Double Whammy! Smorgie Party and Bliss Spa Grand Opening at the W Hotel [Boston]

"Double your pleasure, double your fun..."

Tonight I attended two parties, which coincidentally both took place at the W Hotel (one downstairs and one upstairs). Hooray – no having to choose between a rock and a hard place – if only life were this easy all the time!

My first party was a get-together downstairs at the W Lounge celebrating the public unveiling of a new foodie site called Smorgie. This Yelp-esq site allows users to make custom lists of restaurants they’ve visited and ones they would like to go to, and also lets users “friend” their favorite users to see their recommendations. Honestly, I didn’t really see a huge difference between Smorgie and Yelp, but the site is still in its beta phase, so I’m sure there will be more cool features added later!

No launch party would be complete without food, especially a launch party for a foodie product. Our table snacked on a few appetizers from the bar and drank special “Smorgie Cocktails” made from Chartreuse, pineapple juice, and basil (pictured above).

Among the app samplings:

Fried Spinach Cheeseballs. This was delicious (but I was also starving since I didn’t have dinner) – greasy, served fresh out the fryer, and oozing with cheesy goodness.

Cheese Pizza

Spicy-seasoned Edamame

I had trouble concentrating on the conversations since I was hungry and the food was a bit sparse, but it was great seeing my fellow Boston bloggers (Cave Cibum, Small Boston Kitchen, Christine from CitySearch) and meeting a few new ones (Indulge Inspire Imbibe, Delicious Dish) at the party. One thing is for sure – after tonight, I am excited to try this new foodie/techie tool out!

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After the Smorgie party, I headed upstairs to grand opening event for Bliss, the W Hotels brand new spa. I was pretty pumped about this party, as I was a fan of Bliss (spa and products) during my New York days (the deep tissue treatments really hit the spot – literally – after a few all nighters in the office).

When I walked in, I was greeted with champagne. Well hello there, don’t mind if I do!

Food – yay!

More food – double yay! FYI, the brownies are from Rosie’s Bakery. Earlier this year, a few of the Boston food bloggers (myself included) were asked vote on which brownie the spa should serve in their famed Brownie Bar. I voted for another contender, but Rosie’s was a close second!

Guests enjoying the complementary manicures and foot massage. Notice the sweet conveyer belt rotating with Bliss products – it’s like the sushi boats in a spa setting!

After my own foot massage, I was more relaxed but started feeling cranky from lack of a proper dinner (these days in my old age, dinner is a non-negotiable). T’was a fun evening out, but boy did I feel even better after a big bowl of whole wheat farfalle pasta tossed with broccoli, parmasean cheese, and olive oil!