Restaurant Week - Summer 2008

Here in Boston we have a Restaurant Week two times a year (now, it's actually done for two weeks). These weeks give folks like me a chance to check out the fancy shmancy place for relatively "cheap". Most restaurants have a three course fixed menu (I say most because my roommates both went to a place where the regular menu was the Restaurant Week menu). Some restaurants offer lunch and dinner, while others offer one or the other. Lunches are $20.08 and dinners are $33.08 (get the .08?). Over the last two weeks I have been to four meals (three lunches and one dinner).

• Lunch #1 - Oak Room (Copley Square) - Creamy New England clam chowder, five-ounce flat iron steak with pomme frites in a rosemary jus and individual brulee tart with seasonal fruit.
• Lunch #2 - 33 (Back Bay) - Ursula's caesar salad, root beer braised short ribs, and summer berry pannacotta
• Lunch #3 - Stanhope Grill (Back Bay) - Chopped salad, rosemary marinated grilled flat iron steak, and decadent chocolate brownie.
• Dinner - Smith & Wollensky's (Back Bay) - Caesar salad, filet mignon, and chocolate cake. (This dinner is a now a tradition with Dan and Alison, usually we visit Flemings but we weren't digging the menu this time around.)

If there was ever a concern of an iron deficiency, I think I have taken care of that over the last two weeks! Now I must get to the store for some fruits & veggies!

Three Babies and a Bride

So I have completed SLACKED with posting since I returned from my hiatus, and haven't even finished my hiatus updates. Tonight seems like a great night to get caught up (even though it is a Friday and Super Diamond is in town)!

I woke up on Saturday (8/9) to emails from two different friends that they were expecting babies mid-February. Very exciting. For one friend it will be baby number 2 and for the other it will be baby number 1...Congrats to both the Satter's and the Jagger's. These two babies will join Baby C who will make his or her appearance in December. Auntie E is going to be busy!

Last Saturday (8/16) I got to celebrate my friend/classmate/co-worker Ann's upcoming wedding by going to her bridal shower thrown by her sisters. It was a great afternoon to honor Ann. A few things that I thought were great (read as "Note to Winnie" for when that day comes)...her sisters had it at a hotel, the games were voluntary, and two people helped with the gifts.

• By having the shower at the Marriott there was room for everyone to mingle and sit down to eat. The food was all prepared for the event, they even cut the cake. Once things started to wind-down the hotel staff got a cart, loaded up gifts and took them to the car. The sisters were able to enjoy themselves and visit with the guests just as much as Ann.
• There were two (2) games, the first was a picture board where we could guess Ann's age in each picture (12 pictures in total). The sisters "corrected" the guesses during lunch. The second "game" was wearing a clothes-pin and if you said the groom's name it could be taken by whoever you were talking too.
• While Ann opened her gifts one sister was taking notes as to what was given and the other was making sure the bows were saved for the rehearsal dinner and putting opened gifts aside.

While the above makes it sound like the shower was rushed, it did not feel that way at all. We were there from 1-4 and the time flew by in a good way. Congrats Ann & D! Nice "crafty" work Sisters!