Entertainment Weekly 7.22.17

I'm rather later than usual, I know...but I am writing from Denver! So please excuse the tardiness and brevity-I'm just on a brief hiatus from eating and drinking everything in the city while Dad, Lucas, and I freshen up for the evening. I've been enjoying

Reading: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. Beautifully written and very engaging-though some slightly scandalous sections ;)

Listening: The soundtrack to Moana...I finally watched it (I truly don't understand how it took me so long) and am OBSESSED. It's especially great while I'm briefly not listening to Hamilton in preparation for seeing it on Wednesday-eeeeeek!

Watching: Moana, duh! Guys I can't even handle how good it is-music, story, animation, performance, everything.

Hope you all are having as delicious a weekend as I am!

xoxoxo
Emma

Jesse Ruben, Castro, and Dia Frampton

I so love going to concerts but tend to struggle with actually finding them. I'm making an effort to take advantage of living in a city and all the opportunities it offers, so last week Michelle and I decided to brave a concert where we were almost 100% unfamiliar with the performers.

The venue was Brighton Music Hall-I hadn't been there before and was worried about being late (Boston traffic-always!) but it was a small enough show that not only did we get in plenty early, we had time to get a beer, peruse the merch tables, and get good seats. I can't express how happy we were to have chairs! :)

Jesse Ruben opened the night-I had heard some of his music, inspired by his showing up on a Spotify Discover Weekly playlist recently. Not only do I enjoy his music, but he is also an excellent performer. It's so disappointing when you love an artist's music but then they have no stage presence-definitely not the case here! He also created the We Can Project, partnering with schools and other programs to empower kids to do make a difference and achieve their goals. I'm excited to connect him to our youth!

Next up was Castro, who I mentioned in my Saturday EW post. They are a super fun family group and also excellent performers! The hints of bluegrass take the pop/folk sound to a new level.

Finally, Dia Frampton was wonderful. Her music is gorgeous and I can't say how much I appreciated her honesty regarding her emotional highs and lows. I don't want to take her story, but she expressed the struggle with perfection and anxiety relating to her music so beautifully. Thank you for helping to normalize talking about mental health and professional support.

Please, please leave me recommendations for more music and concerts!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 7.15.17

A little late, but better than never! We started our summer camp last week, so adjusting to that has been both a challenge and really nice-getting up earlier! Actually having evenings! This week, I've been

Reading: The Wanderers. I'm not too far into it, but it is so good! Meg Howrey is developing her characters and the setting beautifully.

Listening: All the bands I saw on Tuesday, of course! Castro is new to me, and they are super fun. I love bluegrass (or bands with some nods to it) so it was great to get some new music into my rotation.

Watching: Baby Driver. Such a fun movie-anything that places such importance on the soundtrack tends to appeal to me, and it was great visually as well.

I'm trying to get back on track with my posting, so this week will probably go well...but I'm going to go ahead and say the week after is going to be INSANE so there is minimal likelihood of anything then. Unless I can really get my act together and write ahead of time! :)

xoxoxo
Emma

Eat Local: Metacom Kitchen

Oh my goodness, y'all-you need to try this restaurant.
Dad and I drove down to Metacom Kitchen for dinner a couple weeks ago-have I mentioned how grateful I am he's always up to try a new restaurant? It was totally worth it. Even the bread and butter they served at the start was excellent. Our server, too, was great-she was charming and chatty without being invasive, and knowledgeable about the food and atmosphere.

We started with the burrata for 2-the accoutrements with which it was served just made it even better. My only slight critique there would be to allow the cheese to come to room temperature, which is tricky in a restaurant setting.

They didn't have any vegetarian entrees listed on the menu, but that didn't stop the chef creating a delicious pasta dish for me. I could have put together a satisfying and yummy meal from the small plates, but I was excited to see what they would come up with-and it was definitely the right choice. Black pepper fettucine (made in-house) with mushrooms, peas, pea shoots, and shallots...mmmmmm. Dad's lamb pasta dish hit the spot for him, and we both enjoyed our drinks-an IPA from Woburn, MA for him and a French rose for me.

