Wednesday Sips & Nibbles

I am here with a special Wednesday edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently. There are plenty of interesting events coming up soon in the local area.
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1)  In celebration of Leap Year, and this year’s extra calendar day, Chef Paul Turano of Tryst restaurant, located in Arlington, is offering a menu special which will have guests leaping for joy, almost literally. On Wednesday, February 29, from 5pm-10pm, Chef Turano will be serving a Fried Buffalo Frog Legs special, for $8, featuring a spicy rice krispie coating, Stilton blue cheese and celery sticks.

Recipe:
4 frog legs
3 tablespoons buttermilk
½ tablespoons Sriracha
1 cup rice krispies
1 cup of flour
1 chopped shallot
salt
black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup of Franks Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons of honey

Directions
1. Marinate the frog legs with salt, pepper, Sriracha and buttermilk and allow to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes
2. Remove from legs, dredge in flour, salt and pepper and rice krispies, dip in buttermilk mixture and recoat with remaining flour and rice krispies.
3. Deep fry at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until fully fried.
4. Remove and lay of paper towels to drain oil.
5. In a bowl mix together butter, Franks hot sauce, honey and chopped shallot.
6. Toss legs in mixture and Plate with Stilton blue cheese and celery sticks.

Reservations are recommended. Please call 781-641-2227

2)  Legal Sea Foods soon will feature a specialty menu highlighting the “Taste of Azores.” Indulge in the seafood-abundant, intensely flavored, hearty cuisine that this archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean has to offer.

The closest point to Europe from America, the Azores have bonds with New England that date back over three hundred years. Ships traveling to the New World would often stop in the Azores to restore supplies before continuing the journey to their final destination, New England, while also taking with them the first tastes of the Azores. At the heart of this cuisine is a wealth of fresh seafood steeped in the centuries-old traditional practices of the Azores which are marked by a deep respect for the plentiful species in the waters surrounding the islands.

Legal Sea Foods’ Azorean-inspired specialty menu features the following. For appetizers, options include: Escabeche de Camarão (Shrimp Escabeche with sweet and sour peppers and onions - $8.95); Polvo à Lagareiro (Braised Octopus with punched potatoes, caramelized pearl onion, roasted kale - $9.95); and, Pastéis de Bacalhau (Salt Cod Fritters with chouriço aioli - $8.95). For entrees, selections include: Peixe Frito (Crispy Fish with tomato rice, port braised shallots, Azorean pepper tartar sauce - $16.95); Espadarte Grelhado (Grilled Swordfish with shrimp açorda, garlicky green beans, cilantro - $22.95); Arroz Cremoso de Peixe (Creamy Seafood Rice with clams, shrimp, white fish - $16.95); and, Torremos de Porco com Aměijoas (Braised Pork with Clams, olive oil fried potato, pickled vegetable - $18.95). For dessert, indulge in the Gelado de Figo (Fig Ice Cream with traditional Azorean pastry - $5.95).

The “Taste of Azores” menu is available at all Legal Sea Foods locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from March 14th through April 11th. For more information and a chance to win a dream vacation to the Azores, please visit: www.legalseafoods.com.

3)  Guest Chef Hákon Már Örvarsson, Bocuse d’Or and World Culinary Cup winner, has created a special Icelandic menu with Chef Matthew Audette of Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks. Sourcing the freshest ingredients straight from Iceland, the two chefs will collaborate to offer a unique, four course menu that will showcase the best of Nordic cuisine to Boston-area diners. In addition, the restaurant will feature a custom-made Reyka Vodka cocktail created by Eastern Standard Bar Director Jackson Cannon.

The featured cocktail offered is called Iceland's Bell, named for the seminal work of Nobel-prize winning Icelandic author Halldor Laxness. This light and savory sour, highlights the indigenous flavors of crowberry, rhubarb, sea salt and wild thyme in harmony with the pure minerality of Reyka, an Icelandic Vodka.

The Icelandic Menu will be offered from March 1-4, for $65.00 and will include:

First Course
House made cold smoked filet of Icelandic Arctic char. Served with grainy mustard crème fraiche, dill oil and Icelandic rye bread.
Second Course
Grilled Icelandic Langoustine tails sprinkled with grinded “Söl” Icelandic seaweed. Served in garlic butter on top of creamy mousseline potatoes, fresh herbs and tomato-shallot dressing
Main Course
Icelandic free range lamb filet flavored with wild herbs and dried blueberries. Served with glazed root vegetables, carrot purée and juniper berry infused lamb jus reduction.
Dessert Course
“Skyrkaka:” a delicate mousse of Icelandic Skyr on top of a hazelnut-oat crust. Served with cinnamon flavored rhubarb and strawberry compote.

Reservations can be made by calling 617-532-9100.

4)  Celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of Swissbäkers, located in Reading, and join the for a day of family-fun, raffle prizes and complimentary Swiss treats. On Wednesday, March 7, from 5:30am-2pm, they will be celebrating at their Reading location, 32 Lincoln Street.

Enjoy Swissbäkers baked goods and complimentary offerings:
--George Howell coffee in a signature swissbäkers mug
--Juice and chocolate milk (for all children under the age of 10)
--Appearances by the Swiss Consul (7am-9am) and Reading Town Manager (7:30am-8:30am)
Activities for children and families including a magician (11am-2pm) and The Lindt Easter Bunny Car with chocolate samples
--Enter to win many exciting raffle prizes including two Switzerland hotel packages: One-week stay at Hotel Albana, Silvaplana, Switzerland (For two people, airfare not included) or a Two-night stay at Hotel Lauberhorn, Grindelwald, Switzerland coupled with a three-night stay at Hotel Loewen, Melchnau, Switzerland (For two people, airfare not included)