I don’t know about all of you reading this blog, but I simply love April. Winter seems really over and Spring begins to peak through. The weather is lovely with warm days and crisp air and I can open the windows on cool nights…just divine in my opinion.

My husband would tell you a different story. Sad that ski season is over and allergy season is beginning. He will frequently go behind me and close the windows I have just opened. We are on the same page though when it comes to packing in as many nights out as we can though.

I am especially eager for this month. I have been doing some soul-searching, if you will, trying to find, well…something more in my life. I have been doing this thing at night before bed called reading. I never made time to read for pleasure at night, despite almost every friend I have being an avid reader. I spent so many years teaching and prepping lectures at night or reading for my doctoral thesis, that I had forgotten the pleasure that comes from just unwinding with a good book. So for some self-care, I read Dan Harris’ 10 Percent Happier. I have been enlightened by his words that I have started listening to his podcast on my way to work each day. I am sensing a new beginning for me to make “me” a priority. I have started walking and working out, eating better and just taking time to listen to me.

I am going to savor each of the top 50 I visit this month…and I have several planned. In fact, we ticked 2 off the list in 1 weekend!

4/7/2023: #42

I love nothing more than spending the weekend with my best friend…and I really love the fact that when she visits, she embraces my journey to the Top 50. Very different from the usual outings was #42: The Coast Cafe. The week started rough with my oldest son falling off his electric standing scooter and breaking his wrist which required surgery. It was really nice to have him at the house for the week while he recuperated and I could take care of him…which included a takeout meal of some amazing soul food! The Coast Cafe only has 3 seats in the place, so this was the perfect night to sit around our dining table with family and friends and pig out. Which we did…

Fried chicken, BBQ ribs and wings, Jerk wings…sides of collard greens, mac and cheese, candied sweet potatoes and rice and beans. I mean really…everything is delicious. You must also get enough corn bread muffins to share as they are scrumptious. The food was even better the next day when I put everything on a cookie sheet and reheated the left-overs.

If you venture for some take out…seriously order a little of everything! You will not be disappointed.

4/8/2023: #19

Saturday night was very different than our Friday night…adults only at a pretty cool scene in Downtown Crossing, #19: Hale.Henry. This is a pretty cozy place with a hip vibe and great music. We sat at the bar and snacked on some small plates and exotic items such as tinned fish and tuna belly pate. I can say with the utmost confidence that if you are looking for a cool hang-out place, this is your place.

Aside from the food…and the interesting wine choices, what I really loved about this place was the team. They are front and center, hanging out at the bar with you, chatting it up, grooving to the music. Tinned fish was certainly not something I would gravitate towards…but man oh man…we devoured the smoked trout which was served with course salt, crusty warm bread, some butter and fresh herbs. I am not sure where or how they make the bread…but I would go there and just eat that and drink wine! The ceviche and scallop crudo were also quite tasty.

Looking back, we should have tried the tinned mackerel, roasted cod or even the sardines…I guess we will just have to go back! If you are looking for a fun date night place where you can just sit at the bar, drink great wine and nosh on interesting small plates…do not hesitate to check out Hale.Henry!

4/14/2023: #5

Another full weekend of dining out flanking a night shift…I am exhausted! In an effort though to make the most of my days and nights off, we managed to pack in 2 more of the Top 50, both in the top 20 and both were very different experiences.

Friday night we ventured to Back Bay to dine at #5: Asta. I had some big expectations given the upfront cost and was pleased they started us off with a glass of prosecco. I can certainly see why Asta is on the list, but I have to say that for me personally, It was not the best meal we have had so far. It is a 6 or 7 course tasting menu made of small plates with a minimalist concept…and if you do the wine pairings, which we did…a lot of alcohol. Now, I d o not shy away from alcohol, especially on a night out…but wowie was I lit. The wine though, amazing!

The food was interesting, served were courses such as asparagus (perfectly cooked I might add) with mango topped with salmon roe; chawanmushi, a Japanese custard and a spring onion grilled and served alongside a trumpet mushroom puree. We had Walleye, something I actually really enjoy and do not see too much here in Boston that was served on spinach puree with radish slaw, followed by a beef tenderloin that was perfectly seared.

We splurged for the additional foie gras, again perfectly seared and served a top sweet potato puree and an amazingly yummy goat cheese served with a sunflower cracker-ery sort of thing (yup, can’t remember as by then we were 4 glasses of wine in) and cherries. Finally ending with a custard cake with pea greens.

Now the experience overall was worth it and is probably what you are paying for. We sat at the counter, which was a nice open space where you can mingle with the hosts and chefs and talk with them about their creations. You can watch them prepare the food and they serve it directly form the kitchen themselves. So that was the most memorable part of the night. We were never rushed through the courses, everything was perfectly timed…we were there about 2 and a 1/2 hrs. So all in all, it was worth trying….once.

3/16/2023: #15

Sunday was a totally different vibe. First, I was thrilled to share the dining experience with not only my husband, but with our 2 boys. Our older 19 year old is certainly turning into a foodie. He is a lover of all Asian cuisine. I hope he realizes soon that he needs to find a career that will allow him to eat well. Our younger 14 year old….well, lets just say that even getting him to sit out a restaurant is painful. He is in that moody stage of teenage-life where everything is annoying and he would rather just sit around and do nothing. Remember those days?

