My first weekend in Boston after the craziness had settled down would have been a lonely one, but thankfully Megha, Simi, and Suniti came to visit me. It was one of the best weekends that I have had in Boston! Well, the only weekend where I haven't been sick or moving or spending most of my time on a bus. Anyway, point being, it was fantastic! We explored the Boston Commons, threw pennies in the reflecting pool at the Symphony, ate cannolis in the North End, and played Boy Meets World drinking games. If that's not your idea of a great weekend, you're not cool, dude.

The best part of the weekend was lunch on Saturday. The girls took me to L'Espalier for my belated birthday dinner. Simi's coworker used to work there and had made reservations for us, so they started us off with a glass of bubbly and served us an extra course! Everything was delicious. I started with this weeks harvest at Apple Street Farm and had a lamb dish for my second course. 

 
My last brunch in NYC was at The Fat Radish in the LES with Kriti. I love brunch, but I usually love the concept of brunch more than I love the food at brunch. I usually leave brunch feeling unsatisfied after paying $14 for a sad omelet when I could have made a much better one at home. 

The Fat Radish was the opposite of a sad omelet. The food and the flavors were phenomenal, and the dishes were innovative. I got a cloth bound cheddar and potato cake with market cabbage, bacon, and a poached egg. Actually, the thing that annoys me the most about brunch is that it's always the same dishes on every menu: huevos rancheros, three egg omelet with goat cheese, eggs benedict, blah, blah blah. ATTENTION PEOPLE: goat cheese does not automatically win you points; you have to try a little. The Fat Radish tried a lot, and totally won points in my book.

The Fat Radish is based on a sustainable farm-to-table ethos and lists all of their purveyors on their website. I love when restaurants are transparent like that!
 
I've never really believed the weather channel when they say that "a storm's a comin'." In past experiences, it's never been more than a little rain or a few snowflakes. But today, I was literally blown to work. I tried walking, but it was no use since the wind picked me up and carried me there. I guess it doesn't help that I also weigh the same as a twig.

Since I am in Boston, we're not really getting the brunt of the storm (unlike my family and friends in Philly and NYC), but we still got to leave work early! So during my afternoon off, I thought I would take advantage of the storm slowing everything down and post about some sustainable restaurants that I went to during #funemployment (those were the good old days).

Square 1682
17th and Sansom, Philadelphia

My parents took me to Square 1682 in Philly before I left for Argentina. They had been raving about it for weeks and they rarely get that excited about a restaurant, so I knew it was going to be pretty good. I had to agree, the food was truly fantastic. It was also restaurant week, so we did it on the cheap. My mom got a butternut squash soup that was heavenly, and my lamb short ribs were seriously to.die.for. 

Square 1682 is Philadelphia's first LEED-certified green eatery and bar. Chef Guillermo Tellez has a strong commitment to sourcing local, organic, and sustainable ingredients for many of his recipes. He also alters the menu frequently to feature the most seasonal ingredients. The restaurant also uses Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program to source their fish. 

 
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Bad news: I totally abandoned the blog over the past few weeks. Good news: I am back from Argentina, officially all moved in to Boston, and started my new job yesterday! It is so weird to be working and living somewhere so new, but so awesome at the same time.

While I was on #funemployment, I made this awesome Ground Beef and Butternut Squash Casserole (adapted from Health-Bent). Health-Bent makes it as a lasagna, but I wanted to be a little innovative (aka too lazy to cut up the butternut squash into planks) so I just bought the precut stuff from Trader Joes and tossed it in there.