We don't often get dessert, but I'm so glad we did this time! He couldn't pass up the espresso martini (especially since we had a going-away party to attend after) and the coffee panna cotta lived up to my very high expectations.

Now, just let me know if you need a dinner date! 

xoxoxo

Emma

Holiday Weekend Recap

My oh my, what a weekend! Going back to work today was a real struggle...not least because of staying up a little too late after the fireworks, enjoying the beautiful summer night.

On Friday night, I got to experience a gorgeous space-the Liberty Hotel. I felt a little weird about the whole concept of it being a converted prison, but I will admit it was gorgeous-and the cocktails were delicious. They have several bars and restaurants there, and I would definitely enjoy experiencing some more of them. It's also the kind of place that seems like it would be perfect in the winter for a staycation...making note of that for the future!

On Saturday, Michelle and I finally made it to Five Horses Tavern so she could get her sour beer. I opted for another tasty cocktail to go with my falafel sandwich and jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes (yeah, some eclectic combinations happening there), while Michelle had a special with her beer-a hot dog with mac&cheese! If I ate meat, you know I would have been all over that...
We attempted to go to Spoke, but didn't feel like waiting, so opted for ice cream at J.P. Licks instead. We're grown-ass ladies and can do what we want! :)

Sunday I made it to yet another new restaurant for dinner, Machu Picchu, after a productive morning of barre, church, and errands. It is an excellent Peruvian establishment-I had never had that cuisine before and definitely enjoyed it. We then meandered over to Brass Union for another beer...I hadn't been since my girls' night before I moved to Boston, and their patio was a lovely place to enjoy the evening!

Monday I was dead tired, so Michelle's and my plan to lay by the pool, drink some wine, and make empanadas was absolutely perfect. I may have swung by Blackbird Doughnuts on my way back from my friend Molly's for some patriotic treats...

And finally, the actual 4th of July! Naturally I went to barre in the morning before another day of eating and drinking. Dad had a flight out of Boston in the evening, so he came in early and we went to lunch at City Tap House, where they were having a BeerBQ competition-both the brews and BBQ were in it. Of course I could only partake in half, but I think it's safe to say Dad enjoyed 100% of it! The salad and tapenade I ordered off the standard menu were excellent as well.

I also had to make a point to embrace the upgrade to a childhood treat-a bomb pop frozen cocktail! A little sweet for my taste (which I think I could have guessed) but oh so fun. It's so nice to have Dad so close by that we can have a (fairly) spontaneous lunch like that-thanks, Dad!

I made plans with some friends to watch the fireworks from a restaurant in Charlestown, Blackmoor, which boasted views from their patio and dining room. I wouldn't say it was the best view, but the food and drinks were good and the service was fantastic-they were so very kind as I changed the reservation 3 times within a few hours! Suffice to say if I ever want to go back, I don't think the reservation can be under my name...whoops. I did make sure to leave a solid tip at least-I hate to be that person! Plus, we didn't have to deal with crowds at all which I definitely appreciated.

All in all, a fantastic long weekend...but thank goodness the upcoming weekend is only 2 days away! Hope you all had as much fun (and maybe more rest) than I did!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 7.1.17

Happy long weekend! I'm definitely happy about these extra days off, and very much looking forward to some fireworks on Tuesday! Fingers crossed for good weather and only moderately crazy crowds...

Reading: I read The Circle in maybe 3 days...it's long but super engaging! They released a movie version starring Emma Watson recently and I did not hear good things...however I would definitely recommend the book.

Listening: I finally gave in and started listening to Harry Styles' solo album and I have to admit, I like it...

Watching: My guilty pleasure, Criminal Minds, just released season 12 on Netflix, so I've been freaking myself out with it. It's gotten crazier so it's somehow less scary...just please, nobody sneak up on me! You might end up with a backhand to the face or an elbow to the gut if you do...

Have a happy 4th, everyone!

xoxoxo
Emma