Around Town - Parla, Boston

Last Friday we tried out one of Boston's newest restaurants, Parla.  It's in the North End right on Hanover Street, and the buzz has been great so far.  It has an Italian speakeasy vibe with some of the most thoughtful decor you every did see.  
 

The cocktail menu is unique and ambitious and for the most part didn't disappoint.  It should be noted that we had MANY cocktails on this particular night.  Our favorites? The Bee Sting Julep (traditional with a habanero twist), The Bootleg Old-Fashioned, and The Rhuby Mule (grapefruit spin on a Moscow Mule). 

First, we were served a little bite of beet salad and goat cheese compliments of the chef.  Then we feasted on the oxtail arrancini which were some of the best I've ever had!  For our entrees, we ordered the Squid Ink Gnocchi with Wild Boar Bolognese and New York Strip with Truffle.  The gnocchi was the hands-down winner.  It was light and fluffy and flavorful and beautiful to boot!  The perfect contrast to the heavier bolognese.  

While we didn't get a chance to see it, there is also a late night menu available that we will definitely be coming back to try.  Thanks Parla for a great first impression.  Here's to many more!

Parla Boston
230 Hanover St. Boston, MA
parlaboston.com 

Daytime Date

{Sweater: Banana Republic (old) | Vest: Banana Republic | Bottoms: LOFT | Boots: Joe's | Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren}

With all of this snow, it seems like lucky couples everywhere are getting to experience snow days together just like they used to.  Unfortunately, Kevin and I tend to both have to work even in a blizzard, but we did take advantage of the beautiful scenery and the joy of spending a day out together on a lovely day date last Sunday.  We drove outside the city to check out some open houses.  We are not looking to move anytime soon, but we're doing some "research" if you will.  Neither of us are from the Boston area and know that eventually we will need to move to the suburbs, so every now and then we check out different neighborhoods to get a feel for what's out there.  It's a great way to learn about the housing market in your area too which is always smart.  Plus, I have had a love for open houses since I was a little kid.  So whether we're actively looking or not, it's always something I enjoy.

{Loved seeing the trees covered in snow and frozen lakes north of Boston}

Then in true snow day fashion we went out for an indulgent lunch of burgers and fries.

What are you doing on your snow day?

*Linking up with Pleated Poppy and Shanna

Anniversary Week: Gifts

Three years ago today, I married my best friend.  I have known him since I was ten.  We were friends for years, and will always be friends first.  Today I thought I'd talk gifts.  We've exchanged many over the ten years that we have been together, and it's safe to say that Kevin is by far the better gift giver in the relationship. So far, we've tried to stay traditional with our anniversary gifts to each other.  Here's the run-down.

Year one we gifted each other tickets for a cruise to Cozumel and Belize.  It was fun in the sun with umbrella drinks, hot tubbing, and cave tubing.

Year two we also went on a trip, but we kept it a little more local with a weekend in Stowe, Vermont.  You can see highlights of that trip here.  Not only did we embrace the cotton theme at The Stowe Mountain Lodge where the sheets are made of clouds,*  but we also gifted ourselves a nice California King mattress.  I talk about that purchase more here. 

*Okay, so we asked the resort employees, and apparently very little actual cloud goes into the manufacturing of their sheets, but I would have believed it!

Neither of us were really in need of either of those.  We both have gifted each other some nice leather gifts over the years, and we're not really fine crystal people.  So going the glass route, Kevin got me a pair of beautiful Prada sunglasses (we are frequent patrons of Sunglass Hut and love any sunnies of the polarized persuasion).  Also on our shopping trip, we picked up a new coat for Kevin.  Not really a traditional gift, but we made it work by saying that it was the right type of coat to replace his leather jacket on rainy days.  Yeah, it's kind of a stretch, but he looks great in it!

In addition, we're going out on the town tonight for a special date night.  I will be wearing a leather dress to stick with the theme.  First on our itinerary, cocktails at Drink followed by dinner at Menton.  As a big Top Chef and Kristen Kish fan, I'm really excited about our meal.  I'll share details on that later this week.  In the meantime, head over to my Facebook page for a peek at our wedding highlight video.  Enjoy!

