We were 2 at the Bar again this weekend. Hitting two restaurants, one a repeat and one new, very new.
Friday night we made a repeat visit to AKA Bistro in Lincoln, MA. We’d been there before and liked it. It’s in an upscale Boston suburb in an old railroad station. Modern with a communal table and small bar we had a reservation but decided to be 2 at the bar, of course. Continue reading “A Tale of Two Restaurants”
Ian Hunter does – Last night (Saturday) at the Paradise, Ian Hunter and the Rant Band came to play. They didn’t come to mail it in. They came to rock and did just that playing in front of a packed house for almost two hours. Continue reading “Do You Remember Saturday Gigs?”
It was a beautiful Saturday. Perfect for walking Romeo and letting him splash around in the lake. But as we were walking back towards the car, I tripped and fell. By the time I got home, my ankle was double it’s normal size. So, where did I spend a few unexpected hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? At the emergency room. It all turned out well. Nothing fractured, just some soft tissue bruising; nothing some Advil and ice packs and a few glasses of wine can’t help along with staying off my feet for a while -right!
So, after relaxing a little we got in the car with L and M on our way into Boston for a little tapas and some great Spanish wine. But the Mass Pike was bumper to bummer, Route 30 was bumper to bumper and we decided to rethink our plans.
L heard about a little bistro in Hudson, MA called Chloe Bistro. I checked Open Table and they had a table for four available, so we headed to Hudson.
Yes, Hudson, MA. A little town, not known for much but now trying to upscale their downtown. Chloe Bistro is such an example. It’s been in Hudson for about 10 years. It was serendipity.
Twinkly lights welcomed us to a very cool hostess and a big bar. Our table wasn’t quite ready so we settled in at the bar for some homemade fries and buffalo wings, some good wine and for Roy a Pernod. A three piece jazz combo was playing, the lights were low, the wine was good and we were happy.
When our table was ready, we dug into the menu. The restuarant calls itself an American bistro, but I’d call it more of a French bistro. Roy and I shared a roasted caesar salad and a chicken and duck pot pie. The gravy was rich and the topping was light and flaky. L had lamb two ways, grilled chop and braised shank, and M also had the pot pie. There’s always room for dessert so we shared a Ghirardelli chocolate crepe and pumpkin bread pudding. We practically licked the plates.
As it turned out, we had a great night. What made it great? A great waitperson, a very cool hostess, a live 3 piece jazz combo and, oh yeah, the food! Who needs Boston when there are great finds like this in the burbs. Well it’s a little far for us to travel but will we go back? Definitely!
See you at the bar….
I must admit, I’ve been preoccupied; haven’t been blogging our comings and going at 2 at the bar. Why? We put a new floor in our “trophy slab” or the “happy house” as my mother-in-law calls it. Yup, from the outside it’s just another house on the street. But inside, it’s got a floor from Italy. And that’s not wood you’re looking at-it’s porcelain. We first it spotted at Kika Tapas and tracked down the distributor. We took a chance and the chance we took turned out to be a slam dunk.
What else did we do and love about Madrid?
The Museums
We don’t traditionally visit museums but Madrid has some very impressive ones. We visited two; no, not the Prado. The Reina Sofia and the Thyssen Bornemisza.
The Reina Sofia – The Reina Sofia was founded as a hospital in the 16th century. Going through several modifications it was declared a national monument in 1977 and a permanent collection was inaugurated by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in 1992. Since then it has increased in size and collection.
We went to the Reina Sofia for one thing, to see Guernica by Picasso. Some argue it’s his most celebrated and controversial work of art. It’s part of the permanent collection at Reina Sofia and occupies it’s own room. It’s 11 ft. tall by 25 ft. wide. The story is that Picasso was commissioned by the Spanish Republican government to paint a mural for the Paris Exhibition in 1937. His original idea was deserted when the Germans bombed an innocent town by the name of Guernica. Guernica shows the tragedies of war in the suffering of people, animals and buildings. It’s black, blue and grey in color and it is best seen with an audio headset so that you get some idea of what you’re looking at.
