What to Eat (and Drink) This Weekend
Katz's pastrami hash in Boston, ice cream for breakfast, chocolate + booze, and more.
The cozy bar at Moonshine 152. / Photo provided by Asia Mei
Hot Tequila, and Frozen Gin
This weekend’s wacky forecast calls for both steamy and icy drinks. Tonight, expect sub-freezing snow, and potentially some showers—pleasant! Come in from the cold to Southie’s Moonshine 152, conveniently just a few steps from the cover of the Broadway MBTA station. Moonshine just debuted new winter cocktails, including a tequila toddy. “We thought it would be fun to do mashups of a classic cocktail,” says chef-owner Asia Mei, who actually had the idea for the agave sipper. The bar staff steeps cloves, orange, lemon, and lime in hot water, then hits it with Espolòn Tequila, and a splash each of orange and lemon juices. “It’s light, flavorful, herbaceous,” Mei says. Plus: Like every night, her kitchen is open with the full menu until 1:30 a.m. And then on Saturday, when rainy temperatures rise to the high 50s, the mugginess requires a boozy slushie. In Cambridge, Little Donkey’s Apu’s Slushie got a bit of a revamp recently with gin, Luxardo Aperitivo, orange, and pineapple. “If you’re not drinking slushie cocktails in the middle of a New England winter, you’re doing it wrong,” the restaurant challenged on Instagram.
Moonshine 152, 152 Dorchester Ave., Boston, 617-752-4191, moonshine152.com.
Little Donkey, 505 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-945-1008, littledonkeybos.com.
Ice Cream for Breakfast
Take a little trip out west for a morning full of ice cream. In addition to Rancatore’s regular scoops—which include cereal milk-inspired flavors—the Lexington location has doughnuts, croissants, bowls of cereal, ice cream sandwiches, and waffle cups this Saturday, plus special drinks like a mocha freeze, orange juice, mango smoothies, and affogatos. The breakfast party starts at 9 a.m. and goes until supplies run out, but the ice cream is on as usual, all day until 10 p.m.
1752 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, 781-862-5090, rancs.com.
Rojo Chocolat for Valentine’s Day at Bantam Cider. / Photo provided by Bantam Cider
Chocolate and Booze
Valentine’s Day is this Wednesday, Feb. 14, and if you haven’t made a reservation yet, good luck to you and yours. Of course, you can always celebrate early this weekend. To set the mood, local breweries and chocolatiers are hosting special pairings. Throughout the weekend, Bantam Cider is serving up Rojo Chocolat, its tart cherry favorite with a complimentary rim of melty chocolate. Plus, the ladies of Bantam team up with the neighboring Taza Chocolate Factory for a fun-day two-fer deal if you and your loved ones visit both. On Saturday, Somerville’s Aeronaut Brewing has some special releases with unique flavor notes and ingredients to compliment the house sweets from the Somerville Chocolate CSA and Gâté Comme des Filles. The latter’s gorgeous bonbons will also pop up at Longfellows Coffee x Lamplighter Brewing that day. And down in Scituate, Taza Chocolate is at Untold Brewing both days this weekend, while supplies last, with pairings like Mr. Scratch Oatmeal Stout with 70 percent Espresso Buzz, Abigail Blonde Ale with Guajillo Chili Chocolate, and more. On Sunday, during a private, ticketed event, Phillips Candy House is bringing decadent treats to Dorchester Brewing Co. for flights of four DBco beers, and four Phillips chocolates paired perfectly together.
A la carte pricing, Bantam Cider, 40 Merriam St., Somerville, 617-299-8600, bantamcider.com.
A la carte pricing, Black Heart Presents: Valentine’s Week at Aeronaut, Flights and Chocolate, Saturday, Feb. 10, noon-12:30 a.m., Aeronaut Brewing Co., 14 Tyler St., Somerville, Facebook.
A la carte pricing, Gate Comme Des FIlles Chocolate Pop Up, Saturday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Longfellows Coffee, 284 Broadway, Cambridge, Facebook.
A la carte pricing, Untold Hearts Taza – Chocolate & Beer Pairing, Saturday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Untold Brewing Co., 6 Old Country Way, Scituate, 781-378-0559, Facebook.
$20, Beer & Chocolate Tasting: Made in Dorchester, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., Dorchester Brewing Co., 1250 Massachusetts Ave., Dorchester, 617-514-0900, dorchesterbrewing.com.
Katz’s pastrami hash. / Photo provided by the Butcher Shop
Katz’s Pastrami Hash
The iconic brined beef is on the menu at Barbara Lynch’s Butcher Shop every Sunday in February. Chef Ben Weisberger is using it on the brunch menu in a classic hash, with poached eggs, chives, and espelette pepper. The special is part of the Pass the Pastrami series, which launched in Cambridge last summer to celebrate the legendary New York City company’s foray into online ordering and delivery. So, yeah, just a reminder, you can have Katz’s pastrami in your fridge any day.
Available from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Sundays, February 11, 18, 25, the Butcher Shop, 552 Tremont St., Boston, 617-423-4800, thebutchershopboston.com.
UPDATE, 3 p.m.: Sorry, shrimp lovers—a previous version of this post said Eventide Fenway had some Maine shrimp on the menu this weekend, but the rare treat is no longer available.
