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) Bakes for Breast Cancer – the Massachusetts-based non-profit organization dedicated to funding breast cancer researchers and clinicians – is proud to announce its 25th anniversary in 2024 and event dates for all ten events, including the addition of new locations for its signature weeklong fundraiser in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Founder Carol Sneider launched this event and nonprofit in memory of her mother who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 43. The best memories Carol recalls were the times spent in the kitchen baking bread, cakes and other sweet treats.

Since its inception in 1999, Bakes for Bakes Cancer has encouraged restaurants, cafés, bakeries, pastry shops, grocery stores and other businesses offering desserts to designate one of their sweet treats during the weeklong event where 100% of the proceeds go to Bakes for Breast Cancer to fund breast cancer research. Participating establishments also have the opportunity to offer up their entire dessert roster where 50% of the proceeds goes back to the organization. Over the last twenty five years, Bakes for Breast Cancer has raised over 2 million dollars and over 5,000 different establishments have participated in the annual weeklong event throughout Massachusetts and as it expanded into different regions in various years. 

The dates for the 2024 Bakes for Breast Cancer Massachusetts and Rhode Island events include: Friday, May 10 – Thursday, May 16.

“Since 1999, Bakes for Breast Cancer has been on a mission to do its part to help eradicate breast cancer for good, one sweet treat at a time,” said Bakes for Breast Cancer Founder Carol Sneider. “We are proud to keep expanding into different states and marquee cities, and we will continue to do so in areas with thriving culinary scenes with establishments that share the same mission as ours. Statistics on the number of both women and men directly and indirectly affected by breast cancer are alarming, and we will continue do our best to help reduce those numbers.”

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2023, an estimated 297,790 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women except for skin cancers, and it is estimated that in 2023, approximately 30% of all new female cancer diagnoses will be breast cancer. On average, every 2 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States and approximately 15% of women diagnosed have a family history of breast cancer.

2) Croatian Premium Wine Imports (CPWI) has recently received, to their Massachusetts warehouse,  a new container from Croatia. In addition to new vintages of some of their previous favorites, they have brought in some new labels, including sparkling, roses and orange wines. The new wines should be available in their online store in a couple of weeks.

In addition CPWI has finalized the onboarding of a large distributor in Massachusetts – the Boston Wine Company (a division of MS Walker), who will soon been doing o a big-scale launch all over Massachusetts. They are starting with just a few wines at first, and will be adding more, so ask your favorite local wine store, restaurant or bar to contact the Boston Wine/MS Walker rep to carry deliciuous Croatian wines.

Recent Top Restaurant Dishes

I want to highlight a few worthy restaurant dishes I recently enjoyed, which are from some of my favorite restaurants. These dishes are some of the best dishes I've eaten so far this year, and which may also be some of my top dishes at the end of this year.

This past week, I was thoroughly impressed by a Rabbit Pappardelle special at Il Ponte in Woburn. It's one of my favorite Italian restaurants, and the cuisine is always delicious. This dish consisted of house-made pappardelle, with an excellent texture, covered with a rabbit ragu and topped by a scoop of ricotta. With a great depth of flavor and a nice balance of spices, each bite brought such pleasure to my palate. Rabbit is such a great protein, and with its mild flavors, most people would enjoy it if they can get past the idea that it once was a fluffy bunny. My dining companion was also quite taken with this dish.

The short movie shows a bubbling dish of Chicken Claypot, my favorite dish at Soall Viet Kitchen in Beverly, an excellent Vietnamese restaurant. This dish is made with small pieces of tender chicken in a caramelized sweet and savory sauce, with a couple chili peppers. It's accompanied by jasmine rice, or noodles, with some pickled and fresh veggies. It's also served bubbling hot and the aromas are so enticing. The chicken is moist and tender, and the sauce possesses a great depth of flavor, nicely balanced between sweet and savory, and with a mild bit of spicy heat. The veggies act as a nice palate cleanser to the richer sauce. They also make a Salmon Claypot as well. 

The Clam Box of Ipswich is my favorite clam shack, for the quality of its fried seafood, the quantity you receive, and its excellent service. Others may prefer other places, but the Clam Box has never disappointed me. This dish was a combination of Fried Clams and Fried Scallops, with an ample pile of onion rings and French fries. The Fried Scallops are superb, tender and sweet, and the fried clams are delicious as well, both with a clean, light fried batter. The dish is large enough to share, or to have leftovers for another meal. 

What have been some of your favorite restaurant dishes lately? 

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) This Sunday, April 14th at 3pm, Boqueria - the lively Spanish tapas bar and restaurant that opened last fall in the Seaport - will be hosting the latest in its series of quarterly seasonal cocktail making classes.

