Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently. **********************************************************
1) On February 18, at 6:30pm, Legal Harborside will team up with Dirk Hampson, Owner, Director of Winemaking and Chairman of Far Niente, for an exclusive four-plus-course wine dinner. A popular Napa Valley wine estate established in 1885, Far Niente wines are renowned for their ability to gracefully age and become more nuanced and elegant with time.

This menu will be presented as follows:

HORS D’OEUVRES
Foie Gras Benedict*
Chestnut Soup, Roasted Cauliflower, Coffee Foam
Bone Marrow Toast, Chimichurri, Caramelized Apples
Far Niente Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2011
FIRST COURSE
Roasted Arctic Char, Braised PorkCheek (quince, cauliflower and espelette)
EnRoute “Les Pommiers” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2010
SECOND COURSE
Roasted Duck Breast (chicken-fried sweetbreads, sunchoke hash)
Nickel & Nickel “State Lane Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville, 2009
THIRD COURSE
Roasted Rack of Lamb (merguez moussaka, rosemary jus_
Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2009
DESSERT
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Cara Cara Orange Sorbet
Dolce Late Harvest Wine, Napa Valley, 2007

Cost: $135 per person (excludes tax & gratuity)
Reservations can be made by contacting 617-530-9470

2) Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s Executive Chef Russell Skall announced four all-new menu items for Fleming’s. The four new menu items include an appetizer of Pan Crisped Pork Belly with goat cheese grits, an Heirloom Tomato & Housemade Burrata Salad, a small plate of Braised Short Ribs, and a Broiled Pacific Swordfish entrée.

“Each of these new menu items represents months of recipe development in order to finalize the dishes”, says Chef Skall. “For example, we decided to make our burrata cheese in-house so we could get the texture and flavors just right for the new Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad. And for the Braised Pork Belly, which is traditionally served with grits, we ended up turning the grits into a whole new dish with the addition of creamy goat cheese complemented by a slightly sweet, cherry-caramelized onion chutney. Our entire culinary team is extremely proud of these new dishes.”

Maeve Pesquera, Fleming’s Director of Wine, announced a major refresh of Fleming’s cocktail menu with new premium spirits, new recipes and fresh ingredient mixers including six all-new cocktails. New cocktails include five “Retro Chic” cocktails: The Vesper, Negroni 2.0, Moscow Mule, Dirty Doublecross, and Whiskey Revival; and one “Couture Cocktail,” The Napa Refresher.

“There is new ‘cocktail generation’ of guests coming to Fleming’s. We took a look at our entire cocktail program…behind the bar, in front of the bar, as well as the cocktail menu. No longer is it good enough just to shake a good martini,” says Pesquera. “We are making a commitment to have the Fleming’s bar become a destination for our guests.”

In addition, Fleming’s popular 5 for $6 ‘til 7 bar menu has been updated with new selections. Two food items have been added: a savory Cedar Roasted Mushroom & Artichoke Flatbread and the Pan Crisped Pork Belly.

3) On Wednesday, February 20, at 7p.m., beer drinkers are invited to come out to Cornwall’s for a taste of the United Kingdom’s number one selling bottled beer, Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Crabbie’s is a 4.8% ABV, refreshing ginger beer.

Cornwall’s will feature Crabbie’s as it is meant to be served, over ice with a slice of citrus, as well as in a few cocktails, such as: Dark & Crabbie with dark rum, Crabbie’s and fresh lime and Moscow Mule, vodka, Crabbie’s and fresh lime. The event will be pay-as-you-go and Crabbie's will be offering complimentary samples from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

 “Crabbie’s is a great alternative for people who like to drink beer or cider, with no equal in today’s American market,” says Phil Clarke, general manager of St. Killian, the exclusive US importer of Crabbie’s. “We look forward to our Crabbie’s party in Boston, and we hope to meet new friends and fans and enjoy this delicious drink together.”

Crabbie’s is fermented with the finest imported ginger and steeped for up to eight weeks to allow the complex natural flavors to fully develop, creating a smooth ginger beer with deep, deliciously spicy flavor and a sparkling finish. Scottish merchant-adventurer John Crabbie first imported ginger from the Far East into the ancient port of Leith, Edinburgh in 1801. Today, more than 200 years later, John Crabbie’s still uses the same ginger to develop the one-of-a-kind flavor of their ginger beer.