Photo: vmiramontes/Flickr

Abby Conway

Local Bites 2010 Preview Party
Tomorrow evening is the kick-off for Down:2:Earth: Sustainable Living in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center. From 5-9 pm Whole Foods, Root:1 and Electrolux are sponsoring Local Bites 2010, a green happy hour (OK, a long one) in which local chefs, food producers, restauranteurs and folks from the wine and beer industry–all committed to sustainability–will be offering their wares, ideas and time. “Come after work to browse the expo, talk to all of the exhibitors and be entertained … all while sampling local bites and sipping organic wine.” Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) are valid for entrance to the expo the entire weekend. Proceeds from Local Bites 2010 will benefit the New England Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Program and The Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets.

If you’re a fan of WBUR’s midday news magazine “Here & Now,” host Robin Young will be main stage on Saturday at the expo, discussing sustainable business. 

Baking for Breast Cancer
Beginning the week of May 3rd, restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the Greater Boston area will be participating in the 11th annual Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer Event. Hundreds of area restaurants will designate one of their sweet treats as “the Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer Dessert.” 100% of the proceeds from the selected confection will benefit breast cancer research and care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Be sure to check out which of your favorite eateries are participating. If you’re going to indulge, indulge wisely for a worthy cause.

Chop Chop
Got a little chef at home? A new magazine and website aimed at kids aged 5 to 12 and their families is in the works. It’s called ChopChop and its mission is to “educate kids to cook and be nutritionally literate.” Its board (the grown-up version) is made up of MDs, PhDs and MPHs, but kids are apparently playing an advisory role. The magazine will be filled with nutritious and inexpensive recipes, food facts and games. The first issue (published by Kid2Kid, Inc., in Watertown, MA) is being distributed to pediatricians, children’s hospitals, community organizations and selected schools, farmers markets and grocery stores. 

Get It While It’s Hot
Food trends come and go but, according to the Boston Globe Magazine, the five hottest in Boston right now are worth getting your hands on. Funky popcorn, exotic citrus, pork belly, coconut water and ‘pickled non-pickles’ make the list. Where can you get the best of these trends? Read here. 

Wine Wars
BU Food and Wine is hosting “Wine Wars”: a trivia game for wine geeks and wannabes. Friday, April 9th, join Annie Coops, Food Editor at Yankee Magazine, for a night of competitive wine trivia. The “Wine Wars” game was created by BU MLA in Gastronomy graduate Joyce Lock, who also created the Foodie Fight trivia game. Wine and snacks are included in admission and the winning team will take home prizes. The cost is $25/person or $150/table. You can join a team when you get there or come with your own (up to 8 people).

“This Isn’t Your Parent’s Wine Tasting”
Mark your calendars. The Wine Riot will be at the BCA next weekend, April 16th and 17th. The Riot is an expo-style wine tasting, hosted by The Second Glass, that will feature over 250 wines from all over the world plus Crash Course wine seminars, food pairings, a DJ, a photo booth and more. Check out their blog for the most up-to-date information on what to expect at the Riot. Tickets range from $45-$55. Serving up food pairings (all under $5) will be Tremont 647, The Upper Crust, Masa, Redbones and Legal Seafoods. Keep your eyes peeled for more on this event from PRK.

Photo: Courtesy of Serious Eats

Peepshi
Peeps season is upon us. Before you indulge, or duck and run, Serious Eats has invented something I never thought I would see: Peepshi. Peeps sushi! It looks super easy and these guys are super adorable. Check out the beginner’s guide to the Peepshi tradition at the bottom of the blog, which calls for a slight departure from your average sushi-eating customs. My favorite tip? That would be #2:Do not eat an entire Peeps roll. Unless it’s a challenge. (Honor must be kept at all costs.)

Veggie Franks Hit the Stands
Vegetarian Sox fans, rejoice! Fenway Park is falling in line with many local restaurants by offering a meat-free version of the classic Fenway frank. As a former vegetarian who has admittedly indulged in the real thing (it just doesn’t feel right not to have a frank at Fenway), I see this as great news for Boston’s herbivores or anyone trying to reduce the amount of meat they eat. This veggie frank is just one of the new food options Fenway is rolling out for the park’s 99th season, including meatball subs, brick-oven pizzas, chicken parmesan sandwiches and spicy veggie burgers. If you head to opening day this Sunday, give us a shout and let us know what you think of the new choices. 

