January 2010: Super Hunger Month

Two years ago, The Greater Boston Food Bank designated January as Super Hunger Month and January 2010 will mark the return of the month-long series of fundraising events to help end hunger in eastern Massachusetts.

1 in 9 people in Massachusetts is currently receiving food from a food pantry, soup kitchen or shelter, and the colder months ahead mean that more people will be forced to choose between heating their homes and paying for food. Super Hunger Month provided an additional 350,000 meals to those in need last year. It will have added significance this year as even more people seek assistance during this jobless economic recovery.

The Food Bank, in conjunction with Super Hunger Month (SHM) Chairs Chefs Jody Adams & Ming Tsai and Liz Melby of Harpoon Brewery, are pleased to announce the line-up of 2010’s SHM events, including The Super Hunger Online Auction, Super Hunger Chef Challenge and Super Hunger Brunch. Details-to-date include:

Super Hunger Online Challenge, January 17-24
During this time period, culinary-themed packages and signature Boston experiences will be auctioned online with all proceeds benefitting The Food Bank.

Super Hunger Chef Challenge, January 21, 6pm-9pm
Former Food & Wine “Best New Chef” winners Barbara Lynch of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Michael Leviton of Lumiere and Rialto’s Jody Adams will judge Food & Wine’s recent class of “Best New Chef” winners, including Gabriel Bremer of Salts and Mary Dumont of Harvest as they compete in a culinary showdown for the title of Super Hunger Chef 2010. The Super Hunger Chef Challenge will be hosted at the Four Seasons (200 Boylston Street) by its Executive Chef Brooke Vosika.

Super Hunger Brunch, January 30-31
Greater Boston’s finest restaurants will participate in The Greater Boston Food Bank’s signature event – Super Hunger Brunch – where restaurants donate 100% of their proceeds from that day’s brunch service with some restaurants also donating server gratuities. Most restaurants offer prix-fixe menus ranging from $25-$50/person. Participating restaurants include Bin 26 Enoteca, Blue Ginger, Café Fleuri, Chez Henri, Craigie on Main, The Elephant Walk, The Fireplace, The Grapevine, Grill 23 & Bar, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, La Morra, North 26 Restaurant & Bar, Rialto, L’Espalier, Rocca Kitchen & Bar, Sel de la Terre, Sibling Rivalry, Stella, Orinoco and Tosca Restaurant.

For more information about all of these events should visit www.superhungermonth.org.

Skinner Wine Auction: May 21

With spring hear, it is time again for Skinner, a large auction house in Boston, to hold another wine auction. The auction will be held on Thursday, May 21 at 5pm at their offices at 63 Park Plaza, Boston. Skinner’s retail partner in this venture is one of my favorite wine stores, Lower Falls Wine Co.

Though they have not posted the catalog of lots yet, they have stated they will have the following wines. "Featured will be stellar consignments of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa and Port wines. On the block will be full cases from the 2000 vintage of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, Chateau Latour, Chateau Lynch Bages, and 1996 and 2002 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Assortment cases to be had of Domaine de la Romanee Conti vintages 2000 and 2001. Napa is highlighted by Sine Qua Non and verticals of Harlan Estate, Phelps Insignia, Silver Oak, Beringer Private Reserve and Caymus, Special Selection." On May 4, there will be a special online preview of the items up for auction.

With the economy as it is, you might actually find some excellent bargains. I will likely attend the auction so maybe I will see some of my readers there. It is a fun event, even if you don't bid on anything.

35th Annual ULVino: Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Well, I am going to break that rule a little, sharing some of my recent Vegas experiences. But don't get all excited, thinking you are going to hear a bunch of salacious stories. I am only going to share my food and drink experiences with you. The rest of what I did will remain confidential, as it should.

Last year, I attended the 34th Annual UNLVino Wine Tasting and I had such a good time that I decided to return this year, to their 35th Annual Event. The Grand Tasting event was once again held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, which is a good venue for the event. I entered during the trade hours, when it was quieter, so I had plenty of time to check out the many wines available. Though even when the public entered, it was not as busy as last year. I heard that ticket sales had been 50% less this year, an effect of the rough economy.

