Boston Uncommon, Recipe Boston Uncommon

Posted the 12/10/2008 04:20:32 By Carrots 'N' Cake (Visit website)

Our afternoon out and about downtown was a lovely way to spend a free Saturday in the city! I still can’t get over how gorgeous it was today! It was sunny, breezy, and above 70 degrees, which is very uncommon for mid-October in Boston. Of course, I loved every second of it!

After riding the T downtown, Mal and I cut through Boston Common with a leisurely stroll…

Mal and I enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite (if not my favorite) restaurant in Boston: Sonsie on Newbury Street. One of our first dates was at Sonsie, and ever since then, it has held a special place in our hearts. (Awwwww… how cute! ) To be honest, I’m surprised that I haven’t been to Sonsie since I started the blog!

Sonsie is fantastic for many, many reasons, but one of my favorites is its big open cafe area that faces Newbury Street. The front of the restaurant has these huge French doors/windows that open when the weather is nice, which gives the cafe a nice airy, but cozy feeling. The cafe is also great for people watching on Newbury Street!

I love the decor of Sonsie’s bar area– the warm colors of the walls, the richness of the bar, and the low (and somewhat romantic) lighting. (I just had to snap a photo!)

A glass of wine was definitely on this afternoon’s agenda, so after throughly reading the wine menu, I chose a Simi Chardonnay to enjoy with lunch. As expected, it was delish! Here’s a description from the Simi Winery website:

“Composed of top quality fruit from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Carneros growing regions, Simi Chardonnay is characterized by excellent balance, luscious fruit flavors and a long, elegant finish. The 2006 vintage produced fully ripe and flavorful fruit with superb concentration and balance thanks to an extended growing season. Lively on the palate with peach, pear, lemon and pineapple, accented with warm spice notes from barrel fermentation and caramel cream.”

Now, how delicious does that glass of wine sound?! I knew I couldn’t do it the justice it deserved!

The bottom of the Sonsie menu was inscribed with these 3 words…

For lunch, Mal and I decided to share a brick-oven pizza from Sonie’s cafe menu. Our pick: Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil Pesto pizza. Soooo good! I loved the olive oiled-baked crust. While I love pizza toppings, the crust definitely makes the pizza for me!

Mal and I both ate 3 pieces of pizza, but he went for all of the large pieces, which was fine with me. Three small-ish pieces were plenty!

I was pleasantly content after eating 3 pieces of pizza, but Mal was still hungry. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he suggested that we take a peek at the dessert menu. (Yay!!! ) We both scanned the dessert menu for the best option, and the choice was easy: Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Chantilly (very soft whipped cream) and Chocolate Drizzle.

We ordered Sonsie’s “award-winning” bread pudding on a date that happened years ago, but I still talk about it! It is easily one of my favorite desserts of all time! It’s warm, moist, and intensely chocolate-y (aka my perfect dessert)!

After lunch, we ran a few errands on Newbury and Boylston Street, and randomly bumped into our friends, Jacky and Jon. The 4 of us decided to grab a drink at the Cactus Club. There, I ordered a margarita on the rocks with salt. I drank the whole thing, but it was pretty average and too “sour” for my liking. I hate it when margaritas are made with sour mix! Meh.

Mal and I ate lunch so late in the day that we really weren’t hungry for a big dinner. Mal made himself a tuna melt, while I threw together a salad with arugula, carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, blue cheese crumbles, canned tuna, and cabernet vinegar.

My dinner also included a handful of Doritos Collisions, Hot Wings and Blue Cheese flavor. Let me explain by saying: Mal is trouble. He occasionally buys junk food, but it’s usually nothing that I like too much, so it’s not hard for me to stay away. However, Doritos are a whole different story. I have a strange love for “fake” cheese– basically, the powdered orange stuff that Kraft Mac & Cheese, Cheetos, and Doritos are made with. I know it’s horribly processed and not at all nutritious, but I loooooooooovveee it!

Tonight’s dessert was three Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies. Not like I needed all three, but they were the perfect way to end such a great autumn Saturday in Beantown!

P.S. We have food again! Mal and I finally went grocery shopping this afternoon! Wahoo!