Mandatory family fun started at 4pm with a hearty walk to Brookline Village to eat at #15: Mahaniyom. We love all things Thai and the fact that Mahaniyom is in our back yard make this adventure more exciting. The space is tiny but packed with girgeous wood tables, an inviting bar and a selection of awesome and hip tunes piping through speakers.

My oldest could have easily ordered every item on the menu. We started with oysters served with a Thai chili sauce and crispy shallots, followed by Khoa Tang Na Tung, a crispy rice cracker topped with a crab and chili-peanut coconut sauce and picked cucumber. We also delighted in Larb Ped, a spicy concoction of duck meat mixed with chili powder and mint.

Plates are made for sharing family style here so we tried Chicken Ka-Praw, another spicy dish with ground chicken, chili and basil served with jasmine rice. Kang Puu, a crab coconut curry served over vermicelli which was devine and probably my favorite thing with a close second being the crab fried rice. Can you tell, we like all things crab? We also had Salted pepper pork cheek with Thai 3 spices and chili served on top of sticky rice and finally BBQ & crispy pork served with cucumbers over rice.

…My youngest ate plain rice….

I was truly grateful to walk home after stuffing my face. All in all, we will be back for dine in…and I suspect a lot of take out!

So, as of this post, we are 40% of the way to the finish…having dined at 20 out of 50 !

429/2023: #34

Busy weekend for dining out. I really should not eat this week as we stuffed our faces with pasta dinners on both nights…but per usual, each was totally worth the increasing waist line.

Saturday we ventured to #34: Sportello. We sat at a counter seat which was a great experience since you could interact with others and you had a clear view of the kitchen which is always fun to watch. The layout of the restaurant with it’s long counters reminiscent of a classic diner makes everything very efficient.

We started with a cocktail and a bread basket. There is nothing more awesome than a basket of warm bread served with olive oil for dipping…until you eat it all and realize that you still have dinner to go. Worth every bite. My husband had the spicy tomato soup, apparently a staple here and I had the burrata salad which had a base of olive and gremolata…served with even more bread…delicious. The vibe in this establishment is pretty great, lots of young people around and not very loud so easy to have conversation.

We then had pasta. If you venture here…eat the pasta, honestly any of the pasta dishes. They make their pasta from scratch every day and it is for sure, made with love. We had the tagliatelle with Bolognese and the gnocchi with lobster and a mushroom ragu with peas and truffle. Good thing that to-go boxes exist in this world. Both made for excellent lunch the next day. We also had with our pasta, a side of roasted sunchokes which were on top of a truffle and lemon sauce which were really yummy and I would highly recommend these, although looking around the restaurant, the other favorite side seemed to be the roasted broccolini.

Now, if you decide to eat here, leave some room for dessert because the choices all seemed amazing. Tiramisu with macerated cherries, panna cotta or coconut cake to name a few. We ended up choosing the affogato, which is slowly becoming my husband’s new favorite dessert. This was served with espresso on top, but I think we both liked the affogato at Grill 23 better which was topped with sherry. All in all, definitely put Sportello on your list of places to try…just remember to wear your stretchy pants!

4/30/2023: #24

Seemed fitting to close out April with yet another fantastic waist-line expanding meal. Completely worth trudging out to the North end in the pouring rain to have Sunday dinner at #24: Table. Table has 2 offerings. You can go Wednesday – Saturday for their 7-course dinner or Sunday for “Sunday Supper”, also a 7-course family style dinner reminiscent of Sunday dinners at your Grandmother’s house. Honestly, choose either…you will not be disappointed.

The venue is a community-style seating where you sit at a large table with strangers and are forced to actually talk to people…it was fantastic. The space is small and intimate and it was really fun to chat it up with those seated next to you. Definitely go for the later seating so that you have plenty of time to chat..and frankly rest after eating.

We were started off with warm foccacia seasoned with rosemary and sea salt which was served with a whole roasted garlic. Next up, was a pomodoro salad with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, heirloom tomatoes drizzled with balsamic glaze. This was followed by chicken milanese, which is actually one of my favorites. The cutlet was so crispy, just like my grandmother used to make (for the record, I could never get mine to be as crispy as hers).

We then had eggplant Parmesan; polpette, a divine beef, pork and veal meatball and some fresh ricotta; and gnudi marinara, served with a thin marinara, which I prefer to chunky tomato sauce. Gnudi. if you don’t know, is like gnocchi, but made with ricotta cheese instead of potato so they are not as dense. I saved half the meatball to add to it. A bottle of Chianti was the perfect complement.

Finally ending with the most gorgeous cannoli with a citrus ricotta filling topped with chocolate shavings and a glass of limoncello. Yet again, thank the lord for to-go boxes as I will be eating all these items later this week! If you do not have any dietary restrictions, I would highly recommend having a meal at Table. Who knows, you might just make some new friends there!

Well…that ends another month of dining adventure…we already have 5 more planned for May, which means by the end of next month, we will be half-way through the Top 50 so stay tuned.