When Franco came into power the painting was sent to the United States to raise support for funds for Spanish refugees. Picasso refused a request that Guernica be returned to Spain until the Spanish people enjoyed their country as a republic.
When it returned, it was sent to the Prado at Picasso’s request. It was moved to the Reina Sofia from the Prado in 1992 along with other preparatory works that hang in the room. The move was controversial because of Picasso’s request that it be hung in the Prado.
Opened in 1992, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum completes what’s called the “Golden Triangle of Art”. On six floors are over 1,000 paintings ranging from the 13th century to the present. Each floor represents a period. It’s overwhelming and you can spend days there. We spent a few hours.
The Finale
Posters advertising upcoming concerts are plastered all over walls on the streets. One that caught our eye was advertising Queen – Bohemian Rapshody. We weren’t sure what it was going to be but for our last night, it sounded like the right thing to do, being rock n’ rollers and all. We got to the theatre on time, the tickets said 8PM but I guess in Spain that doesn’t mean that’s when the show starts. We were worried we were going to be the only people in the theatre but people started strolling in and by 9 it was pretty full and the show began. Four singers, 3 guys and 1 female opera singer backed by a 40 piece symphony orchestra. It blew us away. They were beyond fantanstic. They’re interpretations of Queen and the staging was phenomonal and it was a great way to end our stay in Madrid.
But, not without dinner at midnight. Sitting outside at a little Italian retaurant we devoured a pizza. By the way, at midnight the restaurant was packed!
We loved Madrid. We loved walking through the streets, always alive and vibrant, so I’ll end with some street scenes and a little street art.
So, that’s how we spent our summer vacation. We’re in the planning stages for the next trip but there’s lots going on between now and then.
So stay tuned and see you at the bar….
Madrid. The third largest city in Europe after London and Berlin. A city of 3.3 million people. It has one of the best and cleanest metro systems in the world. World class museums, restaurants, fashion and despite a 25% unemployment rate, a joie de vivre that’s hard to resist. I love a new city and never knowing what to expect from it. Will we be happy or disappointed? We were happy, very happy and here’s why.
Just got back from Spain. The recipe for this trip – a little culture, a little fun and a lot of food and wine. So much so that when I got on the scale it was up 5 lbs. but worth every bit!
We split the trip -4 days on the Costa Brava and 3 days in Madrid. It turned out to be a good mix. Continue reading “Spain…The Costa Brava and Madrid”
I’m from Burlington, Vermont – born and bred but I’ve lived in Boston for more years than I lived in Vermont. I couldn’t get out of Burlington fast enough and never looked back but I have a softt spot for it. When I was in college I was embarrassed to tell people I was from Vermont because I thought I’d be considered a hick. Now, saying you’re from Vermont is a status symbol. Products with Made in Vermont labels have a certain cache ; you know them – Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot’s Cheese, Green Mountain Coffee, Lake Champlain Chocolates and then there’s the music that comes from Vermont like Phish and Grace Potter. Continue reading “Going Home…”
What is 63? It’s how old I am. Yup. Hard to believe-it comes up quick. Just yesterday I was celebrating my 20th birthday at Woodstock. Today I’m 2 years away from Medicare!! No shit!! Luckily I can still rock n’ roll!!
It was an epic birthday week starting with the Springsteen concert on Tuesday night. The events surrounding my birthday, August 17th were shrouded in secrecy. I knew we were going somewhere with our pals J and M but didn’t know where. So, when I got home from work I took Romeo for a swim which is my favorite thing to do and then got ready for the festivities! Continue reading “63”
It was just a regular Tuesday until Roy called. I thought something was wrong because he never calls. No, he just wanted to tell me that he broke down and bought two tickets for the Springsteen show seeing as it was going to be a beautiful night and all, and who wouldn’t want to sit under the stars at Fenway Park with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Well, did you hear me scream? I couldn’t believe it seeing as we decided since we saw him in March we’d pass on Fenway. I could barely concentrate for the rest of the afternoon. Continue reading “Rockin’ it at Fenway Park”
