Wednesday Sips & Nibbles

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am posting my weekly Sips & Nibbles column today, briefly highlighting some interesting wine and food items that are upcoming.
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1) Fromager and Mâitre d’ Louis Risoli collaborates with Chef de Cuisine Matthew Delisle and Wine Director & Sommelier Lauren Collins to bring you the latest Cheese Tuesday from L’Espalier.

Once a month, Louis Risoli hosts the wildly popular Cheese Tuesday at L’Espalier. He provides insightful commentary, while sommelier Lauren Collins describes the wine. The December edition of Cheese Tuesday is “Home for the Holidays” which celebrates the comforts of the season. Chef Delisle presents a three-course dinner composed of his favorite holiday dishes, paired with heartwarming wines from Sommelier Lauren Collins. To conclude the evening, Fromager Louis Risoli has hand-selected cheeses with great character and depth of flavor that will only increase holiday cheer.

When: Tuesday, December 10, at 7pm
Cost: Cheese Tuesdays are $85 per person not including tax and gratuity.
For reservations, please call 617-262-3023

2) Ring in 2014 in style and head over to Boston’s South End on Tuesday, December 31, from 9pm-2:30am, as The Beehive hosts its 7th annual New Year’s Eve gala celebration. The Beehive’s, “Discothèque Burlesque New Year's Eve 2014” is an evening of bohemian decadence and eccentric fun. Guests will explore their senses as they take in the wonders of sultry Parisian burlesque performances by “The Sexation” Calamity Chang, Lil’ Steph and Stormy Leather and boogie to the explosive sounds of the all-star band The AB’s featuring vocalist Sinclair Jennings. The AB’s boogie in a modern way to the timeless soul and funk tunes The Beehive’s guests want to hear with a wall of funk like they’ve never experienced before.

Throughout the evening Executive Chef Marc Orfaly will feature a buffet of hors d’oeuvres and desserts, all served in a cocktail setting. To top it all off, guests can toast the evening with one of The Beehive’s signature cocktails, wine or champagne from one the evening’s sponsors including Chandon, SKYY Vodka, Hennessy Cognac and Moët & Chandon champagne.

The cost is $125 per person with food buffet, or $85 per person without buffet. Both ticket options include admission and entertainment. There is a cash bar all evening. Non-refundable without 24 hour advance notice. Reservations are required so please call 617-423-0069.

3) Legal Harborside is gearing up for the holiday season at Liberty Wharf. From December 4 through 31, the second floor at Legal Harborside will serve a “Feast of the Seven Fishes” tasting menu, featuring seven courses from the best of the sea, with optional wine pairings.

The Menu: 
Oyster (pickled quince mignonette)
JCB “No. 21” Cremant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, NV
Swordfish Belly (olive oil poached, pink grapefruit, fennel, red Fresno pepper)
Domaine Bernard Moreau, Bourgogne-Aligoté, Burgundy, 2011
Octopus (octopus mortadella, marinated tentacles, chick peas, frisée, harissa, preserved lemon)
Domaine du Viking “Tendre” Vouvray, Loire, 2011
Nantucket Bay Scallops (Georgia sugar squash agnolotti, brown butter, ginger snap, fried sage)
Schloss Schönborn Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese, Rheingau, 1997
Baccalà (roasted cod - lightly cured, Sicilian braised calamari, baccalà crostini, tomato chili broth)
Terlano Lagrein Rosé, Alto Adige, 2011
Monkfish (porcini dusted, black trumpet mushrooms, Tuscan kale, mussel froth)
Bouchard Aîné & Fils, Pommard, Côte de Beaune, 2009
Loch Duart Salmon (slow roasted, squid ink gnocchi, charred broccoli rabe, romesco purée)
T-Vine “Doc Gold Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, 2010
Lemon Pudding Cake (citrus biscotto, pomegranate)
Kracher “Cuvée Eiswein,” Burgenland, 2009

Cost: $75 per person for tasting menu; $125 per person with wine pairings.
For reservations, please call 617-477-2900

4) When your child is sick, it’s hard to keep up a normal daily routine, and even harder doing so during the holiday season. This is something that Paul Turano, executive chef/owner of Tryst located in Arlington, and the newly opened Cook in Newton, knows all too well, having spent time with his son at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant Units over the past few years. Both Turano’s children have Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome (SCIDS), and when his son was just two months old he had a bone marrow transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital that saved his life. This holiday season, Turano is giving back to the hospital that was there for his family by holding a holiday fundraiser for the Patient and Family Resource Room, a program that helps provide services to over 45 families whose children are being treated at the Boston Children’s Hospital Oncology and Hematology Center.

In cooperation with Boston Children’s Hospital, Turano has set up a branded donation page online and will be encouraging holiday donations for the family resource program from December 1st, 2013 through December 31st, 2013. To donate, guests can visit the donation page online, or can donate at either Cook or Tryst where a QR code will be set up which, when scanned, will take guests directly to the page where they can make a donation on their mobile devices. In exchange for donating, Turano will give donors a gift certificate to Tryst (for up to $20) with proof of donation.

“I can’t emphasize how much the Patient and Family Resource Room helped my family and I when we were going through this difficult time. It’s because of their team and services that we were able to maintain a sense of normalcy and routine, and I want to be able to give that back to other families that are going through it,” said Chef Turano, Executive Chef/Owner of Tryst and Cook.

Funded through donations from area businesses and families, the 6th floor Patient and Family Resource Room is staffed by a patient and family educator who can help patients and families learn about their medical treatment. The Patient and Family Resource Room also offers a space for patients and families to relax and connect with others going through a similar experience. Whether the donated money be used for a morning coffee at the local Dunkin Donuts, or towards purchasing a generic American Express donation that can be used towards gas, or parking (daily routines that are often overlooked), each donation will help parents regain a sense of normalcy in their lives. With the extra help of these funds, Chef Turano will be putting the holidays back in the hands of these families.

Donate on http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/events/page/Paul-Turano/ChefTuranosHolidayFundraiser.htm or visit one of the restaurants and scan the QR code (displayed throughout the restaurant). After donation, present your receipt at Tryst to receive your gift certificate (of equal value, up to a $20 value).

Limited to one Tryst gift certificate per person per visit. Gift certificates cannot be combined with any other offer. To receive gift certificate diners must visit Tryst. Cannot be done online.