Thursday, November 21, 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) This December, Santa Claus is coming to town – particularly the North End and Wayland – to host holiday brunches for festive families at Coach Grill (December 7) and Joe’s Waterfront (December 15).

While kiddies patiently await the arrival of their honored guest with cookie decorating, guardians can settle in for a leisurely brunch. In addition to serving their signature brunch menus, the kitchens will be whipping up adult-friendly breakfast delights for the occasion like stuffed crêpes ($14) with housemade Chantilly cream and fresh strawberries; bananas foster French toast ($18) with cream cheese frosting and maple syrup; Florentine eggs benedict ($20) with sauteed spinach, hollandaise and breakfast potatoes; and a Maine lobster omelet ($28) with chives, breakfast potatoes and toast. For the little ones, there are tree-shaped Christmas chip pancakes ($14) and a grilled chicken quesadilla ($11).

After capturing the perfect IG-worthy snap with your little ones and Mr. Claus, treat yourself to something sweet like the specialty peppermint ice cream pie ($12) in a cookie crust. There also are themed adult libations like the Bahh Humbug with Basil Hayden bourbon, housemade hot chocolate and mini marshmallows as well as kid-approved mocktails like Grinch Punch with lime sorbet, green punch, Sprite and a red sugar rim. While supplies last, grab a keepsake ornament as you exit your morning in the North Pole.

WHEN: Coach Grill: Saturday, December 7, 11am-2pm; Joe’s Waterfront: Sunday, December 15, 10am-1pm
COST: Complimentary admission. Special available at à la carte pricing.
Coach Grill: Reservations are recommended via OpenTable
Joe’s Waterfront: Reservations are recommended via OpenTable

2) MAZÍ Food Group (Gigi, Ilona, Kava Neo-Taverna) has debuted the newest addition in its growing restaurant collection: Desnuda Cocina & Bar. Located in the famed 647 Tremont Street space, the bilevel Desnuda Cocina & Bar brings two distinct concepts to the South End with its lower-level sound bar and an epicurean experience featuring bold Latin and Asian flavors.

Venturing downstairs to the sound bar – a concept created in Japan in the 1950s – the walls are lined with vertical wood panels where mood lighting peeks through the slats. Inside the hideaway, there is an expansive bar in addition to more intimate seating anchored by giraffe-print banquettes and a half-moon booth that sits beneath a glittering spherical light fixture. The backbar displays Desnuda’s collection of retro vinyl records, the heartbeat of the sultry and vibrant sound bar, that will be amplified over a customized vinyl sound system. The immersive, eclectic urban music experience will be curated with themed nights, guest deejays and mixologist-selected playlists complemented by deliciously complex cocktails and a late-night menu of small plates available after 10:00pm.

Upstairs, MAZÍ Food Group’s executive chef Jesus Preciado has reimagined a menu rooted in core Latin-Asian tastes and textures. With a passion for sourcing locally, Chef Preciado’s menu of ceviches, baos and proteins are intended to be ordered in multiples to encourage a social dining experience. Highlights from the menu include the catch-of-the-day ceviche clasico with leche de tigre, habanero, corn, chancha, sweet potato, red onions and cilantro; pork belly bao bun with braised pork belly, cucumber, pickled vegetables and soy reduction; acevichado roll, tempura white fish, tuna, salsa acevichada, sweet potato puree and togarashi; aji de gallina, shredded chicken, huancaina sauce, heavy cream, parmesan, olive aioli, rice, potato and boiled eggs; and arroz con pato, duck leg confit, aborio rice, vegetables and cilantro sauce.

On the liquid side, Desnuda Cocina & Bar features a beverage program that mixes timeless techniques with progressive twists while showcasing globally-represented wines and spirits including a collection of tequilas and mezcals as well as Japanese whiskys, gins and sakes. Standouts are Beet the Heat with spicy pisco, yuzu liqueur, beet syrup and lemon as well as Amarillo Passion with tequila, yuzu liqueur, aji amarillo, passionfruit syrup and lime.

Desnuda Cocina & Bar is open daily beginning at 4:00pm. In the coming weeks, Desnuda Cocina & Bar plans to reprise the epic weekend brunch party from the location’s yesteryears.

3) BOSA Coastal Italian, in Haverhill, has recently launched Brunch with an Italian flair and unique flavors when it comes to classic and contemporary dishes on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am-3pm.

Enjoying starters like Burrata, olive oil, arugula, vincotto, sesame crunch, parmesan frico, confit tomato, maldon salt; Italian Wedding Soup, rich chicken brodo, sofrito, spinach, fregula, petite meatballs, parmesan, even add an egg. For main dishes, choose from unique brunch staples like the Banana Bread French Toast, sweet ricotta filling, fig jam, berries, maple syrup, cannoli crumbs, Chantilly cream; the Breakfast Burger, cheddar, pancetta, sunny egg, baby lettuce, tomato, Calabrian chili aioli; or the Brunch Pizza, chorizo, potatoes, melted leeks, spinach, cheddar, mozzarella, sunny egg; Snack on a Panuozzo Sandwich, a Neapolitan-style Italian sandwich made with pizza dough, and BOSA uses Sal’s Pizza’s own dough, made fresh every day, like the Ham & Cheese, prosciutto cotto, cheddar, arugula, scrambled eggs, chili mayo, scallions. For those looking for a classic favorite can nosh on Scrambled Eggs & Home Fries, complete with eggs and cheddar.

BOSA’s brunch cocktails include the BOSA Mimosa, Prosecco, orange juice, Bauchant Orange Liqueur; Gran Espresso, vanilla bean induced White Squall Vodka, Borghetti Coffee Liqueur, espresso. There are also shareable drinks like the Spicy Sophia (Loren), Corvus Grilled Pineapple Vodka, lime juice, tropical sour mix, spice chipotle simple syrup, tajin spiced rim, served in a whole pineapple; Mimosa Flight, one bottle of Prosecco, black cherry purée, white peach purée, and blood orange purée.

To make reservations visit www.bosaitalian.com. 

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