happy friday!

why is it that four-day weeks sometimes seem the longest?? well, all that matters is that it's friday, and we're looking forward to cleaning up the place (i.e. unpacking from last weekend's vermont getaway), relaxing and watching the oscars (have you made your picks?)  tonight we're going on a little movie date and maybe to this place after.  other weekend activities may include...

these guys...

eating this...

making this...

drinking these...

and hanging out with this girl.

happy weekend!

r + m

february is for lovers

we know this post is late, but we have to share it because it was just that fun...

two weekends ago, ryan took me on a surprise date to a paint your own pottery studio.  i was so surprised, and had no idea this was something that he'd been dying to do with me.  we picked out our pottery pieces from a selection ranging from candy dishes to baby head busts..(yea, we were creeped out too).  ryan decided to paint a coffee mug for me and i painted a pitcher for our place.

being the perfectionists that we are, it turns out we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

four hours later...

and four days later...

this surprise date was such a great way to spend an afternoon together...we can't wait to go back!  the next night, we spent valentine's at salts restaurant in cambridge.  what an amazing night..the food was unbelievable, the wine was delicious and the company was even better.

and this is why we loved this restaurant so much...the salts!

hope your february was filled with love, too!

r + m

sometimes its the little things....

sometimes its the little things that make us fall in love.....


happy valentine's day maggie
love ryan <3

'le petit' vacation

three hundred and ten short miles north of boston lies an experience typically thought to be accessible only by a six-hour flight.  montreal, a city so close yet so foreign, offered all that we were looking for in a weekend getaway....and more.  after checking in late the night before at le petit hotel, we set out to explore the city.  a few metro stops later, we landed in le plataeu-mont royal borough of montreal.  this area is home to many shops and cafes (offering refuge from the freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions!).  

later that evening, we indulged in a classic french meal at brasserie l'express, followed by live jazz at diese onze next door (a recommendation from our waiter).  

sunday, we returned to le plateau to explore more of what the area has to offer and to check out some local recommendations.  with excellent espresso and pastries as our fuel, we trekked through the snow with intermittent stops in boutiques.  le touilleurs, a chef's dream store, was our main destination for the day.  we had read about this gourmet kitchen supply store in numerous articles and blogs and decided it was a must-see for our trip....and it did not disappoint.  

from here, we made our journey toward the much talked-about brewpub, reservoir.  with blunt service and no help with the all-french menu, we decided to point out a few random things off the menu and hope for the best.  lucky for us, everything came out amazing (including the house-brewed beer).  

 a few days of walking in negative-degree weather had caught up to us by this point, and we opted for some tv time in our comfy, warm room.  looking for something close for dinner, we went off the concierge's recommendation and walked two blocks down to an amazing experience at barroco.  crafted cocktails and spanish-influenced cuisine were absolutely perfect for our last night in montreal.  

even though we only had a few hours before heading out of the city the next morning, we simply had to visit every spot scribbled on the piece of paper handed to us by our waiter the night before.  the so-called "best patisserie in montreal" (le saveurs du plateau) certainly lived up to its expectations, as did the italian espresso bar, cafe olimpico, and st. viateur bagel.  

montreal is the perfect getaway.  it offers a uniquely european feel, rich in history, culture and some of the best food we've eaten yet.  the trip's best moments did not include looking through a traveler's guide, but rather talking to the locals and sitting back to enjoy what this beautiful city has to offer.  

r + m

use this

do you have fleur de sel at home?  if not..your life is about to change drastically.  we bought a container of this fleur de sel about a year ago and it's already almost gone...yikes.  find it here.

 

tonight we're off to montreal!  happy weekend...

r + m

watch this video

so amazing to meet the genius behind the camera from the sartorialist and hear his point of view.  how inspiring...

<3 m

last friday we were lucky enough to score tickets to a celtics game, which gave us an opportunity to spend some quality time in boston's north end, a place we unfortunately do not visit often enough.  after watching the celtics crush the raptors, we strolled down snowy streets toward the north end for some cannoli and cappuccinos.  of course, our first stop was mike's pastry (famous for their cannoli).  we obviously couldn't resist the hundreds of other pastries, and left with a larger box than expected.  next, we stopped at boston's first italian cafe, caffe vittoria, for some amazing cappuccinos.  a cozy little place filled with chatty north end locals and beautiful antique espresso machines.

after doing some furniture shopping on saturday, we thought we should keep the italian-theme weekend alive by making homemade pizza...our specialty!  pizza-making has become a weekend ritual for us, and  we have now perfected our own recipes (if we do say so ourselves).  stay tuned for a pizza-only post with pictures and recipes to follow!

r + m

happy new year!

after a crazy busy holiday season, a well-deserved, relaxing new year's eve in vermont was perfection.  following christmas in virginia, delayed flights back to new england and a long drive to vermont made us appreciate our weekend even more.  of course, our uh-mazing nye dinner at the kitchen table bistro didn't hurt.  in just three short days we managed to eat memorable food, go skiing, take hundreds of photos, toast the new year and just be silly.  hope you enjoyed your holiday season as much as we did, and enjoy our first post!

r + m