The Fab Four Together Again!

         No....I am not talking about The Beatles!  I am talking about me and my girls (Laura, Robyn, and Vanessa) from Ithaca College together again for one weekend to celebrate my birthday a little early!!  Laura and I had a lovely visit from our two friends who traveled far and wide (from New York City baby) to be with us.  You all might remember Robyn from a previous Sundaylicious post titled "Cheers to the Ladies in Our Lives!", and this is Vanessa's first time with Sundaylicious...but she use to live here in Boston with me when we where getting our Masters degrees a few years ago.  Laura, Robyn, Vanessa, and I all met almost 16 years ago on the 7th floor of the West Tower as Freshmen at Ithaca College, and we have been the best of friends ever since.  We try and get together a few times a year to relive the good times we have had, and laugh about all the fun things we have done together over the years.  There are tons of movie quotes quoted, a million songs sung together, and lots of laughs to be had when the Fab Four get together, and this weekend was no exception!!
     Laura and I wanted to take the girls to a really nice Sunday brunch for Sundaylicious, but we needed to stay somewhat local since Robyn had to catch a bus home.  We decided to go to ArtBar, which is in the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge: http://www.artbarcambridge.com/.   This place had a great menu featuring a lot a different choices for four fabulous gals to choose from.  Even cooler then their great food on the menu, was the fact that they have art placed throughout the restaurant for their customers to view.  It was like an art gallery meets a restaurant!!!  It didn't matter to us that it was inside a hotel at all.  In fact a lot of great restaurants these days are located inside hotels...note to all you eggheads, this can make for a great brunch find!!

ArtBar has a great view of the Charles River, and in warmer weather they have a patio outside for people to sit and enjoy the view.  It was grey and cold the day we went (come on Spring, where are you?), but luckily ArtBar is nice and cozy on the inside.  We ended up asking for a window seat, so we could still enjoy the view even from the inside :-)

           ArtBar features American Cuisine, and they use seasonal ingredients that are local to New England.  The menu even tells you all the amazing local farms that they get their food from...the list was quite impressive!!  The menu had so many delicious things on it, we had a hard time deciding what to get.....so we ended up getting a lot :-)  Oh well, Carpe Diem right?!!!  The whole weekend was all about eating and drinking while catching up...so why not keep the flow going until the very last moment :-)   For starters we all got cocktails.  Vanessa and I got Mimosas, Robyn got a Mimosa with Pineapple juice (which was a delicious way to vamp up a Mimosa), and Laura got a Bloody Mary.  All drinks were delicious!!  The Mimosa was made with fresh squeezed OJ, however it was not too pulpy so it was still quite refreshing (unlike some other fresh OJ Mimosa that I have had).  Laura's Bloody got a thumbs up, and Robyn's unique Mimosa concoction makes me wonder why more Restaurants don't have a variety of Mimosas on the menu...a make your own Mimosa bar anyone?  For appetizers, we had to try the Mac and Cheese Rolls, which were mac and cheese rolls in a fried wonton roll...can you say YUMMY!!!!   Robyn was craving New England Clam Chowder, but was hesitant to get it (thinking it would be too much food)...but I insisted!! What better place to get New England Clam Chowder than in Boston!!! 

          For our entrees, we were split down the middle between sweet and savory.  Laura and Robyn did the split and share because they both couldn't decide between two dishes....luckily they were the same two dishes which enabled them to each get one and share them.  This is actually a great idea when going out with a friend!!  It allows you to try different dishes on the menu, and get all the different flavors you are craving that day...it's a win win!!  Laura got the Eggs Benedict, and Robyn ordered the Lobster Omelet. They both thought the dishes were good, but they were not blown away.  They said the Lobster Omelet was a bit bland, and the toast on the Eggs Benedict was too hard therefore making it hard to eat.  Vanessa got the Stuffed French Toast, which was filled with fresh fruit, home made whipped cream, and bacon pieces!!  SO AWESOME!!  Vanessa also liked her dish, but she did not think it was the best French Toast she has ever had....oh come on! I thought for sure the bacon was going to take it over the top!!  I got the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which came with a raspberry thyme compote....and I thought my dish was to die for!!!  You could really taste the lemon in the pancakes, and the raspberry compote was sublime :-)  It also had lemon butter and fresh made whipped cream on the side which you could add to the dish.....and oh how I did!!! My dish tasted like a fresh, Summer day and it was one of the best dishes I have ever had for brunch....and drum roll please....I won dish of the day!!  It was a close call between my pancakes and the mac and cheese rolls, but over all my dish kicked some serious brunch butt!!

      ArtBar over all was a very pleasant place to eat, and the service was very attentive and kind.  We give ArtBar an 8 out of 10 eggs for Atmosphere, and an 8 out of 10 eggs for food.  The restaurant is filled with some really cool art and sculptures to look at, and it was a very nice open space with a lot of natural light.  The food was really good, and the American Style menu has something for everyone on it.  Some dishes were better than others, and I am sure if it was nice outside and we sat on the patio that could have improved the score as well...oh well, we shall have to go back one nice, sunny, Summer day and see :-)  The best part of the brunch (and weekend) was just being together with my lovely ladies...that gets 10 eggs every time!!!  After brunch we dropped Robyn off at the bus station, and Vanessa got in her car and drove away...Sigh :-(    Even though I was really sad they were gone I have the memories of a fabulous weekend, spent with my Fab friends to keep me smiling until the next time we can all be together again.