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) Chef/Owner Will Gilson, the De La Boue Wines team, and the Puritan & Co. team invite guests to join them for an upcoming dinner,  a taste of Oregon's wine country in Inman Square, on Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m. 

Borrowing its name from "nostalgie de la boue," a french phrase loosely meaning a longing for simpler time and "de la boue" directly translating to “of the mud,” De La Boue Wines aims to serve as a reminder that all comes from the ground beneath our feet. Produced in Oregon's Willamette Valley, De La Boue Wines lets nature take center stage by sourcing from local vineyards that follow organic or biodynamic principles in order to maintain sustainable soil and vine health.

Paired with five courses from Chef Will Gilson, the wine pairings will feature:
2020 Chardonnay, Gregory Ranch Vineyard
2020 Pinot Noir, Vista Grande Vineyard
2020 Pinot Noir, Gregory Ranch Vineyard
2020 Syrah, Lewis Vineyard

The dinner is $150 per person with tickets available for purchase HERE.

2) Bistro du Midi is launching the Tour de Rosé to celebrate summer in Boston. Starting on June 3 and running through the month of September, there is a whole new reason to soak in the season at Boston’s only French bistro overlooking the Public Gardens. Executive Chef & Partner Robert Sisca and Sommelier Andrew Thompson are giving guests a whole new reason to drink pink with the Tour de Rosé.

Each month of the Tour de Rosé programming will showcase featured wines from France, USA, and Italy and will commence with a surprise collection of the Bistro team’s favorite selections from the season. Chef & Partner Robert Sisca and the Bistro team will also be offering seasonal small plates such as Ora King Salmon Rilettes (smoked and cured salmon, crème fraiche, chives, sea salt, crostini) and Soft Shell Crab (chorizo, rhubarb, spring peas, pea tendrils, saffron) to accompany the rosé selections. The following monthly features will be available by the glass, half glass and bottle.

June: Rosé Francaise
Terres Dorees Beaujolais Rosé
Chateau Sainte Marguerite Rosé-Provence
July: USA all Day!
Gail Doris Rosé-Sonoma
Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé-California
August: Vin Italien Nord et Sud
La Spinetta-Tuscany
Masseria Li Veli Sussumenelo-Puglia
September: Victory Lap
A surprise collection of the Bistro du Midi team’s favorite rosés from the season

3) Chef Michael Serpa’s South End seafood staple Atlántico has launched dollar oysters every weekday featuring fresh, local oysters for one dollar from 4pm to 6pm. 

Boasting an expensive, carefully curated wine menu, guests can enjoy the bivalves alongside a crisp, summer-y glass of blanco. The tasty new special keeps true to Atlántico's focus of bringing the fresh seafood, quality ingredients, and bright flavors of the Iberian Peninsula to Boston diners in an accessible, delicious, and creative way.

New Sampan Article: The First Chinese Restaurants in Springfield

"The most interesting feature of Chinese life to me was that on board their boats, or sampans, as they are called....Upon these boats live whole families of three and even four generations."

--The Fall River Daily Herald, November 20, 1888

For about two yearsr, I've been contributing to Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England. It's published in print as well as online, available in both Chinese and English. I've previously written over 40 articles for Sampan, and you can find links here. 

My newest article, The First Chinese Restaurants in Springfield, is now available in the new issue of Sampan. Springfield was one of the first cities in Massachusetts where Chinese arrived in the 1840s, primarily fueled by the desire for education. In 1901, the first Chinese restaurant in Springfield opened: the Canton, and by 1915, there would be at least 8 Chinese restaurants in the city. They were largely successful, but faced some backlash around 1917 when I union tried to prevent other Chinese restaurants from opening. Check out my article for the full story on these restaurants.

What is a "sampan?" The newspaper's site states, "A sampan is a popular river boat in traditional China. This small but useful vessel, by transporting cargo from large boats to the village ports, creates a channel of communication among villages." And like that type of boat, Sampan delivers news and information all across New England, and "acts a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area."

Sampan, which was founded in 1972, is published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, "The newspaper covers topics that are usually overlooked by the mainstream press, such as key immigration legislation, civil rights, housing, education, day-care services and union activities. These issues are crucial to the well-being of Asian immigrants, refugees, low-income families as well as individuals who are not proficient in the English language."

There is plenty of interest in Sampan which will appeal to all types of readers, from restaurant reviews to historical articles, from vital news stories to travel items. In these current days when racism and prejudice against Asians and their restaurants is high, it's more important than ever that accurate information about the Asian community is disseminated and promoted. We need to combat the irrational prejudices that some possess, and support our Asian communities just as we would support any other element of our overall community. We are all important aspects of a whole, and we need to stand together.

Support Sampan!

The 15th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie

I'm going to open some Bubbly as it's time to celebrate! Today, The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Fifteenth Anniversary, a significant milestone. During all those years, I've seen many other blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing, and to continue to challenge myself. In December, I published my 5000th article and I'm now working on reaching 6000 next. 

I'm very proud of all I've written and accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink. I've actually been writing about food and drink for 16 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 15 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially about anything I can eat or drink. I never wanted to limit my writing to a specific cuisine, type of drink, or other specialty. I want the freedom to explore whatever perks my interest and I know I'll never run out of subject matter. Every time I learn something new, I realize how much more there is to learn. That is one of my favorite aspects of blogging and it helps that I'm a voracious reader and love to research new topics.

My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and others. I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (Sherry region), Italy (Tuscany & Collio), Portugal (Douro region), Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more.

I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends, and I think those friendships will last for many years to come. It's been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has expanded my understanding and enhanced my writing.

During these fifteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. For two years, I've been writing a column for Sampan, a bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, and have written over 40 articles for them. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, working for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. 

It has been my pleasure to try to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Sherry, Franciacorta, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last few years, especially because of the pandemic, I've dedicated much time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. I've compiled links to all of these fascinating articles in All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles. 

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it is their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 16th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

If you've enjoyed my articles during the past year, or more, please consider Donating to me through Venmo at @Richard-Auffrey-1, so that I can continue to provide interesting content. My largest expense is the cost of the resource sites that I use, especially newspaper archives, allowing me access to fascinating information which provides the background for my historical articles. Donations also allow me to continue operating this blog without any advertising, which I have done from the start. I appreciate any and all of your contributions.   

It's time to celebrate!

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) Kane’s Donuts is debuting new flavors for the month for May while also bringing back some fan-favorites. The May flavors of the month include Lemon Chiffon Bar, Chocolate Cloud, and M&M. To pay homage to the flavors of spring, Kane’s is debuting a Lemon Chiffon Bar, a light fluffy yeast stick, filled with lemon pie filling, topped with a creamy lemon chiffon frosting and a dollop of lemon filling. For all the chocolate lovers, Kane’s has brought back the Chocolate Cloud Donut, a light fluffy yeast donut, filled with creamy chocolate pudding, frosted with a rich decadent chocolate frosting, and topped with chocolate pearls. Kane’s will also have an M&M Donut for the month of May, crafted with a fluffy yeast-style donut with vanilla frosting and topped with mini-M&M’s. They will be available an all locations of Kane's throughout the month of May. 

2) Krasi Meze + Wine, one of my favorite restaurants, now has the largest all Greek wine list in the entire country. It had been the second largest until Molyvos in New York City recently closed. Sommelier and Wine Director Evan Turner has grown the wine list to over 300 bottles since Krasi opened in February of 2019.  Evan wine list showcases bottles from PDO areas with a focus on the known grapes of Greece as well as those that are more rare and indigenous.

At Krasi, Evan hosts a series called Symposium Wednesdays inspired by the ancient Symposiums in Greece that literally meant "to drink with friends" and were essentially the very first wine tastings. Symposium Wednesdays offer guests exclusive tastings, flights and by the glass pours of Greek wine. This is not a stiff and stuffy wine tasting but it's a unique opportunity to check out cool grapes like Limniona that date back to more than 3,000 years ago and were written about by Homer and Aristotle - and almost became extinct. 

Here is the upcoming lineup for May and June with some notes from Evan....

MAY 11 - WINERY SPOTLIGHT: DOMAINE DE KALATHAS. Jerome Binda, the owner of Domaine de Kalathas is a wizard from Middle Earth. Or I am willing to bet a decent chunk of change that he is, as his wines are magical that’s for sure. Made on the island of Tinos, an island that also looks like it is in Middle Earth, with boulders that are twenty feet high and twenty feet long. The only grapes he uses are native to the island, organically grown, made naturally, and of course, with magic. This is the first time I have featured just one winery for Symposium and I think you will absolutely agree. If I may be so bold, they will cast a spell on you. BOOM! Dad Joke! Cheers!

MAY 25 - MARVEL SUPERHERO SPOTLIGHT. WHAT IF THE AVENGERS WERE WINES. Ok, bear with me. I have been letting my “wine mind” run a little wild lately and have been thinking about what characters in fiction would be if they were wines. The Avengers were just too good to pass up, so I had to do this. Maybe I am being Tony Stark and tinkering where I have no good reason to, but I just can’t help myself. So strap in, get ready to ride through a wine multiverse with your faithful sommelier. Excelsior!

JUNE 1 - CEPHALONIA: ISLAND OF CONTRASTS. Cephalonia might be the most schizophrenic wine location in all of Greece. The island has a myriad of native grape varieties, made into wine by a wildly diverse group of winemakers who seem to follow one of two paths: Either hyper-focused clean wine that show of bright fruit and laser-like minerality or natural wines that are so funky that George Clinton would be impressed by their groove. This will be a wild ride of contrasts so be prepared to have your mind warped a bit. Afterall, a little madness is a good thing.

JUNE 8 - NORTHEAST GREECE: ACTUALLY, THE WILD, WILD WEST. If you want to make wine in Greece and do whatever you bloody well please, go up to Northeast Greece. Between experimenting with ancient grapes and using terracotta amphorae, or deciding that emulating California is the thing, Northeast Greece is the place to be. No other region is as wide-ranging in styles of wine and winemaking. No other place has so many philosophies on what to put in a wine bottle than here. It is a magic carpet ride of flavor and nuance that must be tasted to be believed. Get your glass out, we are going on an adventure kids!

JUNE 29 - WHAT THE ACTUAL F%*@ IS NATURAL WINE? Lots of wineries these days say they create “natural” wine. Well, what does that mean? In today's symposium we will taste through and explain what natural wine is all about. Whether they are white, orange, pink, or red, heck, even sparkling too. Taste through a whole new world of winemaking where what is old, very old in some cases, is new again. It’s like “Indiana Jones”, but with wine and no snakes. You can still bring your whip though, it could get kinky.

In addition, Krasi is offering a great new opportunity as you can now buy Greek wines at retail price! at Krasi. They can now sell their wine retail out of Krasi. They will sell anything they have in stock and is not already cold unless that is to your liking. They also have a wine club that allows you to enjoy a monthly six-pack of rare goodies picked by Evan Turner. Soon, they will also be able to sell those wines online too. Such great news.

A Rant-Free May: Embracing Positivity & Hope

As May begins, I just can't start this month with a Rant. In fact, I won't be posting any Rants at all during this month. Instead, I want to embrace hope and positivity, to look forward to what the immediate future will hopefully bring. 

Summer nears, and warmer weather is on its way. Pandemic restrictions have been lifted in many places and large-scale events, such as wine tastings and food festivals, are being held. People are beginning to travel once again, including journeys to other countries. You can feel the change in people's emotions, an air of hopefulness which brings more smiles. 

Yes, there are still plenty of matters of concern around the world, but we cannot surrender to despair. We can still try to address these issues while also being positive and hopeful. 

Some other reasons to embrace May include a variety of holidays this month. Mother's Day is May 8, a day to show love for our wonderful mothers (although we should also be showing them love every day of the year). May is also said to be National Barbecue Month, National Hamburger Month, and National Egg Month. Get our your grills, slap on some burgers, and top them with a fried egg! In addition, May 25 is said to be National Wine Day, to celebrate all things vinous, while May 21 is International Pošip Day, a celebration of a fascinating and tasty Croatian indigenous white grape. 

Personally, May should be an excellent month for me. The Passionate Foodie blog will celebrate its 15th Anniversary! The traditional gift for such an anniversary is crystal although the modern gift is a timepiece. In addition, I'll be traveling to Croatia on a press trip, exploring the regions of Slavonia and Istria, as well as the city of Zagreb and its environs. I have good reason to be positive this month, and also hope that positivity extends to many other people as well.

Embrace positivity and hope! And what positive and fun matters are you looking forward to this month?