To our fellow Massholes and Bostonians. Sending peace and love.
Copley Square, Library over holiday time.
Hancock, Fairmont and Trinity Church.
Majestic lions at the BPL.
Baker Library. Best indoor reading area of all time.
Library Courtyard. Best outdoor reading area of all time.
Tunes on Newbury Street. Solid.
South End mural. Word.
A few months ago a baking soul sister forwarded us an article with the news that Flour Bakery was opening up in the former Hard Rock/Bertucci’s location, next to Red Lantern and The Brahmin (BMH’s review of Red Lantern - Revisited and The Brahmin - 2 - 3). The space was vacant for quite some time and now has become a new destination for Flour Bakery lovers. Joanne Chang, she is a smartie (and also co-owns Myers and Chang (BMH’s review of Myers + Chang).
The Washington Street, Fort Point and Mass Ave locations (BMH’s first review of Flour Bakery) all have their own character, but the Back Bay location has plenty of seating, a nice layout and good flow (great logistics with the handhelds and the main area has great light and feng shui). We loved the window bar seating, butterfly lights and super high ceilings.
The Clarendon location offers all the familiar sandwiches, salads and baked goodies and pastries. We deeply appreciate all the allergy abbreviations: veg: vegetarian v: vegan gf: gluten/ wheat free nf: nut free df: dairy free. 
Two of our Flour favorites, the sticky bread pudding and hazelnut-almond dacquoise cake (hazelnut and almond meringues with coffee butter cream and dark ganache and decorated with hazelnuts) tempted us in the display.
We had to order the famous Flour sticky buns for $3.50. The dark, sticky caramel and toasted pecans were still warm and coated every bite of fluffy brioche. We shared this treat and went home happy.
We also split a bowl of soup. The special soup was a butternut squash with pasilla chilies and black turtle beans (nf, gf) for $3.50 bowl, $4.50 pint. We jked that the curry flavored squash soup was so flavorful, warming and hearty that it would be perfect in a coffee cup to go. Instead of a $3.00 cup of coffee, why not a take away bowl of warming soup for $3.50.
The new Flour bakery is a welcome addition to the Back Bay and located in a brilliant spot. It will definitely source tremendous catering business from the John Hancock building and a lot of traffic from weekend coffee and brunch seekers who want a change from Tremont or Newbury Street.
L.A. Burdicks Chocolate is an absolute favorite. We have enjoyed sipping the rich hot chocolate in the Harvard Square, Cambridge location and purchasing chocolate from the relatively new Burdicks on the corner of Clarendon and Newbury.
We love giving individual pieces of chocolate as gifts and the beautiful wooden boxes as well. Such a fun treat.
Our favorites are Richeleau, Honey Caramel Truffle, Fig (fig and port wine), Trinidad and Ginger.
Not to mention the little mice!
Another post from our Little Sis. Wide Grin. In honor of her second post, another song dedication and shout out to LS. Amy Winehouse’s Valerie. Loved reading about LS’s visit to Mistral, see BMH’s previous review of Mistral.
Mistral- 8/23/12
We were very happy to visit Mistral for dinner which was listed as one of the top restaurants to visit during Restaurant week. The decor was simple and elegant, with the bright chandeliers and grand columns. Our waiter was very cheerful and more than accommodating. The 3-course dinner offered your choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $33.12.
We started with the “Sirloin Carpaccio, Garlic & Lemon Aïoli, Pecorino, Arugula & Ciabatta” which was a nice started. The thin slices of sirloin with the lemon ailoi was a nice light start.
The “Ragout of Duck Confit, Sweet Summer Corn & Chanterelle “Vol-Au-Vent”, House Cured Bacon” was definitely our favorite appetizer. The ragout was very rich and creamy while the vol-au-vent pastry’s fluffy, “buttery-ness” simply added even more goodness.
For our entrées my friend ordered the “Grilled Scottish Salmon “Niçoise”, Haricot Verts & Ward’s Farm Tiny Tomatoes” The salmon was prepared nicely, but in comparison to other dishes ordered in the past, she said it was good, but nothing special. In addition, for restaurant week Mistral offered a few select, featured wines. My friend had a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc, ‘La Petite Perriere’, Guy Saget (Loire Valley, France) for $8 that paired nicely with her salmon.
“Pan Roasted Sirloin with “Pommes de Terre Lyonnaise”, Bleu d’Auvergne and Port Wine” Everyone can appreciate how wonderful it is when steak is well-prepared and seasoned, and Mistral did a great job. I asked for medium rare, and that is exactly what I received. The potatoes were also cooked perfectly, which were a nice addition to the sirloin. Despite being so full, it was quite difficult to stop eating!
Though we barely had room for dessert: we ordered one of each of the options:
“Chocolate Devils Food Cake with Pistachio Gelato & Penuche Glaze, Amarena Cherries” The cake was rich, but a bit dry. I wished it would have been more moist. The pistachio gelato was nice, especially with the candied pistachios and cherries on the side.
“Lemon Butter Milk Panna Cotta with Raspberries and Crunchy Meringue” The panna cotta was smooth and creamy with the nice hint of lemon flavor. The raspberries brought a nice freshness as well.
Overall, our appetizers and entrees were excellent, but the desserts were somewhat lacking. Perhaps it may have been due to both of us being so full from our meals! Ultimately, we concluded the visit was a great success.
