Snowed In
A Boston weekend & a Valentine's edit
It seems that the pendulum has swung in favor of a real winter this year—I don’t know that I can recall a time when temperatures have dipped below zero here. It means many a work-from-home day spent by the fire and lots of walks in the woods with the dog. Being snowed in is good for the soul. And it’s made for a cozy month, albeit one that’s skated past with surprising quickness.
My mom and I took a girls trip to Boston the weekend of the first snowstorm, and it was so lovely. We drove up Saturday morning and lunched late at the famed Neptune Oyster (being a party of two significantly reduces your time in the intimidating line) where were packed in like sardines and met some friendly tablemates—the woman used to work at Gourmet, so we talked about its recent, much-discussed return—while we tipped back oysters and tucked into a fantastic lobster roll.
Top of our list for the trip was visiting Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, a very thoughtfully designed bookstore in the ever-lovely Beacon Hill. It was packed to the gills when we arrived, but we took our time meandering up and down its three floors while it cleared out. They have the sweetest children’s section I have ever seen and their space is outfitted to the nines, from the sconce shades to the paint colors. We stopped for dessert at their cafe and then hit the antique stores on Charles Street; Fabled Antiques has a kind owner and a great selection.
Our dinners were stellar: Night one was Louis Corner, a buzzing, low-light little bar and restaurant. While waiting for a table, I popped next door into Fred’s, a kitchen store I have been dying to visit. The proprietor is phenomenally knowledgeable and stocks a mess of French, Italian, and Japanese brands. From sourcing the perfect offset spatula to a colorful array of heavyweight Italian table linens, Jojo is the real deal.
The next night, as it dumped snow, we trekked to Seaport for dinner at Woods Hill Pier 4. A farm-to-table spot, the restaurant works alongside The Farm at Woods Hill, located in New Hampshire, to develop sustainable dishes. Our menu picks included a gorgeous sunflower risotto with confit artichokes and oyster mushrooms, charred broccoli and crisped leeks, and a dry-aged duck breast with elderflower pickled root vegetables—unique and delicious.
We stayed at The Langham next to Post Office Square in the quiet financial district. It was cozy and thoughtful, from the nods to the green library lamps in the lobby to the Frette linens and pillow menu (a peppermint-misted pillow accompanying turndown was, truly, magical). They earned a key or two last year and it’s seriously deserved.
Starting the next day with Tatte, we had to wander into the Boston Public Library to marvel at the iconic reading room. On next-door Newbury Street, lots of good shopping, from Buck Mason to Catbird to Topdrawer, a painstakingly curated purveyor of analog goods that I found out was actually founded in Boston; I pass their NYC store every day and have always wanted to go in and browse their shelves of Kaweco pens and reimagined Prince dolphin lighters. Another one of my favorite stops on this trip was at Boston General Store down in Brookline. It’s full of brilliant bits and bobs from homeware to stationery.
In Cambridge, I made a beeline for Row 34, a seafood restaurant with locations all around Boston and a standout raw bar. Possibly my favorite meal of the weekend, they served a clam chowder with a homemade (!) saltine and a cast-iron cornbread with at least half a pound of maple butter on top. Divine. We followed this up with an evening perusing the Harvard Book Store.
Monday, we woke to several inches of white, which, combined with holiday weekend traffic, quickly turned a four-hour drive into a seven-hour slog of stop-and-go. But as far as East Coast cities go, Boston might be the best of them—it feels more like a large town but has city sensibilities, has the perfect green space ratio, and college towns and suburbs are right next door. I love it. Long live the long weekend.
It’s February, and we need to talk about the romance genre. Typically, a romance is something I seethe about and not-so-secretly judge everyone else for reading, or else I put it on a huge pedestal (The Time Traveler’s Wife. Gorgeous Boston librarian, tragedy, lots of Pottery Barn—duh). Unfortunately, I am a huge snob, but recently, I’ve been quite impressed with the fast-growing canon of novellas from independent publishing house 831 Stories.
They swept the publishing world last year, predicated on what I understand to be this concept of “romance for the modern woman”—their authors aren’t NYT bestsellers and are instead more culturati; their uniform cover designs couldn’t be further from the current calling cards of every romance novel; they’re short and punchy, not 400 pages to chronicle a six-month fling.
So, I picked up several titles and was particularly impressed by Erika Veurink’s Exit Lane, which infuses a little Midwestern charm into a When Harry Met Sally-style story. There are rugby shirts, lots of Prince and Kenny Loggins songs, and a road trip romance for the ages.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones brings a sobering reality into the mix, mapping the relationship of a newlywed Atlanta couple, Celestial and Roy, before and after Roy is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to twelve years. The title is this book’s best advertiser—it’s a deep, often devastating look into marriage, careers, and family, and how incarceration leaves its mark on each of these things.
The Push by Ashley Audrain is a quick thriller and a play on the “bad seed.” Any books in this dramatic motherhood subgroup of thriller and lit fic genres aren’t typically my cup of tea—I wish they were fun, but they end up making me incredibly stressed! I appreciated this sort of descent into madness, but I can only read about cheating husbands and ominous children so many times before the dread kicks in.
Continuing my poetry run, I turned to Goldenrod: Poems by Maggie Smith, which published in 2021 but remains relevant in light of our never-ending deluge of heavy news. Nature is the framework for her poetry, not always its primary subject, which I think is such a true reflection of daily life.
