Carrie Nation and Highball Lounge - New on Beacon Hill

The weekend before Christmas, it just so happened that a number of Nick's college friends were in town visiting family. Since they are otherwise scattered across the U.S., we took the opportunity to get together for some dinner and drinks. Finding a table for a group of 9 on relatively short notice was a bit difficult, but luckily, new kid on the block Carrie Nation had availability for our group. Ironically named for an extreme prohibition activist who was actually known for taking her hatchet into bars and threatening the patrons, Carrie Nation (the establishment) has a great cocktail list and certain areas exude the speakeasy feel.

Archer's Evening Law: Cold River Blueberry Vodka, basil and House Lemon Cordial

A Little Holiday Review

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season - it's hard to believe the 2013 holiday season is over! From getting ready for Thanksgiving, to hosting Christmas and celebrating New Year's Eve (which is actually Nick and my anniversary), it's been a bit of a whirlwind! With only four weeks between the major holidays, we only had a day of relaxing before it was time to get the house ready for Christmas. In no time we had the stage set for the next holiday.

Christmas Tree Decorated

It's always fun decorating the tree because we have collected so many ornaments from our travels that we get to re-live those trips as we decorate. I have to say, Arthur had some trouble with the tree and seemed to enjoy the taste of our sentimental ornaments a bit too much and gobbled them up! While some of them cannot be replaced, the one from our honeymoon is being replaced by the resort after we sent a desperate email!  Phew!

A Long Walk Through Washington, DC

Early in November Nick and I went down to DC for a college friend's wedding, and since we don't get down there much we decided to make a long weekend of it. Since Nick went to school down there it was a bit of a homecoming for him, and for me, I got to do all the touristy things that DC has to offer. I had only been to DC twice before (once was in 6th grade) so I had a lot of catching up to do. I had an ambitious schedule planned and most of it depended on sunny weather, so needless to say I was disappointed when we woke up to pouring rain. Luckily, we did a little rescheduling, and the day turned out perfectly.

Outside the Newseum

Littorai - Biodynamic Grape Farming

After a great morning at Scribe, we went west to Littorai, which is located in the coastal region of Sonoma Valley. Tucked away from the majority of other vineyards, it is a beautiful drive over to Littorai.

Littorai

Commonwealth Cambridge - Nookie Postal's New Digs

This has been a pretty big year for chef Nookie Postal. Between Around the World in 80 Plates and opening two new restaurants in Cambridge, he has been a busy guy! Nick and I wanted to see a movie that was showing in Kendall Square, so while thinking about where to eat over there Nick noticed that Commonwealth had recently opened and made a reservation immediately. To be honest, other than knowing it was opening, I didn't know much else about Commonwealth. Color me shocked when we walked in and there was a bit of a fresh market and counter service in front! The restaurant aims to showcase local and seasonal food both in the traditional dining sense as well as a market.

Note about the photos - they are with my iPhone because I didn't have my camera, sorry they are sort of terrible

The amazing buttery pull-apart bread; this is worth the trip alone!

Scribe - Swinging in Sonoma (not THAT kind of swinging!)

Switching gears a bit, we are heading back to September when Nick and I were in California Wine Country. After a great first afternoon it was time to settle into the house we rented through Home Away, have some dinner, enjoy catching up with the two other couples we were traveling with and get ready for the rest of the vacation. A few months beforehand when planning for the trip we decided that each couple would be responsible for planning all the parts of an entire day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the wineries in between. This way our friends, who were members of various wine clubs in the area, could make sure to hit up their favorite spots as well as other places on their lists without us all tripping over each other in the planning process. Don't worry, we had a shared Google document to update each other on the plans so there was no overlap - I know you were concerned!

What's not to love about a swing!