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) On Tuesday, September 23, at 7:00PM, the Met Back Bay will host Kitchen Kibitz in its private dining space “Townhouse” for a special Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) pop up dinner called “Land of Milk & Honey.” The event will be a prix fixe dinner in a communal setting exploring some of the mystical Mizrachi Jewish cuisine of the Middle East, specifically the small community of Yemen. The guest chef for the evening will be Chef Geoff Lukas of Sofra Bakery. Making it an extra sweet new year, the menu will reflect traditional ingredients of honey, pomegranates and fenugreek with large trays to share and plenty of entertainment throughout the night including live music and belly dancing performances.

The all-inclusive ticket price of $85 per person can be purchased beginning Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 via the following Eventbrite link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/kitchen-kibitz-land-of-milk-and-honey-tickets-12946215479
Seats are limited to 34 seats, so purchasing tickets well in advance of the event is highly recommended.

MENU:

Course 1: Bread Service:
Malawach, flatbread with fenugreek, challah
Zhoug, matbucha, za'atar
Hummus ful
Charred eggplant with coriander and pomegranate
Apple and hawayej tabouleh
Black-eyed peas with fenugreek and cascara
Charoset
Course 2: Soup
Yemenite Soup (Hawayej, knedlach, charred leeks, summer veg, hilbeh)
Course 3: Main
Braised lamb shoulder with pomegranate molasses and chickpeas (Kabsa mixed rice, Schmaltzy potatoes with pickled lime, Roasted brussels sprouts au jus with pomegranate seeds)
Course 4: Dessert
Date and apple halva
Yemeni honey cakes with comb
Malabi with pomegranate syrup

2) On September 30, at 6:30pm, Legal Harborside will team up with David Adelsheim, Proprietor of Adelsheim Vineyard, for an exclusive four-plus-course wine dinner. As one of Oregon’s founding wineries, the first vineyard was planted in the early 1970s in the north part of Willamette Valley. As a family-owned vineyard in its fifth generation, experimentation and collaboration have contributed to its regional and national success. Core standards for crafting stylistically consistent wines include using traditional and state-of-the-art techniques that create elegance, complexity, balance, and richness in their aromas, flavors and texture.

The menu will be presented as follows:

HORS D’OEUVRES
Nori Dusted Tuna - pickled daikon, miso ginger aioli
Scallop Sashimi - pickled squash, brown butter vinaigrette, local apple
Trout Pâté - caraway dust, trout roe, tart pear jam
Local Oysters on the Half Shell - preserved lemon, pomegranate sumac
Adelsheim Auxerrois, Chehalem Mountains, 2012
FIRST COURSE
Hazelnut Dusted Trout (spaghetti squash, golden raisin, warm hazelnut apple vinaigrette)
Adelsheim “Bryan Creek Vineyard” Pinot Blanc, Chehalem Mountains, 2012
Adelsheim Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, 2012
SECOND COURSE
Long Island Duck (chestnut spaetzle, lightly smoked duck confit, blueberry & beet purée)
Adelsheim Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2012
Adelsheim “Elizabeth’s Reserve” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2011
THIRD COURSE
Grilled Flat Iron Steak (mole negro, chipotle cherry glaze, roasted yams, charred leaks)
Adelsheim “Vintage 32” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2009
DESSERT COURSE
Fresh Blackberries (honey rosemary ice cream)
Adelsheim Déglacé, Willamette Valley, 2012

COST: $110 per person (excludes tax & gratuity)
Reservation required by calling 617-530-9470

3) Friends of Boston’s Homeless partners with renowned Boston chefs Karen Akunowicz (Myers + Chang), David Becker (Sweet Basil, Juniper), Chris Douglass (Ashmont Grill, Tavolo), and Jim Solomon (The Fireplace), for an exclusive farm-to-table fall harvest dinner to benefit The Serving Ourselves Farm at Boston’s Long Island Shelter.

The evening will feature a sunset cocktail reception on The Serving Ourselves Farm followed by a four-course dinner by the event’s team of celebrity chefs. Designed to showcase local food purveyors and culinary talent, the dinner will draw on ingredients grown and sourced at the farm. Guests will enjoy an elegant and intimate affair with a relaxed atmosphere featuring family-style food presentation, simple farm-inspired décor, and the company of fellow contributors.

100% of proceeds from the event will benefit Friends of Boston’s Homeless programs to help homeless individuals gain independence through education, employment, life skills development and permanent housing. To date, the annual Fall Harvest Dinner has raised $75,000 and is expected to reach a total of $100,000 this year.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25
6:00 – 7:00pm Sunset Cocktail Hour and Hors D’oeuvres
7:00 – 10:00pm Four Course Harvest Dinner with Beer and Wine

TICKETS: $250 per person / $2,000 per table of six (includes signage and goods from the farm)
To purchase tickets, call (617) 942-8671/8683 or visit https://www.fundraise.com/2014harvestdinner.
 
