So imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that a new, swirl your own frozen yogurt place had opened in my hometown of Newton. There I was, driving to my usual dinner spot, when I noticed it - a hot pink and neon green utopia of frozen deliciousness.
Sweet Tart is located next door to Bill's Pizza on Beacon Street. This place is clearly a high school hang out, which is a bit jarring when you're used to adults-only neighborhoods.
I love the high fructose look of the Sweet Tart decor. You get a contact sugar high as soon as you have both feet in the door!
Naturally I zero-ed in on the fuchsia chandelier above the frozen yogurt machines. This is dream, girly decor!
In addition to the multitude of frozen yogurt flavors, Sweet Tart has two entire walls dedicated to candy toppings.
In addition to the candy, Sweet Tart has a separate buffet of fresh fruit. One of the Sweet Tart employees was hard at work furiously chopping the tops off of fresh strawberries while we were perusing the goodies.
In the end, I decided on raspberry frozen yogurt topped with chocolate chips, shredded coconut and gummi bears.
What can I say? I was in my hometown. I regressed.If you're in the Newton Centre area and you need a sugar fix, I highly recommend Sweet Tart. Sure beats waiting in line with screaming kids at J.P. Licks.
Where is your favorite frozen yogurt place?
The only other positive for "Magic Mike" was Matthew McConaughey's character Dallas. Dallas owns and runs the strip club and he is equal parts salesman and snake. He was so swarmy that at times he was hard to watch. That being said, his abs are still the best on the planet. Period.
I think I was most disappointed by the lack of dancing/stripping in the movie. I think every person that showed up to theater that night wanted an escape; they wanted a show. The movie wound up being maybe 20% performing and the rest of the time we were following this ridiculous story about Mike (Channing) and the 19 year old kid he brings into this world of stripping. Adam, the newbie, winds up majorly stabbing Mike in the back which made me even more furious. More naked Channing, less stupid sub plot!
The worst part for me was the anti-climactic romance (if you can even call it that) between Mike and Adam's sister Brooke. He chases her for the entire movie and when she finally gives in (which is in the drop dead last scene) we see a teeny, tiny kiss between them. That's it? Are you serious?
Lastly, you could feel Soderbergh's touch on this movie because the entire film felt like it was shot through the Instagram Early Bird filter. There was a slight haze on the film the entire time. He also took some interesting, angled camera shots that just seemed out of place with this low brow movie. 
Once you enter the hotel you have to weave your way down a long hallway, but eventually you arrive at ArtBar, which true to its artistic name, has a large, metal sculpture outside the entrance to the restaurant. 
Despite being over 90 degrees outside, we had made a reservation for the outdoor patio a few weeks before and the girls really wanted to keep the outside table. I was a bit nervous about dining in the extreme heat, but we headed out there anyway. 
From the patio you get an incredible view of Boston. You can see across the Charles River into Beacon Hill and to the right, you can see the John Hancock tower peeking out over the bridge. 
Our table had vibrant, orange placemats positioned with contrasting black napkins. The ArtBar menu melds both the orange and black for a sleek looking list of offerings. 
On the inside of the menu, on the very first page, there is a list of all the local farms where ArtBar gets their ingredients. I am a huge fan of restaurants that prioritze local and sustainable food. 
Since it was painfully hot outside we needed ice cold drinks. None of the cocktails appealed to me, but there was a punch option that looked incredible. ArtBar offers a few different punch varieties and they come in servings meant for two, four or six people.
This drink was sensational! It tasted dangerously like fruit juice. I could have drained that pitcher by myself. 
The mac and cheese itself was very bland tasting, but the addition of the wonton shell added a fantastic crunch.
Two of the ladies ordered the Boston Bibb salad. Which came with strawberries, goat cheese, brown sugar pecans and a maple chive vinaigarette. One of the girls opted to add grilled chicken which she said was excellent. When I asked how she liked the salad she replied, "I don't know how, but the end bites were even better than the beginning. I loved it!"
