Tag: review

Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

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.

November 8, 2013
Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

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.

November 8, 2013
Hotel Chain Recommendation: Extended Stay America Is Our Friday Link.

If you are about to reserve a hotel for holiday travel, we can recommend the Extended Stay America chain of hotels. For us, this company offers special amenities that make them our place to stay when we visit family, friends, or need a home base for business or vacation travel.

Our room in the East Providence, Rhode Island location looked exactly like this one. The chair in the corner is a recliner and faces a flat sceen TV.

Yes, that is a tiny kitchen you see in the upper left. Each room is a studio apartment with a small but efficient kitchen. They give you a full size refrigerator, two burners, a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a tiny but usable supply of tableware, pots, and pans.

We were in Rhode Island because a family member was in the hospital and checking in locally put us on the scene when needed.

The kitchen made grabbing meals, as we could, a lot easier. Even when we did take-out from a nearby restaurant, we were able to eat just as much as we wanted and save the rest for later.

When you're stressed, dining out for every meal is not always the best alternative.

Pet Friendly

We were also traveling with our Westie Poppy who's on a homemade raw food diet. This makes a refrigerator and freezer manditory when we travel. The hard surface kitchen floor also made feeding her easier. We often have to put down a drop cloth to feed her in carpeted hotel rooms.

Extended Stay does charge a hefty $25 per day, per dog pet fee that tops out at $150 for those who stay for awhile.

They have a designated "Pet Exercise Area" with pick up bags and a trash can. We found this helpful because the scents in that area encouraged Poppy to do her business more quickly than she might have without it.

One suggestion we might have on that pet fee is to quietly return some or all of it as a gift certificate towards a future visit when a family has left no sign that a pet was ever present and caused absolutely no concern for the hotel guests or staff. It would encourage the best possible behavior from guests with pets.

Service & Cleanliness

The chain seems to pride itself on cleanliness and excellent service. For us, they hit the mark on both goals. From check-in to check-out and each time we walked by the front desk, we were treated like VIPs.

And, no, they did not know we were travel writers. We had not planned on writing about this chain when we reserved there. It was in looking back on the great experience and recommending the chain to friends that brought about his post.

You can sign up for a discount before you reserve by joining their travel club. And, you can check the ratings of individual properites on Trip Advisor.

We have already explored the Extended Stay America locations map to see if they have hotels where we plan to travel. While an oceanfront apartment is our usual choice for downtime, we love what these hotels offer when we're exploring an area for travel writing or visiting family or friends.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with room photo and screengrab courtesy of Extended Stay America

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.

November 8, 2013
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café, Boston: A First Look

Thanks to Boston's Chowhound scouts, we had already heard about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café in Chelmsford. Our mouths were ready for our first bite when we heard a branch would be opening in Boston.

Here's the #4 Hand-Pulled Noodle (biang biang mian) dish loved by many of Gene's loyal fans.

Gene's offers the opportunity to set aside your Americanize palate and eat as you might in the city of Xi'an in Northwest China. This is a cuisine we haven't seen much of on the Boston food scene.

A pile of thick, chewy noodles are stretched, ripped, and cooked to order. Then, they're sauced with chili oil, garlic, and cilantro. Stir it up and slurp away. (These dishes are not as spicy as they look.The chili oil is humming rather than fiery.)

When the open sign came on last Wednesday, word spread quickly among the area food community and to the downtown workforce.

"Yes, sir, this is the place!"

The line was out the door when we arrived. And it took about a half hour from the end of the line to having a bag of food in our hands. There are a few tables inside, but we took our steaming-hot feast over to a table at Brewer Fountain on the Common. (The Chinatown Greenway Park is even closer to the noodle source.)

Our second dish was the #9 Cumin Lamb hand-pulled Noodles. This was our favorite. In additon to the noodles it had cumin lamb, sprouts, onions, peppers, and chili oil. The lamb was so delicious that we will add a couple of lamb skewers to my next order.

Here is a long conversation on Chowhound's Boston Board about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café.

And, here's the conversation about the new Boston location.

