Order up your Hot Cocoa ‘Nice’ or ‘Naughty’ by adding your favorite spirit

Avery Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston invites guests to sit by the fireplace and warm up with a selection of decadent sweets and pastries along with a cup of hot cocoa. With an option to keep your cocoa “nice” or make it “naughty” by adding your favorite spirit, guests can tailor their cocoa table side as they wish. Whether one may be nearby ice-skating at Frog Pond, stepping out of a matinee performance of Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker, or simply in the area to shop, it is the perfect way to keep warm this holiday season starting Saturday, December 9th.

$39.00 per adult, or $28 per child. *Price excludes alcohol. Reservations are not needed, but are recommended. Guests may call +1 617 574.7295 for reservation information.

Celebrate Earth Day at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen

OAK Long Bar + Kitchen is celebrating Earth Day on Sunday, April 22 by turning off its lights from 5 p.m. through closing to conserve energy. More than a hundred candles will be placed throughout the dining room to illuminate the space for an unforgettable “Earth, Wine & Fire” candlelit dinner experience in one of Boston’s most beautiful restaurants.

A special à la carte menu by Executive Chef Graham Lockwood will feature sustainably sourced courses and replace the regular dinner menu for the evening. Each dish will highlight ingredients from New England farms and purveyors (see select farms noted below), and the menu’s wine pairings will spotlight New York State and Oregon wines that are produced and grown with sustainable and biodynamic farming practices. A three-course wine pairing will be offered for $30, or these wines can be ordered by the glass for $13-$18 depending on the selection. Those dining between 5-7 p.m.will receive a complimentary taste of rosé upon arrival. The regular bar menu will also be available.

Sunday’s customers will be some of the first to enjoy OAK as a non-plastic straw establishment. The restaurant is permanently ditching plastic straws starting this Friday, April 20. OAK has already been mindful to create cocktails that don’t require a straw, but for those that do and all other straw requests, Hay! Straws will be used moving forward, which are made from natural wheat stems and are 100% biodegradable. The special “Earth, Wine & Fire” dinner menu will be printed on plantable seed paper, and no single-use item (like cocktail napkins) will be offered to tables.

MENU

APPETIZER
Pea & Carrot, pea and ricotta dumplings, charcoal roasted carrots and pistachio – $14
Soter “Planet Oregon” Chardonnay

*   Carrots sourced from Ripley Farm, Dover-Foxcroft, ME

South Bay Blondes, egg yolk jam, pickled daikon, radish greens – $18
Brooklyn Oenology “Social Club White”

*   Oysters sourced from Onset, Cape Cod, MA

Pate en Croute, pickled vegetables, cranberry gastrique – $15
Forge “Classique” Riesling

*   Pork sourced from Alderbrook Farm, South Dartmouth, MA

ENTRÉE
Pan Roasted Monkfish, local bacon, Russian banana potatoes, pickled ramps – $29
Brooklyn Oenology “Broken Land”

*   Monkfish sourced from Georges Bank off the coast of MA

*   Potatoes sourced from Green Sunshine Farm, Hodgdon, ME

Braised Short Rib, cassoulet, haikuri turnips, radish – $32
Brooklyn Oenology Merlot

*   Beef sourced from Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, ME

Chicken Ballotine, wheat berries, spring dug parsnip, cipollini jus – $28
Forge “Classique” Pinot Noir

*   Parsnips sourced from Fish Boot Farms, Bowdoinham, ME
*   Wheat berries sourced from Maine Grains, Skowhegan, ME

DESSERT
Crème Brûlée, duck eggs, maple sugar, almond  – $10
Pacific Rim Riesling Vin De Glaciere

*   Maple sourced from Highland Sugarworks, Barre, VT

*   Cream sourced from Maple Line Dairy, Hadley, MA

Reservations are encouraged for this “lit” dinner and can be made here or by calling 617-585-7222.

Fourth of July at Top of the Hub

This July 4th, raise a glass 52 stories high to America as you watch the fireworks from the top of the Prudential Tower at Top of the Hub. The fun starts at 6:00 pm with a Chef’s welcome reception, a champagne toast, passed apps, and (most importantly) an open bar. At 7:30 you’ll sit for a decadent five-course dinner with a cash bar and accompanying live music, and at 8:30 you’ll be treated to a simulcast of the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade. Finally, end the evening with a bang as the fireworks pop off at eye level.

Take a peek at the menu here:

Champagne Toast Upon Arrival

Open Bar

Chef’s Selection of Passed & Stationary Hors d’Oeuvres

Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup
Summer Berries, Avocado, Basil

Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktail
Citrus, Sea Beans, Miner’s Lettuce, Cilantro

Sweet Corn Agnolotti
Smoked Bacon, Chanterelle, Narragansett Creamery “Crescendo” Fondue

Surf & Turf
5 oz. Snake River Farms Kobe Beef Rib Cap Steak, 5 oz. Butter-Poached Lobster Tail,
Smoked Crushed Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, Brown Butter Sabayon

Strawberry Shortcake
Whipped Cream, Blueberry Sauce

Tickets are $250 (nonrefundable; excluding tax, gratuity, and drinks from the cash bar), and a credit card is required to reserve. Call the restaurant for yours at 617.536.1775.