Live: Kaleidoscope Heart Tour

Tonight I was lucky enough to see Sara Bareilles perform at the Bank of America Pavilion. I saw her show at the House of Blues in November (see the review and videos here) and when one of my friends asked if I'd like to go with her and her roommate, I jumped at the chance.

We arrived at the Bank of America Pavilion at 8:55pm. We learned earlier in the day that Sara wasn't coming on until 9:15pm, so we weren't in a rush. Seeing a show at this venue is fantastic because on a beautiful summer night it feels like pure heaven.

Our seats were on the left side of the stage in the 22nd row. When the lights went down, the spotlight beamed onto the stage and Sara came out, the entire audience erupted.

Sara came out with a Snooki poof pony tail - high on the top and slicked back on the sides (not her best look). She was wearing a very fitted white blazer over a short black dress. After her first number she took the jacket off to reveal an adorable black dress with white polka dots. When she turned around, you could see the dress had a heart cut out of the back (just like the album name, Kaleidoscope Heart!). I couldn't believe what a personal and thoughtful outfit choice that was by her stylist! Love love love.

Sara has not released a new album since we last saw her, so we knew we were in for many of our favorites from her first two CDs. She played: "Love Song", "Vegas", "Many the Miles", "Uncharted", "King of Anything", "Machine Gun", "Breathe Again", "Basket Case" and more.

During the show Sara also covered two songs. First Amy Winehouse's "Valerie" and then Mumford & Sons' "Little Lion Man." She and the band did "Little Lion Man" all acoustic, all together at the very edge of the stage. It was awesome. I hope they record their version and release it!

Sara also debuted a brand new song she just wrote called "Beautiful Girl." She played the ukulele while singing this soon-to-be girl power anthem.

Just when I thought my heart couldn't take any more, Sara and her band closed the show with my favorite song, "Let the Rain." The opening lyrics bring tears to my eyes every time:

"I wish I were pretty,
I wish I were brave.
If I owned this city,
I'd make it behave."

The most poignant moment of the show was during the encore when Sara cast a spell over the audience with "Gravity" a capella. She literally stood alone, at the front of the stage, with just a microphone and sang her heart out. Minus her voice, the entire venue was silent. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was in awe of her.

In addition to Sara's incredible voice, she also has a fantastic personality. She talks to the audience and you truly feel like she could come hang out with you and your friends. She's funny, clever, smart and sincere. She curses, she tells jokes and she shares secrets. It only makes you love her music more.

Thank you, Sara, for bringing such joy into my life tonight.

Movie Musings: One Day

Last night I crossed the river with three girlfriends for a night out in Cambridge. We started in Inman Square at the Irish bar, The Druid. After very satisfying Harpoon UFO Whites, we headed across the square to City Girl Cafe for dinner. We shared a delicious bruschetta with fresh ricotta cheese, juicy tomatoes, basil leaves and balsamic. Three pasta dishes and a panini later, we were off to the Kendall Square Cinema.

We took our seats for the 9:35pm showing of "One Day", starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The film is based on the book by the same name which I read and absolutely loved. This is one of my favorite books of all time. You can read my review here.

When I first heard who would be playing my beloved literary characters on screen I was disappointed. Anne Hathaway seemed too cheeky, not to mention, too American! These characters are not Americans! I also wasn't sure if Jim Sturgess was smoldering enough in that blatant George Clooney or Brad Pitt kind of way, as he's described in the book. This skepticism was compounded by the usual "the movie is never as good as the book" fear. So essentially, my expectations were low, but my love of the book kept me curious enough to pay to see the movie in the theater.

Let me begin by saying, I need a slice of humble pie. I was completely wrong about Jim Sturgess! To me, he was the star of the movie. He was sexy and charismatic but also 100 percent believable as a depressed divorcee and a heart broken widower. I was tremendously impressed. And turned on.

A photo ode to Jim Sturgess as Dexter Mayhew:

Anne Hathaway was . . . eh as Emma Morley. Her accent was terrible and I didn't believe her passion for Sturgess' character, Dex.

The film moved so swiftly from year to year, that it didn't give the audience (especially people who didn't read the book) time to understand Emma's decade-long yearning for Dex. The writers also cut out the most important scene in the book in Emma and Dex's relationship, their walk through the corn maze at their friend Tilly's wedding. Shame.

I will say, whoever was in charge of all of Hathaway's hair style changes, bravo!

Also, Hathaway rocks a navy, halter dress in the film that is stunning. I want it!

For those who read the book, I thought the actor cast as Ian, Emma's long term boyfriend, was off. He was nerdy instead of awkward, and tall and clumsy instead of heavy set and crude. He served his purpose in the movie, but it didn't seem true to the book.

*SPOILER ALERT!* At the close of the movie, I knew Emma's accident was coming, but I was shocked how brutally they portrayed it. The whole theater gasped out loud and most people covered their eyes. I was not expecting that!

I cried for the last ten minutes of the film. When the lights came up and I tried to talk to my friends about my thoughts, I only cried harder. Bring tissues!

"One Day" was definitely a case of "the movie is never as good as the book" but it was still fun to see and I was happy to get to spend more time with two of my favorite characters.

Keep your eyes peeled for two upcoming movies: "Restless" and "The Debt". Trailers for both films were shown last night and they look great. "Restless" is directed by Gus Van Sant ("Milk" and "Good Will Hunting") and stars Mia Wasikowska ("Alice in Wonderland" and "The Kids Are Alright") and Henry Hopper. In the film the two young actors play social outcasts who find love and redemption in one another. "The Debt" stars six actors - three as adults in their sixties and three as their younger counterparts in a series of flashbacks. It's a thriller and my heart was pounding just from the three minute preview! Is there a fall movie you're looking forward to?

