Tourists

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to be Boston tourists. Kinda.

We took the T into the city with no real destination except to walk around the Faneuil Hall area. Tourist central. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm with a nice breeze.

We got off at the Park St. stop and headed over Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market where it was plenty crowded.

We decide never go into Boston A. when it's nice out and B. during the day. It is always bad weather or at night. We really got to appreciate the beautiful greenery and buildings around the city like don't normally get to.

We then walked by the area near the aquarium then stumbled upon a restaurant called Warehouse Bar & Grille for lunch. They were still serving brunch so obviously we had to eat there. It had a cool, industrial vibe and we were able to sit outside. 

I had a Breakfast Mojito (Blueberry Pancake Liquor with lime juice and mint and Tim had the "Raven" with maple bacon vodka, muddled cherries and oranges, and and whiskey aged bitters.

Then the food.

I had the Green Omelette which had avocado, spinach, feta, asparagus and a side of mixed greens.

Tim had the Eggs Benedict

We split a side of Sweet Potato tots that came with ketchup and some kind of sweet, cinnamon-y, amazing dipping sauce.

The little basket just made them all the more delicious.

We then wondered down to the Newbury St. area and ended up at Rattlesnake Bar & Grille. We knew that there was a rooftop bar but had never been on it (we had eaten there a few times). The roof ttop bar area was...meh. 

But our drinks (Cranberry Jalapeno Margarita and Pineapple Sage Margarita) were perfect while sitting outside.

We split chips with different kinds of salsas and guacamole

After snack time, we walked back to the T via the Common which was packed and full of amazing people-watching.

Once we got home, I decided to do a "Sunday Cook-up."

Coconut Butter Granola from How Sweet Eats.

And unpictured hummus. Sorry.

Dinner was Eggplant and Lemon Risotto which was from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. This cookbook is full of amazing vegetable recipes inspired by his restaurants in London. I originally was very intimidated by the cookbook when I first got it a few years ago but now I feel ready enough to tackle it. 

Risotto is a bit of a labor of love in that you cook the aromatics and veggies, add the rice and cook, then ladle-ful by ladle-ful, add stock and stir until absorbed. You do this over and over again with 3 cups of the stock. The rice becomes creamy (with no cream!) after about a half hour of doing this routine. You also have to use Arborio rice which becomes creamy due to its high starch content.

It also called for a bit of wine. Now, I hate opening up a full bottle of wine for 1/2 cup. Yes, I know I could drink it but I don't always want to. So I buy these instead:

Baby bottles of wine. Perfect for the small portions you need for cooking. Or college students.

Buon Appetito!