Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1)  Join the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro in celebration of “Pi Day.” Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th each year since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. A toast to the beginning of the famous sequence of numbers, on Wednesday, March 14, the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro will be offering slices of pie and coffee for only $3.14 during breakfast service served from 7am-10am.

Celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world, the U.S. House of Representatives officially recognized Pi Day in 2009. Just as Pi represents the relationship between a circle’s diameter and its circumference, the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro represents the relationship between quaint atmosphere and exquisite taste.

Offer is good while supplies last; cannot be combined with any other offer.

2)  On March 20th, at 6:30pm, Legal Sea Foods will honor the first day of spring with a Legal Holiday: Vernal Equinox. Legal Sea Foods will serve up a seasonal celebration, over a four-course menu designed for its healthfulness and balance, in Park Square’s 10,000 bottle wine cellar:

First Course
Raw Oysters with fresh lemon
Domaine du Montru Muscadet, Loire Valley, 2010
Second Course
Scallop Ceviche with fresh juices and vegetables
Casa Marin “Les Cipreses” Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, 2008
Third Course
Wood Grilled Tuna with mashed parsnip, roasted tomato & fennel
Bonny Doon “Fish Out of Water” Rhone Varietal Blend, Monterey, 2010
Dessert Course
Sparkling Sorbet with lemon sorbet, cava, fresh mint

Cost: $40 per person (includes tax and gratuity)
Reservation required by calling: 617-530-9392

3)  Towne Stove and Spirits has unveiled a new bar and cocktail menu, available at all three of their bar and lounge areas: Street Lounge, Downtowne & Uptowne.  New items include the following: Hot Crab & Spinach Dip (with focaccia toast - $12); White Corn Tortilla Chips (with cumin-scented avocado and salsa - $9); Chicken & Vegetable Spring Rolls (with sweet chili sauce - $8); Mahogany Chicken Wings ($9); Duck Quesadillas (with sour cream and salsa - $10); Cornmeal Fried Popcorn Shrimp (with remoulade sauce and lemon - $11); and, Fried Potato Skins (with Vermont cheddar, bacon and truffle oil - $10). These new options will join signature items such as: Lobster Popovers ($14); Sweet Potato Fries (with chipotle mayo and lime - $8); Fried Zucchini Sticks (with spicy tomato and parmesan - $9); and, Artisanal Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza ($17).

There are new libations ($13.50) too, including: Gin Squeeze (gin, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit dash, lemon, soda); The Manhattan (single barrel Kentucky bourbon, bacon-infused sweet vermouth, angostura bitters); Cucumber Rose (cucumber vodka, rosemary simple syrup, prosecco float, sugar rim); Champagne Cocktail (brut dry, sugar cube, angostura bitters); The Last Word (gin, green chartreuse, lemon squeeze, house simple syrup); Ginger Flower (prosecco, ginger, cognac, elderflower liqueur, lemon dash, twist); Roman Candle (prosecco, Chambord, pineapple dash, fresh raspberry); and, The Mario Capone (rye whiskey, ginger, cognac, Cointreau, orange dash, raw sugar).

Coming soon, Towne will also open the liquor lines up for sharing with their House Spiked Punch Bowl (premium vodka, orange liqueur, champagne, lemon, sugar, raspberry – $46; serves 4-6 people).

Towne Stove and Spirits’ bar and lounge areas are open weekdays from 4:00pm to 11:00pm and weekends from 11:00am to 12:00am.

4)  Sip wine and sample signature dishes from more than 50 of Boston’s most popular chefs and some of New England’s favorite wineries at the 14th Annual "Chefs Cooking for Hope." Hosted by the Friends of Dana-Farber, this culinary extravaganza takes place Thursday, March 8, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at 125 High Street, Boston. Chef Jeremy Sewall, of Lineage, Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar will serve as honorary chef. If you peruse their website, you will see the long list of restaurants and wineries that will be present at this event.

Chef Jeremy Sewall explains, "It's hard to find anyone alive today who has not been touched by cancer. As chefs, we get asked to do a lot of events and this is one that I feel strongly about."

Admission is $100 per person. Proceeds benefit cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For tickets call (617) 632-3909 or log on to www.dana-farber.org/friends-chefs. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.