Well Rested

Mal and I had a really early flight to Phoenix today, so we decided to stay at a hotel in Boston last night and just grab a cab to the airport this morning. It made our morning so much easier.

Now that we live outside of the city, we took the commuter rail into Boston yesterday afternoon.

Mal and I decided to leave our big winter coats at home since we were headed to a much warmer climate, but he dealt with the cold much better than me. Doesn’t he look cool in the cold?!

Yikes!

Our friend, Katie from The Colonnade Hotel, offered to treat us to an overnight stay, so we could just wake up and go to the airport.

She hooked us up with a beautiful suite! You can see more photos of it here.

Within minutes of our arrival, Mal and I heard a knock at the door and in came a wonderful spread of goodies!

Mmm! All of my favorites!

Mal and I were both starving, so we chowed down!

YES!!!

A little while later, Mal and I headed downstairs for dinner at Brasserie Jo, an authentic French brasserie in the lobby of The Colonnade. (Katie also treated us to dinner. She wanted to make sure that we were properly fueled for our big race!)

Our dinner at Brasserie Jo was really something special. The chef prepared a tasting menu for Mal and me, so we had the opportunity to try a number of new dishes– many of them not on the menu. I swear, every dish seemed to get better and better as the night went on. All I know is that Mal and I were stuffed to the gills by the end!

We started with warm French bread, which was truly amazing. Mal and I almost finished the entire loaf!

For appetizers, Mal and I shared Crab Roulade and Escargot.

The Crab Roulade was light and refreshing. It would be perfect for a warm, summer day.

The Escargot was the highlight of the evening for both Mal and me. It was buttery, garlic-y, and, oh, so delicious. Mal and I practically fought over them!

With the marathon right around the corner, Mal and I refrained from drinking alcohol, but we were more than willing to try a couple of mocktails.

The first one that we tried was a Cucumber -Cilantro Mocktail made with strained cucumber juice, simple syrup, and cilantro. It was crisp, slightly sweet, and delightful. Yes, delightful. (I’m not sure I’ve ever used that word on CNC before?)

Next up was a flatbread pizza made with glazed and grilled pork belly, New Hampshire bacon, and really good cheese– it might have been Fontina? Being the bacon-lover that he is, Mal especially loved this dish. He ate 5 or 6 pieces of it.

The next dish was easily my favorite dish of the evening (besides the escargot, of course): Ginger Grilled Salmon. The salmon was served with leeks, mushrooms, and spinach in a smooth, gingery sauce. My gosh, it was heavenly. I was so full at this point in the evening, but somehow I managed to eat half of the portion all by myself.

Mal and I finished off our first round of mocktails, so the bartender whipped up another creative mix for us. This one was made with pomegranate juice, Sprite, and muddled blueberries. Yum! It was also delightful!

The main course included two meat dishes: Beef Beaujolais and a lamb dish served with root vegetables.

I ate a couple of bites of each, but I was so stuffed. Mal, however, had room for both!

The final course of the evening was dessert, which, of course, I always have room for!

Mal and I shared the Alsace Brioche Bread Pudding, which was covered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I dominated this dessert.

Mal dominated a dessert called a ”floating island,” which is a French dessert consisting of meringue floating on a vanilla custard. I liked it, but I’m much more of a chocolate gal.

Food coma = good night of sleep! Mal and I both woke up so well rested this morning.

THANK YOU, Katie, for kicking off our marathon adventures on the right foot! I cannot express to you how much Mal and I appreciate your generosity.

More to come!

Tagged as: Brasserie Jo, floating island, The Colonnade Hotel