Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting wine and food items that are upcoming. **********************************************************
1) O wonderful Sherry! I am a huge lover of Sherry and you can check out my over 25 posts about this wonderful fortified wine. International Sherry Week is coming up, from June 2-8, and it will be a celebration of all things Sherry. Locally, Merrill & Co. will be holding some Sherry events though the specifics have not yet been set.

Taberna de Haro, in Brookline, is well known as a Sherry mecca, currently carrying over 60 different Sherries.They have several events planned for International Sherry Week, including the following:
--Tuesday, June 3, 7pm-8:30pm
Manzanilla to Moscatel; Comparing Sherries with and without Flor
Steven Alexander of De Maison Selections will lead a discussion of the Sherries at this dinner.
•Manzanilla La Cigarrera
(local oysters; chilled Andalusian olive oil garnish)
•Fino Cesar Florido
(local clams sautéed with jamón Ibérico and artichoke hearts)
•El Maestro Sierra amontillado
(Hip Surf &Turf - bienmesabe and chicharrones)
•Cesar Florido Oloroso
griddled mushrooms garnished with smoked duck breast
•Cesar Florido Moscatel Dorado
(payoyo cheese and wine-poached apricot)
$55 plus tax and gratuity

--Wednesday, June 4, 7pm-8:30pm
Valdespino Sherries - Revival and Preservation in Jerez
Manzanilla Deliciosa
(cuttlefish with black alioli; fresh fried squid)
Fino Ynocente
(grilled asparagus with jamón ibérico & preserved ramps)
Amontillado Tio Diego
(pepitoria chicken - saffron, sherry, egg)
Oloroso Don Gonzalo
house paté with fancy accompaniments
Pedro Ximénez El Candado
mitiblu cheese with marcona brittle
$55 per person plus tax and gratuity

--Friday, June 6
Samples of several sherries from the house of Emilio Lustau will be on hand for all diners to taste and enjoy
--Saturday, June 7
Samples of selected sherries will be offered to diners, based on their menu choice!
--Each Evening
Sherry Flights for only $15. A new one each day, at the bar only.

2) “This seemed like a fun, engaging and delicious way to open the door to getting people to try something new. I like it better than lamb and I think it’s on its way to becoming a more mainstream meat,” said Rokeya Chowdhury, co-owner of Shanti restaurant in Dorchester.

On Tuesday, June 17, at 7pm, Shanti and Executive Chef Anand “Andy” Pokhrel will present a multi-course, goat-centric dinner opening eyes to this fast growing popular protein. Guests will be guided through the dinner with explanations of the dishes, as well as being on hand to answer questions.

MENU:
--all in the belly
Goat Becon Pakora (Goat belly, Chickpea batter, homemade pickles, and taro chips)
--roti shoti
Pulled Goat Tacos (Roasted goat, roti)
--bakri raan
Tandoor Roasted Goat Leg (Carved goat leg, wilted greens, saffron rice, turmeric yogurt sauce)
--mithai
Goat cheese & mango panna cotta

The price for the dinner is $40 per person (tax and gratuity not included) and reservations are highly recommended by calling (617) 929-3900.

3) Since my recent review of Orta Ristorante, there have been some changes, partially due to the change of seasons. Chef Brett Williams has added some Spring menu items, including:

* Scituate Lobster Bisque with Tuscan EVOO and garlic crostini
* Black Olive Pizza with baby spinach, ricotta, roasted red peppers, tomatoes
* Fresh Linguini with clams and pork cracklin’s in Falanghina wine sauce with herbs
* Housemade Spring Mushroom Ravioli in Madeira cream with truffled pecorino
* Seared Local Sole with Jonah Crab and Asparagus Risotto
* Chicken Stuffed with Fontina and Asparagus with Lemon Thyme Jus
* Pork tenderloin w/ Daniele prosciutto and housemade bacon, served with spring peas and fava beans in balsamic butter

Orta's new beverage manager Chris Sweiger, formerly of Lydia Shire’s Scampo in Boston, has edited Orta's wine list to more closely match the restaurant's creative Italian menu. Wines from the Piemonte region, especially, now complement the cuisine. Toscana, Campagnia, Trentino, Marches, Abruzzo, Venezie and Alto Adige are also represented by the bottle and by the glass.

