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) Way back in 2007, while I was traveling across Spain, I visited the Parés Baltà Winery in the Penedes region. It was a fascinating visit, and we got to taste plenty of their delicious and well-made wines. Since then, I've often enjoyed their wines locally and now you will get a couple chances to meet the good people of Parés Baltà and enjoy some of their wines paired with compelling food.

On Tuesday, March 26, from 6:30pm-8:30pm, Tres Gatos is hosting Marta Casas and her husband Josep Cusiné Carol, the winemakers from Parés Baltà, for a Catalan Spring Wine Dinner. Parés Baltà is a small family owned traditional winery that goes back to 1790. The two women at the helm of the winemaking are both oenologists and produce high quality organic wines and Cavas with grapes from their 5 estates, situated around the winery and in the mountains of Penedès.

Chef Stephen Marcaurelle is creating a four-course menu to pair with select wines Marta Casas and her husband Josep Cusiné Carol will be pouring. Price is $65 per person (includes four-course dinner, wine, and talk).  Reservations are limited so please call at 617-477-4851 for this opportunity.

And on Thursday, March 28, from 6pm-8pm, Island Creek Oyster Bar in Burlington is hosting An Evening In Penedès: A Parés Baltà Wine Dinner. Wine Director Laura Staley recently took an unforgettable trip to Parés Baltà, and tales and photos upon her return have inspired Chef Matt Celeste to create a menu influenced by the coastal bounty of the Spanish region. Paired with our shared passion for hospitality, co-owner Joseph Cuisiné and winemaker Marta Casas are joining us at Island Creek Oyster Bar Burlington to host a special evening that will transport you to their homeland through a tasting of their wines. What began as a Cava house has become a leader in producing organic and biodynamic wines far beyond the sparkling wine the region is known for. Come escape the New England Winter and lose yourself in the warmth and romance of the region.

Tickets are $125 and include five courses, eight wines, tax & gratuity. Tickets available on Eventbrite.

3) Do you like Pinot Noir? Do you like Oregon Pinot Noir? If so, you might want to check out Pinot In The City, which will be held on Thursday, May 2, from 6:30pm-9pm (with VIP access at 5:30pm), at the Castle at Park Plaza. 60 wineries from Oregon’s Willamette Valley will be coming to this event. The tasting event features owners and winemakers pouring a selection of wines, including library and current releases, paired with delicious Pinot noir-friendly small bites. Not only will there be Pinot Noir, but there will also be Oregon Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sparkling Wines and more.

Tickets cost $90 for General Admission & $130 for VIP Admission and can be bought through Eventbrite. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance; there will be no ticket sales at the door.

Rant: The Seafood Expo: Why Aren't You Going?

This upcoming Sunday, thousands of fascinating and tasty creatures from the sea, a deluge of seafood, will descend on Boston. This epic event is one of the top food events of the year, but it seems to be ignored by most local writers and bloggers. Why aren't you planning on attending the Seafood Expo North America (SENA)?

Starting on Sunday, March 17, and ending on Tuesday, March 19, SENA returns to Boston, and it is probably the largest seafood event in the country. If you are a writer, from freelancer to a blogger, and cover any topics related to seafood, from recipes to sustainability, then I strongly encourage you to attend. As I have said repeatedly before, "the seafood show is fertile soil for a myriad of story ideas as each exhibit booth has its own unique and interesting story." Any writer who attends this show should easily find the seeds for at least a dozen stories, and likely many more.

SENA is a huge trade show, and last year there were about 1341 exhibitors, representing 57 different countries, showcasing a wide diversity of products and services. The total exhibit space is about 258,630 square feet, broken down into 30+ aisles of the Expo, so just walking through the show makes for great cardio exercise. With the vast number of exhibitors, you're sure to find plenty of fascinating stories. Even if you attended all three days, you still wouldn't have enough time to visit all of the booths.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about a myriad of seafood issues, to talk to numerous seafood businesses, to explore the seafood industry. You can discover more about different countries, such as by visiting the pavilions for Japan or Iceland. In addition, the show is fun, with plenty of delicious seafood samples, from lobster to oysters. Ever had salmon bacon? Fried alligator? You never know what might be available to sample at SENA. SENA presents a range of interesting conference panels too, and this year you can attend ones such as  "Seafood Trends & Preferences at Home & Away from Home" or "Changing the Narrative on Sustainable Aquaculture in the Culinary Community." You can also attend the annual Oyster Shucking Competition.