UPDATE: Munch Madness Final Four
Two weeks ago in Tidbits we wrote about Boston.com’s Munch Madness bracket. Well, the Final Four were announced earlier this week, and look who’s duking it out: Toro vs. Hungry Mother and Orinoco vs. East Coast Grill. Today is your last day to vote, so vote while you can!

Meeting of the Meats
The next Meat Meet is happening this Saturday, April 3rd, 3pm. Pre-order here. New to this? Read up.

Spring Market Announcement
Attleboro Farms’ Spring Farmer’s Market begins today. The market, which was held on Sundays through the winter, will now shift to Thursdays from 3-7pm through June. Although the market manager has said they will lose some vendors due to the day change, many will continue through the Spring season.

Sustainable Seafood
Last week Trader Joe’s committed to shifting all of their seafood purchases to sustainable sources by December 31, 2012. The nationwide chain says they are working with third-party organizations to establish a hard definition for their goal. TJ’s also reports they will use their purchasing power to help promote change within the seafood supply community. This announcement comes less than a year after Greenpeace gave Trader Joe’s a whopping ‘F’ for selling over-fished species and launched a site mocking the store’s own. That website, TraitorJoe.com, has officially claimed victory: “Trader Joe’s has seen the light and is finally working towards sustainable seafood policies. Thanks to all who helped with this campaign.”

Photo: cherrylet/Flickr

Abby Conway

Starting tomorrow, April 1st, and continuing through Saturday, April 3rd, The Boston Symphony Orchestra is holding a food drive to benefit The Greater Boston Food Bank. The drive is taking place in connection with Orchestras Feeding America, a nationwide project started by the League of American Orchestras. The program was inaugurated last year as tough economic times left more Americans than ever struggling to provide consistent, adequate nourishment for their families.

Donations will be collected for one hour before each evening’s performance of Elijah and also during intermission. Those attending the concert are encouraged to donate, but all members of the public are invited to do so as well. Just drop off your donation between 7-8pm at either the Mass Ave or Cohen Wing entrances of Symphony Hall. Cash donations in support of The Greater Boston Food Bank can be made at any time online.

Photo: Joe Mabel/Wikimedia Commons

Abby Conway

Home Grown Goes Urban
The Food Project’s Build-a-Garden program is now accepting applications from residents of Boston and Lynn who wish to start their own garden. The idea behind the program is pretty simple: once your application is accepted, The Food Project builds you a raised bed garden and provides support for how to grow what you want to grow. All interested residents are eligible and, the best news, no prior gardening experience is neccesary. For the urban farmer raised bed gardens have many benefits since they can be built on pavement, growing food in them is relatively easy and you can produce a decent volume in a small space. If you’re not interested in tending your own garden, or if you’ve already got one, consider volunteering with The Food Project and thereby help spread their mission: “to grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system.”

CupcakeCamp Comes to Boston
CupcakeCamp is bringing community and cupcakes together on April 15th at P.A’.s Lounge in Somerville. CupcakeCamp hosts gatherings in various cities where people with a passion for cupcakes (baking ‘em and eating ‘em) can come together. Local bakeries Sugar and Petsi Pies are already lined up to attend, but the event isn’t limited to professionals. Amateurs are encouraged to register their own cupcake creations and bring them on down on the 15th. Anyone can attend! The event is free, and P.A.’s will be offering a special lineup of cocktails. Since I’ve already confessed my love for cupcakes, you all know I’ll be there. And I’ll report back, so keep your eyes peeled for PRK’s upcoming coverage of Boston’s first CupcakeCamp.

Blogging School Lunches
Last week in Tidbits we wrote how Massachusetts is on its way to improving school lunches through a comprehensive bill passed earlier this month. This week, I came across a teacher who is making this issue a personal one, literally. Mrs. Q, as she calls herself, is an anonymous Midwestern school teacher advocating for improving school lunches by actually eating them, “just like the kids,” every school day in 2010 and documenting it on her blog Fed Up With Lunch. It isn’t pretty. Day after day Mrs. Q posts pictures of her lunch, which comes in individual, pre-packaged and often previously-frozen servings. Mrs. Q hopes that her effort will result in sweeping changes to school lunches throughout the country. Want a real eye-opener? Check out what she’s been eating. She has decided to remain anonymous in an effort to protect her professional career.

