Del Frisco's Grille, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

While I was excited when we bought and moved into our house in West Roxbury, I was also sad about leaving our old neighborhood in Inman Square, where we had lots of great restaurants right in walking distance (and more keep opening up). But then I started to embrace our new neighborhood, where we have some good restaurants, cute shops like the Boston Cheese Cellar, and the Roslindale Village farmers market in walking distance; Legacy Place and the largest Whole Foods in New England a little ways down the road; and now The Street, a redevelopment of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, (not to mention the soon-to-open Wegmans) just a short drive away.

The Street is a 406,000-square-foot property located along Rt. 9, and it's quickly filling up with shops and restaurants, from Pottery Barn to Polkadog Bakery to Shake Shack to Del Frisco's Grille.

Cocktails And Desserts At Island Creek Oyster Bar

A couple of Sundays ago, I spent the late afternoon at Island Creek Oyster Bar, sipping cocktails and indulging in decadent desserts. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a lazy winter Sunday afternoon (especially knowing that all I had to do afterward was head home and spend my evening watching the Oscars).

Soup Sundays: Potato-Leek Soup

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! How are you celebrating? When I was younger, there was never any doubt that I was heading out after work with friends for a few pints of Guinness and some corned beef sandwiches at a local pub. These days I'm happy to just head home after work and avoid the crowds. I sound so old. It's probably going to sound even worse when I say I just want to curl up with a bowl of this potato-leek soup and hang out on the couch. Yup, that would be my ideal St. Patrick's Day this year.

Corned Beef On Rye Crepes

As I was flipping through the March 2014 issue of Bon Appetit, I noticed a recipe for Buttery Rye Crepes. The crepes, made with rye flour, are cooked in butter and sugar, until the sugar caramelizes. The idea of a caramelized sugar rye crepe did not appeal to me at all. But the recipe did give me the idea for a more savory rye crepe. At this time of year, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of rye is corned beef, so it only seemed natural to pair the rye crepes with the salty meat.

Sampling Small Plates At Alden & Harlow

A night out, catching up with a friend over amazing food and cocktails is the best, right? I recently got to experience just such a night with one of my friends. We hadn't gotten together in a while because she has a little two-month-old at home, coordinating our schedules is not always easy, and, let's face it, it's winter and getting out of the house is just more difficult. So when we finally got a date on the calendar, we decided to do girls' night right with dinner at a new spot in Harvard Square: Alden & Harlow.