We all know that seafood is at the crux of some of the most important food issues in the world. The range of seafood topics touches on so many crucial matters, from sustainability to health, climate change to slavery. Seafood is integral to the economic health of many local businesses, from fishermen to restaurants. The potential extinction of certain fish species is a major concern that needs to be addressed. These are all issues which need much more coverage by the media, and which you can make your own contributions.

Why do I care? First, I view our local writers and bloggers as a community and I believe we all benefit by helping each other, giving recommendations for excellent events. Second, I feel that seafood is a vital topic which more people need to write about so that we raise attention to all of its urgent issues. That will benefit all of us in many ways. It is with greater exposure and cooperative efforts that we can cause change in the seafood industry. Third, it is a sad fact that there are four times as many negative articles about seafood than positive ones, and we need to change that ratio.

So I hope to see you next weekend at the Seafood Expo North America.

The Mind Of A Sommelier: Leo Keka

(Check out my Introduction to the The Mind of a Sommelier series.)

Leo Keka is the owner of Alba Prime Steak + Seafood and Zef Cicchetti & Raw Bar in Quincy Center. A native of Albania, he fled the impoverished former communist nation in 1990 by swimming across a lake to a refugee camp in Montenegro, before finding his way to the United States. Keka, unable to speak English at the time, landed his first job in the industry when he was hired as a dishwasher by fellow Albanian-American and celebrated restaurateur Anthony Athanas of late Boston culinary landmark Anthony’s Pier 4. Keka soon became a server, displayed a natural knack for hospitality and quickly worked his way up through management at both Legal Sea Foods and Grill 23 & Bar, before opening his fine-dining Quincy Center restaurant Alba in 2001. Such an inspiring story!

Now, onto the interview:

What term do you use to describe yourself: Sommelier, Wine Steward, Wine Director, something else?
I’m the owner of Alba but also the wine director. Wine is one of my great passions and I love that part of my job. We have a great, great staff that is very knowledgeable about wine and about our wines in particular. But at the end of the day, even as the owner, I pick most of the wines on our list and I’m proud to do so.

Please give a brief description of the wine list at your restaurant.
Our wine list is focused on American/California cabernets and Oregon pinot noirs with a heavy selection of Italian reds: super Tuscans, Barolos, Brunellos. Those big hearty Italian red wines. We have some great options and sell a lot of them.

What are your objectives with the wine list?
Our goal at Alba is to offer a great bottle of wine at a great price, no matter the guest’s taste or budget. I think a lot of wines are subject to over-pricing in restaurants. We try to avoid that. We try to come in at a very fair price for our guests. Our wine list I believe rivals that of any of the top steakhouses or restaurants in Boston. But our prices are much more affordable.

A lot of the reason why is for me very personal. We grew up very poor in Albania. We didn’t have great restaurants. We had very few material pleasures. One of those pleasures was wine. I remember one Christmas night when I was about 15 my mother brought home this giant 18-liter bottle of red wine that my grandparents had made. It was amazing.

I was hooked on that taste and on the celebratory aspect of drinking wine. I loved it from the beginning. My dad had tried before to get me to drink beer. I didn’t like it. I still don’t. But I’ve loved wine from that moment I first tasted it. I still remember drinking that bottle of wine today.

So that desire to make great wine affordable still influences our list. I’m willing to sell wine at a lower price than other restaurants if it means somebody can experience a wine they might otherwise have missed and enjoy that feeling I felt that Christmas night as a teenager back in Albania. I think our combination of world-class wine at a fair price is the big reason why we sell so much wine.

How often does the wine list change?
We’re always getting in new bottles if they fit our program. But big picture the wine lists changes substantially every six months to reflect new vintages, new bottles, new trends. We probably sample 500 to 600 bottles every six months, find the great picks, and revamp the menu to reflect those tastes. But at any given time we might pick up something new if I really like it and it fits our program.

Are there omissions on your wine list you would like to fill?
I’d love to serve more sparkling wine. I don’t think people drink enough champagne or sparkling wine. Americans in general tend to think of champagne as something you celebrate with, a special occasion wine, and not something you enjoy on its own or with food. Great sparkling wine is tremendous with a variety of foods. I wish more people would order champagne with their food like they do a bottle of chardonnay. We’d certainly offer more. I’d love to sell more.

How do you learn about new wines?
I’m always keeping up with Wine Spectator, following wine auctions, the wine blogs, following global trends. And we have a steady stream of vendors through here most every day showing off their newest bottles. We move a lot of wine for all the big houses in the region so they’re always eager to show off their best new stuff. So we stay up on top of things that way, too. Just by tasting and talking about wine every day with other people who know and love wine.

What is the most common wine question asked by your guests?
Our guests are already well educated about brand-name wines. So they typically want to know what’s the next thing we have that tastes like the wines they already know. So we like to steer them to new wines, about the winemakers, the wine-making regions. I think it’s up to us to lead them to the next great bottle of wine. We want them to buy a bottle because we like it ourselves. But of course we want to make sure it fits their taste profile.

What is the most common criticism you receive from guests about your list?
People are always trying to get more. We have 400 to 500 bottles on the list. We’re trying to pair our wine with our food and also be true to our brand. But there are always more options. People always want more options. Even with the hundreds of bottles we offer, people want more choices. They might ask for something from South Africa or Argentina because it’s great wine they read about or heard about somewhere. But usually those wines aren’t on our list. They’re not consistent with who we are and you can’t carry everything.

We also lack Sake, for example. Sometimes we’ll have a really great Sake. But not usually. It’s not part of what we do. But sometimes people ask for it. You can’t be everything to everybody. But with that said we work hard to ensure our wine list is consistent with our food and our influences and that we offer high-quality wines at a good price.

What is your greatest challenge as a sommelier?
The greatest challenge is trying to keep current choices consistent with past choices. Does that make sense? This is what I mean: somebody comes in and asks for a bottle that they loved. They may be a regular or somebody who comes in only a once a year. But we don’t carry that bottle anymore. The vintage is gone. We ran out. The distributor is out of stock. Whatever the case might be. But we need to make sure we have something comparable in terms of flavor, quality and price point that’s consistent with the great bottles we’ve offered that guest in the past.

So we have to know what our guests expect. The flavors, the styles, the prices. And we have to make sure those options are available, even if the label on the bottle changes. It’s a challenge. But it’s also one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.

Tell me about 1 or 2 of the best value wines on your list?
     We sell a 1-liter bottle of Caymus Cabernet for just $95. So naturally we sell a LOT of Caymus. I believe we are the No. 1 single-unit restaurant in Caymus sales in all of New England.
     Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay is another great deal for just $45. It’s from California. It’s very balanced. Pairs well with a lot of food. It’s sexy. It kicks ass. It’s a chardonnay lover’s dream and at $45 we sell a lot of it.

Tell me about 1 or 2 of the most unique wines on your list?
     Our Masseto 2015 is a pretty rare super Tuscan. A 100-point wine. An outstanding special occasion wine. A great wine to enjoy among friends. A unique blend of super Tuscans with a lot of complexity. It’s a wine most people would drink and it remember it forever. We sell it for $900 when it might run you $2,000 somewhere else in Boston.
     Also, we’re lucky to be one of the few restaurants in the region to carry Sassicaia 2015, which Wine Spectator named its No. 1 wine of 2018. This is one of the world’s great wines and we sell it for just $315.

Tell me about 1 or 2 of your favorite wines on your list?
If I have to drink wine for myself, it would be anything from Howell Mountain in Napa. I love the earthiness of the wines in that region. I like the tannins. I like big wines that need decanting. Great spices. Howell Mountain wines remind me of Old World wines. We carry wines from Robert Craig, Dunn and La Jota vineyards in Howell Mountain.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about your wine list, your work as a sommelier, or wine service?
My experience in this industry was forged soon after I moved here from Albania at some of the greatest restaurants in America most notably Anthony’s Pier 4, Legal Sea Foods and then Grill 23. When I landed in Boston I couldn’t even speak English. But Anthony’s Pier 4 had one of the best, most expansive wine lists in America and a very demanding customer base. I learned the wine business, and I learned the language, pretty fast. Then I feel like I refined my knowledge at Grill 23, which had that outstanding wine list and still does today. I learned a lot at both places and met people passionate about food and wine.

I wanted to carry that passion forward here at Alba and sell the same wines but at a better price. I’ve got to meet so many great winemakers, producers, sommeliers and have had the pleasure tasting a lot of wine. It’s helped me create a palate where I can tell you everything I like or don’t like about a wine and then convey those experiences to my staff and to my guests and hopefully help people make educated decisions about their wine.

I’ve taken all those experiences and brought them here to Alba and love sharing them with our guests. It’s really the same passion I learned that Christmas eve when I was teenager drinking my grandparent’s wine. If people get anything out of dining at Alba, I hope that get that passion and pleasure we get from serving great food and great wine.

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) A Taste of Ginger will be held on Monday, March 25, from 6:30pm-9:30pm, in the beautiful Art of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts. Proceeds from A Taste of Ginger will benefit Joslin Diabetes Center’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI) which works to enhance the quality of life and health outcomes for the rising number of Asian Americans living with diabetes, and collaborates with Joslin as they work to find a cure.

Each year, hundreds of supporters and foodies gather to enjoy a lively evening, including the opportunity to meet and taste the cuisine of more than 30 of Boston’s most celebrated chefs such as Jasper White, Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Café, Tiffani Faison of Tiger Mama, Tracy Chang of PAGU, Sumiao Chen of Sumiao Hunan Kitchen, Jimmy Liang of Fuji at Ink Block, and Andy Husbands of The Smoke Shop BBQ, amidst the beauty of the MFA.

Culinary chair Bik-Fung Ng has been a committee member of A Taste of Ginger since its creation in 2005; she has more than 30 years of experience in the food industry and has been an activist in the Asian Community for many years, often collaborating with the AADI on nutrition-related projects. Longtime Joslin supporter and A Taste of Ginger founder Leverett Wing, whose parents helped establish the AADI at Joslin, will serve as event chair alongside Audrey Paek, a staple in the Boston nonprofit community, including time on the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Emceed by Emmy-nominated NBC 10 Boston and NECN anchor and reporter Joy Lim Nakrin, the event will honor the founding families of one of Boston’s first and largest chef-centered fundraising events and will celebrate the substantial advances the AADI has made through research, education, outreach, and culturally appropriate treatments. This event will mark the 15th year that funds raised by supporters of A Taste of Ginger have helped fund the important work of the AADI.

I've attended this event multiple times and it always is a great time, with some amazing food, and it is all for an excellent cause.

TICKETS: Tickets are $250 per guest, and can be purchased online at:www.joslin.org/ginger

2) Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE) has announced the chef line-up for its fundraiser, OF COURSE! 2019, taking place Sunday, April 28, at CCAE in the heart of Harvard Square. The event features a festive and interactive “Menu of Classes” at CCAE from 4:45pm-6:45pm and then the party continues as a brass band leads guests down the street to The Charles Hotel Ballroom. 

Guests will enter the ballroom to discover 17 of the city’s talented and much-appreciated chefs, restaurants and breweries presenting favorite food and drink for “A Taste of CCAE.” “It truly is a celebration of CCAE and the community” explains Linda Burton, executive director, CCAE. “At CCAE our goal is to bring education, conversation and the community together in a vibrant setting. April 28th will be one extraordinary evening where we salute not only our incomparable classes and inspired instructors, but also our wonderful supporters and many of Cambridge’s top chefs, vintners and breweries.”

There are 17 Cambridge chefs and restaurants participating:
Chef Jody Adams and Chef Pantazis Deligiannis, Saloniki
Chef Joanne Chang, Flour
Chef Tracy Chang, PAGU
Chef Peter Davis, Henrietta’s Table
Chef Carl Dooley, The Table at Season to Taste
Chef Mark Goldberg, Temple Bar
Chef Felipe Herrera, Felipe’s Taqueria
Chef Scott Jones, Luce
Chef Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra
Chef Tyler Kinnett, Harvest
Chef Tony Maws, Craigie on Main and Kirkland Tap & Trotter
Chef Peter McCarthy, EVOO and Za
Chef Michael Pagliarini, Benedetto and Giulia
Chef Kristen Rummel, Honeycomb Creamery
Chef Jeffrey Salazar, Parsnip
Chef Michael Scelfo, Alden & Harlow / Waypoint / Longfellow Bar
Chef Chris Willis, Pammy’s

The exclusive wine sponsor is 90+ Cellars, and an original OF COURSE! 2019 cocktail is being concocted by Bully Boy Distillers.

OF COURSE! 2019 is the CCAE’s primary fundraiser, providing resources to produce the 1200+ classes it presents each year, as well as to support its robust scholarship program, Conversations on the Edge discussion series, the Blacksmith House Poetry Series and its many other innovative programs and initiatives.

Time: 4:45pm-6:30pm: A Menu of Interactive Classes at 42 & 56 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA
6:45pm-7:00pm: Brass Band Parade from 42 Brattle Street to The Charles Hotel
7:00pm-9:00pm: OF COURSE! 2019 "Taste of CCAE" Gala Party at The Charles Hotel

Tickets cost $275 and are available through www.ccae.org/ofcourse2019

Katie's Kitchen: Delicious, Value Breakfast in Wolfeboro

Over the weekend, I spent a couple days in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, staying at Adam Japko's stunning lakehouse with a number of friends. Both mornings, I stopped by Katie's Kitchen for breakfast and every time I now return to Wolfeboro, I'll make sure I go back to Katie's Kitchen. Delicious, fresh and inexpensive breakfast in a homey atmosphere. And those Cinnamon Rolls!

Katie's Kitchen, owned by Patty Lord, is a small, homey and casual restaurant, a place frequented by many locals. Locals know they can get up and refill their own cup of coffee, or even bus their own table. Everyone seems to know everyone else, a close-knit community, bonding over pancakes or bacon & eggs. Patty presides over the restaurant like a charming aunt, extremely personable, very attentive, and with a nice sense of humor. She likes the restaurant as it is, resistant to changing anything because she feels everything works well just the way it is. For example, she won't add an expresso/cappucino machine, believing her coffee is sufficient for all. Why ruin the charm of this place with such a machine?

The restaurant primarily serves breakfast and their menu is relatively simple, though they are willing to make almost anything else you might want if it is possible. They have you covered with all the basics, such as eggs, pancakes, omelettes, waffles, and eggs benedict. Their low prices are hard to beat, such as 3 Eggs, Toast & Home Fries for only $2.20! Three good-sized Pancakes for only $2.50. Only $3.25 for an Omelette. They also make fresh muffins and cinnamon rolls each morning, in limited quantities, so make sure to get there early so you don't miss out.

(As an aside, I also want to bring your attention to a fascinating article by my friend Patrick Maguire, Overtip Breakfast Servers. He makes persuasive points about why you should tip well at breakfast, especially at such an inexpensive place like Katie's Kitchen. The usual 15%-20% gratuity just isn't adequate in this situation.)

The Cinnamon Roll is amazing, soft and full of plenty of cinnamon, as well as covered with a mildly sweet glaze. Though it comes with a large pat of butter, you won't need it for this sweet treat. This is one of the best cinnamon rolls that I've eaten at a restaurant. I'd come to Katie's Kitchen just for a couple of these pastries.

Their fresh Muffins are also quite tasty, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a Butterscotch Muffin here. I love the taste of butterscotch but had never had such a muffin. The butterscotch flavor in this moist muffin was just enough, not overly sweet or strong, but prominent and delicious. We need more Butterscotch Muffins!

The Blueberry Muffin was also quite good, moist with plenty of sweet blueberries, and a nice crusty top. Their Corn Muffin was tasty as well.

The Belgian Waffle, with a side of crisp bacon, was chewy and flavorful, just how I prefer my waffles. I also enjoyed their Blueberry Pancakes, which were large, and filled with plentiful blueberries.

A simple dish of Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Home Fries and English Muffin. Hearty and delicious.

If you enjoy breakfast, and find yourself in the Wolfeboro area, then you must stop by Katie's Kitchen. You won't be able to beat the prices, the food will be fresh and delicious, and you'll enjoy the homey ambiance. And their cinnamon rolls and muffins are a must buy! Kudos to Patty and the entire staff at Katies Kitchen.