Full Nest Weekend

Our post-holiday weekend with the kids was filled with the usual family activities: eating, playing, talking, shopping, and generally goofing around. With four trips to the train station thrown in for good measure. They played us a lot of music and showed us a lot of internet videos that they find hysterical.

On Saturday night, we went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Bistro Bethem. I’ve loved this place since it first opened. The place is upscale casual: artsy decor, gourmet food, casual dress code. I appreciate that the chef has developed an innovative seasonal menu with great attention to detail. Some of the dishes are little strokes of genius, like my favorite frisee salad with a sunny side up egg on top. Others are a bit Iron Chef-y, such as the Guinness ice cream (which we didn’t try, but honestly, that’s just a stretch. I’ve tasted their roasted corn ice cream in the summer, so I know that “unusual” and “unique” don’t always translate into “tasty”). And all of the entrees are paired with creative little side dishes, like my pancetta wrapped sauteed shrimp that was served with green papaya slaw and ricotta dumplings. It was a nice ending to the weekend.

And by 8:54 tonight, both kids were back where they needed to be, via Amtrak trains that ran closer to schedule than usual.