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.
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1) Owner & Chef Brian Poe is getting ready to flip for National Burger Month in May at The Tip Tap Room in Beacon Hill. Each week, Chef Poe will feature a different 8 oz. game-meat burger that takes a walk on the wild side: Elk Burger; Yak Burger; Antelope Burger; and, Buffalo Burger. Each reimagined American classic comes served with French fries and is dressed with toppings and condiments.

These specialty burgers will join Poe’s trio of signature burgers ($12.95 each), which are available at lunch and dinner: Steak Burger (lettuce, tomato, veal demi, A1 aioli, Tip Tap dressing); Lamb Burger (lettuce, tomato, tzatziki, lamb glace); and, Turkey Burger (lettuce, tomato, cranberry fennel slaw, turkey gravy). Customize any burger to your palate with an assortment of add-on accompaniments including: sautéed mushrooms; bacon; sautéed onions; Swiss; cheddar; American; and, beer cheese sauce.

Cost: Wild game specialty burgers: $14 each
         Signature burgers: $12.95

2) Spice things up on Sunday, May 5 at Tryst. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Tryst is offering guests a free shrimp taco with the purchase of a “Tryst-a-rita,” Tryst’s house margarita. From 4:30pm-9pm, guests will receive one of Executive Chef Paul Turano’s famed shrimp tacos when they order a margarita ($10) in the bar & lounge area or dining room. No food or cocktail substitutions. Limited to one shrimp taco per cocktail order. Limited to one per guest.

3) Join the team at Island Creek Oyster Bar as they welcome winemaker Christian Moreau of the Domaine Christian Moreau Pére & Fils for a dinner celebrating Chablis and its perfect pairing – seafood! Christian brings his portfolio of Chablis wines ranging from unadulterated AC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlee) through Premier and Grand Cru holdings to Island Creek Oyster Bar on Tuesday, May 14, at 6:30pm.

The terroir of Chablis is the perfect match for ICOB’s sea-to-table fare. The soils in the Chablis region of France contain fossilized oysters shells giving the wine notes of mineral and salt from old sea beds – an oyster bar’s dream. ICOB is meticulous about the fishermen from which they source their seafood and farmers that grow their wines so the Moreau family’s tradition of carefully harvesting and sorting grapes by hand for optimal quality is an ideal match for not just the restaurant’s menu, but also its ethos.

Cost: $115 per person includes a four-course prix fixe menu (raw bar, appetizer, entrée, dessert) and paired wines, exclusive of gratuity & tax.
For Reservations, please call 617-532-5300.

4) Owner Brian Poe and Executive Chef Eric Gburski are burger guys, so much so that they launched Estelle’s Burger Joint in April, made up of a quintet of gourmet burgers that are offered six days a week until 5pm.

To rightfully honor National Burger Month in May, the duo will be grilling up an exclusive beauty of a special available by night: Big Beauty Burger (wicked hot aioli, cheddar cheese, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles - $12.95). For one month only, The Big Beauty Burger will join the ranks with Estelle’s signature creations that each come served with house-cut fries and a variety of sauces: Estelle’s House Burger (100% beef burger with American cheese, tomato, onion, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles, potato roll - $7.95); Double Trouble (double 100% beef burgers, double American cheese, tomato, onion, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles, potato roll - $12.95); Cajun Turkey Burger (spiced turkey with American cheese, tomato, onion, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles, potato roll - $9.95); Crispy Catfish Burger (pan fried, breaded and spiced catfish with lettuce, tomato, onion, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles, potato roll - $10.95); and, Vegan Burger (black eyed pea and corn burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, Estelle’s B n’ B pickles - $8.95).

5) Lee Napoli, owner of Chocolee Chocolates, is a skilled Pastry Chef and is now realizing her dream of bringing top quality baked goods to the masses with the opening later this month of a new bakery, Bread + Butter. This will be an artisan bakery-cafe designed to showcase her library of sweet and savory recipes, developed during her years at Boston restaurants like Maison Robert, Anago, Metro, and Sandrine’s.

It will feature Napoli'’s éclairs, croissants and napoleons; as well as other essential urban fare like sandwiches on fresh baked bread, unique entrees, exceptional coffee, crisp salads, and of course, hand-dipped chocolates from Chocolee Chocolates. It will be a 2,500 sq ft café and bakery located at the corner of Cross and Salem streets, where the North End meets the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Passers-by can watch Lee Napoli at work daily through a large window that connects the kitchen to the street.

I am a huge fan of Chocolee Chocolates and I have enjoyed Lee's eclairs, beignets and more. This new cafe/bakery is exciting and I look forward to checking it out once it opens this month.