about where to stay, which Irish Pub to visit, and how to get around the city have popped up over on the Boston Trip Advisor forum. It looks like visitors are coming here from all over the country and especially from Ireland.

Do you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day?

What are your traditions for his yearly festival of all things Irish?

Who makes your favorite brown bread or Irish soda bread? Scones?

Are you going to the parade on Sunday?

(Here's how to get there via the MBTA.)

Will you be wearin' the green?

(Here's a post on where to buy or rent all sorts of wearables!)

Here are a bunch of Friday Links for Saint Patrick's Day

Boston Chowhounds had two recent conversations about where to find the best, full Irish breakfast.

Full Irish Breakfast

Boston area breakfast recap (for this one, start from the bottom since Irish breakfast discussion is there)

And, they're talking about Corned Beef & Cabbage.

About your holiday questions…

According to the Secretary of State's website,

"All holidays falling on Sunday must be observed on Monday, under state law. Saturday holidays are observed on Saturday." That means this year, no deal. Next year, they get Monday off!

The day is not listed on Boston's list of holidays that change parking regulations or trash pick up, so feed those meters and stick to your trash schedule.

Basically, everything is open. But, in the past the city has asked South Boston liquor stores and bars to cut off sales early. Here's a Boston.com story on that from last year.

Related Posts:

Irish Breakfast at the Squealing Pig

Matt Murphy's Pub Saves the Day

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2011 Penny Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 9, 2012
March for Zeppole di San Giuseppe!

We launched our Zeppole di San Giuseppe season on Friday with freshly-filled examples from Maria's Pastry Shop in the North End.

Where do you buy your Zeppole? Let us know. We have a couple of weeks of tastings ahead! Here's a 2010 discussion of where area chowhounds march to for zeppole.

"Traditional?" was the question when we requested two Zeppole. "Yes, traditional!" we replied. We'll let the folks at Maria's describe what they mean by tradition when it comes to Zeppole.

"Saint Joseph Day (March 19th), Zeppole — Beginning the end of January, Maria prepares this Sicilan speciality known as the 'Zeppola di San Giuseppe.' A light egg dough fried to a soft shell filled with either ricotta cheese, whipped cream or the traditional filling of vanilla custard cream and amaretta cherries. You won’t be able to get enough, but beware. Once March 19th, passes…they’re gone!"

Normally, we recommend eating these goodies on the spot. After all, Maria's takes the time to put them together fresh for each customer. But, we needed to walk off some of our lunch before indulging. Since they were so fresh, we knew they would still be outstanding by the time we reached home.

Maria's had not failed us. The zeppole arrived home in outstanding condition with a crisp, flakey pastry shell and nice layers of custard and cherries. A careful carry home by Penny had even protected the lovely pastry bag swirls in the custard.

Here are our Zeppole chronicles from past years:

It's Zeppole Day!

Zeppole from Modern Pastry

What's on your March shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Maria's Pastry Shop

46 Cross Street, Boston Ma 02113 (Map and reviews)

617-523-1196

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: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

March 19th Is Zeppole Day!

A Weekend of Irish Whiskey and Zeppole!

March 5, 2012
Sunday Dog, Ruby– the Muse of Newbury Street

The ledgendary muse– long credited with stimulating creative inspiration in the art world– is alive and well on Newbury Street. She goes by the name of Ruby! One look into her big, beautiful eyes could awaken anyone’s artistic talent.

It’s fitting that Ruby comes to work every day at The Society of Arts and Crafts, where she enjoys greeting many of the shop’s visitors, sometimes even pointing out some of her favorite pieces of art.

Ruby is very fond of her toy octopus, but always has time to glance over to see if you have a treat. Penny brought some liver chunks to reward her patience during our photo session. We tried to get some shots of her amazing jumping ability, but this 4 year old was way too fast for our lenses.

Ruby, a rescue from Adopt A Lab.org (they help place other breeds, but labs are their focus) is a sweetheart. She’s very intelligent, loves attention, and adds special character to the shop– everything you’d expect of a 21st century “muse.”

The Society of Arts and Crafts is located at 175 Newbury St., Boston, MA

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Would you like to adopt a beautiful companion like Ruby? There are some resources to help you make your decision and get your life together off to a great start. This book from PetFinder, Petfinder.com The Adopted Dog Bible: Your One-Stop Resource for Choosing, Training, and Caring for Your Sheltered or Rescued Dog is one of our favorites.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 4, 2012
Benvenuto March with Prosecco from Bisson & Rosenthal

We’re welcoming March with a bottle of prosecco– always a safe bet, but with Rosenthal on the label it’s nearly a sure thing! We once advised a friend, who was uneasy about the thought of ordering wine at an upcoming business dinner, to just ask the restaurant for a Neal Rosenthal wine. She got a Standing O!

The terms, “artisan, traditional, and natural” are more than words on a label, they’re part of this wine merchant’s philosophy. When Rosenthal talks about Enoteca Bisson and Pierluigi Lugano’s care and passion as a grower and producer of distinctive wines, you can begin to appreciate the vision and effort that goes into his prosecco.

