Thursday, November 9, 2017

Sips & Nibbles: Thanksgiving Edition

I am offering a special Thanksgiving edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events. Today, you'll find some restaurant options for Thanksgiving if you just don't feel like cooking this year.
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1) It’s time to start thinking about how you are going to prep for Thanksgiving. Make plans now to participate in Chef Tony Maws’ Thanksgiving Class on Saturday, November 11, from 10am-11am, at Craigie On Main. You will be the Thanksgiving Hero, as you will learn:
*Three different turkey cooking techniques -Old School Roasting -Spatchcocking -2 cook Method
*How to carve a turkey -techniques -knives
*Leftovers Magic
*Great Thanksgiving Beverages

Price: $150 per person
Make Reservations by calling 617-497-5511

2) On Thursday, November 23, from 11am-4pm, Aura at the Seaport Hotel will feature an expansive Thanksgiving Brunch Buffet paired with live jazz music from the Lance Houston Jazz Quartet. The family-friendly spread includes a raw bar, breakfast offerings like eggs Benedict, tomato basil quiche, and French toast as well as traditional turkey-day dishes like roast turkey breast with gravy, sirloin with porcini red wine sauce, roasted butternut squash puree, cornbread stuffing, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Finish off the holiday meal with indulgent treats from the dessert buffet including an assortment of cakes, pies, mini pastries, and a chocolate fountain.

Cost: $85 per adult; $25 per child ages 5-12; complimentary for children 4-and-under
For reservations, please call 617-385-4304

3) The Seaport Hotel wants to help turkey lovers host the “Friendsgiving” feast of their dreams this holiday season by offering the chance for guests to bring up to 23 friends to the Seaport Hotel’s state-of-the-art Action Kitchen, for a private, interactive and collaborative cooking experience led by Executive Chef Richard Rayment. Chef Rayment will guide the group through the process of bringing their prix fixe menu to life and afterwards, guests can sit down to enjoy their meal in the intimate dining room and reap the rewards of their handiwork with perfectly paired wines.

The “Friendsgiving” menu features an assortment of artisan cheeses and fresh bread for guests to nibble on as they work, as well as classic turkey-day dishes including rolled roast turkey roulade with cornbread stuffing and pan gravy, fresh cranberry and orange relish, sweet potato and marshmallow casserole and a creamy corn and baby spinach casserole. Guests can also finish off their meal by making, baking and decorating their own Thanksgiving sugar cookies.

“Friendsgiving” in Action Kitchen is offered from November 17-19 and November 24-26 and costs $90 per person with the option to add a beverage package for an additional $36 per guest. For more information or to reserve the space for your Friendsgiving Dinner, please visit www.actionkitchenboston.com.

4) This Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23, from Noon to 8:00 p.m., Chef de Cuisine Michael Denk and the culinary team at Bar Boulud, Boston will host friends and families for a warm and elegant Thanksgiving Day gathering, complete with everyone’s favorite trimmings. Featuring an extensive and bountiful three-course prix-fixe menu that is sure to please everyone at the table, Bar Boulud, Boston’s Thanksgiving dishes are crafted from seasonal ingredients carefully selected to evoke warm memories of long-loved holiday classics.

For starters, guests will begin their meal by selecting their preferred appetizer of choice from options like creamy Butternut Squash Soup, complemented by apples, pecans and spiced Chantilly cream, or a crisp Harvest Salad, laced with autumn-inspired components like delicata squash and spiced pumpkin seeds.

As a main course, guests will select one of four options on which to indulge, including, Heritage Breed Turkey, consisting of a tender roasted breast and braised leg accompanied by savory sourdough-sage stuffing, roasted green beans, local cranberry compote, and pomme purée, sided by savory rosemary turkey gravy, and Chef Denk’s hearty Braised Short Rib, boasting creamy garlic pomme puree, fresh herbs and a variety of perfectly roasted root vegetables.

To finish the meal on a sweet note, Pastry Chef Robert Differ will offer an array of elevated takes on traditional holiday treats, including Pumpkin Pie, supported by a delicious brown butter crust, topped with a drizzle of maple caramel sauce and light Chantilly cream, and Apple Tarte Tatin, capped with creamy vanilla bean ice cream, a flaky butter sablé and anglaise cream.

COST: $95 per person; $48 for children 12 and under
MORE INFO: To make a reservation, call 617-535-8800

5) On Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23, Guests are invited to Bistro du Midi to indulge in a Provençal Thanksgiving with a special three-course feast. The $75 prix fixe menu boasts an array of seasonal selections from Executive Chef Josue Louis and decadent desserts from Pastry Chef Allen Morter. Reservations are available from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on both floors. A $32 three-course sample menu is also available for children.