By the way, the café's namesake, flatbread with pork, and house noodle soups are on the list for our next visit.

Details:

86 Bedford Street, Boston, MA 02111 (map)

Phone: 617-482-1888

Hours: Monday – Friday: 11AM – 4PM (Weekend: Closed)

Payment: Cash only

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 29, 2013
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café, Boston: A First Look

Thanks to Boston's Chowhound scouts, we had already heard about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café in Chelmsford. Our mouths were ready for our first bite when we heard a branch would be opening in Boston.

Here's the #4 Hand-Pulled Noodle (biang biang mian) dish loved by many of Gene's loyal fans.

Gene's offers the opportunity to set aside your Americanize palate and eat as you might in the city of Xi'an in Northwest China. This is a cuisine we haven't seen much of on the Boston food scene.

A pile of thick, chewy noodles are stretched, ripped, and cooked to order. Then, they're sauced with chili oil, garlic, and cilantro. Stir it up and slurp away. (These dishes are not as spicy as they look.The chili oil is humming rather than fiery.)

When the open sign came on last Wednesday, word spread quickly among the area food community and to the downtown workforce.

"Yes, sir, this is the place!"

The line was out the door when we arrived. And it took about a half hour from the end of the line to having a bag of food in our hands. There are a few tables inside, but we took our steaming-hot feast over to a table at Brewer Fountain on the Common. (The Chinatown Greenway Park is even closer to the noodle source.)

Our second dish was the #9 Cumin Lamb hand-pulled Noodles. This was our favorite. In additon to the noodles it had cumin lamb, sprouts, onions, peppers, and chili oil. The lamb was so delicious that we will add a couple of lamb skewers to my next order.

Here is a long conversation on Chowhound's Boston Board about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café.

And, here's the conversation about the new Boston location.

By the way, the café's namesake, flatbread with pork, and house noodle soups are on the list for our next visit.

Details:

86 Bedford Street, Boston, MA 02111 (map)

Phone: 617-482-1888

Hours: Monday – Friday: 11AM – 4PM (Weekend: Closed)

Payment: Cash only

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 29, 2013
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café, Boston: A First Look

Thanks to Boston's Chowhound scouts, we had already heard about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café in Chelmsford. Our mouths were ready for our first bite when we heard a branch would be opening in Boston.

Here's the #4 Hand-Pulled Noodle (biang biang mian) dish loved by many of Gene's loyal fans.

Gene's offers the opportunity to set aside your Americanize palate and eat as you might in the city of Xi'an in Northwest China. This is a cuisine we haven't seen much of on the Boston food scene.

A pile of thick, chewy noodles are stretched, ripped, and cooked to order. Then, they're sauced with chili oil, garlic, and cilantro. Stir it up and slurp away. (These dishes are not as spicy as they look.The chili oil is humming rather than fiery.)

When the open sign came on last Wednesday, word spread quickly among the area food community and to the downtown workforce.

"Yes, sir, this is the place!"

The line was out the door when we arrived. And it took about a half hour from the end of the line to having a bag of food in our hands. There are a few tables inside, but we took our steaming-hot feast over to a table at Brewer Fountain on the Common. (The Chinatown Greenway Park is even closer to the noodle source.)

Our second dish was the #9 Cumin Lamb hand-pulled Noodles. This was our favorite. In additon to the noodles it had cumin lamb, sprouts, onions, peppers, and chili oil. The lamb was so delicious that we will add a couple of lamb skewers to my next order.

Here is a long conversation on Chowhound's Boston Board about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café.

And, here's the conversation about the new Boston location.

By the way, the café's namesake, flatbread with pork, and house noodle soups are on the list for our next visit.