Orta Ristorante: Italian On The South Shore

As one of my own Break Out Of The Box issues, I need to dine more in the communities south of Boston. Like the northern suburbs, the South Shore has acquired some fine restaurants, and they can be reached fairly easily. Recently, I journeyed down to Pembroke to attend a media dinner at Orta Ristorante, an Italian spot which is flying under the radar of many food lovers.

Orta is located less than thirty miles from Boston, and is easily reached by taking Route 3 South to Route 53 South. In 2010, the restaurant was opened by Chef Jimmy Burke who, in 2012, sold it to Chef Brett Williams, one of his protégés. Brett comes from a culinary family, as his grandfather owned the famous Lombardo's in East Boston. He has also spent time traveling and working in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, and the Liguria. Lake Orta is a small, beautiful lake located in northern Italy, which Honoré de Balzac once referred to as a "grey pearl in a green jewel-box." While traveling, Brett fell in love with Cara and even proposed to her in a town near Lake Orta. Cara had a restaurant background and she now runs the front of the house at Orta.

Orta is a medium-sized restaurant with a homey vibe. A number of the tables are inset within small alcoves, giving a bit more privacy to diners. There is also a small bar where you can sit. I was pleased with the alluring kitchen smells that wafted through the restaurant, due in part to the open kitchen and brick oven. It made me excited to try the cuisine.

There is a brick oven where they make their pizza, and you can sit at the bar surrounding the oven. This is probably an especially excellent location during the colder months.

The menu is broken down into five sections, including:
--Antipasti (11 choices, $8-$12) like Lobster Risotto Cakes and Caesar Salad.
--Brick Oven Pizza (7 choices, $14-$15) from Margherita to Pepperoni
--Pasta (7 choices, $18-$20) like Homemade Potato Gnocchi to Rigatoni Bolognese
--Secondi (8 choices, $22-$28) like Pan Seared Local Sole and Pork Chop Milanese
--Dolce (7 choices, $8 each) like Tiramisu, Gelato, and Mini Cannoli

The prices are generally very reasonable, especially considering the ample portions that are usually served. There is plenty of variety, so no matter what your preferences, you should be able to find dishes you will enjoy. I actually had some difficulty selecting my entree as there were several dishes I wanted to try. The most compelling element is the quality of the food, which will satisfy any food lover. Some places provide plentiful mounds of food, trying to make up for a lower quality product, but that is definitely not the case at Orta. They provide both quantity and quality.

The restaurant has a full bar, and cocktails cost $11, including their own, homemade Sangria. They carry about 20 beers by the bottle, priced $4.25-$6.50, including both local brews and international ones. You'll find about 17 wines available by the glass, priced $8.50-$12, and 11 of those are Italian. Enjoy a glass of Falanghina or Vermentino. You'll also find about 60 wines available by the bottle, most priced under $50. However, those wines often are priced around three times the usual retail, though the markup on their higher end wines is much less. I like the diversity of the list, though wish the markup on their less expensive wines was lower.

Before your food starts arriving, you will receive a basket of fresh Foccacia with a plate of olive oil and balsamic swirl. Our meal then began with several different appetizers.

The PEI Mussels ($10) are made with leeks, smoked bacon, & roasted garlic thyme butter, are are accompanied by grilled focaccia. The mussels were plump and tender, with a flavorful broth, perfect for dipping your bread. The Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare ($12) was also an impressive dish, made with a soy ginger reduction, sesame, & wasabi aioli and accompanied by chive crackers. There was plenty of silky pieces of tuna, and the flavors blended well together. Definitely one of the better examples of tuna tartare.

The Beef Carpaccio ($9) is an ample dish, with capers, lemon aioli, parmigiano reggiano, petit croutons, and baby greens, though I found there was too much lemon for my preferences. The paper thin beef was delicious, melting in your mouth and the croutons added a nice crunchy texture to the dish.

The Orta Arancini ($8) include two large arancini in a spicy tomato sauce. An excellent crunchy exterior led to a tasty cheesy interior, enhanced by the spiciness of the sauce. This is another dish where dipping your bread into the sauce is a very good idea.

Next up, we received three brick oven pizzas for the table, including a Margherita ($14) made with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil; Duck Confit ($15) made with aged cheddar, dried cranberries, baby arugula, & balsamic; and Sausage ($15) made with banana peppers, grilled onions, & fresh mozzarella. The pizza had a nice, thin crust with a bit of char, and I liked the flavor of the sauce. This is a very good brick oven pizza, and the different types were all interesting and delicious. I could easily make a meal of appetizers and pizza.

It seems that all of us ordered different entrees from the Pasta and Secondi selections, so it was a good opportunity to view many of the dishes, and they all were ample and visually appealing. I opted for the Panko Crusted Chicken ($20), which comes with spaghetti. It was a thicker piece of chicken, though cooked well so that it was tender and moist. Plenty of gooey cheese was melted atop the chicken, which was coated by a crunchy, panko coating. An excellent and flavorful chicken dish, one I would order again. The spaghetti though was ok, and rather forgetful. Everyone else at our table enjoyed their entrees very much too.

After dinner, we received a couple desserts, including Mini Black Bottom Cheesecakes, topped by assorted berries and chocolate drizzle, and which reminded me of brownies. My favorite of the desserts though was the Warm Pecan Pie, with a shortbread crust and topped by caramel & vanilla gelato. Even as full as I was from dinner, I still made a little room for some of this wonderful sweet delight.

Overall, I had a very good experience at Orta and would return to dine there again. In general, the food is tasty, portions are ample, and it is reasonably priced. It would be a fine place for an intimate dinner for two, or a group of friends out for the evening.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting wine and food items that are upcoming. **********************************************************
1)  Chef Lee Napoli has returned full-time to her chocolate shop, Chocolee Chocolates. She has spent time searching for a larger production kitchen for Chocolee.” Chocolate-lovers can expect to see Lee behind the counter on Dartmouth Street, where new products are being rolled out for spring:

Classic Linzer Tortes
Dark Chocolate Fig & Marzipan Pouches.
Easter bunnies of all sizes

Lee'’s proprietary recipe for Queen’s Cake can now be enjoyed at Chocolee, as well as croissants, chocolate beignets, cream cheese brownies and hand-dipped chocolate truffles in flavors like rose, lavender, poblano, pistachio, espresso, Bailey’s, Gran Marnier and mint. Chocolee’s chocolate-making classes, held Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the shop kitchen, are perennial sell-outs, and will continue into 2014 for two hours of hands-on instruction culminating in a one-pound take-home box of truffles for each student.

2) Orta Ristorante is named for the magical Lago d’'Orta, a glacial lake in the Alps-strewn region of Piedmont, Italy. Chef-Owner Brett Williams trained in several tiny trattorie there, tasted his first truffles there, and in fact, proposed to his wife/partner Cara there. Brett’s passion for this stunning and gastronomically significant region is reflected in his cooking, which is simple, seasonal, and sublime.

Selected highlights from the current dinner menu include:
* Drunken Mushroom Brick Oven Pizza. Madeira-soaked crimini, shiitake and oyster ‘shrooms with a sprinkling of arugula and truffle essence, baked in a blazing wood fire @ 700 degrees.
* Translucent Beef Carpaccio with Lemon Aioli drizzle, capers, microgreens and micro-croutons
* Classic Aracini with mozzarella and spicy “gravy”
* Housemade Linguini with Black Truffle Crema, roasted mushrooms, chives
* Grilled Grass-Fed Prime Sirloin with Gorgonzola Butter, fried leeks
* Machias (Maine) Salmon with citrus-y spaghetti squash, Sicilian remoulade
* Braised Veal Meatloaf (recipe follows)
* Frangelico Tiramisu -– Warm Local Apple Crostata – Almond Mousse & Rum Cookies

Orta’s wine list spans the length and breadth of the Italian boot, but Chef Williams encourages his patrons to start with a crisp Gavi di Gavi from Piedmont ($14/glass) before perusing his list of well-priced bottles from Tuscany, Abruzzo, Marche and Puglia. A reserve wine list is in the works for 2014.

