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  • Father’s Day Dining 2012 In & Around Boston

    Time to make reservations, if you plan to treat Dad to a meal out on Father's Day, Sunday, June 17, 2012.

    Here's a link to our " Dining around Boston on Father's Day, June 15, 2014 post.

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    Would your Dad love to get his hands into some great BBQ at Sweet Cheeks Q?

    For Father's Day dining ideas, here are two excellent lists of restaurant suggestions.

    Open Table always does a great job guiding you to the right reservation. What's more, you can just click through and reserve from this list. 

    Boston Chef's  has a special list from their members. Updated info: June 10th!

    Our picks:

    On chowhound recently, one contributor said that, "Island Creek is the one to beat these days…" We agree. In our opinion, Island Creek Oyster Bar sets the standard for relaxed, comfortable dining with outstanding food and great cocktail and wine programs. We haven't given them nearly as much coverage as we should, considering how much we like the place. Here's a post from their early days, and they continue to set the bar high. So, if you want a table there, call right now.

    Sweet Cheeks Q in the Fenway may seem to be just for the meat lovers in the clan, but they put out some great veggies and a tray of hot and cold scoops (as they call them) with a remarkable farm salad that will put a smile on any one with a preference for vegetarian fare. And, remember to order the crazy-good biscuits. (You may want to treat Dad to a doggie bag of them for the rest of the week!) Check out our Sweet Cheeks posts:

    Sweet Cheeks BBQ: A First Look

    Sweet Cheeks Q- Great Northern Brisket

    Salt & Pepper Potatoes at Sweet Cheeks Q

    Bourbon Beer? at Sweet Cheeks

    How about simple Italian-American food in a very comfortable setting. We suggest Artu in the North End or on Charles Street in Beacon Hill.  Here's one of our favorite menu items.

    If you'd like to treat Dad to something really special, consider the ultimate hamburger at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Season's Hotel. Lunch there for just the two of you, some quiet afternoon, could be a great IOU if you can't be together on the 17th. Here's what we wrote about that burger.

    Another great spot to share a meal, any day of the week, is Coppa in the South End. You can even top off your meal with a quick shopping trip to South End Formaggio across the street. We always do! And, that will let you create a super take-home gift that Dad can help select. Need more convincing? Take a look at:

    Friday Lunch at Coppa, an Italian Seduction

    Coppa Italian Grinder: A Best Bite

    Coppa- A First Look

    And, if you're thinking of adventure and the South End, how about a guided tour of the food trucks gathered at the SOWA Open Market each Sunday. No resevations needed! Check out:

    SOWA Market: Where to Find Food Trucks!

    And, for the best gift, let Dad choose something from his wish list. Get an Amazon gift card! You can send it by email or print it out to tuck into a greeting card. And, if he doesn't shop online, offer to sit with your Dad and take him on an Amazon shopping trip.

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

  • Mother’s Day Dining in Boston 2012

    Time to make reservations, if you plan to treat Mom to a meal out on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012.

    This is an outdated post, click here for our Mother's Day Dining 2014, Reserve Now for May 11th

    Keep in mind that in Boston, this "treat Mom to a great meal day" falls at the beginning of graduation season in Boston with Emmanuel College, Boston Conservatory, Fisher College, Emerson College, and Berklee College of Music holding commencements that weekend. (Here's the full list of Spring 2012 Commencement Dates for planning purposes.)

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    If your budget is tight, take Mom out for breakfast or treat her to breakfast in bed!

    For Mother's Day dining ideas, here are three excellent lists of restaurants with special menus and hours for May 13, 2012.

    Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when people may book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can make the restaurant turn away other potential customers, so a guarantee may be needed to reserve.

    OpenTable always does a great job guiding you to the right reservation. What's more, you can just click through and reserve from this list. 

    Boston Chefs has a list of specials for the day from list from their members.

    Gayot lists favorite brunches.

    Our picks

    With a gathering of family members with different food preferences, it's great to know about a place like Eastern Standard where they can please the cocktail lover, the meat and taters brother, and the family epicure.

