BostonZest

Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne with Great Stories for Toasting March 2019

Happy New Month! This time we are raising a glass of Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne to salute the month of March.

Today we will also toast two wonderful gentlemen, Tom Fielding and Scott O’Connor, who provided us with fabulous wine selections at Perry's in Provincetown for years.

Here's to the two of you! We hope you'll have many happy years in your new home in San Miguel de Allende. This is the last bottle we have that was one of their selections. And what a selection it is! We can't wait to taste it.

Philipponnat has its own story!

In case you didn't notice the 1522 in the top photo, we took a close up of it on the neck of the bottle. The Philipponnat family have been on this land for nearly 500 years. They provided wine to French King Louis 14th, other royals, magistrates and mayors, even to those in the Champagne region.

We have read that the current family member managing the vineyard is Charles Philipponnat who's responsible for bringing it back to greatness by paying close attention to details from vine to bottle.

No flutes for this wine. We'll be enjoying it in large wine glasses to capture every nuance of the blend.

The winemakers say:

"The Blend: 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. 20 to 30% of reserve wines are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness."

"TASTING: 

To the eye: Deep gold in colour with amber glints. Delicate froth, lively and lingering.

With the nose: The first nose reveals vine blossom, linden and fresh, lightly toasted bread. After breathing, aromas of summer berries, citrus fruit and honey develop.

With the mouth: Fine vinous attack on the palate, fruity (red currant, raspberry, ripe grape) and full- bodied, generous and long. Light notes of biscuit and freshly baked bread on the finish."

Tip: When you want to find a wine, take a photo of the back label. This gives you the information your wine shop will need to order it for you.

We purchased our bottle at Perry's in Provincetown ~$60.00

(03.01.19) 4p - Update: Be sure to drink this wine through the temperatures because it is spectacular at 55º in a large glass!

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join our Sparkling Resolution.

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We Toast May 2018 with 2013 Argyle Brut Rosé and Look Forward to 2023

We just returned from Provincetown where the ever reliable wine folks at Perry's had the 2013 Argyle Brut Rosé chilled and waiting for these two Argyle lovers to enjoy.

This year we're celebrating old friends and wines we already love as we choose our sparkler of the month. We are so happy we discovered Perry's curated wine selection. It's always great when your wine merchant has similar taste to your own.

The friends connected to this wine begin with Argyle founder Rollin Soles. He's the man with the great big smile in the photo. We corresponded with him long before we had the pleasure of meeting him. We have a great history of friendship with his wines. 

This wine is a stunner! We tend to be one glass of wine people these days but, with this one, we couldn't resist a second pour. 

The 2023 mentioned in our post title is because Argyle says,

"Like all Argyle Sparkling wines, Argyle Brut Rosé is made to be long aging, maintaining its richness & minerality. It was cellared and aged on the yeast for 3-5 years and disgorged on demand, just prior to release. A portion of this vintage will remain on yeast 10 years to become Extended Tirage Brut Rosé in 2023."

We've made a note on our calendars to find that wine in 2023.

We enjoyed one bottle in Provincetown, but stopped by Perry's to buy a second one to bring home and share with friends on May 1st!

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join our Sparkling Resolution!

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Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Rollin Souls photo courtesy of Argyle.

Poppy Is Six Years Old!

Poppy, our little Westie, had a birthday this week and now she is six. She had a great walk on Harbor Beach in Provincetown to start her birthday celebration.

Now that she's back in Boston, we have given her a few extra days to reign as Duchess Poppy Whitehead, birthday girl. Yesterday she had a lovely time sitting on a park bench and some extra playtime with Ed.

Here are some Poppy photos from this past year.

Here's Poppy, with love in her eyes, as she watched Ed as he walked by us.

David Ryan from the Boston Globe spotted us on a walk and asked if he could take a few shots of Boston's famous dog model. She was not as cooperative with him as she is with her own pair of photographers. Nonetheless she made the paper. She was not impressed since she appears in papers all the time as a part of our City Paws column and we never call her a he.

On Patriots' Day, on the waterfront in Provincetown, the waves pounded, the wind howled, and the building shook, but Poppy was snug inside so she ignored it all and snoozed away.

She loves beach walks. Each day, in Provincetown, she pulls us to the gate and must see for herself if the stairs lead to ocean water or beach. At high tide the water is more than half way up the stairway. 

It has been a year of upgrades so we've spent some time at the Apple Store where Poppy is not only welcome, but also gets lots of attention from the geniuses and patrons.

This little dog is best known as the snuggler. Sit still for a bit and you may soon find you have a snuggle buddy.

She has even started requesting that Penny sit in her favorite chair more often so snuggling can commence!

Happy Birthday Week Poppy!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino and one clip from David Ryan for the Boston Globe
Since we mentioned Apple and we own stock in that company, here is our disclosure policy.

The Canteen for Wonderful Take Out (or Eat In) Options in Provincetown

We had a bunch of excellent meals from The Canteen on our last trip to Provincetown. We highly recommend this wonderful spot if you are visiting our special place by the sea. 

One of the best pieces of news we heard before arriving in town was that The Canteen was open year-round. They're open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and they deliver! "What more could you ask?" you say. "Great food," we say and they deliver on that wish as well.

It was rather cold on our visit, so we really appreciated the rotating list of wonderful soups they offered. The one above is a spring minestrone.

We had to try it, since we had just finished one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns about minestrone and had ended it with information about a spring version! This one was rich and lovely.

We told you about their great lobster rolls and fabulous clam chowder the first time we reported on this gem by the sea. 

Another favorite was a soup with greens and chicken meatballs. 

Of course we had sandwiches too. The Cod Bánh Mì was a big hit with us. Since we were not always on the same eating schedule, they were gracious about preparing a deconstructed version of Ed's favorite pulled pork sandwich that we could reconstruct when he was ready to enjoy it.

There are a few seats out front and a larger seating area in the rear. Like many outside eating places in Provincetown, The Canteen is dog friendly. So if you're day-tripping with a furry pal, grab a seat and send one of your group inside with your order for great food. You'll get a number and the staff will find you when it's ready.

 

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Going to Provincetown? Reserve a Seat at Ross' Grill

Thanks to finding a great puppy sitter, we were able to dine out in Provincetown on our recent spring visit. Naturally our first choice for a test run was brunch at Ross' Grill. 

 

We want to put you on alert – grabbing a couple of seats at the bar in-season won't be as easy as it was for us in April. So go to the site and make a reservation before you arrive in town or call them as soon as you land in Ptown.

This is exactly what we recommended to a friend going to Provincetown for Memorial Day weekend. Why not insure an outstanding meal with great hospitality?

A bonus is the great harbor view.

And a wonderful deck where you can relax with a drink while waiting for friends or a table.

These wine specials are in addition to a fabulous and extensive wine list with more than 75 different wines served by the glass. 

We actually have a tradition of choosing a pinot noir for our Thanksgiving meal at while sitting and sipping at this bar. Someone has a great taste in pinot and we love to let experts educate us and select the best wine.

Ross' has a history of outstanding bartenders. We asked for a recommendation and knew we were in the hands of a talented server with our first sips. In fact, one of our favorite bartenders over the years, César Gerena, now owns the restaurant. 

Ed makes it easy for us to pick a pinot by ordering his favorite "Blackened Tuna Sandwich with Black Olive Tapenade." He loves a good pinot with that dish.

The "Chicken Liver and Pistachio Paté" is the perfect appetizer to share with the table or your dining companion. We both enjoyed this platter of delicious accoutrements that let us make each slice of bread spread with paté slightly different from the last. 

Ross' Grill is at the end of Whaler's Wharf on the second floor.

You can check the current menu on line or on this menu board near at the entrance to the wharf complex.

 

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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Poppy Is FIVE!

While she was away on vacation with us, our little Westie Poppy turned five.

Here she is sitting in the window of her favorite beach house. 

This is the time in their lives when you see little change year-to-year in our furry friends, if we're lucky. Poppy looked about the same last year sitting in the same spot.

This picture was a stare down with an arch enemy (for Poppy that's anything with back up sounds) after we returned from our quiet place at lands end. 

We try to make a spring visit to someplace where our little girl can walk the beach and enjoy sniffing the sand. It makes the perfect birthday gift for her and her loyal servants.

Here are more of her birthday reports. You can see how she's matured.

Say Hello to Poppy, Our New VP of Security & Morale!

Poppy Speaks! Our Sunday Dog Turns One

Poppy's Provincetown Report- Age 2

Happy Birthday to Poppy as She Turns Three

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Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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What's Open and Closed on Memorial Day in Boston + MBTA Schedules, Parking, Trash & More

Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston and the MBTA schedules for Memorial Day – Monday, May 29, 2017. This is now a permanent resource page that we will update from year-to-year.

We publish these reminders before a holiday to give our readers a nudge to finalize their holiday plans. This is the first big weekend of the summer. Get going on some fun plans! And plan your shopping for adult beverages because this is one of those Blue Law holidays!

 

Will you stay in the city or enjoy a holiday weekend at a great beach house with a view like this on the harbor in Provincetown? Or will you put the boat in the water and get out on your favorite bay?

Restaurants, bars: Open

Convenience stores: Open

Supermarkets: Open

Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Plan ahead if you need wine, beer, or spirits for your holiday event.

Liquor stores: Closed (See this page from the Secretary of State)

City, Town, State, and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.

Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the U.S. closed. Some international markets are open.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters on Monday. Other parking rules apply.

Street Sweeping: The city site says: "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night. On the weekends, we sweep some streets at night. Please always check posted street sweeping signs for information. If you still have questions, please contact 311."

More information after this ad

Save storage space with these collapsible coolers. Perfect for small city homes. We had many years of use from an older version of the Arctic Zone 30 model. It was amazing at keeping things chilled. We not only used it for picnics, but also grabbed it to go grocery shopping.   

Boston Trash Collection  

The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information. 

MBTA Memorial Day Schedule Changes:

For a few days before each holiday, the MBTA schedule changes will show up at this link. 

MBTA Memorial Day 2017 Service Schedules Quick Look - 

• The Red, Orange, Blue, Silver, and Green Lines will operate on a Sunday schedule. 
• Buses and trackless trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule. 
• The Commuter Rail will operate on a Sunday schedule. 
• The RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule.

Complete MBTA Details Here

For more information: 
Go to www.MBTA.com.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2017 Penny Cherubino  

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