champagne

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Six Hour Dinner

What did we eat? What didn’t we eat? After weeks of planning a Sunday afternoon potluck, a few Boston bloggers and I finally got together yesterday to eat, drink, and be merry, For six hours. As I wrote this post last night, I was so stuffed I may never need to eat again. It was worth every single bite. Besides, we probably burned some of if off laughing. This was one of those events that should have a video recap to capture some of the fun kitchen antics, but alas, a blog post will have to do.

The stage: the home of Megan from Delicious Dishings

The cast:

Megan,  homemade pumpkin ice cream sundaes with gingerbread croutons and spiced caramel

Alicia from The Clean Plate Club, muhammara dip, mushroom pate, shrimp and grits

Daisy from Indulge, Inspire, Imbibe, leek and parsnip soup, warm Brussels sprout salad

Michelle from Fun and Fearless in Beantown, Mama Chang’s pork dumplings, cold peanut noodle salad

I made a white truffle white bean dip and a tortilla española.

The plot: Five food bloggers who just happen to get along really, really well together for a day of food and fun, starting off with a little bit of bubbly from Mayo Family Winery, Nicholas Feuillate, and Veuve Clicquot, and a bottle of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau

wine and Champagne

There was much to celebrate on this chilly, late-November New England afternoon, two engagements, a new job, some employment liberation, and new friendships that had formed over the course of the past months.

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Megan’s beautiful kitchen was set for a feast with lovely autumn touches here and there, cozy food aromas filling the air.

autumn table setting

We were busy bees in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on scrumptious dishes.

The Clean Plate Club

Never have I seen so many people in one kitchen, working in harmony and happy to be there.

Boston food bloggers

Rows of soup bowls waited, creamy grits bubbled away on the stove as a warm Brussels sprout salad sat ready for goat cheese to be added, making this most beloved vegetable impossible to turn down.

leek parsnip soup grits

Martha Stewart soup

Mama Chang’s dumpling perfection sizzled and satisfied alongside Champagne bubbles.

image Veuve Clicquot

Myers + Chang dumplings

While cool peanut noodle salad added a crunch and a kick to our palates.

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The clicks and flashes of cameras prevailed throughout the day, being tired from cooking and eating could not keep these bloggers down.

Boston food bloggers

The evening was sealed with a sweet, the most perfect autumn dessert imaginable, homemade pumpkin ice cream, spiced caramel, with gingerbread croutons.

pumpkin ice cream image

pumpkin ice cream with gingerbread croutons and spiced caramel

One blog post can’t capture the excellence of this gathering of creative, smart, lovers of food, food writing, and wine. More to come, including links to recipes for these amazing dishes and a couple of posts on my contributions.

Happy short week! Do you ever plan potlucks with friends? Do you have a particular dish or theme you like to stick to?

Tags: bloggers, Boston, champagne, cooking, Delicious Dishings, event, Food, Fun and Fearless in Beantown, Imbibe, Indulge, Inspire, potluck, recipes, The Clean Plate Club, wine

The third time was the charm. We had reservations to the highly-anticipated Island Creek Oyster Bar last Saturday and Sunday, and due to my illness cancelled both. Even though I wasn’t feeling fabulous on my last day of work, after a week stuck at home, I wanted to go out, and it had to be Island Creek Oyster Bar.

If you have been reading this blog for some time, you have probably seen plate after plate of raw oysters. We love them, especially when they are of the Island Creek or Wellfleet varieties. . . local IS best!

Island Creek Oyster Bar

I arrived at Island Creek Oyster Bar (menu here), which is at 500 Commonwealth Ave, earlier than my husband, lugging multiple bags of wine club wine, and a little frazzled. The second I walked in, I was welcomed, and my bags were magically removed from my tired shoulders and tucked away in the coat check. Thank you.

I sat at the beautiful, beautiful bar for awhile while I waited, sipping Prosecco and just looking around. You have to see it for yourself. Made of some sort of cool black stone, the bar stretches for most of the length of the room and is the perfect place for a few (dozen) oysters and drinks. It was full to capacity but still spacious which made it comfortable for me sitting alone or for groups or couples sitting together. Two thumbs up for not jamming the bar with stools.

Due to some horrendous traffic, my poor, tired husband was pretty late for our reservation, but the very friendly hostesses seated me at our table anyway when I gave up my bar seat for two people who wanted to sit together. I love that they didn’t give me an attitude about having my entire party there. Likewise, our server made me feel completely at home and served me a glass of Aubry Brut Champagne while I waited.

As I sat there, I got a chance to check out the décor, which is made up of muted greys, seats with wooden slats on the back, and walls covered in cages filled with oyster shells. It offers a cross between urban and beachy and nautical without being cheesy or a theme-y.

