Fourth Annual Kentucky Derby Party at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen

On Saturday, May 5, giddyup to OAK Long Bar + Kitchen for its fourth annual Kentucky Derby Party! Mint Juleps will be flowing all afternoon, along with many Derby-inspired special cocktails. Purchase of a specialty cocktail gets you a raffle ticket with a randomly selected horse’s number – after the race winning tickets can be redeemed for a Maker’s Mark prize. The regular food menu will be available plus two southern-inspired specials: Hush Puppies and Hot Fried Chicken Sliders.

Derby attire is highly encouraged. Break out your finest seersucker, sundresses, bowties and hats – prizes will be awarded to “Best Dressed” and “Best Hat.” A big screen TV will be in the dining room for guests to catch all the action.

New this year: Saddle up at the best seats in the house! For $750, reserve a High-Top table with standing room for 12 people at 4:00pm in the heart of the restaurant. Table will include a round of Mint Juleps, two bottles of G.H. Mumm Courdon Rouge (the Official Champagne of the Kentucky Derby) and plenty of bar snacks. Only two High-Tops available, will book fast. Call 617-267-5222 to reserve.

 No tickets required. Join the party starting at 4:00pm; the post time is 6:34pm and race time is 6:46pm. For reservations, please call 617-267-5222 or book via OpenTable.

DRINK SPECIALS

 Mint Julep – 15

Maker’s Mark Bourbon, mint, lemon, crushed ice

 Triple Crown – 15

peach infused Maker’s 46 old-fashioned

 Winner’s Circle – 18

G.H. Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge, raspberries, lemon, titos vodka

 Talk Derby To Me – 15

house rum blend, fresh juices, crushed ice

 Horsing Around – 15

Sipsmith Gin, cucumber, jalapeno, agave, lemon

 Frozen Margarita (because, Cinco De Mayo!) – 15

house margarita mix

MENU SPECIALS 

Hush Puppies – 9

with remoulade

Hot Fried Chicken Sliders – 12

dukes, lettuce, cheddar, bread and butter pickles

Drink Pink on Bistro du Midi’s Patio for a Cause

        Photo Credit: Bistro du Midi

Join Bistro do Midi in their street level Bistro and on the patio for their Tour de Rosé Summer Party! They’ll be celebrating summer, sipping rosés, enjoy delicious food and partying with great friends – all while making a difference! Ticket proceeds will go to the Ellie Fund, dedicated to fighting breast cancer and providing free services to ease the effects on cancer patients and families.

Tickets are $50 and include Chef Robert Sisca’s seasonal hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets for your choice of rosé and beer, and your chance to win great raffle prizes.

To learn more about the Ellie Fund, visit their website here.

“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!” – Leslie Knope

OAK Long Bar is throwing a party for ladies to celebrate ladies the day before Valentine’s Day, popularly known as Galentine’s Day. On Wednesday, February 13, from 6:00–9:00 PM, join The Food Lens and OAK Long Bar + Kitchen for a Galentine’s Day soirée, a night of sipping, snacking, and sweets—all while supporting a local charity that serves homeless women.

Here’s how they’ll be honoring the ladies:

• With a cheese & charcuterie spread from female purveyors
• With a tasting of standout wines produced by lady vintners
• With decadent hors d’oeuvres by OAK’s Executive Chef Graham Lockwood
• With a sweets station composed by OAK’s Pastry Chef Lindsay Le Blanc
• With a raw bar featuring live-shucked shellfish
• With chances to win gift bags filled with pampering and indulging items from local women-owned businesses
• With a photo booth to snap shots with your WCWs

…and more!

Tickets are $55 and include all food, two specialty cocktails, the wine tasting, and a charitable monetary donation. *OAK Long Bar will donate $10 from your ticket* to Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street offering a safe sanctuary, nutritious meals and critical support services for Boston women experiencing poverty and homelessness.

“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!” – Leslie Knope. The holiday was created by the show “Parks and Recreation” and has since transcended the TV screen to become a beloved tradition of celebrating female friendships annually on February 13, whether that be your friend, sister, co-worker, mom, partner, or whoever!

