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) On Thursday, March 23rd, Chef/Owner Michael Schlow, Chef de Cuisine Brendan Pelley, and the Doretta Taverna & Raw Bar team will host a special, five-course wine dinner, featuring Greek wines from Fantis Imports.

The evening will include a cocktail meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. followed by a sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. The five-course meal will feature off-menu spring dishes paired with Fantis Imports wines and conversation with Niko Mavreas about Greek wine varietals. I've long been a fan of Greek wines and you really should drink them as well.

Though the menu hasn't been finalized yet, you might see intriguing dishes such as Octopus Terrine, Lobster Tail Souvlaki or Green Garlic Pita.

Cost: Tickets are $75 plus tax and gratuity
For Reservations, please call (617) 422-0008.

2) On April 5, NF Northeast (Neurofibromatosis Northeast) will celebrate the NF community and its supporters with their 18th annual Table for TEN charitable dining event in Boston. With honorary co-chairpersons Dan Andelman, host of myTV38’s “Phantom Gourmet,” and Donato Frattaroli, Jr., proprietor of il Molo restaurant in the North End, headlining this unrivaled evening, supporters will dine at some of the city’s top restaurants before closing out their night at a decadent dessert reception with live entertainment and an auction hosted at the newly renovated University of Massachusetts Club. Frattaroli is the second generation in his family to serve as honorary co-chair of the event, with his father, Donato Frattaroli, Sr., having held the title in 2011.

Groups of ten guests will arrive at their respective restaurant at 6:00pm on Wednesday, April 5, and will indulge in a specially created three-course menu paired with wine. Participating restaurants in this year’s Table for TEN event include, but are not limited to: Artu; Da Vinci Ristorante; Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen; Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse; il Molo; La Motta’s; Legal Sea Foods (Park Square); Lucca (Back Bay & North End); Ocean Prime; Parker’s Restaurant; Post 390; Scampo; Serafina; State Street Provisions; Strega Waterfront; The Smoke Shop; The Tip Tap Room; Top of the Hub; Tresca; and, Union Oyster House.

At 8:00pm, supporters are invited to continue the festivities at the official after-party at the University of Massachusetts Club. At this dessert reception, Montilio’s Baking Company will provide sweet treats and revelers will enjoy music entertainment by Ancient Mysteries featuring Kevin McKelvey and Ben Buttrick. Additionally, there are raffles, a silent auction and a live auction with honorary co-chairperson, Dan Andelman, serving as guest auctioneer.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a prevalent genetic disorder of the nervous system that causes tumors to form on the nerves anywhere in or on the body at any time. Proceeds from Table for TEN will fund scientific research at the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital as well as provide support to the NF clinics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Research will help find the cure for NF, a genetic disorder that can cause learning disabilities, seizures, brain tumors, deafness, vision impairment and cancer. Additionally Table for TEN will help to create awareness about NF which affects more people than cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy combined, yet is a little known disorder. Over the years, incredible strides in research development have been made bringing us one step closer to a cure.

For more information on the Table for TEN event and to reserve online, please visit: www.nfincne.org.
Tables for ten are available beginning at $1,000 and individual tickets at a table may be reserved for $100 per person.
Sponsorships are also available by contacting NF Northeast’s Diana Flahive at 781.272.9936 or dflahive@nfincne.org.

3) On Monday, March 27, from 6pm-10pm, join the MRA and Massachusetts Chefs in the fight to end child hunger. Hosted at Davio’s Foxborough, the evening will feature a multi-course tasting dinner menu with wine pairings in support of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. In addition to the Chef/CEO Steve DiFillippo of Davio’s, chefs from the following local restaurants in Foxborough will be preparing the menu for the evening: Scorpion Bar, Tavolino, Skipjack’s, Twenty8 Food&Spirits and CBS Scene.

Share Our Strength began in the basement of a rowhouse on Capitol Hill in 1984, in response to the ‘84-‘85 famine in Ethiopia. Brother and sister Bill and Debbie Shore started the organization with the belief that everyone has a strength to share in the global fight against hunger and poverty, and that in these shared strengths lie sustainable solutions. Today we focus these strengths on making No Kid Hungry a reality in America.

Cost: Tickets for the event are $125 per guest (excluding gratuity) and include a cocktail reception followed by a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings.
Tickets are required and can be purchased by visiting https://cookingmattersdaviosfox.eventbrite.com

4) Chef de Cuisine Alex Saenz and the BISq team invite guests to join them on Sunday, March 26, from 10:30am to 3pm, for a special island time-themed pop-up brunch. For the third installment of BISq’s, monthly pop-up brunch series, the restaurant will be transporting Bostonians to warmer weather by way of its island time brunch this Sunday. The brunch will feature a tropical a la carte menu, signature cocktails, and live reggae music.

Although subject to change, the menu will likely include:
Conch salad
Lechón
Cuban "Ropa vieja"
Goat curry
"Mais moulu"
Sancocho
"Moros y cristianos"
Pancakes with rum bananas and smoked maple

To make reservations, please call (617) 714-3693.