5. Kettner Exchange brunch: mezcal bloodies & a killer menu. the burger is a must.

4. black truffles: splurged on a small jar of black truffles to see what kind of culinary trouble i could get into. the big winner of the bunch: a luxurious monte cristo truffle grilled cheese made on a whim.

3. pine nuts: on par with saffron in terms of ingredient expense and payoff. that sweet nutty rush is worth the chase. believe.

2. Drink & Tell online hangouts: reviving the tradition of day drinking amongst a group of Boston friends via vid-chat. to mend the distance between us all now scattered across the states, we pick a bar featured in the book, Drink & Tell, a compilation of Boston cocktails curated by Frederick Yarm of cocktail virgin slut, and catch up over the drinks from our old hangouts.

1. coravin: a worthwhile investment that allows me to “open” up an obnoxious amount of wine to find the right pairing or see how a bottle is drinking. geeking out has its price.

special mention:

*new york city: omgatitos, that city is incredible. more details to follow in the special editions of favorites of lately featuring Boston and NYC.