Dining Out: Sam's at Louis Boston

My aunt and uncle are long time friends with the owner of Boston's famous, high end department store, Louis Boston. When the store left its signature location on Newbury St and moved to the waterfront, my aunt and uncle checked it out and raved out their restaurant, Sam's. They made a point to tell me that the brownie sundae at Sam's was the best they ever tasted in their life. Well, how could I not go?

Saturday afternoon, after exploring the Museum of Fine Arts with my mother, we drove over to Louis Boston for lunch at Sam's. The restaurant is on the second floor and over looks Boston Harbor. The space gets a beautiful amount of natural light. Three of the walls are complete floor to ceiling windows and in the nice weather, there is an outdoor patio.

The decor is black, white and chrome and is wonderfully sophisticated. The specials are scrawled across a chalk board in brightly colored chalk.

We were seated at a two person table right in the window and were greeted by an incredibly friendly, young waitress. She swiftly brought our drinks (ice tea for me, hot coffee for mom) and we placed our orders.

I started with the potato leek soup which was piping hot, creamy and delicious! Highly recommend.

My mother ordered a salad of mixed greens that came topped with a poached egg and slices of bacon. She absolutely loved it!

I had piquillo pepper sandwich which came with manchego cheese, arugula and was pressed between two pieces of tasty, expertly toasted bread. While the sandwich was delicious, a chipotle mayo would have pushed it over the top.

Then it was time for dessert. My mother and I both have a passionate love affair with ice cream, so given the rave review by our family, we couldn't wait to taste the brownie sundae!

The sundae was a flaky and fudgy brownie topped with a generous scoop of Christina's vanilla ice cream and finished with fudge. The fudge hardened to the ice cream, ensuring you got a taste with every bite. Mom is a JP Licks loyalist and said the ice cream didn't measure up, but I thought it was perfect!

Sam's at Louis Boston is the perfect place to take someone visiting from out of town. It has fantastic views of the city and the harbor, friendly staff and a delicious menu. Skip the shopping and just hang out with Sam.

Explore: Museum of Fine Arts

Growing up my mother used to take my sister and I to the Museum of Fine Arts on weekends. They had all kinds of family programs, including legendary scavenger hunts around the museum. As we got older, my sister began to take art classes there and eventually taught younger children. Needless to say, we've grown up loving this museum.

My mother was in town from Miami, FL for a brief visit this week and we decided to explore the museum together on Saturday morning. We started at Avedon exhibit, which displays the works of fashion photographer Richard Avedon from 1944-2000.

My favorite image in the collection is actually a cover from Harper's Bazaar magazine in which supermodel Twiggy's face peaks out from a hot pink disc.

Most of the photos were black and white. Several images showcased women looking exquisite and regal in juxtaposing settings - the Egyptian desert, alongside elephants or in her bathroom.

Avedon also had a magnificent ability to capture joy and effervescence on film:

I also loved the high fashion shots:

Some more of my favorites:

After the Avedon exhibit we went up to the second floor to the Scaasi exhibit. Its a bit smaller, and showcases the original works of American fashion designer Arnold Scaasi, including two famous outfits he created for Barbara Streisand during her rise to fame in the late 1960s.

There was one short, black dress that was absolutely brilliant. I wish I could have snatched it right off the mannequin and taken it home with me!

I was also impressed by this gold and black velvet, red carpet gown:

If you are a fashion lover, there is no better time to visit the Museum of Fine Arts! The Avedon exhibit is open until January 17, 2011 and the Scaasi fashion will be on display until June 19, 2011.

Thank you MFA for another fantastic Saturday! 26 years and counting.

Dining Out: Regina Pizzeria at the Depot

When I first moved to Boston post-college one of my friends started a rec league softball team. After several key victories we celebrated at Sports Depot on Cambridge St in Allston. Back in May my favorite dining out blog, Grub Street, reported that Sports Depot, this place housing some of my best Boston memories, would be closing it doors after 22 years. It was a dive, but it was our dive.