Island Creek Oyster BarIsland Creek Oyster Bar

The Aubry Brut was the perfect choice for celebrating International Champagne Day. It had a nice gold hue and flavors of citrus and toast. Once my husband arrived, it was also the perfect choice for pairing with oysters.

We had a dozen: 4 Island Creek, 4 Moon Shoal from Barnstable, MA, and 4 Coupe Des Anges from Prince Edward Island. I watched Anne of Green Gables while I was sick; I had to have PEI oysters!

PEI Oysters

Other than one of the PEI oysters tasting really ick, these were delicious. The Island Creeks were my favorite, but I would eat oysters from all of these locations again.

We also indulged in a few hot dishes: A meaty crab cake with mustard sauce and apples, really excellent crab meat, slightly too salty, but otherwise really delicious.

Crab Cake

Steamed Pope Island Littlenecks
tomato, scallions, spicy chili & garlic paste
grilled bread

These clams were perfectly cooked in a flavorful tomato broth that I could have easily eaten as a soup. I proclaimed the grilled bread perfection.

steamed littlenecks

BBQ Glazed Shrimp
Anson mills creamy grits, pepper relish

My favorite dish of the night, the sauce was tangy, the shrimp, again, perfectly cooked, and the grits were soft, smooth, creamy comfort. I will return again and again just for this.

shrimp and grits

With all of these delights from the sea, we were stuffed. Dessert looked so good, house-made cider donuts with caramel and cider, but we couldn’t eat another bite.

With Jeremy Sewall of Lineage at the helm and the focus on great local seafood, I had a feeling I would love Island Creek Oyster Bar, but it exceeded all of my expectations. They make everything in house, have a fun wine and beer list, and despite being in the busy Kenmore Square, maintain a laid back, comfortable feel.

The service was absolutely fantastic, from the second I arrived, all the way until we walked out the door. Everyone was friendly and accommodating without being overly so. I am excited to make this a regular in our restaurant rotation.

Happy Friday everyone! Are you oyster fans? What are you up to this weekend?

Island Creek Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon

Island Creek Oyster Bar, Island Creek Oysters, Hotel Commonwealth

Tags: Boston, champagne, Island Creek Oyster Bar, oysters, restaurant

Sparkling wine and Champagne are great options for almost any occasion. They make a great hostess gift, thank-you gift, and a nice case with a note for each month of the year makes a great wedding gift for wine lovers. They also tend to be very food friendly wines, a great dinner party choice when you don’t know what is being served for dinner.

It can be hard to figure out which sparkling wines are really great especially in the low to mid price ranges. As always, tasting is the best way to find out what works for you, but I thought I would share a few of my favorites in a wide range of prices, something appropriate for every occasion.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne, $59.99

I actually received this bottle in a happy accident. A public relations agency sending me wine to sample had a warehouse mix-up which resulted in this bottle arriving at my door. I offered to send it back, and they kindly told me to keep it. We saved it all winter long and enjoyed it on a recent summer evening, just because. This champagne’s tiny, festive, and abundant bubbles made me smile, and its classic, yeasty nose and toasty flavors give it a great creaminess.

Ruinart Champagne

Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, $44.99 (Boston Wine Exchange often has deals on Veuve for under $40)

A true classic, Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label shouts celebration and elegance to me. It’s crisp fruit and nice mineral flavors make this dry bubbly a perfect pairing for a large variety of meals including a regular old pizza, a tip I learned while reading French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, a favorite book of mine, and as I say on my About page, one that was life-changing for me in terms of eating and exercise.

Veuve Clicquot  

J Cuvée 20 Brut, $22

A Sonoma Valley favorite, this bubbly offers toasty, yeasty flavors with hints of honey and a little bit of lemon. Sweeter than some of my other choices, and as corny as it sounds, this sparkling wine really evokes a spring day in wine country. We enjoyed this bottle at Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg and will no doubt enjoy it in the future, hopefully at a visit to J Vineyards 🙂

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Chateau Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs, around $10

For this price point, and really just in general, this sparkling wine from Washington’s Columbia Valley is outstanding. It is citrusy, very dry, with flavors of tropical fruits and green apples. I absolutely love it and would happily serve this as an everyday bubbly or at a special meal. We enjoyed this at Lineage last weekend, and it will always be one of my favorites.

Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs

As you can see, sparkling wines do not have to be expensive to be delicious. I hope you will think of these options the next time you are shopping for that special bottle, whether for some big occasion or just to celebrate a summer evening.

Have a great Saturday everyone! And if you get a chance, please check out the two guest posts I did this week, one on The Wine Bottega for CRAVE Boston and one on Vianne Chocolat for Boston Local Food Festival

Tags: champagne, Chateau Ste. Michelle, J Vineyards, Ruinart, sparkling wine, Veuve Clicquot, wine

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