Philip Richardson

Made a Cosmoquila tonight. Far superior to the ordinary Cosmo or it’s bastard child the Brangelina. Cosmoquila: 2 oz Gold Tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz Lime Juice and 1/2 oz Cranberry. Although I have a confession. The one I made tonight was with cheap Jose Cuervo Especial, Triple Sec, Bottled Lime Juice and with day old ‘Microsoft’ Cranberry Juice. Even suffering from cheap ingredients syndrome it was actually very nice. I’ll have to pull out the fresh juices, top shelf tequila and Cointreau to test it out properly.

So I saw the Da Vinci Code today and honestly I can’t see what all the fuss is about. The movie is constantly apologetic towards Christianity and even toward Opus Dei. It’s like saying that the movie Anti Trust hurt the sales of Microsoft software. Everyone who saw it knew that it was fiction inspired by a ‘urban myth’ perception of Microsoft which most people agree is untrue.

As movies go it’s nice – with some clever special effects in the ‘historical flashpoints’ and when visually explaining the symbology. From a cinematic standpoint it’s not a bad film. I think the critical backlash is a little cruel in this case. Ron Howard & Co did a good job translating a story so well suited for the written form into a nicely flowing film.

On the Saturday night in Boston (after the Oak Room) we checked out a ‘family style’ Italian restaurant. Reviews had led me to Mother Anna’s and I made a reservation long in advance: which was prudent since the place was literally packed. Service, food and atmosphere all sucked. It was dodgy. To compound matters I was throwing up my seafood pasta the next morning on the plane to DC (a charming experience). This time the internet lied to me: making a Zagat subscription very attractive.

Before dinner one night we checked out the Oak Bar at the Fairmont Hotel. The internet had led me to believe that this was the place in Boston for cocktails in a traditional settings. This time the internet was not wrong. Service was a little slow but in their defense the place was packed. The cocktails were pricey but also huge: coming in a small caraf over ice. Good value when the total volume of grog was calculated. The martini I had was one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Well worth it.

Our lunch choice in Boston was Sonsie which was a pleasing oasis from the torrential rain that day. The style, service and menu is that of a traditional Parisan cafe (unfortunately the coffee also decided to be of that banal french style). Well worth it. High marks for service, food and style.