Category Archives: Restaurant

Cambridge and Boston

Cheeseboy, Hotel, , , , , , , ,

New England

New England

Last Fall we had wonderful trip to Cambridge and Boston to visit our daughter and son-in-law.  We left Kentucky in the afternoon and drove until about midnight.  We spent the night in Pennsylvania.  The next morning I decided not to bypass New York.  After all how bad could it be driving through the city?  Thousands of people do it every day.

New york

I’m not sure at what point in the journey through New York that I came to realize I may have made a mistake.  We crossed the George Washington Bridge with several lanes of traffic on both sides of us and then we were in the city.  Luckily the lane I was in took me through the city and to the place I was wanting to go.

After our escape from New York, the journey became much more enjoyable and relaxing for me.  Instead of driving the shorter route toward Hartford, Connecticut, we continued east on 95 along the coast.  We stayed on 95 North to Boston where we hit 90 to Cambridge.

Our drive through southern Connecticut and then Rhode Island was beautiful.  We stopped at a service plaza near Milford, Connecticut and tried a fast food place that was new to us.  It’s called Cheeseboy and if you look at the menu you will see why.  We were looking for something different but good and we found it at Cheeseboy.  My wife had a Tomato Basil melt, which is American cheese, fresh basil, and tomato on artisan white.  I had the Cheeseboy Classic melt, which is   American and muenster on artisan white.  Both were great, and we will be watching for the Cheeseboy sign again.

Turning off the interstate into Cambridge was an interesting adventure in itself but we soon found our way to the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Arlington, Massachusetts.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton is a great place to stay.  The suite is made up of two main rooms, a bedroom and a sitting room.  The sitting room has a couch which pulls out to make a bed, a full size refrigerator, sink, microwave,  a two-burner stove top, coffee maker, dishwasher and a fireplace.

Another nice amenity is the free breakfast that Homewood Suites offers as well as a free dinner.  Free dinners are served Monday through Thursday. This can be both a great time saver as well as a dollar saver.  Homewood Suites is located near a bus stop as well as a subway station making travel around Cambridge and Boston much easier.

 

Le Deauville Bistro, Distilled Bourbon Bar

Bourbon, Food, French Food, KY, Le Deauville, Lexington, Restaurant,

 

 

After the game, my wife and I returned to the Gratz Park Inn to rest a little before going out for the evening.  We both enjoyed a cup of the complimentary coffee as we walked around the Inn looking at the art and collection of books in the library.  One of the friendly staff at the front desk took time to tell us about the Gratz Park’s history and the two ghost who have made the inn their home.

That evening we decided to eat at Le Deauville, a French Bistro located just down the street from the Gratz Park Inn at 199 North Limestone.  The Le Deauville is the true definition of a French Bistro with an atmosphere which is warm and inviting.  It is the kind of place you could spend an enjoyable evening with good friends just drinking wine and talking.

 

My wife ordered the “Filet Mignon a La Bordelaise” with Potato Gratin and Haricot Vert.  She was very pleased with the meal and the filet was cooked to perfection.  I ordered the “Duck Confit” with Potatoes Lyonnaise and Baby Spinach in a creamy mustard sauce.  The duck was great and the combination of flavors was wonderful.  After finishing our meal we sat for while enjoying our surroundings and the atmosphere.  We plan to go back to the Le Deauville to try their fish and mussels.

Le Deauville
Le Deauville

Upon returning to the Gratz Park Inn we decided to visit the Distilled Bourbon Bar.  The Bourbon Bar is really nice and has an impressive selection of bourbons to choose from.  The bartender was a great guy who treats everyone as if they are old friends.  He is also very knowledgeable about bourbons and can answer your question and offer advice in selecting a bourbon.  My wife chose to have a glass of wine while I had to try one of the bourbons.  The bourbon I chose, Town Branch, is a newer brand and I have had several friends recommend it to me.  I ordered the bourbon neat so that I could better enjoy the flavors.  We sat at the bar and enjoyed our drinks while talking to the bartender and other patrons (sounds a little like Cheers, which we will talk about in another post).  A visit to the Distilled Bourbon Bar was a good way to end a great day.