Looks like it is going to be a white Christmas after all! Last night a NOR'EASTER blew in and covered Boston with about 7 inches of snow. We had no idea it would end up setting the perfect back drop for our new Christmas tradition!Lou and I hadn't seen our good friend Chris Olex in a few weeks so I asked her if she wanted to get together for brunch today in Somerville. She said SURE, and while we were at it, why not check out The Slutcracker at the Somerville Theater?The SLUTCRACKER?!?!!
My first thought was what could it be? but of course I told her we were in before even checking it out. The Slutcracker is a burlesque version of The Nutcracker. www.theslutcracker.com. It was created by Vanessa White AKA, Sugar Dish, AKA "The Sugar Dish Fairy". Vanessa is a director and choreographer, and has studied ballet since the age of 3 including three years at the Boston School of Ballet.
It's the last day of the event, so, unfortunately, if you missed it this year, you will have to wait until next year. It definitely isn't for kids, but I am sure Lou was much happier to go to this version of the Nutcracker than the original! The score was the same, and I think Tchaikovsky would approve. The show was light hearted, had skilled ballet dancers, but also celebrated women of all shapes and sizes. My personal favorite was the Russian scene with three dominatrixes doing a toe routine complete with whips, hysterical, and they were good dancers!
Originally this morning we all thought the snow was going to ruin our brunch and theater plans. Brunch ended up being out, but by noon we all rallied and decided to hop on the train and head out to Somerville. We had one more person coming than we had tickets for, so Lou and I told Chris we would go to the theater early tosee if we could score a ticket. It turns out Lou and I had perfect timing. As we walked up to the ticket window, an Irishman was asking if the show was sold out. The ticket booth clerk said it was, and we thought oh know! Than that same Irishman turned to us and said, do you need tickets? I only have one, but you can have it! Talk about serendipity, one was all we needed, so we bought it and decided to get a bite to eat before the show. As we turned to find a place, I called Chris to tell her the good news, and she informed me they had just arrived at the theater as well. Serendipitous again! We all decided to get a bite to eat. The fivesome was Lou, Chris, Cyndi, Kim, and Me, andthe closest place was Mr. Crepe.
Mr. Crepe is situated next door to the Somerville Theater in Davis Square. They have a full menu of sweet and savory crepes. Build your own or try one of their "super" crepes. There are plenty of vegetarian selections. They also have an array of salads, loose teas, coffee drinks, and pastries.
Lou and I decided to go for the "super" crepes. I got the Super Chicken and he went for the Super Pear. The Super Chicken was smoked chicken caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and herbed feta goat cheese. It was the largest crepe I have ever had, but it was perfectly filling when I was done, and the mixture of flavors was delicious.
The Super Pear was spiced pears, crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and fresh baby arugula. It was equally as large and I imagine it was delicious because Lou continually tried to get everyone to taste it throughout our meal.
For a drink I got a large pot of tea. The pot was very generous and inexpensive. If you want to have a cheap, hot drink with a friend on one of these winter nights, go to Mr. Crepe and share a large pot of their tea. There is more than enough for you both to have a cup and then some.
Mr. Crepe is casual, quick, and healthy dining if you choose the right crepe. The seating is all two and four tops which can easily be pushed together for larger groups. The bathrooms are locked with the key being at the counter, so you can count on them being clean:)
After our Christmas show, we decided the day could not be over yet, so we headed over to The Burren, an Irish bar off of Davis Square. (www.burren.com)
The atmosphere was perfect for a snowy afternoon. It was warm, there was a duet of fiddlers in a booth playing Irish tunes, the bartender was nice eye candy for Cyndi Tarbell, the bar was fully decorated for Christmas and the beer was flowing. After a couple rounds, we decided to get a few apps to share. We went for some chicken fingers, cheese nachos and mozzarella sticks. Typical you might say, but not all places do them well, and this place did. They were hot, they were good portions for sharing, and it was good fuel for the trek home we all inevitably had to make. The Burren also has plenty of booths to sit in and a full dinner menu. Being an Irish place there are traditional favorites like Shepard's Pie, and Banger's and Mash, but I also spotted a Cod Espanola on the menu as well as a Spicey Thai Steak salad.
It's Sunday night, and Lou and I just got home from trekking through the snow from Broadway station. Today turned out to be the perfect, snowy Sunday afternoon with good friends, good food, and a great new Christmas tradition, The Slutcracker!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment