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) From now until Friday, December 22, Osteria Posto will offer a special Holiday Luncheon, Monday through Friday, from 11am-2pm. They offer a special three course prix fixe menu, including appetizer, entrée and dessert for $49. An additional pasta course and wine pairings are also available. I am a big fan of their cuisine and remember having a great lunch last year during their holiday special. And looking at this year's menu, I'm likely to hurry back.

Holiday Luncheon Menu -
FIRST COURSE (please choose one)
--CAESAR (crisp romaine, lemon anchovy vinaigrette, parmesan crostini)
--TRI COLORE SALAD (winter citrus, vidalia onions, castelveltrao olives, pistachio vinaigrette)
--ROASTED APPLE SALAD (vermont goat cheese, ciabatta crostini, mache, cider vinaigrette)
--TUNA TARTARE (avocado salad, chipotle aioli, blood orange vinaigrette, crispy wontons)
--CRISPY DUCK LEG (duck confit, mascarpone polenta, pomegranate salad, cabernet vinaigrette)
MIDCOURSE + $15
--GNOCCHI (red wine braised short rib, roasted root vegetables, parmesan crema)
--TORTELLINI (lobster + crab, kuri squash passata, roasted heirloom squash, parmesan crema)
--MEZZE RIGATONI (veal, pork + beef bolognese, oregano, parmesan)
--LASAGNETTE (braised veal breast, chestnut passata, ricotta fontina, lemon + mint gremolata)
--FETTUCINI (shaved white truffles, vermont butter, parmesan, marsala-$50 supplement)
ENTRÉE (please choose one)
--BAVETTE (crispy potato pave, bone marrow, kale, pink peppercorn sugo)
--HALIBUT (prosciutto wrapped halibut, celery root passata, chanterelles, winter vegetables, marsala)
--VENISON (roasted venison saddle, cider braised red cabbage, garnet yam pasata, juniper, red wine)
--SALMON (mustard glazed, roasted broccolini, rosemary yukon potatoes)
--DUCK (rare duck breast, domestic + foraged mushroom risotto, truffle butter, cherry gastrique DESSERT (please choose one)
--BUDINO (dark chocolate pudding, sugar cookie, whipped cream, mint)
--CROSTATA (heirloom apples, buttermilk ice cream, ginger caramel sauce, toasted pecans)
--TIRAMISU (mascarpone, espresso, lady fingers, chocolate)
--STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING (vanilla bean ice cream, maple sauce, toasted pecans)

If you want to make Reservations, please call (781) 622-1500

2) Best Burger Bar has announced a collaboration with Boston’s craft distillery, Bully Boy Distillers, for a limited-edition December burger special, the Bully Boy Royale Burger. This special Burger will be available throughout the month of December at Best Burger Bar in Brookline Village.

The Bully Boy Royale Burger features a quarter-pound, dry-aged burger with black truffle foie gras mousse, and a jam infused with Bully Boy American Straight Whiskey, cranberry and bacon, sandwiched in-between a toasted bun.

“When the Best Burger Bar team was looking to collaborate with a local whisky brand for the Royale burger, I immediately thought of the Bully Boy American Straight Whiskey,” said Beverage Director, Brother Cleve. “We were already proudly using it in our signature Steak House Manhattan cocktail and Bully Boy’s whisky just seemed like the perfect match.”

Bully Boy's America Straight Whiskey* is made from corn for a sweet, bourbon-like overtone, and a healthy dose of rye, for a dry, spicy undertone and then is aged in charred 53-gallon new American Oak barrels. The wood constituents bring out delicious vanilla and caramel notes, as well as a nutty finish that never overpowers the spirit’s taste. (*Note: the burger is not alcoholic, as the alcohol burns off during the cooking process).

“The whiskey’s balance and complex flavor profile translates really well into the kitchen,” said Will Willis, Co-Founder of Bully Boy Distillers. “The smooth and nutty notes of the whiskey really shine in the jam that’s used on the burger."

3) On Wednesday, December 13, at 7pm, Chef Daniel Bruce and Advanced Sommelier Nicholas Daddona of Meritage Restaurant + Wine Bar are thrilled to host a luxurious reception and four-course dinner featuring the extravagant Philipponnat Champagne and their legendary ‘Clos de Goisses’ vineyard. The family-owned vineyard is well known for producing some of the best champagnes in the world, artistic in nature and elegantly grown in the heart of France. The plot of distinguished land lays on an incline on the French region’s warmest territory, where the slope receives no shade from sunrise to sunset.

Selections from the distinguished vineyard will accompany a reception and four-course dinner by renowned Chef Daniel Bruce.

The full menu for the evening is as follows:
RECEPTION
ROYALE RÉSERVE BRUT
Crispy None Such Oysters
Sturgeon Caviar, Lemon Crème Fraiche
DINNER
First Course
ROYALE RÉSERVE ROSE
Ginger Roasted Lobster Tail (Pea Puree, Smothered Bok Choy)
Second Course
CUVÉE 1522 – VINTAGE 2005
CUVÉE 1522 – VINTAGE 2007
Fricasse of Sweetbreads and Wild Mushrooms (Shallot Confit Cream, Spinach)
Third Course
CLOS DES GOISSES – VINTAGE 2006
CLOS DES GOISSES – VINTAGE 2008
Mint Roasted Baby Lamb (Roasted Crosnes, Tumeric Laced Carrots, Potatoes Anna)
Fourth Course
CUVEE 1522 ROSÉ – VINTAGE 2007
Duet of Triple Crème Cheeses (Champagne Grape Jelly, Grilled Baguettes, Smoked Macadamia Nuts)

Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite for $215 per person (including tax and gratuity). This is a 21+ event.

4) On Tuesday, December 12, from 19pm-1am, Toro’s Jamie Bissonnette & Ken Oringer and Tapestry’s Meghann Ward & Kevin Walsh invite guests to join them in celebrating Toro’s 12th Anniversary with food and drink specials. As longtime friends and former employees of Ken Oringer’s, husband/wife duo Kevin Walsh and Meghann Ward will join Jamie and Ken in the kitchen.

Their menu will offer cheeseburger-stuffed fried pickles topped with special sauce, sesame seeds, bacon cheddar Cheez-It dust, and iceberg; Detroit slices; and more. In addition to bites from Tapestry, Jack's Abby Craft Lagers and Bully Boy Distillers will be supplying libations for the evening. In true throwback form, DJ Jamie Bruno will be spinning records all night long.