In the same announcement it was revealed that Pizzeria Regina would take over the space, but maintain the sports bar feel. Yesterday, the newly named Regina Pizzeria at the Depot opened its doors and tonight, its second night open, I went with three friends to check it out.

When we got out of our cars in the parking lot we were greeted by two smiling, charming parking attendants who handed us each a carnation and held the front door open as we walked in. Quite a start!

We were seated immediately in a nice, comfortable booth with views of about six televisions. We craned our heads in every direction trying to take in the new atmosphere. The restaurant is mostly red and white - red and white lighting, red and white checked table cloths, red and white menus . . . you get the picture. The bar is pretty cool looking but feels like it belongs in a dance club.

Our waitress was bubbly and quickly brought our drinks and bread for the table. The bread came served with oil for dipping.

The menu was absolutely huge! It has pages upon pages of appetizers, salads, pizzas, calzones and sandwiches. We decided to start with the Caesar salad. Though I had seen it pass by on its way to another table and thought it looked great, it turned out to be a disappointment. There was no creamy dressing, minimal parmesan cheese and stale croutons. Caesar salads are definitely hit or miss and this was a big miss.

The appetizer portion of the meal was redeemed however by the toasted ravioli. Breaded and crisped to perfection, the ravioli was an excellent choice!

For dinner we split two pizzas. One with spinach, broccoli and tomatoes and one with breaded eggplant, red onion and ricotta cheese. All four of us agreed the pizza was exceptional and had incredibly delicious crust. I can honestly say this is some of the best pizza I've ever had. I also appreciated that all the vegetarian pizzas were listed on their own section of the menu, making it easy for us to decide what to order.

Given that Regina has maintained the sports bar components (huge bar, televisions everywhere) I can see this developing into a place where families come to watch games. You wouldn't normally sit down and watch the Patriots at a pizza joint, but they kept the word "depot" in the name, so maybe it can maintain the sports bar legacy.

Regina Pizzeria at the Depot does not offer delivery, but you can order take out. I highly recommend the pizza and the staff are ready and eager to meet and serve their new patrons.

Though I am still mourning the loss of Sports Depot, if it had to go, I'm glad it has been revamped into a place with absolutely killer pizza. Welcome to the neighborhood, Regina.

Grey's Anatomy: Seattle Medical

This week on Grey's Anatomy a film crew invading Seattle Grace as the Chief hoped to restore the hospital's reputation via a documentary special. At first the documentary style episode seemed to be wasting a lot of time providing background on each doctor and their experience during the shooting, but by the end, it exposed some new truths.

For one, Cristina's breakthrough last week seems to have been a fleeting moment. This week, although she did assist Meredith is treating several patients, she always backed away just before she was asked to actually operate. She is clearly still incredibly traumatized.

This week we also learned that Dr. Avery is more harmed by the shooting than previously revealed. His recent poor performance worsened this week when he had a near panic attack while giving chest compressions to a patient in distress.

In other sad news, Dr. Bailey's patient Mary (played by Mandy Moore) returned to the hospital for the surgery she was supposed to have the day of the shooting. Despite a routine procedure this time around (and a mostly composed Dr. Bailey) Mary never wakes up from her surgery. And cue the tears! Whenever Mandy Moore is on screen I always wind up crying! Walk to Remember, anyone?

There were some uplifting moments this hour. All the attendings operated on a man receiving donors arms. The most hysterical moment in the episode came when the doctors discovered a tattoo on the donor patient's arm. Of his wife's name (Nicole)! When they asked the recipient how he felt about it, he said, "I love the name Nicole." and his wife jumped in, "I'll change my name to Nicole!" Hilarious.

In other good news, Arizona receives a prestigious grant to travel to Africa and Callie decides to go with her. What does this mean for the show? Will the characters simply never appear again?

