Seven's - Beacon Hill

On Friday night Nick and I wanted to go out and watch the Bruins game, but were not interested in getting into the mess near the Garden.  Instead, we went to the Seven's Ale House, a very local Beacon Hill watering hole located right on Charles Street.  While I have been there to enjoy more than a few drinks from their fairly extensive beer menu (no hard stuff here) and played (or attempted to play) darts at the back of the long and narrow space, I have never actually eaten there.

I have attempted to watch games at the Sevens before, but it can be difficult to get a good space because the bar fills up quickly and the space does not lend itself to standing when its crowded.  Since the game started at 8:00 and it was one the first super nice days out, Nick and I headed over around 7:30 and had our pick of most of the tables in the bar.  We really were ready to settle in for the long haul and have a few drinks and a bite to eat. 

The menu offers a variety of sandwiches and wraps all at a great price point - nothing on the menu is over $10.  Considering this is Charles Street in Beacon Hill, that is pretty amazing!  Nick ordered the breaded chicken sandwich with a homemade honey mustard and Havarti on toasted wheat bread with a side of potato salad.

Seven's Chicken Sandwich

Five Guys! Seriously good burgers...

Last night Nick and I headed up to the North Shore for some wedding cake tasting (more on that later!).  On our way home we decided we needed a little salt to balance out all the sweet, so we finally decided hit up the new(ish) Five Guys in Saugus on Route 1 South near the Square One Mall.  Nick was the one who introduced me to Five Guys as he had it when he lived in Washington, DC.  Slowly Five Guys has made their way towards New England.  I think we are so close to getting one downtown, but for now it is probably safer to have it a drive away - I do have a wedding dress to fit into!

Something you really should know before ordering is that the regular burgers actually come with 2 patties!  A little burger or a junior only has the one patty, but its plenty for me.  Like U Burger, Five Guys offers a number of toppings to their burgers for you to choose from. 

My Burger

Bacco's Wine and Cheese

When the Deluca's fire happened almost a year ago I was not sure what I was going to do since I basically did all my food and beverage shopping there.  It was a block away - way too convenient no matter what others people's complaints were.  While there is construction being done on the building right now, it does not seem like Deluca's will be opening for some time.  However, most people and the neighborhood have adapted (yay Charles Street Market and Savenor's!) and the rest of us have learned to live without Deluca's, but where are the many Deluca's workers?  I found my answer tonight.

I recently had a Junior League of Boston committee meeting at Baccos Wine and Cheese.  Every day of the week (except of Sundays) Bacco has a wine and cheese tasting after work, s our group decided to take full advantage!  Turns out the general manager of Deluca's decided to take matters into his own hands and start his own shop of wonderfulness!

Tasting Table

Bacco's has a large variety of wines that is sold by a knowledgeable staff who are more than willing to make suggestions for you at a any price point.

Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

This was a book I randomly saw on various "best-of" lists but never gave much thought to until my friend L recommended it to me.  So, when I went looking for my next book to read I did not give it a second thought and ordered it immediately, not knowing much (if anything at all) about the plot.  L and I have been passing books back and forth since high school - there really hasn't been anything that she has recommended that hasn't been a great read, so off I went and downloaded "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson.  The book follows the stories of three different people who are only connected by their desire to leave the oppression of the south for the "freedoms" of the north and the west.

Cover Picture Source

Enjoying the Sun on the Rattlesnake Roof Deck

This past Saturday Nick and I were heading out and running errands that brought us to both Downtown Crossing and Back Bay.  While we were expecting the weather to be gloomy, it turned out that the day had something much nicer in store - warmth and sun (go figure!)  I will take it for the few short hours it was here.

Around lunchtime we were hungry but had no destination in mind.  We originally thought we could go to Parish Cafe, but of course it was packed.  Instead, we decided to check out the roof deck at Rattlesnake Bar.  Turns out we hit it only a few minutes after it opened so we immediately headed up.  This isn't just some thrown together area - there is a legitimate bar, complete with seating and standing room, as well as a number of tables for any number of people.  There are plenty of umbrellas in order to keep the sun at bay for those of us who are not used to the sun quite yet.

Deciding to indulge in this weather, we got ourselves a Sam Summer (my first one of the season) and a Harpoon IPA.

Perfect on a sunny day!

The bar upstairs is completely full service and the longer we sat the more drinks we saw go out: sangria, mojitos, beer, etc.!  All of them looked pretty refreshing on a warm sunny day.

Caffe Bella Vita in Beacon Hill

I have lived within a stone's throw of the Caffe Bella Vita for four years and last night was the first time I went there for anything other than some gelato.  The restaurant has two full sides of windows letting you look in and see what is going on.  Most of the time there are some students studying (they have free wi-fi) or people catching up over a nice looking cup of cappuccino.  Within the last year they have completely repainted the interior with a deep red color and a yellow/gold trim, creating a warm place.

This cold and rainy day seemed like the perfect time to test out a place that has a reputation for great soups, among other things.  Having watched all those people with their gourmet cups of coffee, I decided to order myself a cappuccino.

Cappuccino