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) Chef/Owner Michael Schlow and the Doretta Taverna team invite guests to join them in celebrating their first birthday! On Wednesday, September 28, from 4pm-7pm, Doretta Taverna and Raw Bar will be celebrating its first birthday. To mark the occasion, Doretta will be hosting a special Wine Wednesday Birthday Banger. Guests can enjoy $1 oysters, wine tastings, champagne, mezze bites, sparklers, and more.

Tickets cost $39 and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-wednesday-birthday-banger-tickets-27579163019.

For more information, please call (617) 422-0008.

2) Newly opened Brassica Kitchen + Cafe co-owners/co-chefs Jeremy Kean and Phil Kruta are pleased to announce that they are now offering Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 pm. Located in a former luncheonette in Jamaica Plain across from the Forest Hills MBTA station, Brassica Kitchen + Cafe serves fun French-American comfort fare, using locally grown, seasonal ingredients in unexpected ways with delicious results.

Items from the inaugural brunch menu include:
Chicken and Waffles drizzled in hot sauce and maple syrup.
Belgian Waffles served with raspberry compote and whipped maple butter.
Banana Bread French Toast with banana flambé.
Salmon Boccadillo served with a fried egg and salsa verde on brioche.
Egg in a Hole served with bacon and home fries.
Biscuits and Gravy served with poached eggs.

A special brunch cocktail menu will also be rolled out including, but not limited to:
Bloody Meeri: Vodka, beet kvass and trumpet worcestershire.
Mick the Miller: Drip brewed Punt e Mes, fresh grapefruit juice, tarragon and salt.
Pimms Cup: Pimms No. 1, lemon, cucumber and ginger beer.
Moto GP Mimosa: Aperol, fresh orange juice, cava.

A series of coffee, tea and espresso drinks will also be offered on this new unique menu.

3) Bistro 5, in Medford, will be offering their 11th Annual Heirloom Tomato Menu from September 14th-24th. Every year Chef Vittorio Ettore and team put in countless hours trying to come up with unique ways to incorporate this seasonal favorite into 5 different dishes, including a dessert. This menu is a highlight of the year and I can't recommend it enough.

This year's menu, using tomatoes from Kimball Fruit Farms in Peppered, is as follows:

“rubix cube”
watermelon, cucumber, feta, sourdough crouton, and orange russian

2011 Biotite, Vinho Verde, Portugal
"smoke
"
speckled roman tomoato custard, seared scallops, thyme and hen of the woods mushrooms
2013 Powers, Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
risotto

crispy basil, black prince tomato confit, grilled baby octopus
2013 G.B. Dolcetto D’Alba
quail
port wine-tomato glaze, rainbow tomato carpaccio, black turnips and baby carrots and crispy pancetta
2012 Eola, Rosso Toscana

evoo corn cake
foie gras gelato and vanilla-sugar cured persimmon tomato

Cucumber Tequila Punch with Honey, Lemon, Orange Blossom, Nutmeg, and Tomato Water

Tasting Menu: 3 Course $55, 5 Course $75
Wine Pairings: 3 Course $20, 5 Course $30

To make Reservations, please call 781-395-7464

4) Gordon Wilcox, CEO of Wilcox Hospitality Group; Dr. Jay Austen, Jr., Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Chief of Division of Burn Surgery at Mass General Hospital; Brian Poe, chef & co-owner of The Tip Tap Room. On October 3, at 6pm, The Tip Tap Room owners Brian Poe and Gordon Wilcox will host the 3rd annual “Chefs for Clefts” fundraiser at their Beacon Hill hotspot to benefit Massachusetts General Hospital’s Global Surgical Initiative. Funds raised from the charitable fête will directly assist Dr. Jay Austen’s (Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Chief of Division of Burn Surgery at MGH) “Cartagena Surgical Missions” that support children with facial deformities and cleft lips as well as burn victims in Colombia. To date, the Cartagena Surgical Mission has served more than 700 children who otherwise would have no access to care.

This festive “Night in Colombia” themed event will kick-off with South American music as well as complimentary Colombian-inspired cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres, as prepared by Brian Poe.

Brian Poe (The Tip Tap Room; Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake; Bukowski Tavern – Cambridge) and chef friends Andy Husbands (Tremont 647; Smoke Shop), Jose Duarte (Taranta), Louie DiBaccari (Tavern Road), Lydia Shire (Scampo) and Rodney Murillo (Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse; Davio’s Cucina) – among others – each graciously have donated a three-course “dinner for ten” with wine pairings at their respective restaurants which will be up for bid during the live auction. Supporters also will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with some the city’s top culinary luminaries who will be present at this evening with a cause.

COST: General Admission (includes open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres): $60 per person in advance; $80 per person at the door
MORE INFO: To purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chefs-for-clefts-tickets-27224578447. Additional donations for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Global Surgical Initiative will be accepted onsite or via EventBrite.

5) Start with a made in-house hard-shell taco, bigger than your face. Stuff it with all of the fresh-made Mexican fixings from Margaritas Mexican Restaurants scratch-kitchen: seasoned chicken, taco beef, pork carnitas, bacon, lettuce, refried beans, Mexican rice, salsa fresca, cheese and queso sauce. Top it with hacienda and picante sauce, crema and pickled jalapeños and you’ve got the Taco Gigante.

Each foot-long, two-pound Taco Gigante is sold for $12.99, with $2.00 of every purchase donated to Team IMPACT. Team IMPACT’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Team IMPACT has matched 1,000 children at over 400 colleges and universities in 45 states, reflecting Margaritas values of community, celebration of life and teamwork.

WHERE: All participating Margaritas Mexican Restaurants in MA, ME, CT and NH.
WHEN: September 27 – October 31, 2016; available during regular kitchen hours. And note that October 4 is National Taco Day!