Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.. **********************************************************
1) Chef & Owner Brian Poe is rolling out an expanded brunch menu at CLUCKIT! in the South End. Beginning this Sunday, Chef Poe will be serving up more heat-filled piri-piri offerings and other classics on the corner of Tremont Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

For starters, options include Zanzaipoe Pizza (goat cheese, peaches, mint, prosciutto, tandoori naan & arugula - $7.95); Calamari (piri lime sauce, honey glaze - $9.95); Wings (grilled - $9.95); House Salad (Bibb lettuce, avocado, mint, tomato, onion, cucumber, cumin, lemon yogurt dressing - $6.95); and the Portuguese-style Cassava Fries (molho cru mild dipping sauce - $4.95). CLUCKIT! also will offer a variety of side orders ($3.95 each) such as Cucumber Salad; Watermelon Salad; Black-Eyed Pea Salad; African Rice; Corn on the Cob; Piri Grilled Vegetables; and, Bacon.

Chef Poe also is serving up nine signature brunch plates with selections like French Toast (molasses grilled banana, blackberry piri jam, whipped cream - $12.95); Breakfast Plate (cheesy scrambled or fried eggs & piri confit potatoes and toast - $11.95), Signature Omelette (mushroom, basil, cherry tomato, truffle & brie cheese - $12.95); Omelette (ham, bell pepper, American cheese, home fries, toast - $13); Chicken & Waffles (piri fried wings, apple maple butter & cranberry compote - $10); Ja-Nee Taco & Egg (piri braised chicken, mango slaw, roti & a fried egg - $6.95); Moons Over My Roti (ham, Velveeta, fried egg, roti - $6.95); Pork Belly (fried egg, spicy watermelon piri salsa, arugala - $10.95); Brunch Burger (classic Estelle’s burger, cheese, fried egg and fried onions - $13.95); and, Waffles (sundried cranberry gastrique - $10).

CLUCKIT! is open for brunch from 11:00am to 2:30pm on Sundays.

2) “Happy Hour” is about to get even happier at Haru in the Back Bay. Beginning August 17, Haru will revamp its afternoon and late-night bar and lounge menu to include seven newcomers that are brimming with treasures from land and sea.

Available for $8-and-under, Haru’s new offerings infuse Japanese culinary delights into a social bar experience and include Kushiage, skewers of flash fried shrimp and avocado with yuzu ponzu sauce ($6); Char Sui Pork Bun, a steamed bun with grilled pork belly, namasu, cabbage and cilantro ($6); the four-piece Yuga Roll, with spicy salmon, lemon and cucumber rolled in rice, sesame seeds and nori, topped with eel and massago and served with spicy mayo ($7); the soy-and-curry braised Tempura Short Rib, with romaine lettuce, herb salad and pickled onions ($8); a tender Chicken Satay, marinated in coconut curry with almond dipping sauce ($6); the spicy Wasabi Fritters, seasoned with Ichimi Togarashi flakes and infused with shiitake mushrooms, served with lemon dressing ($6); and slow-cooked Spare Ribs, marinated in lemongrass and chilies, grilled to perfection.

3) Chef Jacky Robert of Ma Maison Jacky Robert and a quartet of his well-known colleagues from the culinary community, will cook up a storm to raise funds for On Board For Kids, a charitable foundation that has donated close to $50,000 since 2012 to a trio of causes aimed at feeding hungry children in disaster-ridden foreign lands.

The one-night event will take place on The Music City Queen, an authentic steam-driven paddleboat departing from the Rowes Wharf Ferry Terminal in Boston at 5:30 PM on Saturday, September 12 with a live jazz band on board.

Every cent raised for On Board For Kids directly:
* Feeds street kids aged 7 thru 12 in the Philippines thru school meals
* Provides basic nutrition to kids affected by earthquakes in Nepal
* Contributes to building a pre-school for at-risk kids in a remote Colombian village

Chefs cooking aboard the sunset cruise this year include:
Peter Ballarin, Chef-Owner, The Hungry I, Boston
Dante de Magistris, Chef-Owner of Dante (Cambridge) and Il Casale (Belmont and Lexington)
Jacky Robert, Ma Maison, Boston
Thomas John, Chef-Owner, Piperi Mediterranean Grill, Boston
Chris Chung, Chef-Owner of AKA Bistro, Lincoln, MA

4) Chef Brian Poe is introducing new dishes to the brunch menu at Bukowski Tavern in Cambridge. Beginning this Saturday, Chef Poe will be serving up classic comfort food and other favorites in the heart of Inman Square.

For starters, “Hungover” options include Chips (homemade sweet potato chips, prosciutto, onion strings + green kosho tabasco - $8), Cauliflower (celery root, cauliflower chips, charred cauliflower, creamed kefir and onion - $6), Sweet Tater Tots (sage maple butter, French sea salt - $9), Fontina Bites (Prosciutto-wrapped fontina cheese, corn sauce - $9), and Grilled Corn (chipotle aioli, Cotija cheese, lime - $4.95).

“Dainty” options will include the Grilled Caesar (parmesan toasted croutons, dressing - $11.95), Summer Salad (mixed greens, watermelon, strawberries, feta, roasted pistachios, dried cranberry champagne vinaigrette - $11.95) and, Heirloom Tomato Salad (heirloom beefsteak tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinaigrette - $11.95).

Poe also is serving up nine “Eggscessive” brunch plates with selections like the Buk Breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, toast - $10.95); Signature (basil pesto portabella, tomato, brie cheese, cherry tomatoes, truffle - $12.95); White Trash Cheese Chilequiles (flour tortillas casserole, white trash cheese dip, weenies, jalapenos, topped with fried egg - $12); Moons Over My Dilla (breakfast quesadilla stuffed with Velveeta, ham, fried egg, salsa fresca & Poe’s taco hell sauce - $10); Buk Burger (tomato, onion, pickle, lettuce, cheese, veal demi - $12.95; with an egg -$ 14.95); Avocado Burger (black beans, potatoes, black quinoa, cilantro lime crema - $12.95; with an egg - $14.95); and, Crab Cake Sandwich (poached egg, serrano chile- cilantro crab cake, mango hazelnut puree on a bun - $13.95).

Bukowski Tavern is open for brunch service on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.