Thursday, December 7, 2017

Sips & Nibbles: Holiday Edition

I am back again with a special Holiday edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) Legal Harborside is gearing up for the holiday season at Liberty Wharf. From December 13 through 24, the second floor at Legal Harborside will serve a “Feast of the Seven Fishes” tasting menu, featuring five courses from the best of the sea, with optional wine pairings.

Legal Harborside’s menu will be presented as follows:
FIRST COURSE
Raw Bar Duo (jumbo shrimp cocktail, Wellfleet oysters, pomegranate granita)
Laurent-Perrier Brut Vintage Champagne, 2007
SECOND COURSE
Salt Cod Croquette (lemon aioli)
Lemelson Vineyards “Dry” Riesling, Willamette Valley, 2014
THIRD COURSE
Organic Shrimp (truffled risotto, basil oil, aged parmesan)
Bethel Heights “Justice Vineyard,” Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, 2014
FOURTH COURSE
Frutti di Mare (dungeness crab, halibut, littlenecks, tomato saffron broth)
Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir, Waipara Valley, 2013
FIFTH COURSE
Eggnog Panna Cotta
Quinta do Noval Colheita Port, 2003

COST: $80 per person for tasting menu; $125 per person with wine pairings
For reservations, please call 617-477-2900

2) This New Year’s Eve, spend the night among a fine harbor and city view atop the rooftop of Legal Harborside. The glass-enclosed space will be sparkling in winter wonderland décor for the sky-high soiree which will include deejay entertainment, a complimentary midnight toast with Taittinger bubbly as well as noisemakers and hats in true celebratory fashion.

General admission tickets are available for $85 per person, and options to reserve a lounge-style table for the evening are available for up to six people for $650. Goodbye, 2017. Hello, 2018!

WHEN: Sunday, December 31, from 10:00pm-1:30am
MORE INFO: Tickets and tables may be reserved online. Tickets purchased are non-refundable and have no cash value. Limited tickets and table reservations are available. Access to the event will only be granted to guests with a ticket receipt and 21+ ID. Ticket price includes tax, but not gratuity. Please call 617-530-9470 with questions.

3) Chef Brian Kevorkian and team welcome guests to Grill 23 & Bar for a winter lunch this December. This seasonal special is the only time all year where Grill 23 opens their doors for lunch service featuring their signature steakhouse classics and fresh New England seafood. Guests can enjoy a variety of wines while dining on items such as the 100 Day Aged Prime Ribeye, Grilled Swordfish (cumin and orange glazed carrots, chermoula), Wedge Salad (blue cheese, bacon, crispy shallots, poblano ranch), and New England Chowder (smoked pork, lobster infused butter). Sit back and relax this holiday season with with colleagues or loved ones and share family-style sides including Lobster Mac N’ Cheese (smoked gouda), Tots with truffle oil, and Roasted Asparagus.

WHEN: December 11- 15, and December 18-22, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
To make Reservations, please call 617-542-2255

4) On December 25, from 11am-4pm, the Seaport Hotel will celebrate Christmas with an elaborate, family-friendly brunch buffet at Aura, featuring a spectacular menu and a visit from St. Nick himself.

The Aura Christmas Brunch Menu will include: Traditional Eggs Benedict, Black Bean Eggs Benedict with Smoked Chili Hollandaise, French Toast, Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Pork Sausage, Chicken Apple Sausage, Leek and Truffle Quiche, An Assortment of Fruits & Cheeses, Fruit, Yogurt and Granola Parfait, Shrimp Cocktail, Smoked Salmon with traditional accompaniments, Caesar Salad, Grilled Winter Vegetable Salad, Simple Salad with Seaport Honey Vinaigrette, Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Soup, New England Clam Chowder, Honey Ham with a Bourbon Maple Glaze, Roasted Sirloin with Red Wine and Currants, 3 Cheese Tortellini with Bolognese, Pan Roasted Salmon with Creamed Spinach, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Butternut Squash, Puree Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Winter Vegetables, Braised Green Beans, Macaroni and Cheese, Desserts, Assortment of Holiday Pastries Chocolate Fountain

COST: $75 per adult; $25 per child ages 5-12; complimentary for children 4-and-under
For reservations, please call 617-385-4304

5) On Wednesday, December 20, join Chef Michael Serpa of Select Oyster Bar for a traditional Italian-American seafood feast -- literally with the Feast of Seven Fishes. Chef Serpa combines tradition and his love for fresh seafood in seven delicious seafood dishes which will be served family style.

All dishes below served family style for the table:
--Frutti di Mare
--Island Creek Oysters & Wellfleet Littleneck Clams (traditional accompaniments)
--Yellowfin Tuna Crudo (house giardiana pickles, toasted walnut vinaigrette, olive oil)
Primi
--Flash Seared Dayboat Scallops (warm chestnut puree, blood orange salad, celery root)
--Eel Livornese (whipped polenta, roasted tomato, olives, basil pesto)
--Whipped Baccala (golden potato, crispy mushrooms, olive oil + herb crostini)
Secondi
--Grilled Bronzino & Polpo (octopus vinaigrette, roasted fennel, parsley)
--Maine Lobster Spaghetti (roasted tomato sauce, basil, bread crumbs, pecorino)

Cost: $95 per guest
Reservations are required, so please call 857-239-8064

6) Executive Chef Stefano Zimei and the team at Chopps American Bar & Grill in Burlington have created a special Three-Course Christmas Dinner, which will be available on December 25, from 1pm-6pm. The normal Dinner menu will also be available.

Menu includes:
APPETIZERS
--Maine Lobster Soup (cognac, lobster dumplings)
--Wild Mushroom & Apple Salad (smoked pecan, warm bacon vinaigrette)
ENTREES
--Caramelized Scallops (carrot puree, melted leeks, asparagus, brown butter)
--Roasted Duck Breast (forbidden black rice, bourbon honey glaze, squash, turnips, sprouts)
--Butternut Squash Ravioli (hearty greens, sage butter, parmesan)
DESSERT
Butter Scotch Pot De Crème (candied pistachio brittle)

Cost: $55 per person
Please make a Reservation by calling 781-221-6643

7) Join the team at Sulmona Restaurant as they celebrate the holidays with a specialty Feast of the Seven Fishes menu, a nod to the traditional Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner. While the Feast of the Seven Fishes menu is traditionally enjoyed on Christmas Eve, Chef Delio Susi is offering the special menu starting December 11 through Christmas Eve.

The fruits of the sea take center stage with the Feast of the Seven fishes but there is another ingredient on the menu that is a real showstopper - a very rare and exclusive extra virgin olive oil from Chef Delio’s family vines in Sicily. This olive oil is 100% organic and unfiltered. While Delio predominantly uses this as a finishing oil, there are two menu items on the Feast of the Seven Fishes menu that showcase the unique flavors.

Chef Delio honors his Uncle Guy’s love for sea urchin, a variety of fish not usually used in homestyle Italian cooking, with extra virgin imported olive oil in the Uni dish with a simple and mouthwatering preparation of garlic, chilies, uni butter and buccatini.

The talented staff behind the Sulmona bar has also created the Zio ($12)– which means “uncle” in Italian and combines Columbian oregano, Italicus – an Italian root liqueur that is orange flavored, Aperol, fresh grapefruit juice, Noley’s gin and the olive oil.

The full menu for the Feast of the Seven Fishes is as follows:
STARTERS
Baccala Cakes, parsley, lemon, garlic aioli $15
Head on Shrimp, salt, pepper, Calabrian chilies, garlic $17
Grilled Octopus, spicy aioli, crispy smashed potatoes, parsley $15
ENTREES
Lobster Agnolotti, pink brandy cream, caramelized shallots $37
Puttanesca, baby octopus, squid ink risotto $29
Uni, oil, garlic, chilies, uni butter, buccatini $28
Cioppino, mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, haddock, shrimp, lump crab toast Market Price
DESSERT
Panettone Bread Pudding, Crème Anglaise $12

WHEN: December 11 – 24, During dinner service, beginning at 5:30PM
For Reservations, please call 617-714-4995

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