Cross It Off The List

August 22, 2010

Cross #41 off the list!! :mrgreen:

Last night, my uncle, Mark, and aunt, Linda, treated Mal and me to dinner at the Top of the Hub to celebrate my 30th birthday. The Top of the Hub is a fancy-schmancy, fine dining restaurant at the top of the Prudential building in downtown Boston. It’s been a goal of mine to have dinner there since I was 22-years-old, so I was really looking forward to this night!

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The four of us arrived a few minutes early, so while waiting for a table, we ordered a round of drinks.

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I ordered a dirty vodka martini with olives. My fav!

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A little while later, we were invited to sit down at our table for the evening.

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My uncle managed to get us a table with a gorgeous view of the city.

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For starters, the table shared the Pan Seared Foie Gras, which was served with a mini cinnamon roll and blueberry-honey drizzle. Holy amazing! The foie gras was so flavorful and the savory combination with the sweet blueberry-honey drizzle was out of this world!

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We also ordered the Jonah and Lump Crabmeat Cake with avocado cream and roasted pepper remoulade. Both appetizers were so delicious, we ended up ordering a second round of each to share among the table.

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We also enjoyed some wine with dinner.

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For my entree, I ordered the Linguine All’Aragosta, which came with huge chunks of steamed lobster, San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic, and a piece of thin garlic bread on top. This dish was fantastic, especially the lobster!

Then came the birthday cake for dessert!!

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What a way to end the meal: chocolate ganache cake! :-D

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I was a very happy lady! :mrgreen:

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I practically licked my plate clean!

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After dessert, I enjoyed an espresso with Sambuca on the side.

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Mal and I had such a blast with my aunt and uncle. They love travel and food as much as we do, so we had lots to talk about over the course of the night. Fun times! :-D

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My uncle works for the company that owns the Prudential (hence the awesome hook-up), so he showed us a sweet model of the Pru and surrounding buildings.

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Mal and I geeked-out and asked a million questions.

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So cool!

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What a night! Enjoying dinner at the Top of the Hub was truly a dream come true. It’s definitely a night that I will never forget!

Thanks, Mark and Linda!!! :mrgreen:

{ 82 comments… read them below or add one }

Cynthia (It All Changes) August 22, 2010 at 5:24 pm

So cool that you got the hook up. And what a nice dinner :-)

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Pure2raw twins August 22, 2010 at 5:31 pm

What a nice dinner. The cake looks amazing!!

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Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin August 22, 2010 at 5:54 pm

That meal looks fantastic. I’m glad it was worth the wait!

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Rachael August 22, 2010 at 5:54 pm

Gonna echo the wow factor. To geese everywhere, I apologize, but you had me at foie gras and cinnamon roll….
Glad you enjoyed your birthday dinner!

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cassie August 22, 2010 at 6:31 pm

your meal looks amazing.. dessert seems like it was to die for :-)

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Maren August 22, 2010 at 6:40 pm

what a great way to celebrate a birthday. Especially with chocolate cake as the finale ;-)

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Rosey Rebecca August 22, 2010 at 7:02 pm

You had me at blueberry honey drizzle. That view is amazing!! What an awesome night out. You deserved every bit of it!

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Wendy (Give Love Create Happiness) August 22, 2010 at 7:28 pm

I’m so excited for you that you had a wonderful night out with your family at a beautiful restaurant! Aww, turning 30 is a very special thing!

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45before35 August 22, 2010 at 7:38 pm

Happy 30th! I love how you did something so memorable, tasty and aesthetically pleasing. My husband flew me to Quebec for my 30th – something that I still treasure.

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allie August 22, 2010 at 8:57 pm

the foie gras appetizer looks incredible! what a fanstastic meal. i work at 111; how cool seeing those mini models of the buildings!

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Katryn August 22, 2010 at 8:57 pm

Love Sambuca! Brings back memories from Rome….NOT to be confused with Grappa (Yuck.)