One Dress, Two Ways

Well it's December and officially holiday season, so I thought I'd share with you one of my little secrets for looking put together during the holidays: Rent the Runway.  A friend recently introduced me to this amazing company and I am hooked!  If you're not familiar with RTR, please check them out.  The website is super user-friendly, the have an awesome mobile app, and their customer service is fantastic.  Essentially the process is exactly how it sounds.  You rent designer fashion at a discounted price.  The dress choices and the prices are available in a wide range to suit any event or budget.  When the dress arrives, it's guaranteed to be in good condition and they even send you a second size to ensure fit if you'd like!  Check out more on how it works here. 

My first rental was for my high school reunion, where I rented a black Helmut Lang.  I felt so comfortable, and was so impressed with the whole process that I knew I'd be renting again soon.  The opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago for a friend's wedding.  I waited until nearly the last minute to decide what I was wearing, but Rent the Runway still had plenty of dresses available in my size so I landed on a purple Jay Godfrey.

Something that should be considered when renting is that you have your dress for two full days (the rental is really 4 days, but one day is lost on each end for shipping essentially).  I love that this leaves you open to use the dress twice if you'd like.  So Friday night you can dress it down for a girl's night.

{Jacket: Forever 21 (similar), Necklace: J Crew Factory (on sale!), Purse: Coach}

Then you can dress it up for date night on Saturday.

    
It's the perfect solution for all of the holiday events you may have coming up this season.  The question of what to wear has been answered!  

I recently purchased a Pro Account with RTR which basically means that you get free shipping and insurance for a year with an annual membership fee.  When you rent twice, it pays for itself.  I plan on sharing all of my rental experiences over this next year, and I'd love to hear about some of your experiences too!  Has anyone rented yet?



*Disclosure: I recently became an affiliate of Rent the Runway because I am huge fan.  I get a small commission on sales; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

*Linking up with Because Shanna Said So and The Pleated Poppy

Hot Date

     No, this post is not about some super romantic date that Kevin and I had.  In reality, last Friday Kevin and I went on a fun date night downtown.  Only problem?  It was crazy, stupid hot.  We were going out for one of my favorite "cool down" meals of sushi and cocktails.  So I chose to wear something light in both weight and color so that I didn't sweat to death before we made it to the restuarant.

{Top: Forever 21 | Shorts: Gap Factory | Shoes: Target (no longer available) similar here | Clutch: Coach (old) new design here | Sunglasses: Tory Burch}

     As for dinner, it was amazing!  We checked out Douzo in Back Bay for dinner and cocktails then walked back towards home and picked up ice cream at Emack and Bolio's.

 {Sushi from Douzo}

 {Banana split from Emack and Bolio's with my all-time favorite flavor Bananas Foster}

 {I was a little overly excited about the cute pattern that the rainbow sprinkles made on the spoon}

*Remember, to stay up to date on all of our date night spots and other restaurants that we love, follow my Pinterest board Boston Restaurants


*Linking up today with Wildcard Wednesday, Because Shanna Said So, and The Pleated Poppy

Rainy Date Night in Boston

    Today marks the start of a new series here on the blog: date night.  Kevin and I try to have a date night at once a week, whether we cook at home or go out on the town.  I will feature what I made/ate, what I wore, beauty tricks--whatever applies.  I'm also excited to use this series to showcase even more recipes as well as restaurants that we frequent here in Boston.  This past weekend we had a very rainy date night at the local restaurant Trade.  Because it was so rainy, pictures are limited in quality in quantity.  On a related note, taking great selfies has never been a talent of mine so please forgive the graininess.


What I wore:

 
Where we went:

What we had:

 {Kevin's whiskey-based drink, my rhubarb daiquiri}

 {Seared sea scallops with daikon, wasabi, ginger and lava beans}

 {Left: Spicy lamb rigatoni; Right: Salmon with rhubarb and eggplant fritters}

{such a great view of the greenway}

    If you're interested in more Boston restaurants and date night ideas, follow my new Pinterest board "Boston Restaurants".