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.
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1) Alpine Restaurant Group Chef/Owner Joe Cassinelli and the Posto team invite guests to join them for a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes this Christmas Eve. On Thursday, December 24, from 4pm-8pm, Posto will be celebrate with its 6th Annual Feast of the Seven Fishes. The meal will be available through reservations only and will cost $65 per person with an optional, additional wine pairing for $35 per person.

The prix fixe menu will include:
Antipasti Trio
Crispy Jonah Crab with faggotini pasta and garlic yogurt; Cotuit Bay Oyster with persimmon Agro Dolce; Scallop Crudo with tomato caviar
Second Course
Olive Oil Poached Halibut with confit baby potatoes, roasted garlic, olives, thyme, red flame grapes
Third Course
Roasted Head-On Gulf Shrimp with saffron and squid ink corzetti, clams, and shellfish brodo
Main Course
Wood Oven Roasted Snapper with lobster risotto | truffles | chervil
Dessert
L’Opera Almond Cake with nutella cream and hazelnut ganache or
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with blood orange gelée

For reservations, please call 617-625-0600.

2) On Tuesday, December 15, at 7pm, Pier 6 in Charlestown is kicking off its new Coast to Coast wine series which will highlight a different coastal wine region across the globe every month. Patrons will explore the wonderful coastal wines of Spain while enjoying a six course meal prepared by Executive Chef Adriano Silva.

With their immense knowledge and passion for both food and wine, Chef Adriano Silva and a wine ambassador will escort guests through the dinner and educate them on the dishes, strategic pairings and the unique wine regions. The tranquil coasts of Spain have possessed the ability to produce exceptionally diverse and quality wines due in favor to the rich nutrients, natural fibers and land make-up that the coast continues to successfully offer.

The evening will begin with Chef’s amuse featuring fresh Island Creek oysters, tuna carpaccio, chive crème fraîche and paddle fish caviar paired with Campo Viejo Cava. The second course will take a turn with pressed foie gras and duck confit terrine followed by a ‘deconstructed paella,’ saffron & chorizo risotto with Nantucket Bay scallops, grilled shrimp and crispy leeks drizzled in a paprika sauce. In accompanying these two courses, guests will sip on a glass of Verdejo Campo Alegre, a full-bodied crisp white wine from the region of Rueda.

Chef Silva brings the sea to land with his cooked Halibut, which is paired with Bouza de Carril Albariño from Rias Baixas. During the fifth course, an assorted cheese plate will be presented and paired with Marques de Murrieta 'Reserva' Rioja. To conclude the night, patrons will satisfy their sweet craving with a warm dish of caramelized apple bread pudding.

To encourage conversation and enhance the dining experience, the seating that evening will be communal. Reservations are required and dinner will be $60 per person. To make a reservation, please call 617-337-0054.

3) Indulge in a Provençal Christmas Eve at Bistro du Midi while taking in spectacular views overlooking the picturesque Public Garden. Executive Chef Robert Sisca will be serving the full dinner menu, with seasonal highlights including the Pork Belly with lentilles du puy, stracciatella, and pork jus, the Duck Breast with sweet potato, baby artichoke, almonds, and duck jus, and the Monkfish with squash, castelvetrano olives, romaine, and sauce au poivre. Chef Sisca will also be offering French-inspired a la carte additions including Oysters, Venison, Foie Gras, and Lobster specials.

4) Enjoy a taste of Italian holiday tradition at Restaurant dante, il Casale Lexington, and il Casale Belmont, where Chef/Owner Dante de Magistris and brothers Damian and Filippo are serving a special Festa di Pesce per la Vigilia di Natale (Feast of the Seven Fishes) on Christmas Eve. This 10th annual celebration features century-old dishes, each incorporating closely guarded recipes passed down to Dante from his Nonna.

