Artichokes


Persistence pays off!


Last Saturday my friends and I had plans that we had made a MONTH in advance to go to the new restaurant in Wakefield, Artichokes. We were all so excited and having been anticipating great things from the rave reviews, turns out they don't take reservations due to the fact that they are consistently insanely busy! So Saturday night needless to say was unreally PACKED... it was like a Stoneham High School reunion with out the DRAMA ;) The hostess told us at 8:15 that there was a 2 hr wait and that they stop taking orders for food at 10pm... so basically it was a lost cause. Everyone was ready to leave and move on to the next idea.. however I was not. I had be anxiously waiting for this and was bound and determined to get into this so called GREAT place! I was definitely disgruntled at the pessimism the hostess had portrayed but even so pushed to make it clear that we were going to eat HERE.. I told her we would go and get a drink and for her to call us when something opens up because having worked in the industry myself I knew that the ratio of tables verse people standing.. plus there no reservation policy.. she was over estimating that wait time! None of my friends believed me but I knew that we where getting in... so to hold us over we went down to Stearns & Hill Bistro in Melrose and experience a similar packed setting! We did of course finagle our way to the bar and managed to get some rather yummy martinis... mine was a dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives .. just fabulous. What was disappointing about the Bistro was the snooty atmosphere that Melrose just exudes between the clientele and the bartenders I really couldn't tell who was worse... they did have a super cute hostess who took our names for a back up plan in terms of dinner and just as she came over to let us know we had a table ready... guess who called... ARTICHOKES! Yup that's right a little optimism goes a long way :)


So as for Artichokes... as soon as we walked in the door everything from the service to the food was AMAZING.. OMG their breaded artichoke hearts were perfect and the bruschetta was dripping with tasty fresh tomato's.. my entree was the BOMB.. home made fusille with shiitake mushrooms and shrimp in a tomato cream sauce with a hint of some sort of sweet liquor mmmmm.. I'm drooling just thinking about it :)


Artichokes.. is WORTH THE WAIT!


xoxo


Erica Marie

M.A.M.




Sorry for the lack of POSTS, I'm trying to get a hold on life as a new REALTOR while simultaneously planning a wedding and honeymoon... and with that I'll end this post with a shout out to my Auntie Debbi for her inspiring ACRONYM.... MAM.. MAKE A MOVE!!! That's just what I intend to do with all aspects of my life :) mostly its time to make some money honey!
xoxo
Erica Marie


Bean Town



How cute is this little Beanie, things like this give me warm fuzzy feelings about having children in the next couple of years! "Boston Beanies" my vow to you now is that I will most definitely be a supporter of your business in the future.


xoxo

Erica Marie

Where the WILD THINGS are

Tonight I decided to be a loner and catch a nice dinner, drink and a movie. A great place to do all three is the REVERE theater (National Amusements), the restaurant there has a really sweet bartender named Lisa that makes the a great grey goose dirty martini.


Where the Wild Things Are





From a set design perspective the movie was everything I hoped it would be.. the realistic sense of the character's along with the scenery had that desired whimsical feel. However I probably wouldn't take my child under the ago of 10-12 to go and see this movie.. its a little on the DARK side and possibly a bit too graphic for anyone younger. My take on the film was its subtle synopsis on life in general... no one owns this world we live in, if you make plans don't expect them all to follow through exactly the way YOU thought and EXPECT, ACCEPT AND EMBRACE CHANGE.

xoxo

Erica Marie




FELT like more.. FELT


Laser Cut


Cool Awesome Dude! Love the baroque like feel in a modern material.

Wicket Cheap too... check it out

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26790540&utm_source=etsy_finds&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_102109

xoxo

Erica Marie

Head Adornmentatioin












These classic vintage head adornments are the perfect accessory, for a few dollars you can take your dress from blah to AWESOME with this retro twist. It would be very easy to assemble these your self to (with all that spare time you have) Michael's / A C Moore would carry all the necessary ingredients to breath new life into these retro fitted head pieces and make it your own.

Thanks to Elements of Style for these great pictures, I had to pass the good news along!

xoxo

Erica Marie

Monster Ball



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31560323&utm_source=etsy_finds&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_101009

I love Halloween and this dress is an amazing tribute to the great Holiday! Its SEXY and SWEET.. a little on the pricey side but worth it if your attending a FANCY party and want a great reaction. I would wear this super cute dress even any day of the week!

xoxo

Erica Marie

A Hunk in Eastwick!


Can we talk about how unbelievably FINE Matt Dallas is, I just starting watching ABC's new show Eastwick and have fallen in love with Roxie's cougar catch. So far the show has me intrigued its as if Desperate House Wives met Charmed and had a baby they named Eastwick :) Check it out its on Wednesday nights on ABC at 10pm and let me know what you think.

xoxo

Erica Marie

New and Improved Decals


Great, inexpensive idea for wall decor. Decal your walls and bring a little of the outdoors in. Nice alternative to your typical artwork.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31378436&utm_source=etsy_finds&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_100109

xoxo

Erica Marie

FRYE



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30563795


These boot's are made for walking! Love, love, love these 70's vintage Frye boots.

xoxo

Erica Marie

House of Blues




The Ramblin Souls played a GREAT set at the House of Blues on Friday night. Their soulful sound had everyone on their feet dancing. I was so excited to attend such an event in the Ramblin Souls career... what an honor, it might not be the original spot but think of who started with small gigs at the House of Blues back in the day! I have big things in mind for my good friend Jesse Ahern and his fellow band mates, they really know how to bring life and that extra needed good energy anywhere they play.