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Cooking with Coley August 22, 2010 at 8:59 pm

Happy birthday! Top of the Hub is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Before I first went, I thought it was a tourist trap. However, the views, ambiance, service and food were all incredible and came at a reasonable price!

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Joelle (The Pancake Girl) August 22, 2010 at 9:15 pm

I LOVE crossing off restaurants from the list of places I’m dying to go to… it’s a pretty long list!

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Hannah August 22, 2010 at 9:18 pm

Chocolate is the best way to end anything, I say. And start it. And continue ti… :P

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Julie @ Pickley Pear August 22, 2010 at 9:33 pm

Wow what a fabulous dinner! I love dinners like that. And even better to have hook-ups!

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Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life August 22, 2010 at 9:36 pm

Congrats on the mini tackling of your To-Do list! That place looks amazing. And those little buildings?!? How cute! :)

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Jennifer(Savor) August 22, 2010 at 9:40 pm

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!

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christina August 22, 2010 at 9:54 pm

omg i love your outfit so much! you look gorgeous. that skirt is awesome. is it b repub?

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Emily August 22, 2010 at 10:25 pm

I was just at Top of the Hub for drinks last week — such a gorgeous view of the city especially at sunset. Your dinner looked soooo delicious! Foie gras is one of my favorite splurges.

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Kinsey Michaels August 22, 2010 at 11:04 pm

Hi Tina! I follow you on Twitter and am also a fellow Boston area gal so I wanted to check out your corner of the web :) I think I am convinced now that dinner here would be incredible sometime. Those martinis look outrageous and the food looks so well presented. Happy Birthday to you!

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Wendy August 22, 2010 at 11:44 pm

Looks like a delicious and fun evening out. What a view (of the city and great food!)

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Talia August 23, 2010 at 1:39 am

Hey Tina! I just wanted to say I’m fourteen and I’ve been trying to lose weight for as long as I can remember. One day I stumbled across your blog and you totally inspired! Now I eat way more whole foods and minimal processed stuff. Now, I’m more focused on being healthy rather than just trying to lose weight :D You even inspired me to start a blog!!!! It’s definetely a work in progress, but it’s so much fun and I love it! Thanks so much for changing my frame of mind, you honestly impacted me (AND my families) life in such a positive way!

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Alexa@Living La Vida Pura August 23, 2010 at 2:06 am

Oh, foie gras. I try so hard to love it, but I just can’t do it. I managed to stop being grossed out by calamari and escargot, but foie gras still just won’t go down :( Sounds like you had a great dinner though, so I’m glad you got to enjoy yourself!

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Laura August 23, 2010 at 4:26 am

Every time I see your list, I want to write one but i have no idea where to start!

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Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) August 23, 2010 at 5:58 am

I was there a few weeks ago! My sister took me out for the ultimate girl get-away as a graduation celebration, and it was such a blast. And the food was incredible. You brought back so many good memories with the crabmeat cake…haha. We ordered the same thing and it was absolutely delicious. :D

Glad you had such a fun weekend while being able to cross something off your to-do list! Love it! :D

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Daisy August 23, 2010 at 10:37 am

Isn’t it amazing up there?! I’ve been a few times, most recently for my Mom’s 50th birthday dinner. (Though that was like 4 years ago!) So happy you crossed it off the bucket list!

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MB August 23, 2010 at 10:46 am

What a great way to celebrate a special birthday. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

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Lauren August 23, 2010 at 10:49 am

You look so pretty! Where is your skirt from? Tres chic!

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Lisa August 23, 2010 at 1:29 pm

What a cool looking place! The food looks awesome too!

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Amanda @ Bakingwithoutabox August 23, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Even I’ve heard of that place! Happy 3-0! It only gets better after that one! Looks like a fantastic party and look at you – super glam!

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Alison August 23, 2010 at 4:16 pm

I’ve wanted to go there since I was in college! Looks like a wonderful evening. :)

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Jennifer March 1, 2012 at 9:02 pm

Eating at Top of the Hub was on my bucket list too! Just wrote my review here: http://nextupwithj.blogspot.com/2012/03/next-up-top-of-hub-sunday-brunch.html

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