    Sometimes, family meals can use a bit of entertainment mixed in with the food. The Top of the Hub is perfect for this. They'll have prix fixe, 4-course brunch and dinner menus on Mother's Day with live jazz in the lounge for both meals. You'll also receive complementary passes to the Skywalk Observatory above the restaurant on the 50th floor. That will give part of your day a 360 degree view of Boston and the surrounding area. 

    If Mom is a seafood lover, call now to secure a table at Island Creek Oyster Bar. This Kenmore Square restaurant has established itself as the best fine dining seafood restaurant in Boston. Your family will enjoy the best in seafood, in a big comfortable room, with reservations, and service that will make Mom feel spoiled. 

    And, for the best gift, let her choose something from her wish list. Get an Amazon gift card! You can send it by email or print it out to tuck into a greeting card.

    Details:
    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

  • Easter Sunday Dining Reservations 2012

    Those in the know already have reservations for Easter brunch and dinner. This is one of the big days for dining out, and popular restaurants will fill their tables for Sunday April 8, 2012, quickly.

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    First up, the list of places that organize information about Easter reservations and special offerings. 

    Open Table seems to have the most complete information, and you can click right through to make reservations. They also give you some idea of prices and special menus. And, you'll find a few places that are offering their regular menus as well. 

    Boston Chef's offers a place to look at the offerings from their member chefs and restaurants.

    Gayot lists favorite brunches at places like Henrietta's Table in Cambridge. 

    Next a few places we picked from these lists

    To meet up with family who don't want to come into the city, consider AKA Bistro in Lincoln. We're happy to see that they're offering their regular brunch menu in addition to some Easter specials. The nearby deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is the perfect place to walk off your brunch and take Easter photos. 

    Turner Fisheries Restaurant & Bar says, "For a Bountiful New England Seafood Buffet–visit us on Easter Sunday from 10am-3pm. We'll feature the freshest seafood and traditional Easter Sunday favorites." If you have a seafood lover in your family or typical Easter brunch is not your favorite meal, this could be an alternative.

    Craigie on Main in Cambridge has a special prix fixe, three-course brunch but it was nice to discover that Chef Tony Maws is also offering some Passover favorites on April 6-7. 

    Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when people may book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can cause the restaurant to turn away other potential customers.

    One thing we would look for, if we were dining out on a holiday, is a place that is offering its regular menu for the day. That's always a plus for us. We're not fans of special menus.

    If you know of places where the regular menu will be served, let us know. If it's a place we can recommend, we'll add it to our list.

    Opting Out of Easter

    If this holiday stuff is really not part of your life, this is a great day to go ethnic. Chinatown will be wide open and filled with great menu options. Your neighborhood Indian, Korean, Chinese, or Persian restaurant will be happy to feed you. And, most BBQ and Pizza places do not have Easter menus.

    Sign-up for the comment feed or follow us on Twitter for a notice, if we add updates to this page.

    Don't miss an Easter photo opportunity. This Canon G12 digital camera kit will give you what you need to take stills and video of your Easter celebration. Canon's G series is our all-time favorite for everyday cameras. We own the G10 and G11. They're a little bigger than the compacts most people use, but let you shoot with automatic settings or easy-to-use manual controls that please the many pros who use them as second cameras.  And, if you are ready to turn pro, follow our lead. We just added the Nikon D7000 Digital SLR to our camera fleet and are extremely happy with the performance it has delivered.

     

    Details:

    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photos: from 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 comments 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 out of comments.

  • Valentine’s Day 2012 – Romantic Dining in Boston

    Planning a Valentine's Day Dinner that is as perfect as this lovely rose takes some planning.

     DSC_4810 - Version 22011-11-29-valentine-rose-apricot-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    UPDATE: This is an outdated post. Here is the 2015 version of this information!

    Reservations at wonderful, romantic restaurants go quickly. But, we have lots of ideas for all types of celebrations for budgets of all sizes. Today, we'll address where to dine. There are more ideas on some of our past Valentine posts. These are from other times so check for details with the places mentioned.

    This is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants, so expect many special prix fixe menus and don't be surprised if you have to leave a credit card to guarantee a reservation.

