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) This New Year’s Eve, guests can wine, dine and ring in 2016 with a rendezvous at Tryst in Arlington. Executive Chef Paul Turano will offer a special three course, prix fixe New Year’s Eve menu complete with a Prosecco toast. Guests can begin with favorites such as Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad with toasted hazelnuts, parmesan & Verjus vinaigrette, and the AFQ, southern fried quail with chorizo grits & red eye gravy before indulging in entrees such as Chestnut Involtini with ricotta & chestnut stuffed pasta, toasted walnuts & sage, and Seared Beef Tenderloin with wild mushroom & foie gras bread pudding, roasted asparagus & Cabernet jus.

Toast the New Year with Tryst’s craft cocktails including the Mistletoe made with egg nog, Godiva white chocolate, Stoli vanilla, Kahlua ($12), and the Cranberry Bob Margarita with Espolon Tequila, Domaine De Canton, cranberry ginger puree and lemon ($12).

Tryst’s New Year’s Eve menu is $60 per person (includes Prosecco toast but does not include tax & gratuity), and will be offered exclusively on Thursday, December 31, from 5pm-11pm.
Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling 781-641-2227.

Tryst will also be open on New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2016 for brunch from 11am-2:30pm. Guests can fuel their hangovers or celebrate with friends over Chef Turano’s Brown Sugar Baked French Toast ($11), Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes ($11), or Al Pastor Pork Tostada, 2 fried eggs, refried beans, guacamole, Jack cheese, crispy tortillas & spicy tomato sauce ($13).

2) This New Year’s Eve guests can wine, dine and ring in 2016 at Pier 6 in Charlestown. On Thursday, December 31, from 5pm-1am, guests are invited to a special New Year’s Eve dinner celebration. This year Pier 6 is offering two special New Year’s Eve options.

From 5pm-8pm, guests can relax and enjoy New Year’s Eve dinner. Pier 6’s Executive Chef Adriano Silva will be serving a special four course, prix fixe dinner, which will include dishes such as Nori Crusted Tuna with pickled turnips, sesame spinach and jasmine rice; Duet of Sirloin and Short Rib with potato puree, vegetable bourguignon, red wine sauce; and Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna with ricotta, spinach and Pomodoro. The prix fixe menu is available for $55 per person and will be served in addition to select a la carte specials. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 617-337-0054

Pier 6 is continuing the festivities with its “Finale New Year’s Eve Party!” At 9pm they’ll be dimming the lights and turning the music up playing all your favorite 90's classics and top 40 hits. Guests can take a break from partying to fuel up on delectable hors d'oeuvres and bar snacks, and throughout the evening can sip on draft beers, wine or signature cocktails as they countdown to the New Year. When the clock strikes midnight say goodbye to 2015 and ring in 2016 with a complimentary champagne toast and a spectacular view of the fireworks show over Boston Harbor. Fireworks begin at 12am and the bar is open until 1am. Tickets are $50 per person and must be purchased in advance by visiting http://pier6nye.eventbrite.com.

3) On Thursday, December 31, from 5:30pm to 10pm, Chef/owner Keith Pooler and the Bergamot team invite guests to join them this New Year's Eve for a delicious six-course meal. Promising a tasty end to 2015, Bergamot will be serving a special six-course meal for $95 that will include:

Butter Poached Oysters with 
Parisian gnocchi, Yukon gold potatoes, and caviar;
Agnolotti Carbonara with 
guanciale, Parmesan, and black truffle;
Hoppin’ John with game bird terrine, pickled black eyed peas, bacon lardons, 
poblano cream, and crispy Carolina gold;
Sole & Lobster
 with sunchoke and fennel jam, black trumpet mushrooms, and blood orange gastrique;
Chicken Fried Steak with prime sirloin, fried chicken skin, buttermilk scalloped potato,
 porcini mushroom, and foie cream gravy;
Lime Curd Mousse
 with poppyseed coconut cake, cranberry-lychee sorbet,
 coconut meringue, satsuma, and gold dust.

Cost: $95 per person. An optional wine pairing will be available for $60.
Please make reservations by calling 617-576-7700

4) Starting January 7, Executive Chef Robert Sisca and his team at Bistro du Midi present a January Fête du Citron Prix Fixe, celebrating this annual French festival, with a special three-course prix fixe menu.

Celebrating this annual festival showcasing all things citrus, this unique prix fixe menu will feature the refreshing fruits of the season through a variety of dishes from Chef Sisca and decadent desserts from Pastry Chef Robert Gonzalez. To enhance the culinary experience, Sommelier Todd Lipman has expertly crafted seasonal citrus cocktails: Calamansi Collins with Pearl vodka, lemon & lime, Scrappy’s grapefruit bitters ($12), Blood Orange Sage Daiquiri with Old Port rum, blood orange, fresh lime, muddled sage ($14) and L’Orange de Provence with Pinnacle gin, fresh orange, Pernod Pastis and vanilla ($12).