Vino Frizzante Prosecco (Glera in Italy) 2010 Bisson is produced in a “bone-dry style.” That would normally be enough for me to take a pass on a sparkler, but one sip and I was intrigued.

Bisson Prosecco uses a Crown Cap (also called a “Spark Cap”)

Yes, it was dry but not in an overwhelming way. We both could taste the fruit– concentrated pear? Penny compared the wine’s body to that of a Bollinger Champagne!

When we returned to buy another bottle from Howie Rubin at Bauer Wine & Spirits, he wasn’t surprised, “I find it’s got a little more chalkiness, more like real Champagne.” Rubin pointed to, “…the yeast in the nose. It could be the limestone in the soil, it could be more Champagne-like soil.”

Whatever it is, we’ve added our applause and another bottle to our wine rack. There’s a lot of prosecco out there. “Leave it to Neal Rosenthal to give us something that’s a little drier, a little more complex, a little deeper in flavor,” said Rubin. “It sets it apart from all the rest.”

Links:

Vino Frizzante Prosecco 2010 Bisson, Rosenthal Wine Merchant, NY at Bauer Wine & Spirits

Here's More About: Our Sparkling Resolution

Check Out: Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here's, The Food Lover's Guide to Wine the latest addition to our wine reference wish list. We heard a great interview and review of this book over on Taste of the Past.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 1, 2012
Sunday Dog, Solie – Super Squirrel Hunter!

Looking into her eyes, you probably can’t tell that Solie is a super squirrel hunter. There’s a certain cool, calm, confident quality about her gaze. After all, this is not an ability developed overnight. It comes from years of real-world experience born out of deep concentration.

This 4 ½ year old from New Hampshire has mastered the art of visualization. She remains in this state until she senses the presence of a her favorite little rodent. At that critical moment (known only to Solie) her eyes suddenly point skyward.

Amazing accuracy! She’s spotted a furry tail and now must wait, but not for long!

As you can see, Solie is quite the athlete and very strong. When the snow piles up, her people told us they hang-on while she actually takes them on a “Nantucket Sleigh Ride.”

“She’s not a dog that trots quietly by you through the park. You have to have space for her.”

“She makes people laugh. She makes people happy,” they said, “She’s a comical, harlequin kind of goofy dog.” And she’s, “very intuitive. If you just think about giving her a bath, she starts slinking away.”

“She can do it all– she can climb, she can hike, she cuddles, swims, hunts…pretty much a very versatile sort of dog.”

Thanks for being our Sunday Dog, Solie. You are truly “super” in many ways!

For a quick trip to our photo gallery to see these and more photos of the beautiful Solie, click here.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

What's on your dog walking shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! How about some walking shoes from Amazon's own free shipping, free U.S. return shipping shoe site, endless.com.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 26, 2012
Ring for the Gardener!

Our Saturday photos this week were taken while walking through the Victory Gardens in the Fenway. We spotted something that seemed a bit out of place.

Guess this is one gardener who wasn't about to get away from it all.

We couldn't quite follow where this cord was going or "growing."

Are you ready for garden season? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 25, 2012
Wasn’t it a Great Weekend?
We saw:
- Newbury Street filled with shoppers on Sunday.
- Happy diners eating outside at La Voile and at Tasty Burger. (Warning: There's music on La Voile's site.)
- Students studying on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
- Lots of spring plants sprouting in Back Bay gardens. The snowdrops have been up for weeks and some crocuses, pansies, and heather are already in bloom.
- (Click a thumbnail to choose an image in any order you like. You'll stay right here on this page.)
Sometimes the freelance life lets you stretch your long weekend by an extra day or, at least, fit in more fun around your work hours. It was that kind of weekend for us.

We began with a trip to Central Square, Cambridge for lunch on Thursday. The afternoon began at Mary Chung Restaurant for a bit of Szechuan heat. (Stay tuned! Details on that will pop up tomorrow.)

We strolled home with stops at Central Bottle to stock up on cheese, bread, beer, and wine for the weekend and Flour Bakery for two pieces of their fabulous Boston Cream Pie cake to honor a friend's birthday. (And, to tease him with another reason to miss Boston from his new home in San Francisco!)

Friday afternoon found us at Coppa enjoying a few of our favorites– including this Italian Grinder.

Saturday, we shared a tray at Sweet Cheeks Q and added a new favorite side dish that will also be featured here in the days ahead.

We ran into lots of friends in lots of places and had some down time at home with a bit of great wine and home cooking. It was a good weekend to spend in town enjoying some of the great things Boston has to offer.

Related Posts:

Sweet Cheeks Q- Great Northern Brisket

Sweet Cheeks Q: A First Look

Friday Lunch at Coppa, an Italian Seduction

Bourbon Beer? at Sweet Cheeks

Celebrating the Start of Summer at La Voile

How to Extend >>> Your Birthday!

And The Winner is….

What a Weekend!

What's on your weekend get-away shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
February 21, 2012