Friday, May 27, 2011

Al Fresco Dining at Aragosta

On Wednesday night, I was lucky enough to attend a blogger party at Aragosta



This month-old Italian restaurant is located at the Fairmont Battery Wharf hotel and I was really excited to check it out.  The inside of the restaurant was modern and sleek.



But on a gorgeous night like Wednesday evening, the real attraction was the terrace, which has a gorgeous waterfront view.

Meghan and I were definitely soaking up the sun!

The other side of the terrace had comfortable lounge-like areas that include fire-pits, which was pretty cool!



I was happy to sip on a glass of crisp pinot grigio by the fire pit. 



The kind folks at Aragosta and Fairmont Battery Wharf kindly provided some complimentary bites and cocktails.  The natural light made for some beautiful photos.  I should mention that Bret was my plus one for the event and took a lot of these photos (thanks Bret!).  Here are some of my favorite bites and sips that evening:

Hand-crafted selection of salumi, caponata, and hot cherry peppers

Perfectly-toasted crostinis

Small sips of Aragosta's version of a Moscow Mule (with fresh ginger)
and their Yellow Pepper Lemoncello Sour

This sauteed calamari salad was so refreshing and perfect for summer!

Tartufo fries with a strong truffle seasoning but perfectly fried in duck fat.

Lobster and truffle crostini with white bean puree.
I adored the huge chunks of lobster meat!

I loved the small plate presentation of the pappardelle bolognese
with oxtail and veal cheek ragu. 

Truffle rigatoni with warm goat cheese fondue.
I loved the tangry goat cheese in this dish!

The "Greenest" Dirty Martini combined basil with a traditional dirty martini.
This was SO creative!

I love, love, loved the flavors of this orecchiette dish, which combined
broccoli rabe, pancetta, capers and preserved lemon.

The gnocchi was so light and fluffy. 
It paired well with the tender slow-cooked lamb shoulder,
rosemary citrus sauce and asparagus.

This tuna was seared perfectly and I surprisingly enjoyed the golden-raisin puree.


We had trouble identifying the flavor of this marscapone ice cream,
but it was really delicious.

We got a chance to meet Executive Chef David Daniels and he sweetly spoke about how his mother inspires a lot of his cooking.  Meeting Chef Daniels was the perfect way to end the evening, especially with a glass of bubbly in hand!


Thanks again to Suzanne Wenz for inviting us to this wonderful evening!

Full disclosure: The food and drinks at Aragosta were complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and fully my own.

Aragosta is located in the Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel located at 3 Battery Wharf, Boston, MA.

Aragosta Bar + Bistro on Urbanspoon

16 comments:

Lisa said...

The food and surroundings look wonderful! Looks like a great place to go this summer.

Shannon said...

oh wow, what a fabulous evening you had for it! and delicious-looking eats :) i'll have to keep that place in mind!

Melissa said...

Looks like a lovely place! The rigatoni look so good, I love anything with truffle oil.

Taryn said...

I have been wanting to go here so badly - my boyfriend lives about a 2 minute walk away, so it'd be very convenient for us! Glad to see it looks beautiful and the food looks great too.

Meghan@travelwinedine said...

Yay! Your photos came out great. That evening is definitely up there as one of my favorite blogger events of all time.

Megan said...

Such a fun night! When are we going back for fries and prosecco?!

Michelle Collins said...

So many of these dishes (i.e. the goat cheese fondue) sound so innovative and fabulous! I'll have to check this place out.

Karen said...

Fun event! There is nothing better than a great patio, especially with a view like that! And the food looks amazing!

Kate@Diethood said...

I love restaurants with a terrace... looks like a fantastic place.

melissanibbles said...

I really like their decor. It looks like a fun place for outdoor dining! I need to try those fries.

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Alicia said...

What a gorgeous dining experience! that terrance looks like a fabulous al fresco dining experience.
The picture of the four of you is so nice!

Che' @ Knight at the Restaurant said...

These are some great pictures! I still can't believe how much food there was - it just kept coming and coming. It was so nice meeting you, I hope I see you again soon!

Alaina said...

How fun! I really need to get out there. I enjoyed it when it was Sensing, but I have a feeling, I'll like this place more. :-)

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

This is exactly what Boston need more of! Looks like you ladies got to go on a perfect evening!

Tiny Urban Kitchen said...

It was great seeing you there! I really missed a lot of food coming an hour late, but then I was still super stuffed afterward! I can't imagine what I'd feel like if I had arrived on time!

Bummed I missed the fries and the lobster truffle crostini though!

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