Dining Out: Strega On The Waterfront

I have a Restaurant Week tradition with two of my friends that each cycle we choose a place none of us have been to, we wear pearls and we hit the town. Tonight, for the 7th round of our tradition, we decided on Strega on the Waterfront.

We mostly chose Strega for it's waterfront location, but really, you can't go wrong with Italian. This is Strega's second location, it's first is in the North End.

We met at my office at 5:45pm and walked down to the waterfront. I had to stop to take a picture of the harbor on our walk:

As we approached Strega I noticed this brightly colored sign for the new shops and restaurants on the Fan Pier.

It's funny, I worked in this exact area from 2006 - 2008 and aside from the Seaport Hotel and two dive bars, there was nothing. Now the area is booming.

Strega's exterior is all windows. Why would you want to obstruct those harbor views?

As soon as you step into the doorway, you see a wall of photos of the owner, Nick Varano, with celebrities. I particularly love this one of Nick and a young Mark Whalberg.

We arrived thirty minutes early for our reservation and decided to have a drink in the bar. The bar area is absolutely gorgeous. We were imagining how bustling it must be on a Saturday night.

Our waitress convinced us to try the special cocktail, prosecco with muddled strawberries. Sounds delicious, tasted disgusting. It was difficult for me to finish it. One friend decided to order the limoncello, which she said tasted like, "when I used to take six shots before going out for the night in college." Well then!

When the clock struck 6:30pm we headed to the hostess stand and she escorted us to a beautiful table, right in the front window. From our table we could see the entire restaurant, as well as the harbor outside. We had originally planned to sit on the patio, but it was just too windy.

To start, our waiter delivered us a basket of bread (doughy center, hearty crust) with authentic Italian olive oil, olives and garlic.

For the first course we split the rollatini di nico which was rolled eggplant, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, and mozzarella baked with tomatoes and parmesan cheese. This dish was exceptional. I said, "if I had an Italian grandmother, I imagine this is what her cooking would taste like." Molto bene!

We also ordered the la strega salad which was arugula, grapefruit, parmesan cheese and walnuts. The arugula was fresh, the grapefruit was tart and juicy and the parmesan was just sliced off the block.

For dinner, one of the girls ordered the weekly, Wednesday night special - the lobster mac and cheese. I had a bite (without lobster) and I must say, it was unbelievable. In addition to baked cheese crust, yummy pasta and creamy, cheese sauce, you could taste the lobster even when there wasn't a piece of lobster meat on the fork. It was truly baked into the dish. We all agreed it was one of the best mac and cheese dishes we'd ever had the pleasure of devouring.

My other dinner date ordered the casarecci di marina which is fusili pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, eggplant and mozzarella in a tomato sauce. She said the sun dried tomatoes cut through the typical tomato sauce and cheese to provide a bold, flavorful bite.

I ordered the gnocchi sorrentina which was traditional gnocchi in a tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese. This portion size was enormous! The dish was lovely, but not extraordinary. If I visited the restaurant again, I would try something else.

The ladies decided to follow their cocktails with a glass of wine, which came in branded, Strega glasses.

When our waiter returned to clear our plates he asked if we'd be interested in dessert. We wanted to hear the options which he happily recited for us: tiramisu, ricotta pie and chocolate cake, just to name few. We were entirely too full, but good to know for next time.

I was super impressed by Strega on the Waterfront. The restaurant itself is beautiful, the staff is friendly and attentive, the food is wonderful and the view is to die for. I am already looking forward to my next trip!

*Note: At around 2:00pm today we discovered that Strega is only doing Restaurant Week for lunch. We were so looking forward to checking it out, we decided to go anyway.

Shop: DSW Color Block Pumps

Today I received an email from DSW with this image:

I. Want.

How can I possibly choose just one pair?

Shop the DSW color block pumps here.

Dining Out: Daedalus

Last night I had dinner with a high school friend at Daedalus in Harvard Square. I had only recently learned about the restaurant after a coworker went back in June and excitedly shared her experience with me the following morning. After she showed me the website, I knew I had to check it out.

Daedalus is located on Mt. Auburn Street, parallel to Mass Ave in Harvard Square. As I approached the restaurant, I was immediately struck by it's large, open, front windows and the lush greenery on the window sills.

I arrived at 7:00pm on the dot and just a few buildings over a church was ringing its bells. In fact, you could see the church poking out from behind the restaurant.

We had a reservation, but they offered us a table inside and we were hoping to sit on the roof deck. We opted to wait thirty minutes for an outside table. While doing so, we had a drink at the bar on the second floor which was flooded with sunlight.

I drank a glass of red wine sangria while waiting which was quite refreshing and delicious.

When our name was called, we stepped out on to the roof deck and I was immediately in heaven. The deck has beautiful views of Harvard Square, is blooming with flowers and plants, and has gorgeous furniture and wood paneling.

After placing our order, our waitress brought us bread and hummus to nosh on. The bread was somewhere between pita and focaccia.

For dinner we tried the spinach salad which came topped with green apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and a mustard dressing. It was a very generous portion and the dressing was excellent.

We also sampled the penne pasta which had a basic tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. This dish was nothing to write home about and I wouldn't order it again.

For me, it's a pleasure to still be discovering new things in and around Boston after nearly 27 years here. Daedalus was a true urban oasis and I was fantasizing about renting out the entire roof deck for a private party. Now if only I had an occasion . . .