Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tuesday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a special Tuesday edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting wine and food items that are upcoming. So much is going on in the food/wine world during the next month.
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1) Get ready to “party like its 1989” at the Beat Hôtel’s first annual 1980’s Time Warp: New Year’s Eve Celebration on December 31. Guests will be transported back in time to the decade of excitement and thrills from 9pm-2:30am when not-your-average 80’s cover band SAFETY takes the stage along with special variety show guests including Drag Diva Madge of Honor and the Solid Gold Circus Performers. This extravaganza for mature adults and grown-up punks will dance all night as SAFETY brings us back to the future and belts out the new wave and dance hits of Blondie, The Smiths, Madonna, Devo, the Go Go’s, Talking Heads and Culture Club.

Executive chef Rebecca Newell will be serving up a buffet of hors d’oeuvres and desserts served in a cocktail setting including favorites such as Crispy Tuna Springrolls, Smokey Chipotle BBQ Spare Ribs, and Grilled Artichoke & Octopus Skewers. The bar team will pour libations from Hennessy Cognac and Tito’s Handmade Vodka and guests can cheers the New Year with champagne from Domaine Chandon and Moët & Chandon. 

The cost is $115 per person with food buffet or $75 per person without buffet. Both ticket options include admission and entertainment. There is a cash bar all evening. Tickets/reservations are available by visiting www.beathotel.com

2) The Beehive is hosting a Christmas concert featuring local Christmas repertoire specialist Bailey Cunningham and team on Tuesday, December 17. From 8pm-12am, guests can enjoy the beautiful sounds of their favorite holiday melodies while enjoying food and drink throughout the evening. The evening’s entertainment will be led by Bailey Cunningham playing all those favorite holiday tunes to get the feeling of Christmas in the air. In the kitchen, chef Marc Orfaly will serve delicious dishes from The Beehive’s dinner menu such as braised pork osso buco with sweet & sour cabbage and German potato salad ($24), exotic mushroom lasagne with spinach & pomodoro sauce ($22), duck au poivre with kimchee fried rice & apricot chutney ($27) and seafood fra diavolo with lobster, shrimp, whitefish, artichoke and linguine ($29). The Beehive’s bar team will also be serving their highly acclaimed cocktails such as the seasonal cranberry winter mojito made with gosling’s black rum, drunken cranberries, fresh mint and lime ($12.50), and the arroyo made with silver tequila, illegal mezcal joven, agave nectar, black balsam currant and lime juice ($13) all evening long.

Music from 8pm-12am, Dinner from 5pm-12am, Bar open until 2am.
No cover charge, cash bar, reservations recommended.
For dinner reservations or for more information please call 617-423-0069

3) Join Tim Maslow of ribelle and Strip T's and James Mark of North in Providence for a special Chinese dinner on New Year's Eve. The two chefs, who previously worked together at Momofuku in New York City, have created a five course meal to be served family-style to tables of eight (8). A lucky number in Chinese culture, each table of 8 does not necessarily have to be one party; rather the teams from ribelle and north encourage diners to enjoy this New Year's Eve dinner with friends both new and old.

The Menu:
First Course: North
Hot and pungent soup + lobster, country ham, crab paste, dried scallop, shan tofu
Second Course: north & ribelle
Zhajiangmian + dry aged ham ragu, femented beans, spicy cucumbers, buckwheat noodles
Sizzling Fried Rice + scrambled egg, sesame, soy, oysters, oyster mayo
Third Course: ribelle & north
Shanghai Pan Fried Noodle + pickled turnip, smoked miso, egg yolk, preserved porcini
Skate Wing Tomahawk + ginger scallion butter, burnt cabbages, steamed rice
Fourth Course: north & ribelle
Crispy Sweet Potatoes + fermented black bean mash, Chinese chives, young kale, beer brined roots
Peking Duck + scallion pancakes, cucumber, hoisin, fermented hots
Fifth Course: ribelle
Ginger Cake + black sesame ice cream, blood orange curd, nori

*Due to the nature of this dinner, allergies and dietary restrictions may not be accommodated. No substitutions.

Tickets are $180 per pair and includes food, tax, and tip (refunds only available if reservation is canceled by Friday, December 27th). Beverage pairings and other beer, wine, and specialty cocktails are available a la carte.
5% of ticket sales will be donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Reservations must be made through Eventbrite; however, once tickets are sold out, names will be taken for the wait list through ribelle's reservation line: (617) 232-2322.
Available seatings include: 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm, 9:30pm, 10:30pm

4) For the third year in a row, The New Center for Arts & Culture will host The 3rd Annual Moo Shu Jew comedy dinner event on Christmas Eve, inspired by the Jewish family tradition of spending Christmas Eve in a Chinese restaurant. Celebrity comics from primetime’s most popular late-night talk shows and comedy specials, including Steve Calechman (who will host), Dana Eagle, Scott Blakeman and Lenny Marcus, will perform Jewish-inspired stand-up while guests enjoy a four-course dinner (no shellfish, no pork!).

Moo Shu Jew was created and produced by Cory Kahaney, a regular on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Steve Calechman is a stand-up comedian based in Boston. He has also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the popular romantic comedy, The Proposal, and is a contributing editor for Men’s Health magazine. Dana Eagle is a stand-up comedian who has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, on Comedy Central and Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen, where she became a contributing writer. ​Scott Blakeman has performed his progressive political humor around the world, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam. He has made more than 30 national television appearances, and was the warm-up comedian for The Late Show with David Letterman. Lenny Marcus has been a stand-up comedian for over fifteen years and is currently a regular performer in every major comedy club in New York City. He performed on various late night shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, NBC’s Comedy Showcase with Louie Anderson and MTV’s The Jim Brewer Show.

When: Tuesday, December 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: China Pearl Restaurant, 9 Tyler Street, Boston
Cost: $75 Adults, $45 Young Adults (39 & under) in advance. Ticket prices include four-course dinner, (no shellfish, no pork!).
To purchase, visit www.newcenterboston.org.

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