IT'S THE end of the year and time for Nick Penna to reflect on all that he's accomplished in the last 12 months. His family celebrated the 40th anniversary of SalonCapri, with locations in Hyde Park and Newton. Then he gave the Newton space a total makeover, complete with the addition of the state's first official L'Oréal Professionnel Haircolor Center color bar. Busy year? Absolutely. But that just means he has more to celebrate.
@ 6:15 p.m.: Technically I'm still working with clients. Once I get home, usually we start our night by putting our kids to bed. We've started doing it an hour earlier (they're four and two), so once they're in bed, my wife and I get to open a bottle of wine and relax.
@ 7:30 p.m.: We'll start at Eastern Standard. The bartenders there are amazing, Garrett [Harker] is great, and they serve the best negroni in the city.
@ 9:45 p.m.: If we're going to the South End, we'll go to Oishii. [My wife] Amy is a huge fan of sushi, and we've been fans of Ting [Yen] since he first opened in Chestnut Hill. The "Rock Shrimp Explosion" is my favorite thing in the world.
@ midnight: My life has changed - if you asked me this pre-kids, I'd give you a hundred places. Now I like to go to the Butcher Shop and end my night with a big Bordeaux and Amy gets a cappuccino.
@ 2 a.m.: Okay, let's skip 2 a.m. and head straight to 6 a.m., because that's actually when my day starts. The kids are up, and I'm wide awake.
[Photo by Joel Veak]