ABOUT THE FOOD LENS
The Food Lens is a curated website that enables the culinarily curious to discover or rediscover Boston’s dining scene. Eternally curious and always hungry, female founders Molly Ford and Sarah Jesup have eaten their way through the city, culling the most authentic dining experiences Boston has to offer.

Celebrate Pride and National Donut Day with OAK Long Bar + Kitchen

National Donut Day is this Friday, June 7, coinciding with Boston PRIDE week. Fairmont Copley Plaza is waving its PRIDE flag loud and proud outside in Copley Square, and to further celebrate with the community OAK Long Bar + Kitchen will give away complimentary mini PRIDE donuts to its patio customers from 4–8PM on Friday, with the purchase of any drink or food, while supplies last. The three-inch minis baked by OAK’s Pastry Chef Lindsay Le Blanc will be a Funfetti Brioche Donut with Rainbow Glaze.

Chef Lindsay is known for her creative donuts and crullers. Every weekend she bakes a new flavor for the Brunch menu’s “French Cruller” special. Last weekend’s cruller was Orange Creamsicle, and past flavors include Vanilla Bean w/ Peanut Butter, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Raspberry Hazelnut.

Learn how to make your very own sweet and savory travel cakes, cakes that stay moist and travel well, with Executive Pastry Chef Valerie Nin!

Join Grill 23 for an intimate two hour class where you’ll prep, bake and decorate vanilla buttercake and cornbread. Optional additions of fruit, sweets, jalapenos and cheese will be available for that extra touch. Also learn how to make lemon royal glaze and chcocolate glaze. Finally, enjoy your creations with tea and coffee (or take them home) during their fun Q&A .

Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are limited.

The second annual Back Bay Battle of the Breweries returns with all of your favorite local craft brewers in one spot!

Enjoy samples from over 20 New England Breweries and then place your vote for your favorite!

The winning brewery gets a Tap Takeover in City Table, City Bar and Solas!

Ticket price includes unlimited beer samples, customized tasting glass, hors d’oeuvres created by Chef Sean MacAlpine, live music with Jason Silverman of Hot Mess and a night full of good eats, brews and fun!

Be sure to get your tickets early – the last Back Bay Battle of the Breweries sold out quickly!

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES:

Night Shift Brewing – Everett, MA

Idle Hands – Malden, MA

Lord Hobo – Woburn, MA

Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers – Framingham, MA

Cambridge Brewing Company – Cambridge, MA

Devil’s Purse Brewing – South Dennis, MA

Widowmaker Brewing – Braintree, MA

Westfield River Brewing Company – Southwick, MA

Bantam Cider – Somerville, MA

Bent Water – Lynn, MA

Aeronaut Brewing Company – Somerville, MA

Turtle Swamp – Jamaica Plain/Roslindale, MA

Naked Ox – Dorchester, MA

Small Change Brewing Company – Somerville, MA

Notch Brewing – Salem, MA

Definitive Brewing – Portland, ME

Great North Aleworks – Manchester, NH

Athletic Brewing Company – Stratford, CT

Castle Island Beer – Norwood, MA

Citizen Cider – Burlington, VT

Cisco Brewers – Nantucket, MA

Winter Hill Brewing – Somerville, MA

*All attendees must be 21+ with a valid ID. Nobody will be allowed into the event who is under 21 or who doesn’t have a valid ID.

For more information, check out the Lenox’s BLOG!

Come see what Bright Horizons® at Back Bay has in store for your child this year!

Are you trying to find the perfect fit for your child’s early education? Attend Bright Horizons’ Curriculum Night to find out how Bright Horizons® works with each age group to build on individual strengths and talents.  Come see for yourself how small ideas turn into big projects at Bright Horizons®.

• Learn about World at Their Fingertips® and how it works with each age group to build on individual strengths and talents.
• Meet and talk with our engaging educators and see just how passionate they are about teaching.
• Explore activities your children will get to participate in on-site.
• See our emergent curriculum and how it uses your child’s own interests to inspire learning.
• Childcare and dinner will be provided!

Eat, drink and be scary with Oak Long Bar on Halloween night! After all, it’s just a bunch of “hOAKus pOAKus.”

The Fairmont s throwing the chicest costume party in town, complete with a la carte on-theme drinks, spooky games, and dollar test tube shooters!  

$25 gains you entry the party between 7 and 10 p.m., one drink ticket for the punch bowl and unlimited spooky & sweet treats. The best costume wins Celtics tickets!

DRINK

The ticket includes one scoop from the spiked “Zombie Punch” bowl. Additional drinks are a la carte. The bar team is creepin’ it real with the following:

Four Halloween-themed cocktails available for $15 each, such as the “Monster Smash” (bribon tequila & midori) and “Witches Brew” (dos maderas rum, eden ice cider wine & pineapple).
$1 test-tube shooters in fall flavors like pumpkin spice & apple, and black cherry & cranberry.

FOOD

The ticket includes all-you-can-eat desserts from Pastry Chef Lindsay Le Blanc, such as spider web cupcakes and spooky sugar cookies. Additional food is a la carte. Chef Graham Lockwood is serving a to-die-for Halloween slider special:

$5 for a 2oz wagyu patty slider with a black bun, dijonnaise, tomato, Boston bib, B&B pickles

COSTUME CONTEST

Halloween costumes are encouraged! Two clever dressers will be awarded “Best Costume” prizes. *No face masks, weapons, or replica weapons of any kind are permitted*

1st prize: a pair of Celtics tickets to the Nov. 13 game vs. Wizards
2nd prize: a free tour & tasting for two at Eden Specialty Ciders in Newport, VT (transportation not included)
In addition to the above tricks, partygoers can play games such as graveyard ring toss, enter a raffle to win gift cards and swag, and watch clips from black & white horror films projected behind OAK’s bar.

For more on OAK Long Bar, please click here.

Meet and mingle with other Francophiles while celebrating La Chandeleur!

Also called Crêpe Day, la Chandeleur is a French holiday during which people traditionally eat crêpes and drink cidre. Though la Chandeleur is often associated with the Catholic holiday of Candlemas, it actually stems from pagan traditions. And, of course, there is the traditional coin ritual: if you can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in your other hand, you and your family will not have to worry about financial problems. There is even a fun legend that ties Napoleon’s misfortune with his time in Russia with the flipping of the crêpes!

The French Cultural Center will observe this popular holiday with crêpes and a variety of delicious toppings. All ages are invited and welcome to attend!

Please note: When you register for a family, you are registering per family. You will be required to answer a question on the number of family members that will attend.

Early RSVP recommended.

To learn more about the French Cultural Center, please click here.

Galentine’s Day = a celebration of female friendships. Galentine’s Day Party at OAK = a fun night out to celebrate with food, drink & more!

Back for year two! OAK Long Bar + Kitchen and The Food Lens are joining forces again to throw a party for ladies to celebrate the ladies in their lives the day before Valentine’s Day, popularly known as Galentine’s Day. On Thursday, February 13, from 6:00–9:00 PM, join their soirée for a night of sipping, snacking, and sweets—all while supporting a local charity that serves homeless women.

Here’s how they’ll be honoring the ladies:

• With a tasting of standout rosés produced by lady vintners
• With signature Galentine’s themed cocktails
• With a sweets station from OAK’s pastry chef, Lindsay Le Blanc
• With cheese sourced from female purveyors, plus a charcuterie spread
• With delicious passed hors d’oeuvres and a bountiful raw bar
• With a chance to win a gift basket filled with tasty and pampering items from local women-owned businesses
• With a playlist featuring the queens of pop

Tickets are $55 and include all food, two specialty cocktails, the wine tasting, and a charitable monetary donation. *They will donate $10 from your ticket* to Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street offering a safe sanctuary, nutritious meals and critical support services for Boston women experiencing poverty and homelessness.

“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!” – Leslie Knope. The holiday was created by the show “Parks and Recreation” and has since transcended the TV screen to become a beloved tradition of celebrating female friendships annually on February 13, whether that be your friend, sister, co-worker, mom, partner, or other! 

For more about OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, please click here.

ABOUT THE FOOD LENS

The Food Lens is a curated website that enables the culinarily curious to discover or rediscover Boston’s dining scene. Eternally curious and always hungry, female founders Molly Ford and Sarah Jesup have eaten their way through the city, culling the most authentic dining experiences Boston has to offer.