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Thursday, May 2, 2024

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) Nightshade Clam Shackby the Nightshade Noodle Bar team, opens today! Chef/Owner Rachel Miller’s Nightshade Clam Shack menu blends classic New England seafood with dynamic southern flavors. The Clam Shack will be open Thursdays to Sundays, from 11am-2pm. 

The Nightshade Clam Shack menu features five categories of lunch items: Brioche Rolls, Bánh Mì, Boxes, Viet-Cajun Seafood and Desserts. A sample menu can be found below and weekly specials can be found announced in real time on Nightshade Clam Shack’s Instagram

Brioche Rolls
--Fried Salt and Pepper Clam Roll (Green chili lime sauce, secret dressing) $30 Warm Viet-Cajun 
--Lobster Roll (Warm lemongrass cajun butter, crispy garlic, scallions) $30 
--Crispy Rock Shrimp Roll (Funky fermented red chili sauce, thai basil, fried shallots) $30 
Bánh Mì
--Chili- Ranch Soft Shell Crab Bánh Mì
 (Thai basil butter sauce, cucumber, pickled carrot + daikon, jalapeños) $28
--Blackened Catfish Bánh Mì (Picked green tomato remoulade, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeños, secret sauces) $26
--Cajun Lobster Cake Bánh Mì (Picked green tomato remoulade, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeños, secret sauces) $30
Boxes
--Fried Clam Box
 (Spicy tamarind + coconut ranch dips, shredded cabbage salad) $30
--Fried Smelts Box (Bột chiên fries, crispy sugar snap peas, dill pollen, gribiche) $28
--Big Ass Salad Box (Chilled shrimp, shredded cabbage, citrus nước chấm, spicy peanuts, every herb) $28
--Mixed Seafood Box (Fried clams, smelts, scallops + rock shrimp) with choice of two sauces (cabbage salad-gribiche, coconut ranch or spicy tamarind) $32
Viet-Cajun Seafood: All served in a bag of Nightshade Noodle Bar’s signature lemongrass cajun butter
add corn $1 | add potato $1 | add andouille $2
--Gulf Shrimp $18
--Crawfish $18
--Stone Crab Cluster $24
Desserts
--Banana Pudding Cup
 (Nilla wafers, bananas, whipped cream) $7
--Chocolate Pudding Cup (Oreo crumble, whipped cream) $7

Online ordering is available for takeout to enjoy at home, on-the-go, at Nightshade Noodle Bar & Sin City Superette’s patio seating or at nearby Nahant beach. Additionally, Sin City Superette’s indoor seating is available for Nightshade Clam Shack customers’ use. Pre-ordering is highly recommended and all orders can be picked up at Sin City Superette, located at 71 Exchange Street in Lynn, Massachusetts. Delivery is available via Toast (within 5 miles) and Uber Eats.

2) On Sunday, May 12, from 12pm-10pm, XOXO Sushi Bar is celebrating its first Mother’s Day in Chestnut Hill with a lavish eight-course prix fixe menu. 

For the first course, there is a duo of Island Creek oysters topped with rhubarb granita, Thai chili vinegar and micro mint. The next two courses celebrate treasures from the sea with the Sakura masu sashimi (cherry blossom trout smoked with cherrywood, served with pickled cherry blossoms and cherry blossom crème fraiche) as well as lobster dashi (lobster tail grilled over Binchōtan charcoal with saffron dashi foam, caviar and brown butter) before a robatayaki specialty makes an appearance in the fourth course, a pork belly bao bun (braised pork belly fried on a Taiwanese steamed bun with sweet chili miso, yuzu koshō and micro cilantro). After delighting in five-pieces of chef’s choice nigiri, there is crusted cod (consommé, mushrooms, tempura crisp and onion puree) followed by A5 Wagyu toast on homemade milk bread with soy-cured egg yolk, Wagyu carpaccio, caviar and chive topped with a quail egg yolk. The finale – “doki doki,” Japanese for “I’m excited” – is chocolate meringue with sake-braised strawberries, vanilla-blood orange cream, prickly pear and hibiscus ganache.

On the liquid side, there are two specialty cocktails: Toda Mariko – named after the strong matriarch in the television series, Shōgun – with citrus vodka, Aperol, fresh squeezed lemon juice and yuzu served straight up with a lemon-strawberry garnish ($18) in addition to the three-layered E(i)mpress Your Mother with rose simple syrup at the bottom, lychee, lemon juice and yuzu omoi sake in the center, topped with a float of Empress gin with a flower rim ($20).

Cost: $200 per guest (à la carte menu also available)
Reservations are recommended via Resy or by calling (617) 505-3378.

3) This Cinco de Mayo, Kane’s Donuts is partnering with High Noon, featuring the Cinco De Mayo Donut inspired by High Noon’s Tequila Seltzer. The donut consists of an airy light yeast ring dipped in a glaze made from High Noon Tequila Seltzer with real Blanco tequila and real lime juice and blended with Kane’s Signature Honey Glaze, then lightly salted. 

May also brings some other special flavor of the month, including: 
  • Moose Tracks Donut: A light, airy brioche donut frosted with creamy vanilla frosting, mini peanut butter cups, and chocolate fudge stripes.
  • Cherry Cheesecake Donut: This is a cherry cake donut with real cherries in the dough topped with cheesecake frosting and a dollop of cherry pie filling.
  • Blueberry Filled: Kane’s fluffiest yeast shell donut bursts with the fruit and flavors of a homemade blueberry pie filling, then tossed in confectioners' sugar.
  • Gluten-free Strawberry Shortcake: A cake-style donut with real strawberry fruit folded in the dough, dipped in Kane’s honey glaze, then frosted with a creamy strawberry frosting, topped with strawberry crumble and a dollop of whoopie pie filling in the center.
  • Vegan Chocolate Frosted: A cake-style donut frosted with chocolate and then dipped in chocolate sprinkles. 
4) The South End Business Alliance invites you to their annual Spring Stroll to celebrate the changing season and their multitude of amazing businesses on Wednesday, May 8th, from 4pm-8pm. A short walk from Downtown and Back Bay, head to the 02118 where within the four walls of the neighborhood you can shop and dine locally from the South End’s multitude of businesses and restaurants. Shops will be offering beverages, discounts, pop-ups with other makers + the chance to grab your Mother’s Day and grad gifts in one fell swoop. After shopping around, head to their restaurants and bars for spring themed menus, specialty cocktails + promotions to those who mention the stroll. Reminder: patio season is finally here, so grab your friends and family and head to your favorite South End restaurant to sip and enjoy the Spring sun! 

Check out the Map of the Spring Stroll offerings, with over 65 participating businesses.   

The South End Business Alliance is a non-profit membership-based organization whose mission is to organize and unify SEBA members and promote their businesses in the South End community. SEBA has created a culture of inclusion and embraces our rich membership diversity, including culture/arts organizations, professional services, healthcare, hospitality, restaurants and retail, financial services, and health and fitness industries. We are committed to maximizing the visibility and success of all businesses that reside in Boston’s South End.

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