The below four-course menu will be available in addition to the regular menus:
Antipasto
Antipasto di Mare (Shrimp, calamari, clam, eel, octopus, baccalà, smelts)
Primi
Capelli di Angeli “Aglio e Olio” (Angel hair pasta, garlic evoo, anchovy, capers, pine nuts, golden raisins)
Secondi
Spigola (Striped bass baked in salt, mushrooms, leek puree, escarole, walnut stuffing)
2009 Grechetto ‘Grecante,’ Arnoldo Caprai, Umbría
Dolce
Mostaccioli and Zeppole dei Poveri (chocolate dry fruit “cookie cake”, Neapolitan fritters, orange pastry cream)

The prix fixe is $75 per person and will be available on December 24.
Restaurant dante will be open on Christmas Eve from 5:30Ppm– 10pm. For reservations, please call 617-497-4200
il Casale Belmont will be open on Christmas Eve from 5pm-10pm. For reservations please call 617-209-4942
Il Casale Lexington will be open on Christmas Eve from 5pm-10pm. For reservations, please call 781-538-5846

5) Milkshake Mondays at the Rosebud American Kitchen are getting a holiday makeover with new seasonal flavors of their famous bourbon boozy milkshakes. Served every Monday, the Somerville dining scene's fan favorite features a $15 dinner deal of a Rosebud classic cheeseburger paired with your choice of milkshake flavors ranging from classic vanilla to the new Egg Nog (this week), Gingerbread (next week), Drunken Santa (milk and cookies themed for Christmas week), and Peppermint Bark (last week of December).

6) Puritan & Company’s Chef/Owner Will Gilson hosts a prix fixed New Year’s Eve Dinner at his Inman Square locale on Thursday, December 31 followed by New Year’s Day Brunch on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.

The four-dinner is $75 per person, and wine pairings can be included for an added $35 per person. For all tables seated after 9:30, guests will enjoy a complimentary champagne toast. New Year’s Day Brunch starts at 10:30am and will be the a la carte menu always offered with additional selections on the pastry table and juices available from Beatnik for those who want to kick 2016 off with a healthy start.

The New Year’s Eve prix fixe menu will include:
First
sea trout crudo- fennel, orange, olive, fried amaranth
duck confit and sausage- sweet potato, lentils, pistachio
grilled mushroom salad- potato, marjoram, egg yolk caramel
seared foie gras skillet ($12 supplement)- black pepper gougeres, gooseberries, whipped honey
Second
cauliflower and black truffle soup- thyme oil, parmesan, salsify
salt roasted beets- aged goat cheese, hazelnut, rye cracker
baby greens and chicories- avocado, pinenut, grapefruit
lobster bisque ($10 supplement)- crab cake, coconut, basil
Main
potato and herb gnocchi- brown butter, chestnut, parmesan
seared scallops- parsnip, brussels, pomegranate
roasted duck breast- fennel, spiced carrots, dried fruit jus
40-day dry aged bone-in sirloin steak ($15 supplement)- potato mille fuielle, black trumpets,
Dessert
rum cake- lime curd, crème fraiche, rosemary
indian pudding- sherry, cornmeal, maple
chocolate mousse trifle- hazelnut, brown butter cream, praline

For Reservations, please call 617-615-6195

7) Chef Dan Bazzinotti and the BISq team invite guests to join them this New Year's Eve for a six-course meal and subsequent free-of-charge pig roast party until midnight featuring snacks and a champagne toast. From 5:30pm to 10pm, BISq will be serving a special six-course meal for $75 dollars that will include Nantucket Bay Scallop Ceviche, Sunchoke Panna Cotta, Wellfleet Oyster Fricasse, Corzetti, Braised Veal Breast, and Dessert Charcuterie Board. A la carte items will also be available to order.

Following the prix fixe meal, BISq will be opening its doors at 10:30pm to partygoers for a fun, food-filled pig roast. The pig roast will take place until midnight and will feature a suckling pig roast, late-night snacks, a champagne toast, and music- all free of charge.

For Reservations, please call (617) 714-3693