Conspicuous Calories
Restaurants will be making some noticeable changes with the passing of the new healthcare legislation. The bill that passed late Sunday night in the House mandates nutritional labeling at chain restaurants. Similar legislation already exists in some states, but this provision regulates that all chains with 20 or more locations must display nutritional information for standard offerings on menus and menu boards. The legislation also extends calorie labeling to vending machines. This is a huge victory for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has been fighting for such legislation since 2003 (on a personal note, I dealt with this first-hand during my last trip to New York City. And while I knew that a giant chocolate chip cookie wasn’t good for me, I didn’t realize that some were that bad. No more guilt-free snacks for me).

Photo: adactio/Flickr

Abby Conway

O.N.C.E. Brunch: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
There are a few seats left for the O.N.C.E. “Sproing” Brunch happening Sunday, March 21, 11 am. Reserve a place at their so-abundant table and get the deets on the eats at Cuisine en Locale.

Kick-Ass Cupcakes
Out strolling on a beautiful Spring day? Need a treat? Every day is a new flavor day at Kick-Ass Cupcakes in Davis Square and Wellesley (today: German Chocolate) and they offer gluten-free cupcakes as well. So what if you’re not alone. They make pup cakes and kittycakes, catnip of course, to bring home.

Cape Ann CSF
The gals at North Shore Dish recently blogged about their own experience with the Cape Ann Fresh Catch. The stated pros, cons and readers’ comments show the complexity of the issue of real sustainability and how to achieve it.

Massachusetts State Senators Vote for Healthier Schools
Late last week the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a bill that bans the sale of unhealthy snacks and high-calorie sodas in public schools. The bill requires the Department of Health and the Education Department to work together to develop nutrition standards for all foods sold in public schools. In addition, schools must sell fresh fruits and veggies (preferably locally grown), ban deep fried foods and educate students on nutrition and exercise. These standards must be in place by the start of the 2012-2013 academic year. This is great news for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, launched earlier this year.

This Isn’t Your Mama’s Grilled Cheese
The simple grilled cheese is a sacred tradition for many but Restaurant Dante is taking it up a notch. Every Tuesday through April 4th Dante will offer $2 grilled cheese at their bar and lounge from 5:30p to close. The twist: each week’s creation is inspired by a favorite Italian film. Here’s a list of their upcoming creations; more info at their website:

• Tuesday, March 23rd – La Dolce Vita: Aged vermont cheddar, pancetta, honey crisp apples and sage
• Tuesday, March 30th – Under the Tuscan Sun: Buffalo Mozzarella, roasted tomato and pistachio pesto
• Tuesday, April 6th – Roman Holiday: Petit jesi, robiola and peperoncini

Starbucks: frills if you want ‘em, no wait if you do
Starting this summer Starbucks will allow customers to customize their frappuccino orders. Starbucks hopes the sales of what they are calling the ‘however-you-want-it frappuccino’ will help offest the seasonal slow down in hot-coffee sales (personal aside: I’m just hoping it won’t make the line longer. During my short stint as a barista I learned quickly that frappuccinos are time intensive and always slowed down my line). Starbucks says they’re teaching their baristas a more efficient production process and installing more efficient blenders. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Annie Young-Scrivner, global chief marking officer for Starbucks, said the further customization of the beverage “should not increase” wait-time for drinks. Wahoo!

March Munch Maddness
Not a fan of college basketball? Feel like your missing out on the fun as those around you fill out their March Madness brackets? Fear not, Boston.com has the answer for all you foodies out there, and they’re calling it Munch Maddness. The first round of voting is happening through tomorrow, March 19th. Log on and have your say in which Boston restaurants go to the final four and who wins the title of Munch Maddness Champion.

Photo: Flickr/SpaceAgeSage

Abby Conway

It’s that time of year again; when the beer flows green and cabbage is suddenly a hot commodity in the grocery store. Looking to ditch the traditional celebrations this year? (Did you know that what we American’s consider traditional is in fact far from how the holiday is celebrated in Ireland? Read more here.) Check out what PRK has dug up (it aint’ spuds) on what’s happening Marh 17th, or what to do if you’re staying in.

Whiskey time…

The Boston Center for Adult Education is hosting Irish Whiskey tasting from 6:00p-7:30pm. Learn the difference between the two major styles of Irish whiskey and discover “pot still” style, plus “peated” and “in-peated” single malts. 

If you’re not up for heading out on one of those nights you’re bound to bump into someone who’s had a few too many (more likely, they crash into you), you can still learn about a variety of Irish whiskeys by perusing Saveur’s online guide. Home is under-rated.