Alison Roman’s Buttered Tomato Soup with Lentils and Fennel is the perfect low-key Sunday project while you’re staving off the impending work week dread. Clearly, I am speaking from experience. Spicy and flavorful, make a huge batch and just let it simmer away on your stove while you watch The Pitt. (Note: I would just buy crushed tomatoes instead of hand-crushing them!)
Susan Spungen’s triple ginger chocolate cookies are, well, maybe my favorite cookie of all time and I was recently reminded of my lack of self-control when it comes to their consumption. They employ fresh ginger, powdered ginger, and candied ginger, but are so rich and chocolatey that the ginger never overpowers. (Note: I reduce the chocolate chunks to 4 oz.)
Want someone to fall in love with you? Make these peanut butter + brown butter rice crispy treats. I made these last fall and they had me getting out of bed at odd hours to tiptoe into the kitchen for a square. You cannot get lazy about browning the butter or subbing out the milk powder, but I promise the payout will be worth it!
If you’re gleefully leaving Dry Jan in the rearview, might I suggest making a batch of these Bordiga mimosas for a galentines breakfast, or this beautifully-hued Milano-Torino sour for dinner for two.
Seven songs for your February rotation.
Oh Honey by Delegation
Man I Need (Live At Capricorn Studios) by Penelope Road
Trippin’ by Wizards of Ooze
After Midnight by J.J. Cale
Heart of Mine (feat. Norah Jones) by The Peter Malick Group
I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You) [Live at the Nokia Theater] by John Mayer
Country Boys by Butcher Brown
Lots of lazy album picks this month. It’s feeling like the season for Tame Impala’s Let It Happen all the way through, all the time. I was mostly unimpressed by October’s Deadbeat because it felt like a sellout, but I believe we’ll be listening to “Reality in Motion” in 2070.
Khruangbin just re-recorded The Universe Smiles Upon You for its tenth anniversary and I’ve been loving the subtle changes. All of their music is enchanting, but this album will be a classic forever.
So much John Mayer this month. His studio albums are great but I never tire of his host of live ones: “3x5” is best live in Birmingham, my favorite version of “In Your Atmosphere” is live in Los Angeles, “Another Kind of Green” and “Something’s Missing” are incredible live in Chicago, I could go on. It’s probably sacrilegious to mention John Mayer in this, the month of love, given his varied romantic crimes against womankind…but I love his music, not him.
I’m also listening to: get up and groove, the couch comedown chronicles, and laundry room lofi.
Heather Ross’s Homeworthy feature. I used to be an AD home tour loyalist, but then I grew up and realized that an hour-long segment on an artist or designer beats a ten-minute celebrity spot every time. I am well and truly obsessed with this magical Catskills abode owned by textile artist and children’s book illustrator Heather Ross. The pink kitchen (Farrow and Ball, naturally), built-in bar original to the house, and sleeping porch (my dream!) are just a few of the gems.
NYT Crossplay. To the great joy of many, NYT Games has debuted its version of Scrabble/Words With Friends. They rolled out the whole friends leaderboard situation a few months ago, so this isn’t a shock, but nonetheless I am very excited to Scrabble battle it out with friends and strangers on the internet. Nothing beats the real thing, but my commute just got more interesting.
East Village Postal. My annual tradition of sending valentines to friends led me to this gem in the East Village last week, where I was awed to find an impeccable assortment of stationery and various desk accoutrements. Better yet, the store is a functioning post office with a wall of PO boxes and the ability to ship your packages ’round the world.
This craft chocolate from Caputo’s is the perfect way to get a little more creative than a classic bar of 60%. These selections from Pump Street Bakery marry the flavors of rye and sourdough with rich dark chocolate and sea salt. Match made in heaven.
The Paul Smith Signature Stripe bathrobe looks about as great on a person as it does hanging in your bathroom. The colors are amazing and it’s pure luxury.
Also luxurious are these handmade Italian leather backgammon boards from Throwing Doubles. Made for travel, you can play in a park or at the bar—or when you’ve run out of things to talk about with your date.
Catch and Release Wines’ 2024 Lover Girl is a cleverly named Pinot Gris that is practically begging to grace the table of your Valentine’s dinner at home or your girls night spent watching romcoms until the sun comes up.
I’ve been all over imogene + willie recently, and this vintage-feeling heart tee fits the theme perfectly.
Socks are maybe the most boring (but necessary?) gift of all time, but these Alex Mill cotton stripe socks are made in Italy and are darn cute.
I fear I’ve fallen into a habit of saying “everything sucks right now but let’s all band together and also take care of yourselves” in like every single End Notes, but to my dismay, it continues to be a relevant ending sentiment. Right now, what more is there to say than, as my boss has taken to remarking at various intervals throughout the day, “What fresh hell is this?”
I’m thinking, often, about Amanda Gorman’s words in her poem to Alex Pretti: “If we cannot find the words, may we find the will.” And I’m also hoping that your February is magical, romantic, and cozy in each and every way it can be. Stay warm!
I sometimes post on Instagram @gracerobrts.
My Goodreads is here and I am always looking for reading recommendations.
My Apple Music is @gracecroberts, where my playlists are regularly updated and cared for.
Just want to say hi? My email is gracecroberts@gmail.com.
See you next month!
Sincerely yours,
Grace
Boston sounded like a dream, esp. in the snow, and Feb. is 100% a John Mayer month! I second the thoughts on Let It Happen, too. That album is timeless
Boston in the dead of winter is ROGUE! Only you could make it sound enchanting. Perhaps a cheeky grad school moment in the future?? Universe smiles on you ii has been HEAVY on the rotation