This episode Dr. Karev was in the spotlight as he paid extra special attention to a pediatric patient. He sang along to her iPod to keep her calm during a scan, he texted her pictures of her growing trachea, and he even went to her school for show and tell. I found this story line to be a little insincere. We've seen Dr. Karev get attached to one or two patients, but he's never been this devoted. Maybe the shooting did change him, but I thought it felt inconsistent with usual "tough guy" persona.

In previews for next week Cristina seems to have a total meltdown. Here we go again.

Live: Celtics Opening Night

A few months ago I learned via the Celtics Twitter handle when 2010-2011 Celtics tickets would be going on sale, including tickets for opening night. When it was announced that the first game would be at home versus the Miami Heat I became down right obsessed with ensuring I would be inside the Garden for the match up.

Over the past few weeks the city of Boston has literally been pulsating with anticipation about this game. Not only did the Celtics come incredibly close to winning it all last year, but now they would be kicking off a new season versus the newly stacked Miami Heat. Miami's golden boy Dwayne Wade now shares a roster with Lebron James, Chris Bosh and former Celtic Eddie House.

I purchased tickets for me and my friends about three weeks ago and couldn't wait to actually get inside the stadium for the festivities.

We arrived a few minutes before the Boston Pops took center court for the national anthem. Keith Lockhart conducted the musicians in a custom Celtics jersey which had his last name on the back and the number 18 (the Celtics are chasing their 18th national championship).

Our seats were in the second to last row of the highest balcony. Also known as the section where the real fans sit. Every seat in the arena had a brand new, bright green Celtics t-shirt draped over it as a thank you and welcome gift for the fans. I went to opening night two seasons ago and they also gave out free t-shirts then. I have to say, I love that perk!

Though the Celtics have a pretty tame intro (especially compared to the Miami Heat. Can you say pyro?) the crowd went wild when each starting player was introduced, particularly the newest and largest addition to the team, Shaq.

Captain Paul Pierce grabbed the mic before tip off to thank the fans for coming out and to toast to the quest for banner 18.

It was a great game, with the Celtics leading for most of the night. Shaq actually made his free throws (nothing short of a miracle) and Ray Allen sunk three pointer after three pointer as if he could do it blind. After four solid quarters, the Celtics triumphantly defeated the hyped Heat.

For me, the best part of the night was being a part of the electric energy of opening night for my home team as they took on the most talked about new roster in the NBA. Now 24 hours later, I am still high from the incredible experience.

If you can get your hands on tickets to at least one game this season, you have to check out the Celtics in action at the Garden. The fans are loyal and loud, and the vendors have margaritas on tap. Need I say more?

Gossip Girl: Mutual Destruction

This week on Gossip Girl Serena wakes up in the bed of "Collin the cab stealer," who she later discovers is her new business professor. After an adorable, flirtatious exchange Collin convinces Serena to drop the class for the semester so they can pursue a relationship. Naturally Collin's character would have written a book that Serena could pretend to read. Classic.

Meanwhile the war between Chuck and Blair rages on with Jenny Humphrey as a pawn in their power plays. Blair orders a particularly low blow, and defaces Jenny's entire dress collection just before the models walk out before icon Tim Gunn. I actually shuddered upon seeing the word "whore" sprawled across the beautiful black dresses in blood red paint.

To get even, Jenny shares with Gossip Girl the true reason Blair banished her from Manhattan. The one thing Chuck had over Blair is now public information. Or should I say, public humiliation.

When Chuck arrives at Blair's bedroom door to declare a truce I couldn't help but feel incredibly sad. I think all the true Gossip Girl fans still hope for a reconciliation between the two schemers.

In the final scene of the night "cab stealing Collin" seems to be working with Juliet to take down Serena. What? What could their connection possibly be?

On a random note, how fun were the Ivanka Trump and Isaac Mizrahi cameos tonight?

In previews for next week, sexual tension is running high. Wait. Isn't that every week?