Vinho Verde

Whiskey not really your thing? The Second Glass is hosting a special Green Wine Tasting for St. Patrick’s Day. Attendees will learn about the thousands of vineyards worldwide owned by the Irish, review organic and sustainable wine info and get the lowdown on Vinho Verde (green wine) from Portugal. The event will take place at Downtown Wine and Spirits in Somerville from 7:00-8:00pm. $10 will do it.

Guinness and chocolate and beef, oh my?

If you’re in need of a unique meal for St. Patrick’s Day and you’re not interested in stinking up the house with corned beef and cabbage, we’ve got an idea for you. How about a unique take on the classic beef stew? This beef stew recipe is prepared in the slow cooker with Guinness and bittersweet chocolate. Weirded out? Read the recipe for explanations and for tips on which type of Guinness and chocolate to choose to make sure your stew comes out just right. Prep ahead: this version takes about 9 hours in the slow cooker.   

The Paddy

Cooking 4 The Week suggests a whiskey cocktail to calm your ‘Irish’ cravings. The cocktail of choice? “The Paddy“.  The Paddy is a variation of the sweet Manhattan that uses Irish whiskey instead of rye or bourbon. To make The Paddy you will need Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters.

Abby Conway

I hope you’ve all made your Restaurant Week 2010 reservations! The 2-week long event (so why are we still calling it restaurant week as opposed to weeks?) starts this Sunday, March 14th. Spots are filling insanely fast! Last week I decided to try and make a reservation for Market by Jean Georges at the W Hotel; I had to settle for 9p on a Sunday.

This year’s citywide winter restaurant week will run  3/14 thru 3/19 & 3/21 thru 3/26. Participating restaurants are offering prix fixe menus. 2-course lunches are $15.10, 3-course lunches are $20.10 and 3-course dinners are $33.10. Check out RestaurantWeekBoston.com to preview menus and OpenTable.com to make reservations.

I spent a little while (okay, a long while) sorting through some menus and trying to decide what restaurants were doing something a little different than the norm. Here is what I came up with…

• Post 390, a slightly newer addition to Boston’s restaurant scene, is offering a different menu during the second half of restaurant week than the first.
• Upstairs in the Square is charging the RW standard of $33.10 in the Monday Club Bar dining room but if you prefer to dine in the more swanky Soirée dining room, you’re going to have to cough up an extra ten bucks.
• Union Bar and Grille is offering a complimentary glass of wine with their dinner menu, making the $33.10 three-course prix fixe dinner an even better deal.
• Tremont 647 is offering way more choices than most restaurants. Also, if you dine on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, they are offering an additional two choices for each course.
• While most will keep the same menu for most or all of RW, L’Espalier will change their menu daily. On the downside, their three-course dinner is $42 rather than the RW standard of $33.10.

No matter where you decide to dine for Restaurant Week, Lingbo Li, a Harvard undergrad and local food blogger suggests you do your research before making your reservations. Well, actually she suggests skipping it all together.

“My advice: do your research. If the price cut is significant, the sample menus look right up your alley, and you don’t mind dining on a busy night, RW may be a good deal. But for most people, a little research and planning goes a long way. Most restaurants offer lower prices at lunch anyway, and you won’t be competing with the masses for limited spots, or dealing with stressed-out waiters.”

If two weeks of restaurant deals isn’t enough, you’re in luck! The North End is launching it’s own restaurant week this year. The North End Restaurant Week will immediately follow the citywide RW from 3/28 thru 4/2 and 4/4 thru 4/9. Two more weeks of good food and great deals!

Photo: norwichnuts/Flickr

Abby Conway

Just two of my favorite things…
I love making cupcakes and I enjoy the occasional cocktail. So this course caught my eye. The Boston Center for Adult Education is holding a class entitled ‘Cupcakes and Cocktails‘ on March 12th. The class, which is set up like a cocktail party, starts out with cupcake flavored (and shaped) drinks. Participants will then take part in preparing various alcohol-themed cupcakes. Think: red wine and cosmos! The single session class is $68.

Grass-fed meat delivered directly to your door
Last week the Boston Globe published an article about the growing popularity of purchasing grass-fed meat via the web. With concerns about the practices of factory farms on the rise, consumers are looking for alternative sources for meat. During the warmer months you can usually find grass-fed meat at local farmer’s markets, but when the number of such markets in Massachusetts drops from about 200 in the summer to about ten in the winter (rough estimates based on information from the MDAR website), your best bet is to turn to the web. The convenience of web-ordering can be beneficial to both sellers and buyers, since managing an on-farm store or traveling to weekly farmer’s markets can be cumbersome. Ordering online also allows customers to choose locally-sourced meat, rather than meat that, for all intents and purposes, needed a passport to make it to your local supermarket.

