As we strolled down 3rd Street, we saw Abigail's and grabbed five seats at the bar. I had gone to Abigail's for dinner a while back and was happy to return. We all ordered drinks and then noticed fresh oysters being shucked right behind the bar. Being oyster lovers, we couldn't resist, and we ordered 10 Wellfleet oysters to share. I loved the briny Wellfleet oysters, especially with a splash of the accompanying mignonette.
It was getting close to our reservation time, so we left Abigail's and continued strolling into Kendall Square until we arrived at The Blue Room, one of my favorite restaurants.
I used to enjoy the lunch grill at The Blue Room on a weekly basis when I worked in the area, so I already knew how fabulous the patio was, but it was such a different experience sitting out there for dinner, with warm lighting and the setting sun.
The awesome folks at The Blue Room knew we were there celebrating three upcoming weddings, so they sent us out glasses of cava rosado and gougeres shortly after we were seated.
As we drank the bubbly and nibbled on the cheesy puffs, we perused the menu and decided to share a couple of appetizers and each get our own entrees.
Once again, the chef had a little surprise for us: some blood sausage. While the name is not the most inviting, the sausages were amazing -- flavorful with a fatty, unctuous quality one expects from a good sausage. And to go with them, The Blue Room also sent out some rose. They described the pink Txakoli as being mineral-y and wanted us to make sure to try it with the blood sausage. I loved the combination.
Next I tried the wood-grilled octopus and squid appetizer we ordered. This came with red onion agrodolce, black olive oil, aioli, and fingerling potato chips. This was another stellar dish, with a nice combination of flavors and textures.
We also got the "One Perfect Cheese." Who can resist? This came with rhubarb jam and lightly oiled toasts.
Another surprise from the kitchen arrived after we had consumed our appetizers. This time we were treated to bowls of cool tomato-basil soup. I was in heaven. This is the sort of soup I could live off of all summer long. It was so smooth and rich-tasting with bright basil notes.
For my entree, I chose the Berkshire pork duet. I'm on a huge pork kick (I'm even having Berkshire pork as one of our wedding meal choices), so I tend to order it often. (It's my quest to convince people that pork chop does not mean dry, tough, flat slabs of meat.) Blue Room's pork duet features smoked loin, confit belly, cheesy grits, and braised Treviso. The loin was plated on top of the cheesy grits, and I happily ate them together. The pork belly featured a crisp crust, so crisp I could barely cut through it, but breaking a piece off was totally worth it.
Full as we were, it seemed like it would be a shame to not try at least one dessert, so we all decided we could squeeze in a few bites of chocolate terrine (with salted pistachios, rosemary ice cream, and olive oil caramel) and ordered one to share. It definitely would have been wrong to leave without trying this rich, luscious dessert.
And just for those last inches of space in our stomachs, the pastry chef had a little something extra for us: a dessert sampler featuring a parfait, lemon panna cotta, and house-made sorbets.
We could not have asked for better weather, a better table, or a better dining experience. Thanks to everyone at The Blue Room for making the night extra special and treating us to some delicious bites and spectacular wines.
My friends had dancing on the brain, so we headed over to Moksa to check out the back room, called Naga. Even though we arrived well after 10 p.m., the space was pretty empty and we were able to have a fun dance party on our own for a little bit before it began filling up. We danced the night away, watched some talented breakdancers, and laughed a whole lot.
A quick cab ride later, and we were back at the Royal Sonesta, curled up in our comfy beds.
The next morning we ventured back to the patio at ArtBar for brunch. While I'm very much a dessert person, it may come as a surprise to find out I'm mostly a savory breakfast person, so I'm often choosing between eggs Benedict, poached eggs and hash, or an egg sandwich. (That's not to say I won't steal a bite of someone else's pancake.) Of course ArtBar had all three on the menu, but I knew right away that I was going for the egg sandwich.
The egg sandwich at ArtBar is actually called a breakfast BLT and comes with fruitwood bacon, arugula, vine ripe tomatoes, basil aioli, and a fried egg on sourdough toast. Done and done.
While I remembered to tell Michelle to choose the sweet potato tots to go with her burger, I didn't realize my sandwich came with a side, so I ended up with the French fries, which were also really good and hit the spot after a brief dip in some ketchup.
For our last treat of the weekend, ArtBar sent us out some mimosas to enjoy with our brunch.
This was truly a fabulous weekend. I was surrounded by amazing friends, generous people, and incredible food. To anyone visiting the area or looking for a staycation, I highly recommend staying at the Royal Sonesta, eating at ArtBar and The Blue Room, swinging by Abigail's for oysters, and dancing the night away at Naga.