4) Cook, an American bistro located in Newton, will begin its new ‘Cook for Charity’ celebrity chef series by welcoming WCVB-TV host Anthony Everett of “Chronicle.” On Wednesday, October 1,from 6pm-8pm, Everett will roll up his sleeves and get cooking with Executive Chef/Owner Paul Turano as they serve up the special “Everett Flatbread,” designed by Everett himself from the open kitchen, wood-fired grill. The five ingredient flatbread (representing WCVB-TV’s Channel 5) will consist of: sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, onions and meatballs with 100% of flatbread sales going directly to the Multiple Sclerosis Society which works to improve quality of life for individuals and families affected by MS; and raises funds for cutting-edge MS research to stop disease progression, restore lost function and end MS forever.

Everett has been heavily involved with the MS Society, and the night of cooking will be one of several celebrity chef events at Cook, all of which will raise money and awareness about a charity chosen by the specific celebrity of the evening.

COST: $15 per flatbread. 100% of proceeds from the Everett flatbreads all evening long will be donated to the MS Society
The regular menu will also be available on the night.
Reservations are recommended by calling 617-964-2665.

5) On Wednesday, September 17, at 6:30pm, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House invites guest to explore the bold and flavorful wines of Napa Valley winery, Cliff Lede Vineyards. Cliff Lede General Manager, Lee Abraham will be onsite to meet with guests. Guests will enjoy a five-course seasonal dinner paired with a selection of the vineyard’s finest wines.

2014 Cliff Lede Wine Dinner Menu
Passed Appetizers
2013 FEL Pinot Gris
Beer Battered Alaskan King Crab Bites (Sam Adam Noble Pils Beer Batter, Blood Orange Remoulade)
Oysters on The Half Shell (Melon Gastrique)
Second Course
Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc
Cirtus Poached Sea Bass (Sea Bass poached in a citrus broth, White Peach Salsa)
Third Course
Cliff Lede Pinot Noir
Three Season Lamb Lollipops (Black Cherry Compote, Wild Mushroom and Thyme Demi, Pomegranate Cola Syrup)
Dinner Course
Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon
Bone-in Filet (Bone Marrow and Foie Gras Reduction, Smashed Potatoes, Glazed Baby Brussel Sprouts)
Finale
Moondance Dream Cabernet Sauvignon
Chocolate Tasting (Truffles, mousse, mini chocolate pastries)

COST: $195 per person + tax and gratuity
To make a reservation, please call (617) 951-1368.

6) On Tuesday, September 23, the Beat Hôtel will be transformed into the Big Easy during its first ever “New Orleans Burlesque: Fleur de Tease” from 8:30PM to 12AM featuring drink and dinner specials from Chef Ignacio Lopez, live music from The Brian Thomas New Orleans Band and a spicy burlesque show. Three of NYC's top burlesque performers will twist and twirl their tassels in homage to the storied history of New Orleans burlesque, once a hot-spot for superstar entertainers performing at legendary clubs in the French Quarter. The great residents of the Big Easy who once invented jazz used that same creativity to produce a vibrant burlesque scene that has remained ever present in the city since the 1940's.

The sultry show will feature three tempting, teasing and tantalizing ladies including New York City’s Calamity Chang. This “Asian Sexation” is a talented burlesque performer as well as the co-producer of the world's only Asian Burlesque Spectacular show in NYC. Joining her onstage is “The Go-Go Pussycat” Bettina May, a former Suicide Girl who has been performing nationally for the past six years. The Maine Attraction who will entice the audience with her dance-inspired “Burlesque Fusion.” The ladies will perform to the explosive sounds of The Brian Thomas New Orleans Band. Boston based trombonist Thomas is one of the most sought after musicians in the country playing music ranging from jazz to funk. He has been playing trombone since the age of 10 and leads his own jazz quartet, big band, and funk power house Akashic Record, each of which feature his original compositions.

While enjoying the show, guests can feed their appetite with specials from Ignacio Lopez which will be served in addition to the regular menu. Guests can indulge in everything from Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with black beans, Spanish rice, queso blanco, cheddar and salsa ($25), BBQ Spare RIB Dinner, tender pork ribs, country mashed potatoes and slaw ($24), and Seared Duck Breast with risotto, sour cherries, kale and port wine sauce ($27).

For more information or to make a reservation, please call 617-499-0001.