At the class, guests will:
- Receive instruction on how to make two spring cocktails - the lighty and fruit "Buen Rollo" margarita, and "Beach Please" - a fresh and herbaceous gin-based drink 
- Learn how to work with different spirits, flavor profiles, and mixology tools
- Learn how specialty liquors + ingredients are made and their origin stories
- And enjoy a tapas spread while crafting (and sipping) their cocktails

Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased on Resy. 

2) For Mother's Day, Abe & Louie’s will be featuring their signature menu in addition to a collection of specials. For starters, there is a chilled English pea soup with brioche toast and mint crème fraiche ($13) as well as Maryland soft shell crab with sugar snap pea slaw and malt vinegar aioli ($25). The “Land & Sea” entrée pairs a 6oz filet with a Maine lobster tail served alongside asparagus with bearnaise ($98) in addition to dayboat scallops with morel mushrooms, fava beans and charred ramp pistou ($46). For something sweet, there is a monterosa cake with wild strawberries atop sponge cake with ricotta and mascarpone ($12) and for a refreshing sip, Your Day to be Sassy with elderflower, lemon and mint ($16). Reservations from May 10-12 and please call (617) 536-6300. 

3) For Mother's Day, Atlantic Fish Co. will be dishing out a quintet of specials in addition to a cocktail feature. To start, there is a bouquet of baby greens with cucumber, shaved fennel, radish and a lemon-thyme vinaigrette ($14). For entrees, there is a “land & sea” option with a 6oz filet mignon and butter-poached lobster served with whipped potatoes, oyster mushrooms and truffle emulsion ($85) in addition to stuffed lemon sole with creamed spinach, saffron couscous and lemon beurre blanc ($46). The dessert feature is a limoncello raspberry cake with vanilla ice cream ($12) and to sip, there is Mumm Knows Best with Sipsmith gin, Lillet Blanc, mandarin and lemon ($18). Reservations from May 10-12 and please call (617) 267-4000.  

4) For Mother's Day, Coach Grill will dish an array of food and cocktail specials over three days. The starter features are a baby bibb lettuce salad with candied pecans, cinnamon apples, blue cheese and lemon vinaigrette ($17) and lobster crab Louie with avocado, endive and tomato ($24). Bring your appetite for the main courses, “land & sea” with a 6oz filet mignon and butter-poached lobster served with whipped potatoes and spring peas ($85) as well as pan-seared halibut with shiitake mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and lemon beurre blanc ($65). Leave room for dessert, a monterosa cake with wild strawberries atop sponge cake with ricotta and mascarpone ($12). For cocktails, there is Mum-Believably Good with Aperol, strawberry, lychee and sparkling rosé ($16) in addition to No One Said Life is Fair with gin, lemon juice, butterfly pea syrup and prosecco ($16). Reservations from May 10-12 and please call (508) 358-5900. 

Rant: At The Store Register, Put Your Cellphone Down!

Cellphone use is so ubiquitous, and far too many people have great difficulty lifting their heads from the screens of their phones no matter what they're doing. They walk down the street, looking at their phones rather than looking out for others who are walking in their path. They even drive, looking down at their cellphones, despite it being illegal in Massachusetts as well as extremely dangerous. This situation has gotten far out of control. 

When these individuals visit a store, from a book shop to a wine shop, they continue using their phone even when they go to the register to make their purchase.

That needs to stop!

First, it's rude as the cashier generally needs to engage you in conversation when you make your purchase. It's hard to do so if you are talking to someone on the phone, or texting, or surfing the Internet. Second, it's dehumanizing to the cashier, as your attention is on your phone and you aren't treating the cashier as a human being, but rather as if they were an automaton. Third, mistakes can easily be made as you aren't paying sufficient attention and may not properly understand whatever questions the cashier asks you.

If you have to make a call, then handle the call before you go to the cashier. Once you get in front of the cashier, put your phone away or down. Give your full attention to the cashier. Treat them as a human being. Engage in some actual face-to-face social interaction. Your life is far greater than the tiny screen of your cell phone.

I've seen this occur numerous times and it's clear from their telephone conversations that it isn't an emergency. It's not a conversation that couldn't wait until after you complete your transaction at the register. 

Have some consideration, engage in some courtesy, and put your cellphone down.

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.
******************************************************
1) The Nautilus Pier 4 is celebrating four years as a Boston Seaport staple in true "nauti" fashion with a Nauti Party featuring new tropical-inspired tiki cocktails on Thursday, April 4, at 8pm. Along with the new tiki drinks, Nauti classics can be enjoyed with a night of music and dancing. The party will also double as a launch for The Nautilus’ new ‘Tiki Thursdays’ programming. 

Every Thursday evening at 8pm, in the back bar, The Nautilus will host Tiki Thursday parties where guests can indulge in sultry vibes and tiki cocktails, only available on Thursdays, in their own little waterfront tropical oasis.

A sample tiki menu can be found below:
Mai (Nau)Tai (Hamilton 86 Demerara, Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum, lime, orgeat, BROVO Orange Curacao, galangal)
Nights in White Satin (Mizu Shochu, coconut, thai basil, green chartreuse, lime)
Beyond the Horizon (Mezcal, guava, ancho reyes verde, soursop, angostura amaro)
Bird’s The Word (Planteray Pineapple Rum, blood orange, Campari, cinnamon, angostura)
Let’s Dance (Smith & Cross, Plantation 3 Star, cold brew, maple, banana, pineapple)
Time of the Season (Privateer NE, Plantation OFTD, chipotle amaro, cocoa bitters)
Rising Sun (Privateer Navy, orange, pineapple, coconut, nutmeg, served for 2 in a frozen pineapple)

2) The Dubliner, an authentic Irish pub, is prepping for patio season. Beginning Monday, April 1, weather permitting, The Dubliner hopes to open its private outdoor patio, a new beer garden with a retractable roof, and take full advantage of its front wall of windows that open to create an experience of outside dining, while technically indoors.

According to Chef Aiden Mc Gee. "Whether you want to sit on our front terrace (which seats 60), sit inside along the open retractable windows overlooking the downtown skyscrapers or our off-street beer garden complete with outdoor lounge furniture, couches, coffee tables, greenery, etc). This spot is perfect for a group of friends or colleagues who want to relax with a drink and share some food."  

The Front Patio, abutting busy Cambridge Street, is a traditional, fenced-off area adorned with lush greenery, that accommodates 60 guests. In contrast, the Beer Garden, with a capacity for 50 standing guests, has been designed as a vibrant after-work social hub, ideal for sharing drinks and platters of small bites with friends and colleagues. Not intended for sit-down diners, the Beer Garden emphasizes a casual, sociable atmosphere. Plus, its retractable roof ensures you'll stay dry should the weather turn inclement.

In the first week of April, The Dubliner will refresh its menu. Diners can look forward to indulging in warmer weather dishes like Irish crab claws in garlic lemon butter with homemade brown bread; an Atlantic Seafood Roll, with Lobster, Crab and Clams, Roasted Chicken, local asparagus, and brown butter sauce; and Mini Irish fish cakes with mustard dressing, and Achill Island sea salt. 

3) Nightshade Clam Shack, by the Nightshade Noodle Bar team, returns to the North Shore for its third season on May 2. Chef/Owner Rachel Miller’s Nightshade Clam Shack menu blends classic New England seafood with dynamic southern flavors. The Clam Shack will be open Thursdays to Sundays, from 11am-2pm. 

The Nightshade Clam Shack menu features five categories of lunch items: Brioche Rolls, Bánh Mì, Boxes, Viet-Cajun Seafood and Desserts. A sample menu can be found below and weekly specials can be found announced in real time on Nightshade Clam Shack’s Instagram.

Brioche Rolls
--Fried Salt and Pepper Clam Roll (Green chili lime sauce, secret dressing) $30 Warm Viet-Cajun 

--Lobster Roll (Warm lemongrass cajun butter, crispy garlic, scallions) $30 

--Crispy Rock Shrimp Roll (Funky fermented red chili sauce, thai basil, fried shallots) $30 

Bánh Mì
--Chili- Ranch Soft Shell Crab Bánh Mì (Thai basil butter sauce, cucumber, pickled carrot + daikon, jalapeños) $28
--Blackened Catfish Bánh Mì (Picked green tomato remoulade, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeños, secret sauces) $26
--Cajun Lobster Cake Bánh Mì (Picked green tomato remoulade, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeños, secret sauces) $30
Boxes
--Fried Clam Box (Spicy tamarind + coconut ranch dips, shredded cabbage salad) $30
--Fried Smelts Box (Bột chiên fries, crispy sugar snap peas, dill pollen, gribiche) $28
--Big Ass Salad Box (Chilled shrimp, shredded cabbage, citrus nước chấm, spicy peanuts, every herb) $28
--Mixed Seafood Box (Fried clams, smelts, scallops + rock shrimp) with choice of two sauces (cabbage salad-gribiche, coconut ranch or spicy tamarind) $32
Viet-Cajun Seafood: All served in a bag of Nightshade Noodle Bar’s signature lemongrass cajun butter
add corn $1 | add potato $1 | add andouille $2
--Gulf Shrimp $18
--Crawfish $18
--Stone Crab Cluster $24
Desserts
--Banana Pudding Cup (Nilla wafers, bananas, whipped cream) $7
--Chocolate Pudding Cup (Oreo crumble, whipped cream) $7

Online ordering is available for takeout to enjoy at home, on-the-go, at Nightshade Noodle Bar & Sin City Superette’s patio seating or at nearby Nahant beach. Additionally, Sin City Superette’s indoor seating is available for Nightshade Clam Shack customers’ use. Pre-ordering is highly recommended and all orders can be picked up at Sin City Superette, located at 71 Exchange Street in Lynn, Massachusetts. Delivery is available via Toast (within 5 miles) and Uber Eats.