“Black Friday” refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving Day and traditionally signifies the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the United States, although in recent years holiday sales have started even prior to Thanksgiving. As a result, Black Friday is routinely the busiest shopping day of the year.
I’m not sure about you, but I’m not much of a shopper (and I detest shopping when it is crowded) so this is more my kind of Black Friday. Have a great day.
If there is a god, this guy suffers from chronic halitosis to level the playing ground for us mere mortals.
A large snowstorm hit northern New England the day before Thanksgiving, transforming New Hampshire’s Lakes Region into a picture perfect winter wonderland. Bright skies and rising temperatures on Thanksgiving made for some spectacular scenes with the green hues of the lake surrounded by the pristine white of the new fallen snow.
The photos are from our evening walk the night before when the snow was piling higher with each passing hour and before the snow plows had a chance to clear the roads.
With the holiday spirit of giving now in full swing I’m hoping that some of you will step forward to volunteer and help The Boston chapter of Gay for Good assemble the Toys for Joys, Inc. – T4J signature wagons in advance of their party.
Please help spread the word and share this post on FB and Twitter
Volunteers are needed Tuesday, December 2nd 6:30 – 8:30 pm
The assembly will take place at Parterre Garden Services which is located between Fresh Pond and Alewife at 67 Smith Place, #12 Cambridge, MA 02138. For more details please visit the G4G Facebook event page.
It is Thanksgiving in the US today, and I am spending the day with my family up at Lake Winnipesaukee (quite the mouthful – eh?). If you observe the holiday, I hope you can have yourself a relaxing, fun-filled day with friends and or family.
Happy Thanksgiving
EaterBoston has pulled together a solid list of local restaurants who are open and serving dinner so whether you want to eat out or take home food you have a list of options. While this isn’t a complete list it does give you some great options.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving no matter where you may find yourself on this holiday and for those outside of the US who don’t observe the holiday, may your week pass quickly so you too can enjoy some time away from work.
Thanksgiving in Boston: What’s open, what’s closed and what you can take home
Hanging out on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Can’t believe it has already been a year. I leave for Brazil later next month; this time Sergio & I travel alone to spend time with his family before spending a few days in Sao Paulo.
This guy doesn’t look all that excited for Thanksgiving. If you observe the American Thanksgiving Holiday, I hope you have a great day tomorrow. If you happen to be traveling – I wish you a stress-free and safe journey.
Earlier this month I was at a “fancy” French restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay with a bunch of marketing colleagues. One of my co-workers started to chuckle and suggested we check out the cheese menu. I’m not exactly sure that the chef understands the innuendo or how gross that sounds.
Last week I had a dinner with colleagues and we ordered a couple bottles of the 2012 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir. My colleague who selected the wine indicated that Anthill Farms is one of her favorite wineries.
The color of the wine was hard to discern in the restaurant’s subdued lighting but its cherry-like aromas were easy to pick up and accompanied my dinner so nicely from start to finish this wine could be summed up in one word: versatile. The flavors never overpower you but they linger with a soft finish. I will remember the 2012 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir as my favorite in recent memory.
If you are looking for a nice host gift or present for a friend during the holidays this would be appreciated. The appeal of this wine was universal at our dinner table, and I know I’ll keep my eye out for it in the future. The 2012 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir from their Comptche Ridge Vineyard in Mendocino County retails for $50-$60 and is widely available in the US.
Mistral first opened in Boston’s South End in the late 1990s, and has been a personal favorite for as long as I can recall. I regularly recommend this restaurant to friends and family looking for a special night out but I had never visited them for their Sunday brunch – until a week ago.
Mistral opens for brunch on Sunday at 10:30 and when we arrived at 10:45 the space was already a third full with more people filing in behind us. Despite the obvious rush, the staff was kind, courteous and quick to greet everyone as they came in, collect their coats and identify reservations.
The Mistral brunch menu is exceedingly tempting so we nibbled on the warm muffins that came with an addicting apple butter spread, while we looked through our options and discussed what we wanted to try. Their menu consists of starters like warm cinnamon buns that require 15 minutes to bake fresh as well as unique items like truffled devil eggs; thin crust pizzas; and of course main dishes – which include both sweet and savory options.
Mistral’s Grapefruit Sabayon
I opted to try a special that day, grapefruit sabayon. Sabayon is the creamy looking custard in the photo above and it is made with egg yolk, sugar and a sweet wine. Mistral’s recipe includes Champagne and the combination of this saucy/custard drizzled over the fresh grapefruit was so addicting even Sergio was digging in (and he doesn’t like grapefruit) a fact he kept saying while he scooped chunks of the appetizer off the plate.
Graham Cracker Crusted Challah French Toast with Anjou Pears and Chantilly
While Sergio’s brunch option was visually more impressive, both items were beautifully presented and equally satisfying. Sergio’s order of Mistral’s Graham Cracker Crusted Challah French Toast with Anjou Pears and Chantilly must have been 4″ thick. The French Toast came with a warmed bottle of real maple syrup that smelled and tasted delicious but in truth was hardly necessary with the powdered sugar and pears.
Mushroom Spinach and Gruyere Frittata and a side of Pommes Lyonnaise
My order of the Mushroom Spinach and Gruyere Frittata and Pommes Lyonnaise were presented in hot black skillets. The frittata was light and flavorful — anyone who enjoys mushrooms would want to try this plate — and the Pommes Lyonnaise offered a nice contrast to the eggs; salty and crispy. While the potatoes were meant to be shared, poor Sergio hardly got more than a bite.
As you can probably surmise from my write up, I would recommend trying Mistral’s brunch, but I’d strongly suggest making a reservation first. Mistral is located at 223 Columbus Avenue in the South End.
The Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker opens later this week on Friday after Thanksgiving and will run through Wednesday, December 31, 2014. Sergio and I had the opportunity to see this production which first premiered in 2012 with new sets and costumes and we loved it.
If you haven’t been before I’d suggest that you check it out. You just may be surprised by how much you really enjoy both this classic story and the athleticism and grace of The Boston Ballet.
Let’s just hope this guy uses his super powers to do good.
BosGuy 