Birthday Celebration!

Yesterday's (Wednesday) 5 miler went pretty well. My legs were not sore, however my back and hips were a little sore from yoga. I decided to do my run on the treadmill because it was a little hot for me outside and I didn't want to wait till it cooled off. I ran 5 miles in 44 minutes varying my speed from 6.0 (10min/mile) to 8.0 (7:30min/mile). I also varied my incline between .5 and 1.0. I changed my speed every minute or so and my incline every 5 minutes.

After my run I came home and made delicious lunch of an open face grilled sandwich of ham, Swiss cheese, cucumbers (with salt and pepper), goldfish and a few cantaloupe pieces for dessert.

After lunch Evan and I were off in search of "nice" jeans. My present to Evan, for his birthday, was a trip to the mall to help him find and buy a "nice" pair of jeans that he could wear out at night. We started at Lord and Taylor to try on Levi's and a few other designer jeans. No luck there, so then we went to the Gap. No luck  there. We made a quick pit stop at Starbucks, where I had my first Pumpkin Spiced Latte of the season.

After our coffee stop, we went to Lucky Brand Jean Company. What a great store! Evan tried on about 10 pairs of jeans and we narrowed it down to 3 pairs we LOVED and then finally (after a couple extra tries) we picked out the perfect pair of jeans.

Once home, we showered and beautified, then we were off to grab a drink before Evan's birthday dinner at Hamersley's Bistro in the South End.

Evan is wearing his new pants

We decided to grab a drink at Stephi's on Tremont because it was close to Hamersley's. I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and Evan ordered Johnny Walker Black on the rocks.

After sitting, sipping and chatting, we glanced at the bar menu and realized they had a cheese board for only $10. We LOVE cheese boards, but they are always so expensive, so we had to get this one. We were expecting a small little board, but WOW we were wrong! This board came with three different cheeses, apples, strawberries, bread and an apricot jam.

After our appetizer and drinks we headed to the restaurant for dinner.

We decided to dine inside because it was getting a little cold out and Evan preferred to eat inside. What a cute restaurant! The decor reminded me of (what I think) sitting in the French Countryside enjoying a lovely dinner. The staff was very nice and helpful. The restaurant was sophisticated and charming without being snobby. We started with a bottle of wine that the waiter helped us pick out.

It was a Chilean wine that started out smokey with a peppery finish. It was great and went perfectly with our dinners. I ordered a Bluefish with rice, beans and salsa and Evan had the Rabbit with mushrooms and fennel. We also had some bread!

Bluefish

Rabbit

Yum Bread!

Everything was incredible, especially Evan's Rabbit. Evan proclaimed it was the best meal he has EVER had. The sauce on Evan's Rabbit made the meal. The Bluefish was smokey and had a nice southwestern taste and went perfectly with the wine. Mr. Hamersley's came over to our table at one point to ask us how are meals were. We both agreed that was what made Hamersley's Bistro unique because it gave that personal warm touch that most "fancy" restaurants forget. In addition, the waiter overheard (wink wink) it was Evan's birthday and brought out some sorbet with a lit candle for dessert.

Happy Birthday Evan!

What a GREAT restaurant Hamersley's was, one of the best we have been to in Boston! We will definitely be going back, someday! Today I am in search of some veggies. Have a GREAT Thursday!