Details:

86 Bedford Street, Boston, MA 02111 (map)

Phone: 617-482-1888

Hours: Monday – Friday: 11AM – 4PM (Weekend: Closed)

Payment: Cash only

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

July 29, 2013
Home Made Summer by Yvette Van Boven: Cookbook Recommendation
Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.
- Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
- That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
- Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
- Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.
Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey
- Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
- Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours.
- Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
- Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.
What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven

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.
July 9, 2013
Home Made Summer by Yvette Van Boven: Cookbook Recommendation
Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.
- Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
- That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
- Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
- Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.
Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey
- Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
- Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours.
- Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
- Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.
What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven

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.
July 9, 2013
Home Made Summer by Yvette Van Boven: Cookbook Recommendation
Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.
- Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
- That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
- Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
- Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.
Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey
- Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
- Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours.
- Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
- Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.
What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven

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.
July 9, 2013
TerraVino Wines: Places We Shop

We live a city lifestyle. Our shopping trips are more likely to take us to three or four small shops than to one big box store. Here in Boston, and on the road, we'll share our great shop finds with you. -The BostonZest Team!

Update: Alas we can't shop here any longer because the store closed a few months later.

Name: TerraVino Wines

Address: 234 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446 (Map & Reviews)

Phone: 617-232-1180

Do you have a roster of small, well-curated shops where you find the best selections? Let us know in the comments below or send us an email. We're always ready to add new resources to our list.

(Click on any photo for a larger image)

Shop Description: Calm and soothing. You can see the thought that was put into designing the shop. What you may not see is that it is also very green– environmentally responsible that is! Here are the details about that aspect of this store.

People: Christopher and Rayna Carbone are the owners. Christopher (above) is a Certified Specialist of Wine. But, more important than the letters after his name is his ability to communicate his love of the wines he stocks to customers with any level of wine knowledge. He asks the right questions, tries to figure out what you like, what food you are matching, offers tastes, and refines his recommendations from there.

What makes this shop special: A very warm welcome. Great wine knowledge. A carefully curated selection. Plus, a great location right off the Green Line in Coolidge Corner. You know you'll be going there soon, for something, so stop by and explore this new shop while you're there.

They say: "We believe in wines that are Real, honestly made, in the most Natural way. We offer wines that we truly believe in, allowing them to express their origins, the talent and commitment of the producers, and the inherent quality of the vintage. We put our dedication to work through our commitment only offering exceptional Natural wines that are sustainable, organic and biodynamic. "

We Say: Our first visit was like walking into a room filled with old friends. As we circled the selection, we took turns saying, "Look they carry…." followed by the name of a longtime favorite wine, producer, or importer.

Nice Touch: They have four reds and four whites available for tasting. This allows you to try wines that might be a bit out of your comfort zone and helps guide the staff to offer better recommendations for you.

Regulars say: Richard Auffrey, The Passionate Foodie said, "This is very much a hand sell store where customer service is key. Many of these wines will be unfamiliar to the average consumer, and even the avid wine lover is likely to find plenty of wines they have not tasted before. It is a very intriguing selection of wines, and there were plenty of wines which interested me."

Gretchen (@MoralBeast) and Urban Wine Dweller wrote: "The brilliant Thierry Triolet Champagne Brut from @terravinowines. Really great stuff. Perfect with sushi." Our thanks go to Gretchen for recommending TerraVino Wines.

Did you know? Another part of this couple's green and natural lifestyle is a gluten-free, vegetarian diet.

Don't Miss: Their sparkling wine selection on the center table. Here's a Grower Champagne we bought from TerraVino. You know how we love sparkling wines!

Phone: 617-232-1180

Website: www.terravinowines.com

Twitter: @TerraVinoWines

Facebook: Terra Vino Wines

While you're in the neighborhood: Coolidge Corner is home to many great, local businesses, and a fabulous farmers' market on Thursday afternoons from mid-June to late October.

Here are reports on a few of our favorite places in the area:

Michael's Deli

When Pigs Fly Bakery

Party Favors

Brookline Farmers' Market

While we love to support local shops, we also hope you'll support us when you shop on Amazon. When you click over to Amazon from one of our links, they put some change in our tip cup. It doesn't cost you anymore, but it helps keep BostonZest coming your way.

Fine wine glasses that are dishwasher safe? While Ed insists on washing our stems, I can't swear to it but the manufacture says that, the Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Forte Collection can go in the dishwasher. We do put our barware from the same line through the dishwaser all the time. How about this Stemless Snifter?

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

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May 10, 2012