Wild Flower Dance Fashion Show

Not every runway show during Boston Fashion Week is under The Tent. As much as we loved being there we also like to venture out into smaller places and see what young, creative types are doing just because they love doing it. This was a really eclectic mix of fun, interesting people gathered in a small place tucked inside an area of the city that is off the beaten path, the Bulfinch Hotel. The young photographer/fashion blogger in the white shirt is Benjamin Glassner, who impressively got right in there with a group of very aggressive professional photographers and held his ground. Jimmy Guzmán and Ashley Rose Mersky are the young designers who organized the event. He did all of the flower creations including, yes, the hairpieces. She did all of those gorgeous corset designs. The models were not all 6 feet tall or what some might consider conventional but they were beautiful and having fun and what more is there in life than to be getting out there and enjoying it? This was probably the quirkiest event I attended during Boston Fashion Week 2011 but it will definitely be one of the most memorable and a fitting way to end this great celebration of style that it has been. Now back to the food coverage!

Alex Hall Model Party At Forum

With Alexandra Hall, Fashion Editor of The Improper Bostonian.

We attended Alex Hall's Model Party for Boston Fashion Week last night held at Forum on Boylston Street. First of all, if you have not been here, it's not anything near like the former restaurant space was. It's been totally renovated and opened up, including lots of window views that were never there before. The food was great (send us those cheese sources), the drinks were great, the music, the mood, the mix of people, the gift bags from Joico ... everything just added up to the perfect party. Thank you Alex and The Improper gang for throwing a very nice Boston Fashion Week bash.


With our great friend Catherine Stanton-Schiff of Brugal Rum, who was a sponsor at the event.


We sipped on a drink called Cover Shot: Brugal Anejo Infused Rum with Crimson Mint Syrup. Very nice. This will be on the menu at Forum when you visit.


With Jo Swani of The Moxie Agency and fellow Advisor to Future Chefs.


With the one and only Jonathan Soroff.


With Christine Liu.


And let's not forget all of those gorgeous models!

Boston Fashion Week 2011

It's Boston Fashion Week 2011, which means that our event calendar is pretty much double what it usually is. It's been a dizzying pace. We started out last night at Middlesex Lounge for the Media Bistro gathering, where we met Callie Crossley of WGBH and discussed social media, food and wine, three of our favorite topics. Next, we zipped over to Brahmin to be with the beautiful people for their opening night party. We bumped into Leigh Harrington of Where Boston with whom we shared our MoreBeauté app as we sipped cocktails in mason jars, munched on delicious appetizers like spicy shrimp and enjoyed the Speakeasy feel of the renovations. The finale was at The Tent for the Mark Miller Show for Boston Fashion Week 2011. His stunning fur creations were really amazing and it was a chance to chat and mingle with the fashion crowd. So, the more we see and do this, the more we'll be writing, photographing, videoing and posting.

An Italian Feast At Towne

As the Ferraris lined up at the curb we arrived at Town Stove And Spirits last week for a very special dinner and event to benefit Perkins School For The Blind: A Taste Of Italy. This was a true Italian feast with very authentic dishes classic to the City of Rome.


My guest and dining companion for the evening was Jimmy Guzmán, GM of The Bulfinch Hotel. Who can resist stopping for a shot on the red carpet? Thank you Joanna Roffo!


We sipped on cocktails and mingled with friends Bianca Garcia, Richard Auffrey, Lindsay Rotondi and Joanna Roffo before heading upstairs to the elegant main dining room where our window seats overlooked Boylston Street and that fabulous row of gleaming Ferraris. From the moment we arrived, the service was absolutely the height of professionalism.


We peeked in on our friend, the always colorful Chef Lydia Shire, hard at work in the kitchen.


These Lobster and Cheddar Bites were incredibly good and Jimmy's favorite taste of the evening.


Dates wrapped in bacon, one of my favorite appetizers.


For his first course Jimmy went with the Roman Carciofi Alla Giuda, which translates to fried artichokes. I am not an artichoke fan but I tried it and it was interesting and definitely seasoned well. Jimmy loved it.


To start, I selected the Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup With Pecorino-Parsley Sformato. It tasted every bit as good as the colorful presentation looked, creamy and sweet with that perfectly balanced and gorgeous, smoky sformato.


For our second course we both enjoyed the Buccatini Amatriciana. This dish is made with dried pork cheek and is a true Italian classic often served in the restaurants of Rome but less so in the USA. Rich but not overly salty, this was an excellent rendition. My fave plate of the night.


As a main course, I went with the Roman Veal Saltimboca With Roman Gnocchi. This was a standout, perfectly done with that crisp pancetta and melt in your mouth gnocchi that was surprisingly light.


