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) Bergamot Chefs Keith Pooler and Dan Bazzinotti along with Beverage Director Kai Gagnon will make Valentine’s Day even more romantic with their aphrodisiac inspired multi-course menu. The Valentine’s Day menu includes six courses for $95 with a wine pairing available for an additional $60.

The menu includes:

First Course:
Broiled Oyster with poblano pepper, sweet potato and black barley
Second Course:
Scallop Sausage with fennel, blood orange, mascarpone, and Marcona Almonds
Third Course:
Lobster with avocado, yellow-eyed peas, grilled vegetable mole
Fourth Course:
Pomegranate Glazed Quail with Sausage, Broccoli, and Garlic
Fifth Course:
Long Island Duck Breast with Bread Pudding, Pickled Persimmon, Maitake Mushrooms, Walnut, and Chervil
Sixth Course:
Chocolate Éclair with apricot, burnt sugar, hazelnut, orange and chocolate sorbet

WHEN: Saturday, February 14. Seatings begin at 5pm
For reservations, please call 617-576-7700.

2) Puritan & Co. Chef/Owner Will Gilson and his talented team pay homage to Italy’s Bubble Belt in the next installation of “Wine Wednesdays”. On  Wednesday, February 4, at 7pm, Puritan & Company offers guests a taste of Italy’s Bubble Belt that includes everything from frothy reds and sparkling whites. The wine dinner is $65 per guest and reservations are recommended. Featured wines include Lambruscos and natural-made wines from Piedmont, Liguria and Veneto. Each wine will be paired perfectly with small plates prepared by Puritan and Company’s award-winning kitchen staff.

The selections featured are:
Podere il Caliceto, Emilia-Romagna:
2013 Bianco dell’Emilia “BiFri”
2013 Lambrusco di Sorbara “Falistra”
Fondo Bozzole, Lombardy:
2013 Lambrusco Montovano “Incantabiss”
2013 Montova Rosso “Le Mani”
2013 Vino Spumante Rosato “Cocai”

For reservations, please call (617)-615-6195

3) It’s Mardi Gras in New England which generally means restaurants will be adding the word “Creole” and “Cajun” in front of dishes on menus everywhere. But, how true is this to authentic Mardi Gras fare? Chef Paul Turano, chef/owner of Tryst restaurant in Arlington, has taken it upon himself to bring authenticity to his special Mardi Gras dinner being held on Tuesday, February 17, from 5pm-10pm.

Served in addition to Tryst’s regular menu, Mardi Gras diners can look forward to experiencing a three-course prix fixe menu available for $30 per person featuring items such as blackened catfish with red beans, rice & celery root remoulade, fried green tomato “BLT” with pork belly, lettuce & ranch dressing and Cinnamon-Sugar Beignets with Cinnamon-Bourbon caramel and milk jam. That’s not all, guests will be able to enjoy authentic cocktails and Hurricanes galore.

Reservations are strongly recommended so please call 781-641-2227.

4) On Tuesday, February 10, at 6:30pm, Legal Harborside will team up with Cyril Chappellet, Chairman of the Board of Chappellet, to host an exclusive four-plus-course wine dinner. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, the Chappellet family’s romance with Pritchard Hill’s vineyards started more than four decades ago when Donn and Molly Chappellet first glimpsed its magnificent vista of forests and wildflower-filled meadows. From these vineyards, the Chappellets have been crafting extraordinary, age-worthy wines since 1967. The rugged terroir has become legendary for producing wines with great intensity and depth—qualities that define the world's finest Cabernet Sauvignons. As a result, Chappellet wines have consistently received the highest praise from critics, and are sought after by the world's premier collectors.

The menu will be presented as follows:

HORS D’OEUVRES
Duck Liver Mousse (apricot mostarda, toasted brioche)
King Crab (Meyer lemon panna cotta, pickled fennel)
Speck Wrapped Pears (local honey, hazelnut crumble)
Lobster Cappuccino (tarragon foam, puff pastry)
Chappellet “Donn Chappellet” Signature Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2013
FIRST COURSE
West Coast Geoduck Clam (torched sashimi-style, winter melon, guava vinaigrette, shiso leaf)
Chappellet “Molly Chappellet” Signature Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley, 2013
SECOND COURSE
Moroccan Braised Lamb Belly (pomegranate molasses, stewed chickpeas, sumac-scented yogurt)
Chappellet “Donn Chappellet” Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2012
THIRD COURSE
Creekstone Farms Charred New York Strip Steak (brown butter sunchoke purée, smoked cipollini butter, black garlic bordelaise)
Chappellet “Pritchard Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2011
CHEESE COURSE
L’explorateur Triple Crème Cow’s Milk Cheese (chocolate brioche, kumquat preserves, minus 8 vinegar)
Chappellet Zinfandel, Napa Valley, 2012

COST: $125 per person (excludes tax & gratuity)
Reservation required by calling 617-530-9470