The Menu is:
FIRST
Celery Root Soup (Trumpet royales, parmesan, bergamot)
or
Duck & Lardo Terrine (Etna Salumi, Pistachio, lemon)
or
Market Greens (Marinated goats cheese, root vegetables, sherry vinaigrette)
SECOND
Goat Cheese Gnocchi (Arugula pistou, pine nuts, preserved lime)
or
Hake (Sunchokes, meyer lemon, grapefruit sauce vierge)
or
Beef Cheek Daube
Heirloom baby carrots, blood orange gremolata
THIRD
Mascarpone Beignet (Citrus sugar, apple cardamom butter)
or
Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie (Almond short bread, raspberry macaroon)
or
Blood Orange Caramel Cheesecake (Olive oil cake, poached pears)

Menu is available in the main dining room, Sundays through Fridays, January 7 – January 29, from 5pm-10pm
Cost: The Fête du Citron menu is $45/person, not including tax and gratuity.
For reservations, please call 617-426-7878.

5) Executive Chef Matt Drummond, self-proclaimed Bar Dude Will Falaro, and the Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar team launch bold new seasonal eats and cocktails to add a little crazy fun to this winter.

Located in the heart of Southie, Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar is inspired by the flavors of Latin America. Executive Chef Matt Drummond has created a new dinner menu showcasing fresh seasonal ingredients and creative dishes to suit all palates.

New dishes include ceviche selections including the Oyster Ceviche with passion fruit, mango, pineapple, pomegranate, habanero, and citrus and the Rock Shrimp Ceviche with tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cucumbers, lime, and crispy tortilla chips, and fresh apps like Crispy Cauliflower with roasted beet and goat cheese puree, greens, citrus, and sunflower seeds.

Guests can enjoy new seasonally-inspired tacos including the Seared Venison Taco with cauliflower puree, grilled acorn squash, smoked corn, and bacon, and the Grilled Avocado Taco with curtido, jalapeno herb crema, crispy Brussels sprouts, and spiced pumpkin seeds. New entrees include classics with a Latin American twist, including the Kale Caesar Salad with roasted poblano, green apple, savory granola, and golden raisins; Carnitas Papusa with pork, chichuahua, curtido, and roasted tomato sauce, Steak and Potatoes with grilled bavette steak, papas bravas, crispy brussels sports, and morita choron sauce; and Blackened Swordfish with moro rice, black beans, grilled avocado, fried plantains, and salsa verde.

6) This New Year’s Eve, Foundry on Elm will set the stage for a First Night celebration in Davis Square. Beginning at 5pm, executive Chef Shayne Nunes will start dishing out a customizable three-plus-course prix fixe menu to help get you ready for the long night ahead.

For an amuse-bouche, there is a Roasted Asian Pear with Great Hill bleu cheese and smoked honey. First course options include the Roasted Farmer’s Beets with mesclun and chicory greens, Cara Cara orange, honey pecan ricotta and citrus vinaigrette; Creamy Cauliflower Soup with shiitake mushroom crostini and white truffle oil; or, Lump Crab Cake with a “BLT” salad, Applewood smoked bacon, frisée, charred cherry tomato and remoulade. For the main course, choose between the Brown Sugar Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, baby kale, warm cider cream and candied peanuts; Brick Seared Statler Chicken Breast with shiitake mushrooms, baby kale, creamy goat cheese polenta and a maple-sherry jus; Pan-Roasted Sea Scallops with crisp pork belly, Brussels sprouts and brown butter-acorn squash puree; or, Le Grand Filet Mignon with grilled asparagus, truffle whipped potatoes and a red wine-mushroom cream sauce. For a final taste of something sweet in 2015, there are three options: Spiced Eggnog Crème Brûlée with a cinnamon ginger snap; Apple Cider Donut Holes with chipotle-chocolate sauce; or, Blood Orange Sorbet with Cara Cara oranges and mint.

At 10pm, Foundry on Elm will open its doors to its official New Year’s Eve celebration. Revelers will dance the night away while sipping on handcrafted cocktails and an extensive array of beer selections. On the ones-and-twos will be DJ Axel Foley, who will spin a mix of top 40 hits until the wee hours. At midnight, enjoy a complimentary champagne toast as you say goodbye to 2015 and warmly welcome 2016.

Cost: Dinner prix fixe: $75 per person
Event admission: $30 per person at the door
For Reservations, please call (617) 628-9999