Boston for grownups. BostonZest is your guide for enjoying a full-flavored life in an unbeatable city. We'll show you that there is life in Boston beyond the "club kids" and students.
Whether you live in Boston, plan to visit Boston, or you are moving to Boston; we'll help you locate great food, fun events, and reliable resources.
Over the years, our seaside vacations have presented the opportunity to try my skills at cooking in a variety of kitchens. They have ranged from a tiny efficiency with a two burner and a mini-refrigerator on one side of the living room, to an enormous, isolated space designed to be used by the servants in an old Arts and Crafts bungalow we rented in Edgartown, MA.
This is the time of year when we begin to think summer excursions, looking at apartments and houses, and deciding where I will cook this year. It also seems like a good time to begin sharing our tips on cooking in a vacation rental.
Of course, I pack my knives – an 8-Inch Chef's Knife and an Opinel French Picnic Knife. I’m teased because I bring my own knives when I go to a friend's house for a potluck dinner. If you cook seriously, your knives are extensions of your hands and it could be dangerous to use the dull ones you find in most kitchens.
If you want to pack ultra light, I would at least pack the Opinel French Picnic Knife. With that, you can prepare a wonderful tray of fruit and cheese like the one above.
These two are packed in a canvas tool roll with tongs, chopsticks, a waiter's corkscrew, OXO Peeler, Small Diamond Steel to keep the edge on my blades, kitchen shears, a Digital Instant-Read Thermometer, and a wooden spoon. This case was meant to hold screwdrivers and pliers but it has worked for years for my cooking gear. Today, it's easy to find a knife roll to carry your favorite tools if you prefer.
Watch for the next installment of my tricks for mastering cooking in a strange kitchen.
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As you walk around Boston, you can play our game of "Attention to Detail" by looking for our clues or trying to recall where you've seen them.
In addition to playing it here from time to time, Penny has two newspaper columns in the Back Bay Sun and Beacon Hill Times where readers are given a photo detail of a building each week. The following week, they learn where it's located and a bit about that detail or that building.
If you missed the detail, you can click here see it.
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Where would you find this artwork of two creatures grazing on foliage?
Clue: They are surrounded by nature in the heart of the city.
As you walk around Boston, you can play our game of "Attention to Detail" by looking for our clues or trying to recall where you've seen them.
In addition to playing it here from time to time, Penny has two newspaper columns in the Back Bay Sun and Beacon Hill Times where readers are given a photo detail of a building each week. The following week, they learn where it's located and a bit about that detail or that building.
We won't make you wait a week for the answer here. Check back tomorrow for the solution.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Those in the know already have reservations for Easter brunch and dinner. This is one of the big days for dining out, and popular restaurants will fill their tables for Sunday, March 31, 2013 quickly.
First up, the list of places that organize information about Easter reservations and special offerings.
Open Table seems to have the most complete information, and you can click right through to make reservations. They also give you some idea of prices and special menus. And, you'll find a few places that are offering their regular menus as well.
The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel is always a treat. For Easter, they're offering their regular Sunday Brunch in the Lounge with some special Easter additions to the menu. And, as an alternative, you can reserve a place at their special Gourmet Easter Brunch in the Ballroom.
Upstairs on the Square always pays attention to holidays and as they say, "Guests compare our dining rooms to stepping into a Faberge egg. Come see what they mean for a festive Easter brunch, or an elegant Easter Sunday dinner in the Soirée Room."
To meet up with family who don't want to come into the city, consider AKA Bistro in Lincoln. We're happy to see that they're offering their regular brunch menu in addition to some Easter specials. The nearby deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is the perfect place to walk off your brunch and take Easter photos.
Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when some people would try to book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can cause the restaurant to turn away other potential customers and makes the venues require a deposit to hold a place.
One thing we would look for, if we were dining out on a holiday, is a place that is offering its regular menu for the day. That's always a plus for us. We're not fans of special menus.
If you know of places where the regular menu will be served, let us know. If it's a place we can recommend, we'll add it to our list. And, we'll add updates and links to this post as we find them. Check back here or follow us on Twitter to learn about updates!
If this holiday stuff is really not part of your life, this is a great day to go ethnic. Chinatown will be wide open and filled with great menu options. Your neighborhood Indian, Korean, Chinese, or Persian restaurant will be happy to feed you. And, most BBQ and Pizza places do not have Easter menus.
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Don't miss an Easter photo opportunity. This Canon PowerShot G15 camera
will give you what you need to take stills and video of your Easter celebration. Canon's G series is our all-time favorite for everyday cameras. We own the G10 and G11. They're a little bigger than the compacts most people use, but let you shoot with automatic settings or easy-to-use manual controls that please the many pros who use them as second cameras. And, if you are ready to turn pro, follow our lead. Ed Shoots with the Nikon D7000 Digital SLR too, and we just added a Nikon D600
to our camera fleet and are extremely happy with the performance it has delivered.
Details:
Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: from iStockphoto.com
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All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
We recently learned about The Yellow Dog Project thanks to our friend David Ziegler. (Thanks David!) This is an attempt to give an easy to recognize signal that a particular dog needs a bit of space.
The project asks that those of us who have a dog who needs a bit of space for whatever reason (health issues, training, rehab, behavior) put a yellow ribbon or marker on our leash. Then, those of us who see this signal can keep ourselves and our dogs away.
Even dogs you know well may occasionally need a bit of space and can't play with your pup. They may have a GI upset that is going around the neighborhood and a considerate guardian who doesn't want to spread it to your dog. They may have an injury that means they can only have a quiet walk and have to avoid the movement and excitement of greeting pals. The may be out as a part of a training exercise and should not be distracted.
We used to walk with a dog that was perfectly happy strolling with her usual pack but would turn growly and fierce if a strange dog approached. You can imagine how we all reacted every time a dog, often off-leash, came bounding our way with a guardian trailing behind yelling, "He's friendly!" Yes, your dog may be friendly, but the one on a leash may not be. One more reason why no dog should be off-leash outside of dog recreation spaces.
Spread the word to your dog loving friends. Ask your veterinarian, groomer, pet supply shop, and dog group to sign on as a supporter of both sites and make this universal signal a reality!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Artwork: Courtesy of The Yellow Dog Project & DINOS
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Right on Salem Street, I came across the newest North End property. Since micro apartments are an up-and-coming trend in urban settings, this little Utility Building is hitting the market at just the right moment.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Culture: The Word on Cheese is our Friday Link. If you're like me, you scan your twitter feed and always stop when you see certain icons. A tweet from Culture Cheese Magazine always slows me down.
They not only keep me informed about cheese, but they also have great taste in related topics and stay on top of the food scene.
When you explore the site, make sure you bookmark their "Cheese Library." It's a resource you can use anytime you come across a new cheese. And, the search option can help you find cheese by any number of criteria. I love it for locating cheese from a specific country when we're doing a themed meal.
And, just in case all of this isn't reason enough to enjoy and support this resource, they are a Massachusetts business!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
will give you what you need to take stills and video of your Easter celebration. Canon's G series is our all-time favorite for everyday cameras. We own the G10 and G11. They're a little bigger than the compacts most people use, but let you shoot with automatic settings or easy-to-use manual controls that please the many pros who use them as second cameras. And, if you are ready to turn pro, follow our lead. Ed Shoots with the 
too, and we just added a 
