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Venetian Moon & Christmas Food

by Alaina on December 19, 2010 · 5 comments

Friday evening was spent with my sisters-in-law (Sara & Grace), future sister-in-law (Heather) and her sister (Julie) for Heather’s bachelorette party! We got together at Sara’s condo first for some snacks and to give Heather some “accent” pieces to wear out to dinner: a fedora with an embellishment and a white boa.

Heather in her get-up

We did have some snacks before we headed out: veggies and dip, cheese with crackers, lime Tostitos with salsa and a delicious pizza from Target. Target! I had no idea they had such a healthy selection of foods in their Archer’s Farm collection. I was definitely impressed and may make it a habit to shop there every so often. Our pizza had arugula, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Grace with the spread

After we were done, we headed over to Venetian Moon in downtown Reading. It’s a little trendy martini bar right off of the main street. When you walk in, the bar area is long and narrow. But once you go downstairs, there are all of the tables and even a lounge area. We were a little bit worried because they don’t take reservations and we were a party of 5 on a Friday night. But they just happened to have a booth open up and we sat right away!

The first thing to order? A martini! Their menu is huge; so huge, it’s in a binder.

I opted out of the vodka martini (bad experience with vodka in college, yuck) and decided on the Caribbean rum martini (I love rum!) It came out with rainbow sugar on the rim and it tasted like fruity pebbles…with a kick. :-)

Cheers to Heather and Rich (brother-in-law)!

For dinner we decided on splitting appetizers. We got:

  • 2 orders of Artichoke Hearts
  • Zucchini with prosciutto and mozzarella
  • Stuffed Mushrooms – Extra large mushroom caps stuffed with our homemade mushroom stuffing and baked golden brown.
  • Chicken Limone – Chicken sautéed in a white wine and lemon sauce with garlic, artichoke hearts, and capers. Tossed with pasta (we got penne)
  • Tortellini al Forno – Our fresh tri-colored tortellini sautéed in a port wine basil cream sauce, then topped and baked with mozzarella cheese

(Yep, the last three came straight from the online menu. The top two may have only been on the menu at the restaurant; hence the lack of further description.)

The yummy table

The bride, bridal party and officiant!

After the dinner, we came back and watched Love Actually and enjoyed some wine. And the only request of the bride was for us to play card games: Kings and A**hole. I haven’t played those since college! I was the ‘hole twice and only vice-president once. Needless to say, I was drinking a lot and trying to eat the popcorn through her acrylic coffee table.

Haha, ahh, that got some laughs.

It was a fun night. I ended up staying over at Sara’s; didn’t think I could make it home in my condition.

The next day, Grace, David and I went back out to Somerville to look at some more apartments. We’ve put a deposit down on one near Porter Square that has parking included and FREE laundry! Crossing our fingers!

That night I spent at my parents while David was out for his brother’s bachelor party. My Christmas has officially begun because I watched this movie with them:


I love this movie! I didn’t watch it last year but I try to make it a point to watch it every year; it is one of my favorite Christmas movies. Ever. Period.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

We were also watching a show on the Food Network where the host was pitting Geno’s and Pat’s cheese steaks against each other and declaring a winner. Well, of course, my favorite was Pat’s when I went to Philadelphia and the host wholeheartedly agreed with me. Because of that show, we were hankering for some cheese steaks, so my dad picked some up from the local pizza shop. Definitely not the same (not enough cheese) but it hit the spot.

Today we had our first family Christmas of the year at my aunt and uncle’s house. I finally got a picture of this girl! Macy, their border collie/golden mix. Such a cutie.

For nibbles, we had veggies with dip, peanuts, pistachios, and cheese with bagel chips.

For a libation, I had a Little Penguin pinot noir. It was very nice; smooth and not too dry.

Dinner started with a salad mixed with almonds, olives, feta and greek dressing and a side of a warm dinner roll.

The main course was stuffed shells with meatballs. I had a shell and a half. It was yummy.

Family Christmas Photo!

And me and David

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I’m off to bed. I have to get up early and drive the hour to the mechanic (he’s a really good mechanic, definitely worth the drive) so he can check out my timing belt. Fun!

Less than a week!

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Babygirl December 20, 2010 at 1:40 am

Great photos.. nice post


2 Alaina December 20, 2010 at 1:37 pm

Thank you! :-)


3 funandfearlessinbeantown December 20, 2010 at 8:53 am

That dog is SO cute! It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend!


4 Alaina December 20, 2010 at 1:38 pm

We had a lot of fun. I don’t usually get weekends off with my job so when I do, I do all that I can to fill it up! :-)


5 Sarah @ Going on Goals December 20, 2010 at 4:09 pm

I usually opt for rum too! I loved college, but it has spoiled my taste for certain types of alcohol.

My favorite recent Christmas movies are Elf and Fred Claus.

Looks like you had a great weekend!


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