Braised Veal Meatloaf with Onions & Criminis
Serves 6-8

2 TB porcini mushroom powder (purchase and grind dried porcinis)
4 cups stale bread
2 cups milk
2 lbs ground veal
2 lbs ground pork
¼ lb pancetta, diced
4 eggs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
2 oz olive oil
2/3 cups flour
2 cups white wine
6 cups veal stock
1 lb crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp nutmeg
3 TB Kosher salt
2 TB cracked black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350.
Soak the bread in the milk and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together crimini powder, eggs, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, S & P
Add veal, pork and pancetta.

Carefully strain the milk from the bread; make sure it’s not too wet.
Add moist bread to the meat mixture; combine ingredients thoroughly.
Form into a loaf shape, and refrigerate until you are ready to sear.

In a saute pan, heat the oil and saute onions and mushrooms until light brown.
Next, in an oven-proof braising pan, add some olive oil and heat until smoking.
Flour the meatloaf on all sides and carefully place it into the hot pan.
Sear until on all sides until golden brown.
Next, add the mushroom-onion mixture, and the white wine, to the pan.
Boil the liquid for a few minutes to reduce it by half, then pour in the veal stock.

Bring the mixture to a boil again, and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Place pan in the 350 oven and bake for approx. an hour.
Check meatloaf occasionally to make sure its liquid has not evaporated.
If so, add a little more wine or water.
Meatloaf is ready to serve when its interior reaches 150 degrees.

3) Showcasing the best of the ever-expanding Rhode Island culinary scene, the Eat Drink RI Festival is returning to Providence for an expanded four-day all-local food festival. Taking place Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th, the Festival, now in it’s third year, will be held throughout downtown Providence.

The Eat Drink RI Festival will feature a star-studded line-up of over 80 chefs, farmers, bartenders and producers including: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Northeast semifinalists Benjamin Sukle of birch and Champe Speidel of Persimmon, eight top culinary instructors from Johnson & Wales University, Gold Medal Cheese award-winning Narragansett Creamery, Blackbird Farm, two-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star nominee Chef Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway, Easy Entertaining Inc., Good Food Award winner Daniele Inc., Dave’s Coffee, Walrus and Carpenter Oysters, among many others.

Festival highlights include:
Thursday, April 24: Rhode Island Chefs Feast – Gracie’s
Eight of the finest Rhode Island chefs to graduate from Johnson & Wales University, paired with eight of the best culinary faculty at JWU, present a culinary experience like none other, hosted at Ellen Slattery's Gracie's in Providence. Guests at this unique Eat Drink RI Festival opening event will be treated to a reception with passed canapés, breads baked in a mobile wood-fired oven, a seated six-course dinner with dessert, and treats—all prepared by a group of sixteen chefs with over 300 years of combined culinary experience. These experiences include winning World Champion awards, Chef of the Year awards, James Beard award nominations and more. Wines will be paired by Jonathan Edwards Winery, along with beers paired by Rhode Island's own Revival Brewing Company. A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit AIDS Project Rhode Island.

Friday, April 25: Truck Stop to Benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank – Bank of America Center, Kennedy Plaza
This hugely popular Festival event returns in 2014 with 50% more trucks! Admission includes tastings from sixteen of Rhode Island’s best mobile restaurants, along with wine and beer from several local producers. Benefiting Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the Stop’s participating trucks include Acacia Café, Championship Melt, Ellie’s Bakery, Flour Girls Baking Co., Fugo, Gilded Tomato, Like No Udder, Lotus Pepper, Mijos Tacos, Noble Knots, Presto Strange O, Portu-galo, RISD’s Rosie Eats to Go, Rocket Fine Street Food, and Tallulah. “Truck Stop is an amazing celebration of Rhode Island’s culinary creativity, and we are so honored to be the beneficiary of this event,” said Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the RI Community Food Bank. “This important fundraiser will help us put food on the table of thousands of hungry families in Rhode Island.”

