Free Hot Chocolate on National Cocoa Day

Wednesday, Dec. 13 is National Cocoa Day and Fairmont Copley Plaza will celebrate with its Back Bay neighbor, L.A. Burdick Chocolates by serving complimentary Burdick hot chocolate from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the hotel’s Dartmouth Street entrance. The artisan chocolatier, famous for its European-inspired chocolate bonbons, hot chocolates and pastries, will have warm cups of its Dark Drinking Chocolate (robust & full-bodied) and Milk Drinking Chocolate (gentler yet still decadent & luscious) to brighten the morning for passersby, while supplies last. L.A. Burdick’s hot cocoa – named one of the “11 must-try hot chocolates around the U.S”. by Zagat – will be served snow or shine to mark this fun food holiday and spread holiday cheer to the neighborhood. It will certainly be a welcome surprise after Boston’s first snowfall this past weekend!

Post 390 Hosts Bantam Cider Company, Lamplighter Brewing Company, Jack’s Abby, and Berkshire Brewing Company for Farm to Post Dinner

Beer isn’t just for drinking! Join Post 390 to kick off Farm to Post “Cooking with Craft Beer” on Wednesday, January 24. Post 390’s “Farm to Post” tasting series features a monthly spotlight on some of New England’s finest farmers, producers, vineyards, brewers, and fishermen and focuses on ingredients that are sourced locally, and produced sustainably. Every month or so Executive Chef Nick Deutmeyer and his team create a special “Farm to Post” menu highlighting products from these farms and producers.

The first dinner of the 2018 series will include a unique menu with craft beer and cider from Bantam Cider Company, Lamplighter Brewing Company, Jack’s Abby, and Berkshire Brewing Company incorporated into each dish.

Tickets are $55.00 and include a welcome reception, four course dinner, and beverage pairings. Chat with some of New England’s top craft brewers while you discover a new way to enjoy your favorite beers. Tax and gratuity are included. Limited tickets available.

Reception

Cheese display featuring 5 local cheeses each paired with its own beer or cider
La Quercia Copa with picholine olive crostini, ricotta, rojo cider reduction (paired with Bantam Bigsby)
Pork Rillettes with puffed pig’s skin, wunderkind cider mostarda, frisee (paired with Bantam Bigsby)

First Course

Orange Zest & Laurel Cured Ocean Trout
child of the sun ale & sunchoke soup, hedgehog mushrooms, battered caper berries, rye toast
Paired with Idle Hands Iron Garde

Second Course

Roast Squab with Pomegranate & Honey
crispy éponine ale polenta, beer pickled chili pepper, cooling herbs
Paired with Lamplighter IPA

Third Course

Kentucky Bourbon Filet Mignon
saxonator braised oxtail daube, garlic bone marrow toast, parsnip puree, brussels sprouts, pickled shallot
Paired with Jack’s Abby Framinghammer

Fourth Course

Rooted Barley Cake
scotch ale ice cream, lemon curd, brown butter mousse, pink pepper hazelnut brittle
Paired with Berkshire Brewing Raspberry Barleywine

For more information, please click here.

Join Post 390 Restaurant and Some of Massachusetts’ Best Breweries for our Annual Beer and Slider Party!

If you’ve been patiently biding your time for the chance to talk craft beer with the experts, Post 390 has the opportunity for you. On Sunday, April 8th, the contemporary Back Bay tavern hosts their annual Sip & Slide party featuring a line-up of local breweries (the sips) and a slew of gourmet sliders (the slides) from Executive Chef Nick Deutemeyer. From 12:00-2:00pm, you’ll get to mingle with the brewery reps from area faves like Jack’s Abby, Notch, Lamplighter, Berkshire Brewing, Two Roads, Harpoon and Bantam Cider. And you’ll get to snack on a wide variety of sliders including BBQ bulgogi, a breakfast sausage slider, and a banana bread whoopie pie slider. You’ll even get to cast your vote for your favorite combo (you can see the tentative match-ups below), which will enter you to win a range of fun prizes.

Beer and Sliders

Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers Blood Orange Wheat Lager & Korean BBQ Bulgogi Slider with Blood Orange Zest

Berkshire Brewing Company Green Gown American Double / Imperial IPA & Thinly Sliced Lamb Slider with Garam Masala, Tzaziki, Andhara Tomato Relish, Naan

Harpoon Brewery Weizenbock & Banana Bread Whoopie Pie Slider

Notch Brewing Cerne Pivo Euro Dark Lager & Fresh Fish Slider with Remoulade, Czech Bread

Two Roads Brewing Co. No Limits Hefeweizen & Dry-Rubbed Jamaican Jerk Pork Slider with Crispy Plantains, Grace Spiced Aioli, Coconut Bun

Lamplighter Brewing Co. Cuppa English Pale Ale & Breakfast Sausage Slider with Brioche Doughnut, Cheese, Maple Glaze

Bantam Cider Buzzwig & Grilled Cheese Slider with Shaved Apples, Fried Chicken, Pickled Shallots, Arugula

***To purchase tickets, please click here.

Somerville’s popular Bow Market comes to Precinct’s patio for one day only!

Precinct Kitchen + Bar invites you to join them on their patio for a one-day Bow Market pop-up.  Vendors include:

• Adelante, custom shoes, handmade by craftsman in Guatemala
• Blue Bandana Relics, a curated collection of vintage Americana and quality American brands.
• Buenas, all sorts of South American goodness you can eat on the spot or take home to use in your own recipes. Think: take-n-bake empanadas, pastry dough to make your own empanadas (and other stuff), and sauces you can use for everything from roasting chicken and salmon, to topping oysters.
• In Season Food Shop, made-to-order meals and drinks, local food products, and a curated selection of grocery essentials
• Maca, chic and cheeky, regular and character macarons that range in flavors from vanilla to blueberry basil cheesecake.
• Peston, unique accessories, fleeky home goods and apparel.
• Happy Cactus, succulents, cacti, air plants, exotic plants, ethically sourced butterflies, crystals, gems, fossils and pretty much anything extraordinary Mother Nature creates.
• Additionally, guests will also enjoy soaps and creams from the Sentas Family Farm and much, more!

Precinct  will be serving their regular breakfast, brunch and lunch menus all day long, so reserve your table and head over!

Join Salon Acote for an evening of beauty, shopping, and champagne.

Kick off your Valentine’s celebrations early with chocolate and wine!

Enjoy a glass of bubbles or a cafe beverage while Rochambeau’s  Executive Pastry Chef Michele Fadden and her team lead you through a truffle making class!  Use the toppings bar to create six unique truffles and take them home in a heart shaped box for your sweetheart — or for yourself!

For more on Rochambeau, please click here.

Just in time for the most romantic day of the year and returning by popular demand, “15 Shades of Red” is back!

On February 13, step up your Galentine’s Day festivities (guys welcome, too!) with your best amici or main squeeze as you stroll through the store and explore a full range of vini rossi. Throughout the evening, you will discover over 15 shades of red wine—from blush pink colors of light rosés to the robust hues of full-bodied vino.

And because no wine tasting experience at Eataly is complete without food, Eataly is bringing you an array of Valentine’s Day-themed bites – from local oysters to artisanal cheeses to decadent Italian chocolate.

…we know. Is it February 13 yet? Get your tickets now!

For more about Eataly Boston, please click here.

Galentine’s Day = a celebration of female friendships. Galentine’s Day Party at OAK = a fun night out to celebrate with food, drink & more!

Back for year two! OAK Long Bar + Kitchen and The Food Lens are joining forces again to throw a party for ladies to celebrate the ladies in their lives the day before Valentine’s Day, popularly known as Galentine’s Day. On Thursday, February 13, from 6:00–9:00 PM, join their soirée for a night of sipping, snacking, and sweets—all while supporting a local charity that serves homeless women.

Here’s how they’ll be honoring the ladies:

• With a tasting of standout rosés produced by lady vintners
• With signature Galentine’s themed cocktails
• With a sweets station from OAK’s pastry chef, Lindsay Le Blanc
• With cheese sourced from female purveyors, plus a charcuterie spread
• With delicious passed hors d’oeuvres and a bountiful raw bar
• With a chance to win a gift basket filled with tasty and pampering items from local women-owned businesses
• With a playlist featuring the queens of pop

Tickets are $55 and include all food, two specialty cocktails, the wine tasting, and a charitable monetary donation. *They will donate $10 from your ticket* to Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street offering a safe sanctuary, nutritious meals and critical support services for Boston women experiencing poverty and homelessness.

“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!” – Leslie Knope. The holiday was created by the show “Parks and Recreation” and has since transcended the TV screen to become a beloved tradition of celebrating female friendships annually on February 13, whether that be your friend, sister, co-worker, mom, partner, or other! 

For more about OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, please click here.

ABOUT THE FOOD LENS

The Food Lens is a curated website that enables the culinarily curious to discover or rediscover Boston’s dining scene. Eternally curious and always hungry, female founders Molly Ford and Sarah Jesup have eaten their way through the city, culling the most authentic dining experiences Boston has to offer.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the three C’s: champagne, cheese and chocolate.

Sample our innovative and classic menu which will evoke your senses while you dine on a menu inspired by the C³‘s:.

Arrive to a warm welcome with acomplimentary champagne cocktail. You are then guided through an extraordinary 5 course dinner created by Swiss Executive Chef Markus Ripperger. Savor the sensuous flavors, smells, and textures, and challenge your palate to discover. There will be some commentary on the compilation of the menu items and the making of them.

Menu

Champagne Soup Sampler
Trilogy of gingered organic Veuve Clicquot carrot soup, crémant cheese, caramelized beet and Moet soup, cream of French pea with a hint of Perrier-Jouët and parmesan crisp.
Vegetarian option: Same as above

Textures from the Oceans
Skillet seared lobster and gulf shrimp, baked in a filo crisp, green apple, organic arugula, white chocolate ribbons, rosé champagne vinaigrette.
Vegetarian option: Garden vegetables baked in a filo crust with green apples, lemon thyme and arugula lettuce.

Intermezzo
Champagne sorbet with cantaloupe melon pearls and Madagascar coco dusting

The Big C³ entree
peppered beef tenderloin, coco crusted Lamb rib, cheese crusted veal tenderloin, Mousseline potatoes, haricot vert with miniature carrots.
Vegetarian option:Parmesan Polenta cakes with roasted red peppers, chargrilled portobella mushrooms, spinach, garden vegetables aged balsamic glaze, olive tapenade.

Heavenly Sweets
bittersweet crackle, double chocolate & champagne crème brûlée and Swiss chocolate cheesecake.
Vegetarian option: Same as above

For more about Hampshire House, please click here.