    Some of you enjoy trying the special holiday menus at your favorite spots. Others avoid dining out on days like this unless they can order off the regular menu. We've noticed at least one fine dining venue that is going with a special Valentine's Day menu on, "February 10th, 11th, 14th, 17th & 18th" and another offering a restricted menu from the 10th to the 14th. So, you should be on the lookout for special menus beyond that one official day.

    When A Valentine Lunch, or Dinner is on the Menu… 

    Related Posts:

     

    Sophisticated Pink Sparklers for Valentine's Day

     

    Your Special Place, Free Romance for Valentine's Day

     

    Valentine's Day Live Performances at Half Price

     

    Eight Tips on Buying Jewelry for Valentine’s Day from an Expert

     

    Romance at the Gardner Museum- Valentine's Weekend Destination. 

     

    Romantic Dining in Boston with a Foreign Travel Theme (Some of our favorite restaurants offer an authentic taste of the cuisine they serve. A place where the decor, music, and food all bring you to another land.)

     

    Valentine's Day 2009 – Dining in Boston 

     

    Beacon Hill Hot Chocolate and Ice Skating on the Common (A Romantic but inexpensive date.)

    Need some Valentine's Day gift ideas? Click over to Amazon and do some planning, and if you do buy something there, they'll put a few coins in our tip cup.  

    Details:
    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: © 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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

     

     

  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dining in Boston 2011

    You've Reached an Old Post! Go to:

    UPDATE: Where to Dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2015 in Boston

     

    It's time to make your reservations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, if you're planning to dine at one of Boston's fine restaurants over the holidays.

    If you have inside info on a local restaurant's plans or a favorite Christmas Holiday tradition, add it in the comments below!

    IStock_000002198510XSmallWhat's open on Christmas Eve?

    This year Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday night. A quick check of Open Table for a 9 pm reservation found far more restaurants open than I might have expected. 

    As with any holiday reservation ask what is being offered. Some places will present their normal menu, some will have a restricted prix fixe, and some will add special items inspired by the holiday. And, don't be surprised if a non-refundable deposit and credit card number are required to make a reservation.

    Holiday Traditions

    Our friend, Jackie Blombach and her husband always have Tea at the Taj on Christmas Eve. She calls it, "My Favorite two hours of Christmas!"

    Traditional Feast

    If you hurry and grab one of the spots at the table, you could indulge in the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes at Grotto and sister restaurant Marliave. (Both will also offer a limited menu in addition to the feast.) The Grotto website says:

    "The Feast of Seven Fishes, a traditional meal served on Christmas Eve throughout Italy. The Feast dates back centuries and the common belief is that participating in the Feast will bring good luck and fortune in the year to come. Marliave and Grotto will once again be offering our version of The Feast of Seven Fishes. The Feast is served over three courses and utilizes the great abundance of seafood available to us in Boston… " 

    Need a Holiday Food Break?

    If you need a break from the whole Christmas scene, you could wander through Chinatown and enjoy an alternative to the traditional holiday menus. And, if Chinatown isn't quite the fit for your gang, but you would like to nibble your way through an Asian feast, we suggest Meyers+Chang on Washington Street in the South End. Chef Joanne Chang is planning to add some special treats for that night but assures us we will be able to enjoy an evening of great Asian food.

    What Boston Area Restaurants are Open on Christmas ?

    Hotel restaurants, since they must serve the hotel's guests, are normally open on all holidays. In Boston, hotel restaurants open both the 24th and 25th include some excellent choices:

    More information after these features from AMAZON.

               

    If information like this is helpful to you, vote for more of it with your shopping dollars by beginning all your Amazon shopping at BostonZest. Just click on any Amazon link or ad and start shopping for what you want. It doesn't cost you anymore, but it pays for the work we do.

    More information and reservations:

    Here's Open Table's Christmas Day page but remember, you can go to their main Boston page and request a reservation for the 24th, 25th, or 26th and see the full list of options for the time you prefer.

    Boston Chefs has set up recaps for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

    Subscribe to the comment feed of this post or follow us on Twitter, and we'll notify you of updates. So far, the ChowHounds and Trip Advisor crews haven't had much to say on the topic, but we'll post links if a good conversation from one of these forums gets started. 

    Details: 

    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

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