Saturday, April 26: Grand Tasting presented by Rhody Bites – Providence Biltmore Grand Ballroom
The Grand Tasting is our showcase of over forty local food, wine, beer and spirit exhibitors, all gathered in the Biltmore Grand Ballroom overlooking the city of Providence. During the Tasting there will be four expanded Local Food & Drink Seminars, all included with admission to the Grand Tasting, these seminars include cooking demonstrations and discussions with birch's Chef Benjamin Sukle and Indie Growers's Lee Ann Freitas, Easy Entertaining’s Chef Kaitlyn Roberts and Blackbird Farm's Ann Marie Bouthillette and Nick's on Broadway's Chef Derek Wagner.

Sunday,April 27: Grand Brunch – Providence Biltmore Grand Ballroom
The Festival will come to a close with two seatings for Brunch. There will be ten stations with dishes prepared by several of the area’s top culinary stars including: Ellie’s Bakery’s Melissa Denmark, Food & Wine “People’s Best New Pastry Chef 2012” nominee, local pioneer Chef Ben Wood of Wildwood, Martha Stewart Weddings baker Kelly Dull of the soon-to-open north bakery, Chef Kevin Thiele of the world-renowned Hotel Viking in Newport, Joe Simone of PBS’s The Chefs of Cucina Amore, Mexican icon Maria Meza of El Rancho Grande and more. Specialty cocktails will be created by Little Bitte Artisanal Cocktails and a coffee bar will be provided by New Harvest Coffee Roasters. The Grand Brunch is accompanied by live jazz performances from Rhode Island Philharmonic musicians, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Philharmonic’s Music Education programs. “The funds we receive from the Festival are used to support our efforts to bring music education to every elementary school child (50,000 in all) in our region over the next 4 years,” said Betty Ann Kearney, Director of Development for the RI Philharmonic. “Through efforts like Eat Drink RI we were able to bring 10,000 children to the Vets Auditorium to play and sing with the RI Philharmonic Orchestra.”

For more information about the Eat Drink RI Festival or to purchase tickets, please visit www.eatdrinkri.com/festival online, on Facebook at facebook.com/eatdrinkri.

4) On Sunday, March 23, Chef Josh Lewin of Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro and Katrina Jazayeri present Nowruz, a Persian New Year celebration with friends, family and cuisine at Anthony’s Function Hall in Somerville. Sponsored by Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro and Jeff Gabel's Kitchen Kibitz, Lewin and Jazayeri will be joined by Geoff Lukas of Sofra Bakery and Lenagev Middle Eastern pop ups as well as Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Kitchen, all of whom will bring their unique talents and expertise to the kitchen.

The VIP dinner will begin at 6:30PM with a procession of amuse bouche courses including a caviar service, followed by a number of plates based on traditional Nowruz meals, but through the lens of a fine dining journey, followed by exciting desserts. The diner can expect a high level of cuisine and service as well as a crash course in Persian flavors, cooking, and tradition, all paired with beverages. Seating is extremely limited and only 12 seats are available. Each guest will leave with a copy of Shafia’s book, The New Persian Kitchen. Following the dinner the space will evolve into a cocktail reception at 8:30PM featuring unique cocktails as well as the flavors of traditional Persian cooking in a family-style, casual environment.  Guests will take part in a variety of educational activities and will learn about Persian culture and cuisine made complete with dancing and fun.

VIP tickets are $125 and include a multi-course dinner, beverage pairings and entrance to the cocktail reception. Tickets to the cocktail reception are $35 per person and include two drink tickets and food. For more information visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nowruz-persian-new-year-dinner-reception-part-1-tickets-10753771821