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) Some great news this week! AKA Bistro, one of my favorite restaurants has reopened. Located in Lincoln, AKA Bistro serves both French bistro far and Japanese cuisine. It unfortunately had been closed since last December due to a massive flood. After major reconstruction, AKA reopened this past Monday, bringing with it many positive changes/

The restaurant will have a new look, including a reconfigured open kitchen. There were previously ly two separate chefs; one to turn out the French food, and another for Japanese. Now, Chef-Co-Owner Chris Chung will be responsible for 100% of what's served.

The Menu will see now changes, with a greater emphasis on hot Japanese fare and creative French bistro fare. Samples items include:
* Jar of Steamed Clams with basil, lemongrass, Thai chile and lime
* Crispy Lobster Bistro Rolls with citrus-Dijon dipping sauce
* Salmon Confit Salad with Quail Egg and sesame vinaigrette
* Short Rib Pretzel Sandwich with horseradish aioli
* BiBimBap: mixed rice salad w/ veggies, poached egg, choice of ground beef or shrimp
* Goat Cheese & Grilled Asparagus on Baguette
* Cassolette d’Escargots aux Lardons with pea-garlic emulsion
* Crisp Pork Belly with Thai curry, rice vermicelli, jicama and pea tendrils
* Slow-Poached Cod in Saffron Fumet with papillotte of spring potatoes & onions

Don't worry though as many of your old favorites are still on the menu, such as the Homemade Traditional Miso Soup, Kobe Dumplings, Moules Frites, and more.

AKA Bistro will be open for Dinner from Monday to Saturday, Lunch from Monday to Friday, and Brunch on Saturday & Sunday. They also will have a special Mother's Day Brunch.

I can't wait to dine there once again, and highly recommend that everyone else dine there too.

2) On May 27, at 6pm, Legal Sea Foods in Park Square will host a special pre-arrival tasting and wine dinner with Maison Bichot, ideal for Burgundy collectors and aficionados. Since its inception in 1350, the family-owned winery which has been passed down over generations has created some of the greatest wines in the world. Bichot’s label encompasses four separate vineyards located at the heart of the four major wine regions in France that create Burgundy: Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. Each vineyard is dedicated to the vinification and aging of each wines’ structure and character and each wine represents the essence of their expertise and style. Legal Sea Foods will team up with Guillaume Suss, to host an exclusive pre-arrival tasting and five-plus-course dinner featuring signature cuisine paired with selections from the Maison Bichot vine.

The menu will be presented as follows:

PRE-ARRIVAL TASTING OF 2012
Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos,” 2012
Domaine du Chateau-Gris, Nuits Saint Georges Blanc “Les Terrasses,” 2012
Albert Bichot, Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru “Les Peuillets,” 2012
Domaine du Chateau-Gris, Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru “Chateau Gris,” 2012
RECEPTION
Oysters on the Half Shell, Champagne Mignonette
Crab & Enoki Mushroom Tartlet, Mustard Aioli
Lobster Medallion, Grilled Crostini, Tarragon Crème Fraîche
Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis, 2011
FIRST COURSE
Diver Scallop Carpaccio
Mixed Green Salad, Granny Smith Apple, Yuzu-Honey Vinaigrette
Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis 1er Cru “Les Vaucopins,” 2011
SECOND COURSE
Meyer Lemon Butter Poached Fluke
Cous Cous Salad, Baby Mache
Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault 1er Cru “Les Charmes,” 2009
MAIN COURSE
Slow Roasted Cornish Hen
Peruvian Roasted Potatoes, Cipollini Onion Confit, Wilted Swiss Chard
Domaine du Pavillon, Pommard “Clos des Ursulines,” 2011
CHEESE COURSE
Italian Taleggio, Vermont Ayr, MouCo Camembert
Black Pepper Toast Points, Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Domaine du Clos Frantin, Gevrey Chambertin “Les Murots,” 2006
Domaine du Clos Frantin, Gevrey Chambertin “Les Murots,” 2011

COST: $125 per person (excludes tax & gratuity)
Reservation required by calling 617-530-9397

3) From May 13–June 11, The MET Restaurant Group will host its Ninth Annual Soft Shell Crab Festival serving the delicious crustacean 30 ways in 30 days. Hailing from Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, soft shell crabs have tantalized the taste buds of seafood lovers across the globe. The MET has explored a variety of flavors and techniques that reveal the best of this culinary creature and will offer a special soft shell crab dish each night from mid-May to mid-June.

Guests will enjoy some very crustacean creations including Soft Shell Monte Cristo, Corn meal Crusted Crab with corn silk, favas and pea tendrils, Tempura Fried Crab with soy peanut sauce and cucumber noodles, and Chili Crab Pizza topped with fried crab, sweet chili and arugula. For the purist, soft shell crabs will also be available meuniére style daily.

4) On May 12, at 8pm, Chefs Samuel Monsour and Mark O’Leary will be cooking a 7-course pop up dinner, the second in a series called The Future Of Junk Food, presented by Kitchensurfing, the online marketplace where chefs connect with the world to sell their skills, goods and services. The dinner will take place at Cambridge restaurant East by Northeast.

There are 30 seats available and only one seating for the evening. The event showcases the Kitchensurfing model of connecting chefs directly with active diners while allowing chefs a creative outlet to try new things.

The Future Of Junk Food pop up dinner series is inspired by the classic junk food that the chefs ate in their childhoods and that millions of Americans continue to consume on a daily basis. Chef Monsour began recreating iconic junk food items using whole, nutrient-dense ingredients with none of the toxins used in traditional junk food as a way to draw awareness to the ‘junk food epidemic’ and prove to food corporations that embracing locally sourced, sustainable ingredients is a viable and beneficial option.

“We aim to demonstrate that it's possible to create the foods that Americans love to eat while also supporting the sustainable food movement,” says O’Leary.

This pop up dining series is the latest outlet for the chefs’ creative junk food project. It allows discerning Boston diners a chance to get on board and discover first hand what the future of junk food can be in an intimate setting and with a chance to interact with the chefs one on one.

Purchase tickets for $125 on Eventbrite here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-future-of-junk-food-part-ii-tickets-11186959497?aff=eorg

This event is a 21+ event
Please note: due to the nature of this event, menu substitutions and/or allergies cannot be accommodated.