I had a sea of choices for my dinner, as ArtBar has an entirely separate vegetarian menu. They don't bring it out with the regular menu, so if you want to see it, you have to ask. After much deliberation, I went with the veggie burger.
The veggie burger was a disappointment. It crumbled apart as I ate it and the patty was just too big. Additionally, the patty itself was super dense. It was made from lentils and portabello mushrooms. Veggie burgers are always a gamble and I lost on this one. 
ArtBar's French fries were underwhelming. I normally clear my plate when it comes to fries, but I left half the basket on the table. 
I wish I had visited ArtBar on a night that wasn't sweltering. My discomfort from the heat definitely colored my take on the experience. For example, our waitress routinely disappeared for 15-20 minutes at a time and had I not been sweating and dying for more water, I probably wouldn't have cared or noticed. 
The entrance to the restaurant is on West Street, across the street from Max & Dylan's.
The spatula decor continues on the handle to the front door. Very cute!
The inside of the restaurant does the name of the place justice. It feels exactly like sitting on someone's back deck. 
The far end of the restaurant is the one that faces Washington Street. You can see the sun shining in through the front windows. 
Over the booths there are light fixtures that look like little, illuminated tiki huts. How perfect for the back deck theme!
We settled into a table in the window and our friendly and bubbly waitress appeared with the drink and dinner menus. The uniform at Back Deck is blue and white gingham shirts for the girls and green and white gingham shirts for the boys. To me, gingham is a classic summer print and an excellent choice for this venue.
I decided on the West Street Cooler which was Aperol and fresh chunks of watermelon. I love watermelon and tend to gravitate towards drinks that feature it, especially the real fruit, not just syrup. 
The drink came in a tall, pint glass with three pieces of watermelon skewered by a mini sword. I wanted to love the drink, but it tasted like black licorice. And not in a good way. I physically shuddered when I took the first sip.
Our waitress popped by again to see how I liked the new drink and I felt horrible admitting this one wasn't great either. Normally when I overhear this kind of interaction going on at another table I roll my eyes. I was mortified to have become "that girl."
After the drink fiasco was resolved, we could finally focus on the food. We decided to start with the smoked, creamy eggplant dip. I was expecting chopped eggplant mixed in with cheese, but it turned out to be a smooth puree of cheese with dashes of eggplant. It was fantastic! This is one of the best appetizers I've had in a while. Anywhere. 
The dip was so good that even after we finished the pita triangles, we kept eating the dip on its own with our forks. Classy, I know. 
She ate about 75% of the skewer and proclaimed, "I am going to save this last bit for tomorrow. I'll make some couscous and put this right on top!"
All of the things we had ordered were simply a lead up to why we really came: dessert. We had seen earlier in the day that the signature dessert at Back Deck was s'mores.
The graham cracker was cakey as opposed to crumbly. As such, the s'more stuck a bit more to the roof of your mouth. The espresso marshmallow was the star of the dish. That subtle hint of coffee took each bite to the next level. The Hershey bar melted out the sides of the sandwich, smudging across your fingers and giving you a reason to lick them in public. 
In addition to the s'more, we also ordered a bowl of Toscanini's ice cream in the flavor called Drunkend 3 Musketeers. This ice cream was out of this world! There were 1/2 inch thick pieces of 3 Musketeers and the ice cream was pumped up with bourbon. Though I hated bourbon in my cocktail, I loved it here!
Despite the cocktail disappointment and the limited vegetarian options, I really loved our experience at Back Deck. The vibe in the restaurant is very relaxing. Our waitress was thoughtful, attentive and honestly, generous. The smoked, creamy eggplant is so crave-able that I am already thinking about when I can have it again.
The festival is taking place at one of my favorite spots on the Charles River, Artesani Herter Park. This park has an enormous, free parking lot, public restrooms, a playground, a sprinkler park and picnic tables. 
Here's a quick rundown on travel size perfume: