Ronnarong: Sherry & Thai Success

Tuesday night, there were plenty of happy diners at Ronnarong, a Thai restaurant in Union Square, Somerville.  I was the host for this month's edition of Thai Tapas Tuesday Series, pairing Spanish Sherry with Thai dishes.  The event went very well, and the attendees gained an appreciation for dry sherry. I had fun talking about the basics of sherry while also relating anecdotes from my prior trip to the sherry region this past September. 

As I have said before, Spanish sherry pairs well with a wide variety of cuisines. But too many have the mistaken perception that all sherry is sweet so they rarely consider pairing sherry with dinner. Dry sherry though is very interesting and delicious, and can pair well with lots of foods. This event was an opportunity to show the versatility of sherry, to introduce people to its possibilities, and it was successful with a number of attendees telling me they would now be seeking out sherry.

The evening began with a tapas of fried vegetable Thai roll and then moved onto three classic Thai dishes: seafood lad nah (mixed seafood with asian broccoli, wide noodles, and oyster sauce), beef with Ronnarong's red curry, and a larb (very spicy ground chicken dish).  All of the food was quite tasty, spiced well and it was a nice sampling of the restaurant's cuisine.

We began the evening, pairing some Manzanilla with the Thai rolls and lad nah.  Manzanilla can only be legally produced in a single city, Sanlucar, in the entire world, making it a special wine.  I love its taste, which often reminds me of a briny green apple. We had three Manzanillas, including from producers Bodega Hidalgo La Gitana, Pedro Romero and Barbadillo Solear. It went well with the crunchy Thai roll and the seafood in a savory sauce, and the La Gitana seemed to be the favorite of the three for the attendees.

With the beef and red curry, which had a bit of a hot spice to it, I chose to pair it with Amontillado, and we had bottles from Lustau and Barbadillo. Amontillado seems like the best of both worlds, a mix of the best qualities of fino and oloroso, and it is very food friendly.  This was also the top pairing of the evening, with lots of raves.  The Amontillado was able to tame the spice of the dish, and was not overpowered by the curry. The restaurant may even add Amontillado to their wine list after seeing how well everyone enjoyed this pairing.

The lab, a very hot and spicy dish, was paired with an Oloroso, and again we had examples from Lustau and Barbadillo.  Though people did like the Oloroso, it didn't work as well as hoped, being more overwhelmed by the intense heat of this dish. It probably needed a bit of a sweeter sherry, maybe a Pale Cream or Medium Sherry to better combat the spiciness.  The Oloroso would have worked with the red curry, but it is a fine balancing act, where the dry sherry works well with some heat, but not too much.  

It was great to meet the attendees, and there were plenty of interesting food and wine conversations, and not just about the sherry and Thai. I was glad to see all of these adventurous people, willing to try something new, willing to put aside their preconceptions.  Thanks to everyone at Ronnarong for helping to put this event together, and I recommend that you check out their restaurant.  Plus, you might see me there again in the near future, hosting a Sake pairing dinner!

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1) The Dorchester-Milton Restaurant Week is happening again, during the weeks of January 17-31.  Check the websites for each of the participating restaurants as they contain the details of the three-course, $30.11 dinner specials, which are available Sunday through Thursday evenings only.

224 Boston Street Restaurant
224 Boston Street, Dorchester
88 Wharf
88 Wharf Street, Milton
Abby Park
550 Adams Street, Milton
Ashmont Grill
555 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester
Blarney Stone
1505 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester
dbar
1236 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester
Ledge Kitchen & Drinks
2261 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester
Tavolo
1918 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester

Advance reservations are appreciated but not required, and parking is plentiful and free at each restaurant.

2) Aura Restaurant and Chef Rachel Klein are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Boston Wine Expo with brunch and dinner.

First, Chef Klein pays homage to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region and visiting author, Harry Karis and his book, The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book, with a multi-course menu featuring accompanying wines from the area. Along with the cuisine, there will be a discussion with author Harry Karis. "A self-described “late-bloomer”, Mr. Karis was fortunate to begin drinking more exclusive and rare wines in his late 30s. He ultimately became focused on the quality Southern Rhone wines, especially Châteauneuf-du-Pape. He appreciated these wines and the different personalities and styles, all with a lush, exciting and exuberant quality. Delving deeper, Mr. Karis learned that all available documentation on these wines was incomplete and behind the times; he soon recognized an opportunity to write his book."

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Dinner Menu:

First Course:
Pine Nut & Roquefort Tart, Young mache, truffle-honey vinaigrette
Paired with Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos Mont Olivet (blanc)
Second Course
Moulard Duck with Red quinoa, marcona almond, medjool dates, 5-spice
Paired with Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine Vieux Telegraphe
And Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Monpertuis, "Secret de Gabriel"
Third Course
Duet of Lamb: Braised lamb shank & roasted lamb loin, parsnip puree, prunes, shaved grana padana,
cinnamon olives, spinach
Paired with Cornas, Vielles Vignes, Alain Voge
Dessert Course
Almond Cake, Confit Thai chili and pineapple, Beaumes de Venise sabayon
Paired with Muscat Beaumes de Venise, Baumalric

During Boston Wine Expo weekend, Aura will feature a three-course prix-fixe menu with accompanying wines. The menu is offered Friday – Sunday, January 21st – 23rd at $55 per person, plus tax & service charge.

Prix-Fixe Menu:

First Course
Pine Nut & Roquefort Tart, Young mache, truffle-honey vinaigrette
Paired with Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc
or Sancere Pascal Jolivet Loire ‘08
Second Course
Moulard Duck, Red quoina, marcona almond, medjool dates, 5-spice
Paired with Lengs & Cooter Shiraz
Or Trefethen Meritage Double T Napa ‘06
Dessert Course
Almond Cake, Confit Thai chili & pineapple, Beaumes de Venise Sabayon
Paired with Moscato D’Asti Michele Chiaelo Nivole ‘07

On Saturday & Sunday, January 22nd & 23rd, Aura is offering a buffet brunch, complete with a glass of Champagne. The menu is offered from 10 am – 3 pm for $45 per person, plus tax & service charge.

Brunch Menu

--2 Egg Omelet, Breakfast potato, toast, choice of bacon, sausage, ham
--3 Egg Omelet (Egg whites available), choice of breakfast potato or young greens
Choice of: Spinach · Sausage · Ham · Bacon · Broccoli · Olives · Tomato · Basil pesto · Mushrooms
Roasted Red peppers · Caramelized Onion · American · Swiss · Smoked Cheddar · Boursin® · Cheddar
--Avignon Omelet (Wild Mushrooms, caramelized onion, Boursin® cheese, chicken apple sausage)
--Eggs Benedict, Canadian bacon, muffin, hollandaise
--Wild Mushroom Benedict, 2 poached eggs, brown sugar baked bacon, spinach, Porcini cream, spiced port & red wine reduction
--Steak & Eggs, Grilled skirt steak, herb & egg custard, arugula, creamy soy & Cabernet sauce
--Crab Omelet, Egg whites, Jonah crab, petite salad of mango, bean sprouts, Tiny tatsoi, ginger vinaigrette, Thai herbs
--French Toast, Brioche, vanilla custard, Vermont maple syrup
--Belgian Waffle, Brown sugar & bananas or strawberries & Chantilly cream
--Ricotta Pancakes, Apricot compote & Muscat wine

Reservations may be made by calling 617-385-4300 or opentable.com.

3)  Come to a culinary extravaganza to sip award-winning wine and sample delicious food from more than 50 of Boston’s most popular restaurants and some of New England’s favorite wineries at the 13th annual "Chefs Cooking for Hope." Hosted by the Friends of Dana-Farber, this event takes place Thursday, March 3, 2011, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at 125 High Street, Boston. Sample signature specialties from some of Boston's top chefs, including honorary chef, Mary Dumont, from Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, MA. Admission is $100 per person and proceeds benefit adult and pediatric cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For tickets call (617) 632-3909 or log on to www.dana-farber.org/friends-chefs. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

4)  On Saturday, February 5th, Chef Brian Poe of Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake will kick off the city’s first ever “Burrito Bowl.” This culinary competition will bring together some of Boston’s chefs to determine whose burrito creation reigns supreme. In honor of the following day’s Super Bowl XLV, each chef will create a signature burrito reflecting that of their favorite NFL team. Each burrito creation will be served up “bowl-style” and rated by attendees as well as special guest “referees” including; The Boston Herald’s “Burrito Boy” Josh Walovitch, UrbanDaddy Boston Editor, Dan McCarthy and TV Diner Hostess, Jenny Johnson.

Chefs in the running for burrito brilliance include; Corey Comeau of Stephanie’s on Newbury; Jose Duarte of Taranta; Andy Husbands of Tremont 647; Jason Hutchinson of Boloco; Erwin Ramos of Olé Mexican Grille; Jason Santos of Gargoyles on the Square; and, Brian Poe of Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake. The winning burrito creation will be featured at the Rattlesnake’s annual Super Bowl party the following day.

When: Saturday, February 5th from 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Cost:  $15 per person. Advanced tickets are available via credit card payment at Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake. Tickets the day-of the event will be available on a cash basis.

5) The Beehive is launching two new theme nights, on Sunday and Monday nights, as well as a new burger menu.

Blues Sundays: Starting Sunday, January 16th, The Beehive launches their all new “Sunday Night Blues Series” featuring an all-star house blues band led by 25-year musical veteran Keyboardist and Producer, Bruce Bears. Come down every Sunday night from 8pm-12am and hear some great blues.

Hearing Voices: Starting January 24th, The Beehive will kick-off their new singer spotlight series called “Hearing Voices” every Monday evening at 8pm showcasing some of the nation’s top vocal talent.

Burger Shop:  On Sunday and Monday nights, from 5:30pm-1am, The Beehive presents a menu of interesting burgers,  each served with frites.  The burgers include:

The Beehive Prime Burger ($14): With your choice of: Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Brie, Bacon +1 each
Alpine Burger ($14.99): Mushroom and Swiss cheese
Pepperoni Pizza Burger ($15.45): Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Pepperoni
Le Hambourgeois ($15.99): Truffle Aioli, Brie, Cornichons, Dijon, Baguette
Wedge Burger ($15.45): Blue Cheese, Bacon, Iceberg
Lone Star Burger ($15.45): Chili & Cheddar
Casbah Burger ($15.45): Feta, Harissa, Pickles, Yogurt-Cucumber Tzatziki
Aussie Burger ($15.99): Pineapple, Pickled Beets, Onion, Bacon, Fried Egg

As always, there is never a cover charge at The Beehive and reservations are recommended but never required. Call 617-423-0069 for reservations.

Paški Sir: Compelling Croatian Cheese

Cheese is such a delicious, diverse and versatile food.  So many dishes are enhanced by the addition of cheese, but it can be great on its own too. Cheese, bread, maybe some membrillo or fig paste.  Over the holidays, there were plenty of cheese plates, and I contributed to a few of them, letting friends and family sample some Paški Sir, a Croatian cheese.  

Unfortunately, you can't currently find Paški Sir at your local cheesemonger. But that should change soon as several importers are interested in carrying this unique cheese, and they definitely should bring it into the U.S. I don't think I have ever tasted a cheese from Croatia before, and had never heard of the Paški Sir. So I was very interested in receiving a sample of the cheese.  It was a big hit with myself, my family and friends.

The Republic of Croatia includes numerous islands, including Pag, a small island with a population of around 5000 people, as well as about 40,000 sheep.  Pag has a long history of agriculture, cheese making and salt production.  Paška Ovca, Pag sheep, are small animals, with thick winter coats which help protect them from Pag's harsh winter conditions. They dine upon the herbs and grasses of the rocky hills, and it is this vegetation which  affects their milk, and thus their cheese.

Pag is subjected to the Bura, a powerful, cool and dry wind which whips up seawater, dries it out, and then drops sea salt over the pastures.  Many wild herbs also grow on the island, surviving the harsh conditions, including Wormwood, Rockrose, Mint, Immortelle, Lavender and Dalmatian Sage.  The sheep devour the salt-laden grasses and herbs.

Paški Sir (translated as "cheese from Pag") is a hard, sheep's milk cheese, and the first recorded mention of it was in 1774. Undoubtedly, it was produced long before 1774, but by that time it had garnered some fame outside of Croatia. There are several dairies on the island which now produce Paški Sir, and I had the opportunity to taste some cheese from the Gligora Dairy.

The story of Gligora Dairy is an admirable tale of success, one worthy of recognition.  The dairy was founded by Ivan Gligora, who came from a long line of cheese makers.  Ivan got a scholarship to the Zagreb Creamery, where he eventually worked for about twenty years as a renowned dairy technologist.  During the early 1990s, Ivan moved back to Pag, eventually opening a small dairy, Sirana Gligora ("Gligora Dairy").

It was not long before his cheeses started winning many accolades.  In 2010, he constructed a new and larger dairy and Ivan's son, Sime, contributes to the success of their cheesemaking.  The Dairy annually produces over 50 tons of Paški Sir and over 150 tons of other cheese products. His cheeses continue to win many awards and now they are preparing to enter the U.S. market.

Paški Sir is is made from 100% ewes milk, and is aged for a minimum of six months in a limestone cave, and they have some cheeses that were aged for 12 and 18 months. The older the cheese, the stronger the flavors and the longer the finish. It is yellowish in color and has a smell of grass and herbs.  The taste is complex and intriguing, with a melange of herbal flavors, a mild creaminess and hints of salt. It pairs well with fruit pastes like quince and fig.

I very much enjoyed the taste, and my family and friends also liked it very much.  If you like hard cheeses, with plenty of complexity of flavor, then you will surely like Paški Sir. Hopefully you will soon be able to find it at your local cheese shop.

Stoneham Sun: More Favorites of 2010

My new column of "A Passionate Foodie" can be found in the January 12 issue of the Stoneham Sun newspaper. This is a weekly column that concentrates on reviews of local restaurants though it also deals with other food and wine topics.

The new column has been published already and will be available online soon. The new article, More Favorites of 2010, provides some additional food and wine recommendations, including the Meat House, Swiss Bakers, Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet, Urban Grape, Bin Ends and more .  All of these places are highly recommended, and have been previously reviewed on my blog.  If you want to start off your New Year with some excellent food and wine, then try these places.

If you have any questions or comments about my column, feel free to add them here.

Dine and drink with passion

Bacco's Wine & Cheese

A new wine and cheese store hosting a sake tasting?  Now that is sure to attract my attention.  I received an email about this event, and fortunately I was available so I made sure to add it to my calendar.

Bacco's Wine Cheese, which opened in November 2010, is located not far from the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and their large windows look out onto St. James Avenue.  Owned by Bob Bacco, it is a small, spacious store, selling wine, beer, cheese, prosciutto, Iggy's breads, prepared sandwiches and more. They stock about 265 wines, which will eventually rise to about 300, and about 30 beers.

I really like and respect their philosophy for selecting wines.  First, they divide their price points into thirds: one-third of the wines are low priced, one-third medium priced and one-third high priced (over $50). They do the same with their brands, one-third being name brands (known to most people), one-third store brands (known to most wine lovers), and one-third less common and niche wines.  This is impressive, considering that they have less than 300 wines and still make room for a good amount of niche wines.

Their selection includes wines from Spain, Alsace, France, California, South Africa, Washington, Oregon, New York and more. You'll find Champagne, Port, half-bottles and Sake.  A good diversity of wines. You can also see that their higher-end wines are kept in a special case, including California Cabernet, Champagne, Bordeaux, and Amarone. Plus, there is a refrigerated case for chilled white wines and cold beers.

Wine prices seemed average, and not inflated due to its Boston location, which is always a good thing. They also give you a 10% discount if you buy 4-11 bottles, and a 15% discount if you buy a case. They are open from Monday to Saturday, and hold wine tastings every day, with at least one cheese or food pairing.   Monday-Friday, the tastings are held from 4pm-7pm, and on Saturday, the tastings are 2pm-7pm.  So if you are close to the area, you will usually have the opportunity to taste wine.

Bacco's carries about 100 cheeses, including some local choices.  The selection looked very extensive and appealing, and the case also has pates, olives, salads, prosciutto and more.  They sell three prepared sandwiches, currently including a prosciutto & taleggio cheese with pesto, Italian dry salami & crucolo cheese (one of my favorite cheeses) with black olive tapenade, and grilled eggplant, roasted red pepper, sundried tomato and olive oil.  Plus, they sell "Bento" boxes, which hold three different cheeses, Iggy's bread, olives, cornichons and fig paste. A nice idea, which goes very well with a bottle of wine.
    

The Sake Tasting, presided over by Andrea McArt of Ruby Wines, included fives sakes: Konteki "Tears of Dawn" Daiginjo, Ama No To "Heaven's Door" Tokubetsu Junmai, Mukune "Shadows of Katano" Junmai Ginjo Nigori, Tozai "Snow Maiden" Junmai Nigori, and Tozai "Well of Wisdom" Ginjo.  All are now available at Bacco's and I strongly recommend the Konteki and Ama No To.

Overall, I feel this is a good addition to Boston.  I spoke a bit with Bob Bacco, and he possesses that passion I seek. This is not merely a job for him, but more a dream come to fruition.  Though there are less than 300 wines, Bob has put together a diverse selection and kept them reasonably priced.  Plus, there are plenty of great cheeses to please your palate. Check out this new store, buy a bottle of wine and a Bento box, and have a pleasant evening at home.

Bacco's Wine + Cheese
31 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-574-1751