Quick Hits: Haute Happenings in Boston

Boston Design Week kicks off next week, and we, for one, couldn’t be more excited. From March 29 to April 9, the 12-day citywide festival will host more than 80 events from the Seaport District to the South End. This year’s events include studio tours, jewelry exhibits, book signings and even wine and chocolate tastings.

Kaki Lima is now the newest resident at the South End’s Wink & Nod speakeasy. Headed by husband and wife duo Peter Gelling and Retno Pratiwi, Kaki Lima at Wink & Nod is an Indonesian pop-up inspired by the couple’s time spent travelling throughout Indonesia as well as Pratiwi’s fond memories cooking with her grandmother and mother.Photo Credit: Wink & Nod

This week, the Marlowe Hotel in Cambridge unveiled a new lobby bar. Expect to find plug-in ready communal tables, a cozy four seat bar with more than 60 different types of brandy, including varieties of American brandies, Armagnac, Calvados, Cognac, and Brandy de Jerez as well as a specialty cocktail list solely devoted to brandy cocktails. “Our aim was to enhance the overall lobby experience for our guests,” said Joe Capalbo, general manager of the hotel. “By adding a bar that focuses on brandy, a spirit that really sparks curiosity and discovery, we were able to elevate the experience. We also are able to use the space for intimate social and corporate gatherings.  It’s accessible on many different levels.”

Photo Credit: Hotel Marlowe

Boston’s Newbury Street will soon get a taste of Nantucket when a Faherty store opens here next weekend. The premium casual wear line for men, women, and children launched in New York in 2013 by twin brothers Alex & Mike Faherty. “One of the main reasons for opening the Boston store is that we had such a successful summer last year on Nantucket and we met people who lived in Boston who told us we should have a store on Newbury Street,” Alex said. “We grew up near the beach so we wanted to translate our experiences to the brand offering a casual, laid back style. Boston has a huge beach culture in the summer, but it’s a cosmopolitan city. That really resonated with what we are trying to do with the brand.”

Gilt City is hosting a sample sale at the Cyclorama Building at Boston Center for the Arts tonight. Boston’s most stylish can shop some of the best labels in fashion (think Chloé, Valentino, Balenciaga, Helmut Lang, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Tom Ford, Paul Smith and John Varvatos) from 9 to 11 p.m. 

Speaking of openings, Troquet on South is now officially open in the Leather District. As you may recall, the restaurant relocated from the Theatre District where it was for 15 years to a new space near South Station. Standout dishes here include East Coast halibut, a dry aged ribeye for two and roasted Vermont suckling pig.

Also starting tonight, Legal Sea Foods in Charles Square is bringing back their southern-style live crawfish boil for four weekends. The “Two If By Sea” Cajun feast was created by chef Layne Copell who was born and raised in Louisiana and features two pounds of boiled Louisiana crawfish with red bliss potatoes, andouille sausage and corn on the cob. Springtime never tasted so good.

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