Speaking of locally-sourced meat…
The next “Meat Meet” with goods from Stillman’s will be held this Saturday, March 6th, at 3pm in Central Square. Get your order in early and/or get in line and get yer meat!

Cooking for a Cause
Two food-focused fundraisers are happening in the next week to support local institutions:  

Today, March 4th, the Friends of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will hold the 12th annual Chefs Cooking for Hope event. The Friends is an all-volunteer organization that provides patient services, educational activities and fundraising. Monies raised by The Friends are distributed to research fellows and treatment programs in all departments at Dana-Farber. This year’s event is featuring as Honorary Chefs Jody Adams of Rialto and Jeff Fournier of 51 Lincoln for their support of the cause over many years. Over 50 chefs from throughout the city will be on hand to dole out some of their specialities.

If that isn’t enough foodie fundraising for you, the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts will be holding an event on Tuesday, March 9th, at the Boston Center for the Arts. A number of South End restaurants will be serving up bite-sized versions of favorites from their menus. The event will also feature live cooking demonstrations, a silent auction and raffle, plus wine tasting and beer sampling. All proceeds from this event will fund the AAC’s mission of haulting the spread of HIV/AIDS by providing free support services to men, women and children living with AIDS and HIV, as well as educating the public about how to prevent HIV transmission.

Cuffs does St. Patrick’s Day
The Passionate Foodie got a sneak peak at the St. Patrick’s Day menu from Cuffs at the Back Bay Hotel. This one-day-only menu features such creations as Guinness-poached prawns (the prawns are actually served in a fresh glass of Guinness). As it turns out, the Back Bay Hotel (where Cuffs resides), is owned by the The Doyle Collection, based in Dublin. Perhaps they know a thing or two about traditional Irish fare.

Abby Conway

The Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge – MET!
The Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge winners are starting to roll in! Last week we wrote about the Super creative contest organized by Jessica at A Fete for Food and four of her foodie pals. The goal? To incorporate some ultra-nutritious ingredients into your breakfast meal that wouldn’t normally be there. The winners for avocado, flax seed, lentils and quinoa have been announced thus far, with recipes ranging from Rocky Road Oatmeal (that’s the avocado one) to Pear-Lentil Patties. Kiss that morning bowl of Cheerios goodbye. Hello quinoa!

The Art of Eating In
Cathy Erway’s book The Art of Eating In is out on stands today. Erway authored the blog Not Eating Out in New York, which documented her two- year hiatus from New York City’s food scene. Her new book chronicles the more personal aspects of her time spent eating in: crafting cheap recipes to suit her busy lifestyle, exploring the city’s home-cooking culture, learning where food comes from and what goes into producing it.

Amateur Cooks (of Lamb) Wanted
On February 28th the Middle East is hosting Matt Timm’s Lamb Takedown and they’re asking brave amateur cooks to step up. Timm began producing ‘chili takedowns’ in Brooklyn in 2005. Since then, the ingredients and locales have changed and grown. For the Feb. 28th event, cooks will be given 15 lbs of lamb to prepare any which way they please. Not interested in actually rolling up your sleeves? $15 will get you in the door and sampling each creation.

Soda: the new tobacco?
In last Friday’s article in The New York Times, Mark Bittman compared sugar-sweetened beverage manufacturers to those of tobacco. Their marketing practices are similar in the eyes of their critics–heavily weighted towards children, with disputable claims that their beverages are healthy or, at worst, benign, and intense lobbying efforts to prevent change. Sellers of the sweet stuff point out that soda is safe in moderate amounts and not addictive. The article weighs the viability of a soda tax as both a check on consumption and a means of paying for anti-obesity campaigns. The idea of such a tax is controversial, to say the least. What’s your take?

Go Kimchi Crazy
Think you’ve got the best kimchi recipe? Now is your chance to share your pickled delights with the world (well, with Boston, for starters). The Greater Boston Kimchi Festival is set for Sunday, March 21st, and currently accepting entries. Competitors seeking bragging rights can enter their kimchi into several categories, including local, traditional and innovative. Organizers of the event are also offering entertainment, cooking demonstrations and door prizes. Proceeds will help restore the Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church in West Roxbury, whose mission includes promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture.