Sips & Nibbles: Holiday Edition

I am back again with a special holiday edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) This holiday season, ring in the Festival of Lights with a special Hanukkah Power Lunch Menu at Davio’s Boston. Executive Chef Eric Swartz has created a traditional three-course holiday menu, which will be available from Monday, December 26 to Friday, December 30, form 11:30am-3pm.

The Menu:
Antipasti
Crispy Potato Latke, Warm Apples, Sour Cream
or
Chicken, Noodles, Matzo Ball Soup
Caserecci
Poached Atlantic Salmon, Roasted Beets, Arugula, Horseradish, Crème Fraiche
or
Pastrami, Swiss, Grain Mustard, Thousand Island, Challah Roll, Coleslaw
or
Braised Brisket, Carrots, Roasted Potatoes, Onions, Green Beans
Dolce
Assorted Holiday Cookies

COST: $25 per guest (excluding tax & gratuity)
À la Carte lunch menu also available.
For reservations, please call 617-357-4810

2) This holiday season, Bar Boulud, located at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, is celebrating Christmas Day with a special three-course, prix-fixe feast. Served in lieu of the restaurant’s à la carte menu, Chef de Cuisine Michael Denk and his talented culinary team have crafted a selection of classic Christmas dishes served with French influences and New England ingredients including: Duck Pâté featuring foie gras, apricots and pistachios; Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad, a Chef Daniel Boulud classic, served with endive, grapefruit, crème fraîche, celery and blood orange; and Seared Halibut prepared with a parsley garlic crust, mussel velouté, saffron and fingerling potatoes.

To satisfy each guests’ sweet tooth, Pastry Chef Robert Differ has carefully handcrafted a trio of confections, which include: Peppermint Chocolate Coupe, comprised of white chocolate namelaka, cool and creamy peppermint ice cream, and a rich chocolate biscuit; Warm Gingerbread Pudding, capped with brandy anglaise, orange-ginger crumb and a dollop of vanilla ice cream; and Apple Crisp, topped with fresh almond cream, cinnamon streusel and ginger ice cream.

For guests looking to enhance their dining experience, Sommelier David Bérubé will be present to recommend a selection of hand-picked wine pairings.

WHEN: Sunday, December 25, from 12PM to 8PM
COST: $85 per person; Additional $59 for optional wine pairings
To make a reservation, please call 617-535-8800

3) Bar, Boulud Boston at Mandarin Oriental, Boston invites Bostonians to polish off 2016 with joyful memories and delicious cuisine. To ring in the New Year, Bar Boulud, Boston will host guests for two New Year’s Eve celebrations.

A New Year’s Eve Pre-Celebration will start the evening’s festivities at 5:30PM. Bar Boulud’s Chef de Cuisine, Michael Denk, and his culinary team invite guests to enjoy a three-course, prix-fixe menu, boasting signature ingredients synonymous with the winter season. Stand-out menu offerings include Spaghetti Nero, laced with sauce Américaine, a hint of tarragon, red pearl onions, and hardy fennel, along with Coq au Vin, savory red wine-braised chicken enhanced with bacon lardons, pearl onions, carrots, mushrooms and a classic gemelli pasta.

To continue the celebration, Bar Boulud’s New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner will begin at 9:00PM. Featuring a five-course, prix-fixe menu, guests will have the option to add sommelier-selected wine pairings to accompany each course. Executive Chef Denk and his culinary team will celebrate with five mouth-watering dishes including Oyster Canapé, topped with champagne gelée, and John Dory, boasting tender butter-poached langoustine, finished with a creamy bisque, saffron rice, fennel, and sweet and mild cipollini onion.

Cost: New Year’s Eve Pre-Celebration: $80 per person
New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner: $150 per person (optional sommelier-selected wine pairings for $95 per person)
To make a reservation, please call 617-535-8800

4) Executive Chef Josue Louis and the rest of the team at Bistro du Midi invite guests to indulge in two special menus showcasing the best of the restaurant’s award-winning Provencal cuisine this New Year’s Eve. The first seating (5:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., or 6:30 p.m) features a four-course prix fixe menu for only $95 per person, and the second seating (8:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.) features a six-course prix fixe for $150 per person. For each seating, guests have the option to add a White Truffle Course ($30) to make for a truly decadent meal.

Head Sommelier Todd Lipman has created a stunning lineup of paired wines to enhance the dining experience. Optional wine pairings for the first seating is $65 per person, and $95 per person for the second seating.

To make Reservations, please call 617-426-7878

5) At CHOPPS American Bar and Grill, inside the Boston Marriott Burlington Hotel, Executive Chef Steve Zimei has prepared a three-course New Year’s Eve menu worthy of celebration. Highlights from the menu include a choice of Appetizer like Pepper Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras on brioche toast points and sour cherry chutney and Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese, frisee, shaved fennel, dried strawberries, spiced Marcona almonds, and citrus vinaigrette, and entrée choices including Bone-In Filet Mignon Au Poivre with caramelized onion, smoked bacon whipped potatoes, honshimji mushrooms, roasted Cipollini onions, and béarnaise sauce, Maine Lobster Risotto with melted leeks and Maine Lobster, or Skillet Roasted Salmon with crispy fingerling potatoes, brussels sprouts, black trumpet mushrooms, and tomato butter. Guests have the option of ending the meal on a sweet note with the festive Adult Sundae with house made brownies, bourbon and baileys gelato, jalapeno hot fudge, and whipped cream served up in a Mason jar or the elegant Panna Cotta with blackberry coulis.

The menu is $75 per person or $95 per person with wine pairings. After indulging on this decadent meal, guests are invited to dance the night away to beats by DJ Chris Roxx from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

For guests who prefer to plan in advance, CHOPPS and the Boston Marriott Burlington hotel are offering a special New Year’s Eve package from $369. The package includes: dinner for two at CHOPPS with entertainment from 8 p.m. - 1 a.m., a bottle of champagne welcome amenity and 2 PM late check out along with a buffet breakfast for two guests at CHOPPS on New Year’s Day. The booking code for New Year’s Eve CHOPPS package is EVE.

For reservations, please call 781-229-6565

6) Committee brings a taste of Greece to the Boston waterfront, and is the perfect spot to gather with friends and family for a special New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner Menu and New Year’s Day Brunch.

The New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner Menu features fresh and seasonal Greek fare with an abundance of Spreads, Salad, Meze, Main Courses and Desserts. DJ Ryan Brown is also in the house and will keep the festivities going into the early hours of 2017.

The celebrations continue with New Year’s Day Brunch on January 1st featuring favorites with a Greek twist such as: Baklava Oatmeal (rolled oats, toasted walnuts, cinnamon-allspice, cloves, Kalamata figs, honey, shredded phllyo), Breakfast Gyro (scrambled eggs, grilled halloumi, loukaniki, florina pepper, coulis, wrapped in pita, served with patates tiganites), Spanakopita Grilled Cheese (spinach, feta, kasseri on kalamata olive loaf, served with tomato soup). DJ Ryan Brown will return to play today’s hottest hits while guests sip, sit back and savor delicious food and drink.

The special New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner Menu is $75/person.
Please call 617-737-5051 to make a reservation.