The event was set up a bit differently than the previous year. The entry room contained the auction area at the back, and there were a few vendors on the side walls. The tasting room was quite large, though I believe smaller than last year, yet there still were over 1000 wines available for tasting. As last year, there was plenty of space between the different rows of tables, making it feel far less crowded.

Once again, the selection of available wines was generally comparable to that of the Boston Wine Expo, except that the UNLVino had more high end wines available. There was also plentiful food available, more than just cheese and crackers. Besides the main food tables, there were a few restaurant vendors scattered about, offering samples. For example, Koi Restaurant offered an extremely delicious tuna tartare atop wonton crisps.


One of the things that really impressed me about this event is that they really showcase Saké, more than most other grand wine tastings. There were seven tables of Saké, all situated in a line against the back wall. It is great to see so many people being exposed to the delights of Saké. I tasted many and will be posting a number of Saké reviews in the near future.

I attended the auction, which was divided into a silent auction and a live auction, as I usually enjoy such auctions. There were a total of fifty items available, a number of which were primarily for locals such as restaurant gift certificates and winery visits. But I did find one item of interest, three bottles of Mizbasho Sparkling Pure Saké. I had tried this in the tasting room and was very impressed with it. I ended up being the only person who bid on them, so I got them for an excellent price. I'll tell you more about this Saké in the near future.

In addition, I will be posting numerous other wine reviews soon. As well as the review of a special drink that really impressed me, but also was a bit of a disappointment. Stay tuned for all of it.

I should also mention one more intriguing aspect of this event, an artist, Jessica Galindo, who was displaying some of her artwork. I was drawn to her heart-related works, finding them both evocative and compelling. From speaking with Jessica, her passion was clear and she is very personable and charming. I think she is quite talented and I highly recommend that you check out her work on her website. I purchased one of her paintings and may buy more in the future.

I hope to head back to Vegas next year for the 36th edition of UNLVino and I recommend that other wine lovers check it out as well.

WGBH Auction: Ending Soon

The WGBH auction will be ending soon, on May 31. As I mentioned previously, there are numerous food and wine items up for bidding. They have had gift certificates to places like Union Oyster House, Blue Ginger, Top of the Hub, Bistro 5, Teatro, Tasca, and many more.

I have been bidding on a number of items, though I have not won anything yet. There is still time to win though. Plus, on May 31, from 3pm-11pm, WGBH will be holding a live auction on air on WGHB 2. That will be your final chance to bid on any of their interesting food and wine items.

So check it out, and just don't outbid me on anything I want.

WGBH Auction: Food 7 Wine

It is WGBH auction time again!

I bid on some items in last year's auction, though I did not win anything. But I will likely bid again this year. The auction does appeal to foodies as there are numerous food and wine items up for bidding.

This year, they will have gift certificates to places like Union Oyster House, Blue Ginger, Top of the Hub, Bistro 5, Teatro, Tasca, and many more. There will be special wine dinners and chef's tasting menus. There will also be a number of different wines included in the Auction. There are plenty of items that I know will interest me and others.

Bidding opens on May 1, but in the meantime, you can view some of the Auction's items and register to be among the first to bid online. So check it out, keep an eye on what is added and I hope that you win something if you do bid. I just hope you don't win if it is something I bid on.

Wine/Food Auction

So, what did I watch on TV last evening? A few hours of the WGBH auction. You may then ask, why did you do that?

Last evening was the Wine and Dining section of the auction. They offfered numerous lots of wine plus restaurant gift certificates and dining opportunities. One of the lots was a 1979 Opus One, the first vintage of that famed wine. It was valued at $750 and sold for $650. I bid on a few lots of wine, including some Williams Selyem Pinot Noir and a collection of six Fairview wines from South Africa. But, I did not win any of them. I was seeking bargains, hoping to get a good price on the wine, so I did not bid too high. A couple of lots actually did not garner any bids. There were some interesting dining opportunities as well, for restaurants such as Eclano and Tasca.

The auction continues through Friday on TV. Thursday night, from 7-11pm, will have more wines and dining opportunities up for auction. You might want to check it out.

You can also bid online for a number of items as well. There is no wine in their online auction but there are some unique dining opportunities, such as a special Chef's Table dinner at the Capital Grille for 8 people. The online bidding ends on Sunday.