As for the House of Blues itself, well that night they were lucky to have such a fabulous band playing for them in fact that was their saving grace... The space itself has a nice authentic feel with rudimentary art work that lines the walls in all shapes and sizes, the collage helps to unify the long bowling alley feel of the space. Having worked in many restaurants i believe the waitstaff can really determine your ultimate experience. In this case our waitress made for a horrible introduction, it seemed as if this was the last place on earth she wanted to be and made it know to her customers who ultimately were a BOTHER to her. My fiance and I waited at one of her tables for a good 15 minutes before she even came over, then she didn't even take our drink order.. left us and said she'd be back and returned another 15 minutes later, thankfully in the interim we decided to just go to the bar. You snooze you loose sister.. I have to say the bartenders we very attentive and did make up for our rude waitress. However like I said before "The Ramblin Souls" are who really made our night... thanks guys.. we had a AWESOME time!












xoxo
Erica Marie

oliver




I love this double take of Oliver it really shows the jekyll and hyde in him.

xoxo

Erica Marie

My Garden Tomato's




xoxo

Erica Marie
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Dazzling Garden Basil Breakfast




This summer I decided to grow my first garden, at first it didn’t seem that I had the thumb for it but as the summer progressed the fruits of my hard labor finally began to arrive. My basil plant now stand at about 3 feet tall and even as we descend into the fall weather it just keeps budding.

We are getting to the point in time where our refrigerator is almost empty with the exception of a few main ingredients for this dish that include eggs, goat cheese and basil. Of course they’re accompanied with a salt, freshly ground pepper and some fine olive oil.

Recipe for one

One egg
1 Tablespoon of freshly cut basil
2 Tablespoons of goat cheese
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1 Piece of light wheat toast

Crack egg into a hot pan coated with melted butter, heat should be on medium and cover the pan so that the steam cooks the top of the egg to your liking. It should only a couple of minutes for the egg to cook and while it does put your piece of toast into the toaster and prepare your basil and goat cheese. I like to cut the basil into strips and take a little less than a ½ inch slice of the goat cheese that’s packaged like a dowel.

Add the basil and then the goat cheese to the top of the egg and cover again to heat the cheese for just a couple of seconds. Plate the egg and toast and drisil with olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Depending on what your in the mood for some freshly cut tomato’s would also be a great add on to this dish.

MANGIA!

xoxo

Erica Marie

Magnificent MASA



http://www.masarestaurant.com/woburn/index.html

Masa has a NEW twin sister location on the north shore that my fiance and I visited yesterday afternoon for my birthday. We LOVE MASA but typically frequent the South End location however Woburn is much more accessible to us and not to mention they actually HAVE parking. At first I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the change but once we got there I knew that this would be our new spot.

This jewel set in Woburn suburbia has an unbelievable interior and lots of details that really enhance the authentic feel. With its copper bar, espresso stained wood tables, fruit wood chairs and stools that are covered with black leather and shinny nickel coining, natural wood flooring and earth colored paint tones that run throughout the restaurant, introduce a layering of materials and elements that say AWESOME interior. Its rustic elements mixed with its structural newness create an environment that makes you want to return.

Every night from 5-7 they serve 50 cent TAPAS at the BAR and on Thursday's from 8-9 they have FREE SALSA lessons.

JR and I enjoyed a BRUNCH to die for...

I had the :

Santa Fe Style Eggs Benedict Atop Southwestern Biscuits
Avocado, Green Chile Hollandaise and Southwest Home Fries


and JR had :

Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo and Mexican Farmer’s Cheese
Southwest Home Fries and Multi Grain Toast


Both were great, our only complaint was about Bloody Masa / Sauza Blanco Tequila and Chef Phil’s Bloody Mary Mix. We weren't fan's of this particular drink, we both thought it to be a little on the sweet side and rendered a slight BBQ taste. Next time we'll stick to the regular Bloody Mary.

Please take a look at the menu and be sure to hit up this newly found treasure :)

xoxo

Erica Marie

Birthday Eve

This Organic Egyptian Chamomile and Rose Petals Eye Pillow seen on ETSY sold by Elan Vital Anthology seems like a perfect birthday eve relaxation piece! I would love to add it to my ever growing collection of stuff and things! It has an elegantly hand stitched vintage design and its brilliantly soothing color combo combination would make for a great ROOM.




http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28630990&ref=sr_list_14&&ga_search_query=mask+&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=7&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title


xoxo

Erica Marie

Courtney Concoction

Brookline Beauty.

Before... complete chaos!









After... pleasantly pristine










The palette for this room was decided by the beautiful drapery treatments, along with the clients unbelievable collection of accessories. I love the rustic romance that this room exudes and my favorite part of this room is the ZEBRA print ottoman! A nice charming space to enjoy a smooth glass of paso creek cabernet sauvignon ... my new fav :)

Paso Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is a great price point starting at $15 dollars.. can you believe it! Soooo yummy!


xoxo

Erica Marie

Archstore Waltham Clubhouse

Before















After Erica Marie gets her hands on the space






































xoxo
Erica Marie




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