Jimmy went with the Abbachio, Grilled Baby Lamb, as his main. I tried a mouthful, including the bed of white polenta it was served on. It was delicious.


Although we had already ordered dessert Chef Lydia made us feel like real VIPS by sending us out a Strawberry Shortcake With Rhubarb Ice Cream to try. The flaky, delicate biscuit was still warm, the strawberries juicy but that ice cream was the star on the plate.


Our second dessert was the Buttermilk Panna Cotta which was also excellent.

This perfectly executed event was really elegant and a stunning feast. Thank you Towne and Chef Lydia Shire!

Town Stove And Spririts
900 Boylston Street
The Prudential Center
Boston, MA
Telephone: 617.247.0400

Missing Trig

Look at that Calamari, spicy and sweet.

We had a relaxing, intimate lunch for four yesterday at Del Frisco's, looking out at the foggy waters of Boston, the clouds, eating and talking about food. I love when dining companions chat about places they have been and I was lucky to hear about Comerç 24 in Spain. My inspirational food blogger, Aidan "Trig" Brooks was once the Chef de Partie at Comerç 24 so there was an instant connection. His blog, Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef was the very thing that led me into the world of blogging and all of these wonderful people I have met by doing so.



That's Trig at work at the very same restaurant, a London boy, doing his thing in Spain. He was one of the most influential food bloggers in London. I really miss Trig because he, sadly, gave up his blog. You need to jump back in mate. Never give up when your fame is about to explode. Come back Aidan Brooks!

Our New Fave Thing

Here's a Hint: We've found a new poolside companion. Weighing in at Zero, as in no calories, sugars, artificial sweeteners or sodium. It's the ultimate simplicity, which is great after navigating those long and complicated social events! Seriously, we tasted Hint at a recent event and fell in love with the idea of water infused with chunks of fresh fruit, then bottled. The watermelon is a winner, especially after a workout, and pretty much instantly relaxing anytime.

Feast On A Farm

We were recently the guests of Les Dames d'Escoffier at our, believe it or not, first farm to table dinner: Feast On A Farm. This very special night was held at Verril Farm in Concord and was a benefit for Future Chefs and The Food Project. It was an intimate gathering of about 80 guests, a chance to spend time with great friends and meet some new people while enjoying the freshest, local food one can possibly find. I highly recommend trying a harvest dinner like this one during the fall season, where guests sit at one long table, enjoying an incredible meal and great conversation, which mostly revolved around, well, as you can guess, food. And these people were serious eaters.


We sipped on warm cider and rum, Harpoon Beer and Ale, and Castello Monacki Kreos Rose while enjoying appetizers such as the Bruschetta With Fresh Farmers Cheese, Fig and Aged Balsamic, Beet Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Baby Potatoes with Gravlax and Sour Cream. The fried kale was unforgettably good. As the sun set over the fields, we enjoyed the main dinner which included an incredible Spiced Cornbread, Heirloom Tomatoes with Herbs, Risotto with Seasonal Vegetables, Blood Farm Pork Loin Roast, Open Meadow Farm Roast Beef and Grilled Rum Soaked Peaches. We finished with Upside Down Apple Cakes and Creme Fraiche.

The real stars of the show were the Future Chefs. We were very proud to visit them at work in the kitchen but even more proud at the applause these hard-working young stars received at the end of the dinner. Thank you, Les Dames, for one of our most memorable food events.

Fashion Week Boston

I have always believed that food and fashion go together, mostly when editing the tons of food pics we review every week! It's Fashion Week in Boston so if you want to join us for a fun event please come to this one. I promise you flattering pics!

New England Dessert Showcase 2011

We visited the New England Dessert Showcase 2011 last weekend for some sweet treats and and a look at what's the latest thing in confections. This was the third show we've attended and it just seems to get better and better each year. The first people to anxiously greet us were the fabulous ladies of O'Sugar! Cakery. You need quality cakes made from scratch? They got 'em.




These amazing and colorful treats were made by Kueh of Quincy. They use rice, rice flour, tapioca and sweet potato or yam to create them and were one of the most intriguing tables at the show. It's like a cross between pudding and candy on a stick.


Did I mention that the show featured the world's largest cannoli? The shell, made by Golden Cannoli in Somerville, was a majestic ten feet long.


Julie Wetherbee, of Dirty Water TV fame, was hosting the main stage and stopped over to ask us for an interview. Adam of @ConciergeBoston, my guest for the event, and I chatted for a few minutes about our favorite tastes at the show. All without make-up, wardrobe or hair. Well, not for us anyway.


The ladies of Batch ultra premium ice cream were there. We felt compelled to sample their salted caramel flavor to make sure it was spot on. It was!

All in all, it was a very fun afternoon. Enjoy the pics!