Boston Uncommon
Our afternoon out and about downtown was a lovely way to spend a free Saturday in the city! 
I still can’t get over how gorgeous it was today! It was sunny, breezy, and above 70 degrees, which is very uncommon for mid-October in Boston. Of course, I loved every second of it!
After riding the T downtown, Mal and I cut through Boston Common with a leisurely stroll…
Mal and I enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite (if not my favorite) restaurant in Boston: Sonsie on Newbury Street. One of our first dates was at Sonsie, and ever since then, it has held a special place in our hearts. (Awwwww… how cute! ) To be honest, I’m surprised that I haven’t been to Sonsie since I started the blog!
Sonsie is fantastic for many, many reasons, but one of my favorites is its big open cafe area that faces Newbury Street. The front of the restaurant has these huge French doors/windows that open when the weather is nice, which gives the cafe a nice airy, but cozy feeling. The cafe is also great for people watching on Newbury Street!
I love the decor of Sonsie’s bar area– the warm colors of the walls, the richness of the bar, and the low (and somewhat romantic) lighting. (I just had to snap a photo!)
A glass of wine was definitely on this afternoon’s agenda, so after throughly reading the wine menu, I chose a Simi Chardonnay to enjoy with lunch. As expected, it was delish! Here’s a description from the Simi Winery website:
“Composed of top quality fruit from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Carneros growing regions, Simi Chardonnay is characterized by excellent balance, luscious fruit flavors and a long, elegant finish. The 2006 vintage produced fully ripe and flavorful fruit with superb concentration and balance thanks to an extended growing season. Lively on the palate with peach, pear, lemon and pineapple, accented with warm spice notes from barrel fermentation and caramel cream.”
Now, how delicious does that glass of wine sound?! I knew I couldn’t do it the justice it deserved!
The bottom of the Sonsie menu was inscribed with these 3 words…
For lunch, Mal and I decided to share a brick-oven pizza from Sonie’s cafe menu. Our pick: Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil Pesto pizza. Soooo good! I loved the olive oiled-baked crust. While I love pizza toppings, the crust definitely makes the pizza for me!
Mal and I both ate 3 pieces of pizza, but he went for all of the large pieces, which was fine with me. Three small-ish pieces were plenty!
I was pleasantly content after eating 3 pieces of pizza, but Mal was still hungry. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he suggested that we take a peek at the dessert menu. (Yay!!! ) We both scanned the dessert menu for the best option, and the choice was easy: Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Chantilly (very soft whipped cream) and Chocolate Drizzle.
We ordered Sonsie’s “award-winning” bread pudding on a date that happened years ago, but I still talk about it! It is easily one of my favorite desserts of all time! It’s warm, moist, and intensely chocolate-y (aka my perfect dessert)!
After lunch, we ran a few errands on Newbury and Boylston Street, and randomly bumped into our friends, Jacky and Jon. The 4 of us decided to grab a drink at the Cactus Club. There, I ordered a margarita on the rocks with salt. I drank the whole thing, but it was pretty average and too “sour” for my liking. I hate it when margaritas are made with sour mix! 
Meh.
Mal and I ate lunch so late in the day that we really weren’t hungry for a big dinner. Mal made himself a tuna melt, while I threw together a salad with arugula, carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, blue cheese crumbles, canned tuna, and cabernet vinegar.
My dinner also included a handful of Doritos Collisions, Hot Wings and Blue Cheese flavor. Let me explain by saying: Mal is trouble. He occasionally buys junk food, but it’s usually nothing that I like too much, so it’s not hard for me to stay away. However, Doritos are a whole different story. I have a strange love for “fake” cheese– basically, the powdered orange stuff that Kraft Mac & Cheese, Cheetos, and Doritos are made with. I know it’s horribly processed and not at all nutritious, but I loooooooooovveee it!
Tonight’s dessert was three Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies. Not like I needed all three, but they were the perfect way to end such a great autumn Saturday in Beantown!
P.S. We have food again! Mal and I finally went grocery shopping this afternoon! Wahoo!
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized, products, restaurant
Tagged: Tags: tuna
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
What a lovely day! Sounds like so much fun! Josh and I have been working hard all day and I am hoping for a much more relaxing day tomorrow!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
what a lovely day with great weather!!!
that cafe looks so quaint and i love the foods you had, including the dessert!!!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
It sounds like you two had a great day! I can totally relate to Mal being trouble!! My hubby loves junk food and always wants to buy candy, cookies and chips. Usually it’s all easy for me to resist, but once in a while when he gets Tositos or Sour Patch Kids, I have to cave in and have some!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Bread pudding is absolutely heavenly. Looks like some awesome food
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
gorgeous shots of the common! i looove boston in the FaLL!!! and sonsies is seriously one of my favorite restaurants. a bit pricey but you can’t beat the ambiance
very romantic!!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Looks like you had a great Saturday! Love the fall foliage! That’s one thing I miss about living in Ohio…here in Houston I don’t see much of the leaves changing. And Sonsie does look tasty…all of it (but especially the dessert!)!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I ALSO LOVE FAKE CHEESE. Why is that?? I’m a huge foodie but I will scarf Doritos, Cheetos and Velveeta Shells n Cheese like they are going out of style!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 2:50 am
I share your soft spot for the fake cheese product - KD, Cheeze Whiz, processed cheese slices. I know it’s bad, but sometimes, it just tastes so good.
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Gorgeous foliage!!
I LOOOOVE NEWBURY STREET!!! When I resided in Boston two years ago, I used to shop/dine there every weekend. Soooo lovely that you and Mal went to your first-date spot for a meal!!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Hi Tina! I read your blog regularly but have never commented. It is so nice to see a healthy eater treat themselves. Sometimes I feel guilty after having an unhealthy dinner, alcohol or having dessert. You make me feel like this is okay to do…you’ve got to enjoy life, right? Thanks for being a great role model!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Sounds like a great Boston fall day… I cann’t WAIT to get back up there. One of the many things I’m exicted about: Upper Crust Pizza! I’m making a mental list of the restaurants you blog about so my fiance and I can check ‘em out when we’re back home.
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Dessert in the middle of the day. The best!
What a sweet day with Mal.
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 9:08 am
What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday…beautiful scenery and awesome food!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hahaa.. creeper alert: I was at Trader Joe’s probably right at the time that you were at the Cactus Club. I swear one of these days I’m going to run into you and it’s going to be one of those celebrity siting moments..!
It looks like you two had an AMAZING day! I haven’t been down to the commons for a while (I’m technically on crutches right now..) but I just got a bike so I see that happening in the very near future.
Speaking of near future - TODAY = Oktoberfest in Harvard Square! I’m sure you already knew, but just a friendly reminder! I’m hoping to get enough work done and out of the way to swing through there after practice this afternoon. Have you & the hubby ever been? Have a good day!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 9:52 am
i love open air restaurants, seriously!
have a nice day!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Sounds like you had a great Saturday!!
I have to say I have the same “Love” for powdered cheese products.. They have a special place in my heart!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Wow what an awesome day! The crust is definitely my favorite part of the pizza too! I love it when it’s crispy but still nice and chewy on the inside. Mmm pizza sounds so good!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Looks like you two had a lot of fun… That resturaunt looks really good, I’ll have to keep it in mind if I ever make it to Boston soon…
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Aw everything looks so beautiful (and delicious!). Seems like you guys had a great time. The restaurant looks delicious, too! That dessert…wow…*swoon*.
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Tina,
I’ve been to the Simi winery - their wines are great!
on Oct 12th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I think Giada went to that restaurant on the food network in one of her shows featuring Boston eats!!
That pizza looks amazing!
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 12:02 am
haha, cheetos…. and cool ranch doritos… i used to eat WAAAAYYy to many of those! I’ll have to remember sosie as I start my restaurant exploration here
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 12:02 am
shoot i’m sleepy, sonsie
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 7:56 am
What a gorgeous day! I’m glad you go to go back to your favorite restaurant. It looks yummy.
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Oh it’s days like your day that make me miss Boston so much! It might be the most beautiful city in the world on a fall, crisp day.
on Oct 14th, 2008 at 7:10 am
BethT, Marianne, Megan,
What is it with fake cheese!?!?!?!
All,
Thanks for so many nice comments!!!