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) Join A&B Burgers as they stroll through Bourbon Street on Tuesday, August 30th from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Chef Kwasi Kwaa and team are prepping up four courses of authentic cajun cuisine. They will be flying up fresh Louisiana crawfish and gator the night before to give attendees the real deal. This months A&B Dinner Series should be a delicious offering and I will be there too, savoring all that cajun seafood. As I've said before, A&B is more than just burgers.

Welcome Dish
Gator Lollipop (Fried gator pop with a Louisiana remoulade)
Course One
Shrimp & Grits (Creamy shrimp in grits served with cajun shrimp)
Course Two
Crab Étouffée (Served with fried okra)
Course Three
Crawfish Jambalaya (Spicy jambalaya with fresh louisiana crawfish)
Course Four
King Cake (Freshly baked King Cake with a brown sugar glaze)

Cost: $50 per person
Purchase your tickets on Eventbrite.

2) Chef Will Gilson, along with notable Boston-area chefs, and the Puritan & Co. team invite guests to join them for a multi-course meal inspired by culinary legend Julia Child. Other Participating Chefs Include: Nookie Postal from Commonwealth, Rich Eades of Temple Bar, Patrick Campbell of Café Art Science, Meg Thompson of Townsman and Marissa Rossi- the pastry chef at Puritan & Company.

On Wednesday, August 17, with one seating at 7pm, Puritan & Co. will team up with area chefs to celebrate the life and culinary adventures of one of the culinary world’s greatest heroes, Julia Child. Guest chefs from around Boston will prepare their favorite recipes from, “The Art of French Cooking” and present guests with a multi-course meal with optional wine pairings. Julia’s Birthday is August 15 and this is a way to celebrate the birth of one of the most important culinary visionaries in history.

Julia Child Dinner Menu:

Hors d’ouvres (Puritan staff)
-pan bagnat
-steak tartare
-foie gras eclair
Appetizer-Nookie Postal
“Oops I dropped the tart”
tomato and comte tart, green tomato ravigot, frisee salad
Soup-Rich Edes
“Duck a L’Orange”
Duck Liver Ravioli, Sweet onion consommé, smoked duck breast, orange
Entree -Patrick Campbell
“Fillet of Sole Grenobloise”
Clam butter, rice pilaf vert, almond beurre noisette
Veg side-Will Gilson
“Pommes Duchesse”
Whipped potato casserole
“Courgettes en Pistouille
Zucchini with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and basil
pre-dessert-Marissa Rossi
“Oeufs a la Neige”
purple corn soup, sumac meringue, pisco, pineapple
Dessert-Meg Thompson
“Gâteau Breton”
Hazelnut, Stone Fruit, & Wild Bay Ice Cream

Reservations are necessary and can be made by calling (617) 615-6195

3) The Ballets Russes Arts Initiative, Matter & Light Fine Art and Georgian Toast are excited to announce a first-of-its-kind wine tasting that brings the flavors of Georgia (the country) to Boston’s South End. On Thursday, August 18, from 7pm-9pm (VIP hour 6pm-7pm), this event is a unique opportunity to explore the viticulture of Georgia, where wine-making began more than 8000 years ago. Guests will taste through a great lineup of white, amber, rose, red, and dessert wine, from high quality Georgian producers using both European and traditional local methods. Food pairings, including some authentic to the region, will be provided.

The evening features wines from the portfolio of an exciting new Massachusetts-based boutique importer focused exclusively on the country, Georgian Toast. The lineup includes fine expressions of indigenous varietals (Rkatsitelli, Ojaleshi, Saperavi and Mtsvane), from famous regions and microzones (Kakheti, Khashmi, Lechkhumi, and Gurjaani), among which are some bottlings from old vines, organic or bio-dynamic grapes. NB: these are not your grandfather's Georgian wines (industrially made, semi- sweet, Soviet-style); experience ‘the real deal’: fine expressions of indigenous varietals.  Check out my previous post & review of the delicious wines of Georgian Toast.

Taking place in the swanky setting of one of the hot new galleries of Boston's South End, Matter and Light Fine Art Gallery, and with proceeds benefiting local arts non-profit, Ballets Russes Arts Initiative the tasting is an opportunity to socialize in an artful setting as well as to support the arts. Money raised at this event will go to support the development of arts programming connecting the US with the post-Soviet region.

Regular tickets ($55) include tasting 7-9 pm.
VIP Tickets ($120) include a special pre-tasting 6-7 pm featuring additional hard-to-find wines and hors d'oeuvres, and a bottle of wine (retail value up to $20) to take home.
Purchase/learn more at georgianwine.eventbrite.com

4) Doretta Taverna's bartenders will be pouring the pink for all who love a little Monday Rosé. A Pop-up Rosé Bar on Doretta's patio bar will have you waiting your whole Monday work day to drink that pink. Every Monday from 5-8pm, Doretta's Pop-up Rosé Bar offers an expansive, diverse rosé list created by Doretta's rosé-obsessed team, and three rosé flights: "Fizzy, Salty + Bright", "Fruity, Delicate + Floral" and "Savory, Funky + Juicy". The patio bar features large format bottles (1.5L and 3L), and they regularly pop open some bottles they normally only sell by the bottle and pour them by the glass. Soak in the last few weeks of summer on the patio while sipping on some fresh rosé.