Guests can choose one item from each of the following courses:
First Course
--Belgian Endive Salad, poached pear, hazelnuts, fourme d’Ambert
--Heirloom Squash Soup, apple compote, chestnut, spiced crème
--Yellowfin Tuna, cucumber, avocado, black olive, shortbread crumble
--Pork & Duck Terrine, dates, house accoutrements
--Spanish Octopus, fennel, capers, almonds, Romanesco
Main Course
--Sweet Potato Gnocchi, ricotta salaya, black trumpet, cashews
--Loup de Mer, broccolini, artichoke, delicate, sauce grenobloise
--Roasted Turkey, pumpkin brioche stuffing, seasonal vegetables
--Duck Breast, celery root, candy cane beet, dates, juniper jus
--Heart of Ribeye, bone marrow croquette, sauce bordelaise
Dessert Course
--Chocolate Ganache, cassis cremeux, lavender ice cream
--Pumpkin Spice Cake, pomegranate gelee, thyme ice cream
--Maple Mousse, ginger cake, cranberry crème
--Apple Butter Beignet, sage anglaise
--Selection of Sorbet

For reservations, please call 617-426-7878

6) Executive Chef Steve Zimei of Chopps American Bar and Grill is pulling out all the stops for Thanksgiving 2017. Guests can dig into an à la carte menu featuring selections like Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Steak Frites or dig into a three-course Chef’s Turkey Dinner featuring creative interpretations of classic Thanksgiving eats.

Guests can choose on item from each of the following courses:
Appetizers
--Roasted Beet Salad, goat cheese croquette, tarragon, frisee, coriander vinaigrette
--Butternut & Apple Soup, toasted pumpkin seeds
Entrees
--Traditional Turkey Dinner, cider roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, whipped potatoes, corn bread stuffing, orange cranberry sauce, traditional gravy
--Pumpkin Ravioli, roasted squash, hazelnuts, sage butter
Desserts
Eggnog Cheesecake, salted caramel sauce

Both the special a la carte Thanksgiving menu and Three-Course Chef’s Turkey Dinner are available from 12pm – 6 p.m.
The Three-Course Chef’s Turkey Dinner is $45/person exclusive of tax and gratuity.
Reservations are recommended. For reservations please call 781-221-6643.

7) This Thanksgiving, November 23rd, from 11am-10pm, in Boston’s South End, The Beehive, hosts its annual Thanksgiving Day feast, with a traditional prix fixe, three course menu. Executive Chef James Lyons cooks up what is now famously known as “Boston’s Liveliest Holiday Meal.” If that’s not enough, the Beehive’s approach to the festive holiday also delivers live jazz music throughout the day where patrons can celebrate with a glass of champagne or one of The Beehive’s signature cocktails like the Hi Ho with bourbon, all-spice dram, lime and pineapple gomme ($11), Queen Bee with vodka, Elderflower liquor, fresh grapefruit and champagne ($13) or the Sax Maniac with rye, Madeira Bual and amaro ($11.5).

The Beehive’s Thanksgiving Day Menu
Appetizers/First Course
--Lobster Chowder (Bacon, Potatoes, Corn, Chili)
--Butternut, Acorn & Hubbard Squash Soup (Maple Syrup, Granola)
--Kale Tabbouleh Salad (Farro, Quinoa, Beets, Orange, Pumpkin Seeds, Ricotta Salata)
--Beef Short Rib Arancini (Arabiatta Sauce)
--Chopped Autumn Salad (Apple Cider Vinaigrette)
Entrees/Second Course
--Organic Turkey (Country Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, Cape Cod Cranberry Chutney, Herbed Gravy)
--New York Strip Roast (Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Kale, Garlic Jus)
--Rack of Lamb (+$10)(Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Kale, Mustard Shallot Sauce)
--Wild King Salmon (Flat Leaf Spinach, Toasted Buckwheat, Forraged Mushrooms)
--Vegetarian (Vegan) Thanksgiving (Roasted Stuffed Delicata Squash, Carrot Porcini Osso Buccu, Cider-and-Bourbon-Glazed Shallots, Country Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, Cape Cod Cranberry Chutney, Herbed Gravy)
Dessert/Third Course
--Bourbon Pecan Pie
--Spiced Pumpkin Pie
--Malted Milk Chocolate Tart
*Please Note: Menu Subject to change

COST: $59 per person prix fixe menu (3 Courses); Children’s menu: $19 (10 & Under)
RSVP: Reservations recommended by calling 617-423-0069

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