Looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion? Parents coming to town? Heading to a new city for work or for vacation? Find your next delicious meal on Pop.Bop.Shop.
This week it's all about Western Mass. here on Pop.Bop.Shop. Yesterday I shared with you my visit to Atkins Farms Country Market in Amherst, MA and today I want to let you in on a secret. The best place for brunch isn't in Boston's South End, it's in Hadley, MA. It's my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Esselon Cafe.
I am a longtime fan of Kendall Square's Area Four (and its dearly departed sibling, A4 in Somerville). From the hot mess brunch skillets, to the perfectly blistered pizza crusts, to the annual Haters Valentine's Day party, they just get me.
I have been eating at Rosebud in Davis Square in Somerville since I graduated from college in 2006. One of my best friends lived a short walk away and I lived a quick drive down Mass Ave. in Inman Square. I have such fond memories of us sitting in the old school diner car eating pie.
One of the people I follow on Instagram is the editor of Eater Boston. She is usually the first to know about new ventures from local chefs and she often gets to preview spaces and their menus before the doors open to the public. That's how I found out about Newton Centre's newest addition, Little Big Diner.
Little Big Diner is at 1247 Centre Street, next door to the Panera. The restaurant gets its name from its size. At 695 square feet, the restaurant has an open kitchen and just 19 seats.
All week here in Boston the city has been buzzing about the potential for a major snowstorm this weekend. Last Sunday it sounded like we could get as much as two feet of snow, though now the meteorologists are saying two - four inches.
I think we can all agree that we are still scarred from last year. Remember this?
Every Thursday night for the past 10 years I've had dinner with one of my best friends from college. When we graduated in May 2006, she moved to Brighton and I moved to Somerville. Despite living across the river from one another, we made a pact to get together every single Thursday to catch up. In our early 20s we ordered take out and watched "Grey's Anatomy" and now in our 30s we use our Thursday nights to try new restaurants.
A few weeks ago I read on Eater that one of my old Watertown favorites, Grappa, had closed and was being replaced by a completely different kind of restaurant. Not only did Grappa have some of the best Italian food (their garlic bread and bruschetta were both to die for), but it was the kind of place where the staff learned your name on your very first visit and then remembered it forever.
On July 31, 2012 I closed on my very first home. I was ecstatic. I would spend the next couple of days packing up my rental apartment in Oak Square in Brighton before moving to my new digs in Watertown.
Both of my recent trips to San Francisco were for work. The first time I traveled alone, but last week I traveled with my whole office. It was super fun being there with my Boston crew, especially my co-workers who used to live in SF because they were a wealth of dining information!
On our last morning in town we took the recommendation of a co-worker and headed to Chloe's Cafe in Noe Valley for brunch.
My work trip to San Francisco last week overlapped with the first seven nights of Hanukkah. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I love spending each night lighting candles, eating latkes and playing dreidel with family and friends.
Knowing I was going to be in SF for the holiday, I started asking friends and colleagues for their pick for the best Jewish deli in town. The votes were unanimous, Wise Sons in the Mission.
Wise Sons is located at the corner of 24th Street and Shotwell Street.
Yesterday I shared with you my visit to Greens Restaurant (San Francisco's vegetarian paradise) as well as my very tourisy stop at Ghirardelli Square. Well, today my tourist hat is back on as I take you along on my first trip to the Ferry Building.
During my November trip to SF, on my final night in town I walked with a co-woker from our office on Pine Street down to the Ferry Building. Though it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, the place was already lit up for the holidays.
On Sunday morning I returned from nine days in San Francisco, my second trip there in the last three weeks. My first visit was for the full week before Thanksgiving and though I was in the city for work, I was able to squeeze in some fun and exploring too.
One of the nights during the November trip my college friend picked me up at my hotel (so kind of her to chauffer me!) and took me to what she described as, "one of the best vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco," called Greens.
