Photo: desertculinary/Flickr
LOCAL BITES
Better Than Hershey’s
Pastry mistress, Lee Napoli of ChocoLee Chocolates in the South End gives a decadent lesson in gourmet sweets every Saturday from 10am-1pm. Learn how to make truffle, bark and beignet, and take it all home with you! Classes are $80. Call (617) 236-0606 to register.
Democratic Drinking
For the month of October Wine ConneXtion in North Andover will be hosting “S3 (Saturday Sampling Series)” from 1-5pm. It’s not just your average wine tasting: the customer feedback determines which wines make the floor. Nor is the food average. Rather than the typical cheese and fruit platter, restaurants like 15 Walnut and Glory will serve “haute bites” at 2pm. The event is free, but for 21+. For the food demonstration, RSVP to press@wineconnextion.com.
Dine Out to Give Back
Also in North Andover, Orzo Trattoria will donate 15% of food sales every Sunday starting this month to any struggling community-based organization, non-profit or charity for “Community Days.” Guests can allot a day for their organization (e.g. “XYZ High School Soccer Team Community Day”), and diners who come from 12-9:30pm and wish to do so can donate 15% of their bill to that day’s cause. For more information or to get involved, call (978) 686-6921.
Italian Wannabes
I’m Irish, but I’ve always envied the idea of the ‘Italian grandmother’ and her homemade pasta. So, if you’re like me, you can have an Italian nonna for a day, thanks to chef Justin Melnick and author Jessica Theroux. On October 13th, they’ll host a dinner at Tomasso Trattoria for an authentic four-course Italian meal and a discussion of Theroux’s cookbook, Cooking with Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily. Dinner is $65 per person. Call (508) 481-8484 for reservations.
Haven’t Seen the Last of the Cape
Though the weather is cooling off, the Cape is still bustling during Cape Cod Restaurant Week, from October 11th-17th. Peruse a three-course prix fixe menu at one (or more) of 25 participating eateries for just $25 or $35 per person, depending on your dining destination.
Lobstah Pahty
On October 16th from 2:30-4pm in the South End, take a lobster lunch break and throw back a craft beer from one of 15 local breweries at the Boston Lobster Party. Tickets ($35) will go fast, so make it snappy!
Bring Home the Bacon
If you’re a pork lover, listen closely: It’s the 2nd Annual Hogtoberfest at American Seasons on Nantucket October 16th and 17th. Chefs Michael LaScola and Matt Jennings celebrate swine with a head-to-tail carving tutorial, a prix-fixe dinner made entirely of Berkshire Tamworth pig, and tastings of savory pork munchies and “pigtails” (hog-inspired cocktails). Call (508) 228-7111 for details and reservations.
Back to Basics
Chef Antonio Bettencourt of 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar in Salem will begin hosting an ongoing Wednesday night series called “Bread, Salt, Wine” starting October 20th from 5-7pm. Every week, a different wine organization provides a bottle for tasting while Bettencourt serves up free hors d’oeuvres (and those who purchase a bottle get to sample “sputini,” similar to tapas). To RSVP, contact press@62restaurant.com.
“Green” Meat
In the eco sense of the word. The Boston Center for Adult Education and Jacqueline Church will be teaming up October 26th from 6-9pm for “Sustainable Meats 101,” a cooking class that teaches what the best eco-friendly meats are, where to find them, and what to do with them.
Go to Hell
Join other diners for Cuisine en Locale’s 2nd annual O.N.C.E. event “Dante’s Inferno in Ten Courses,” a sinful meal of locally sourced foods with an “epic” performance at the Oberon in Cambridge on October 24th at 6pm. J.J. Gonson and her talented team are at it again! The details you’ll have to see for yourself. BWA-HA-HA.
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NATIONAL TREATS
Waste Not, Want Not
If you’ve got extra ingredients lying around your kitchen, use ‘em, don’t throw them away! According to Baltimore blog, B’More Green, scientists at the University of Texas estimate Americans waste the equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil a year by tossing food or letting it spoil. You’ll help save energy and money by using your culinary imagination.
Green Is the New Black
A third of the 2,000 chefs interviewed by the National Restaurant Association said gardens are the biggest trend of 2010. Many independent restaurants grow their own goods for quality control and customer assurance. And these places aren’t just in the boonies. 60% of the produce used at Bell Book and Candle in Manhatten comes from its sixty hydroponic towers on the building’s rooftop.
Peace of Mind
The New York Times reports the best way to reduce pesticides and other nasties from your food: rinse produce with a vinegar solution, then wash with tap water for at least 30 seconds.