sparkling wine

You are currently browsing articles tagged sparkling wine.

 

 

No Kid Hungry

Amidst all of the sadness and uncertainty of the past week-and-a-half, there were some bright moments that really made things feel a little normal again. Taste of the Nation is one of my favorite events of the year, I actually thought about not going this year, but I was happy I celebrated this amazing cause instead of spending another night glued to the news.

Taste of the Nation has a very important goal, No Kid Hungry, and they are doing incredibly important work across the country to reach that goal.

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® is the premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. Each spring and summer, the nation’s hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 Taste of the Nation events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

 

Share our Strength

I didn’t know that school breakfast is free to all Boston Public School students, but I was glad to hear it. It does make you realize though, that kids don’t go to school every day or year-round. So many are wondering where those meals are going to come from when they are not in school, and that just breaks my heart. Once again, Boston’s supportive culinary community came together to do good, and it’s never felt as healing and helping as it did this year.

This year’s Taste of the Nation Boston was held at a new location, the Cruiseport Boston at Black Falcon Pier. Beautiful sea views, plenty of light, and a grand space made for the best Taste of the Nation yet. Here are just a few of the favorite tastes of this event.

Trade Boston

{Garlic Soup from Trade – hot and comforting, just the cure for a dreary, cold day}

One Hope sparkling wine

           {One Hope California Brut Sparkling Wine – with both citrus and brioche notes and plenty of bubbles, this bubbly is outstanding, and even better, $3.00 a bottle goes to Share our Strength.}

gougeres

{Cheese Gougeres, AKA Bistro – I have the recipe for these and keep meaning to make them, perhaps when life evens out a bit.}

crispy tuna tostada

{Crispy Tuna Tostada – Highland Kitchen}

image

{Polenta, greens, chickpeas and all sorts of good stuff – Tavolo – I have always been a fan of Chef Chris Douglass and the work he’s done in Dorchester. Chef Douglass’ restaurants are both in the Ashmont area of Dorchester, home to Martin Richard, the youngest Boston Marathon bombing victim. When I saw Chef that night, I just wanted to give him a hug; despite being in a place of so much hurting, he was there to help.  I <3 my neighborhood. }

image

{Raspberry Rhubarb Shortcake – Flour Bakery – Chef Joanne Chang’s baking is delicious, and her warm smile is infectious. It’s always wonderful to see her, whether at Flour or at Myers + Chang.}

In addition to the above, I also loved the oysters served up in the VIP area of the event. If you’re an oyster and sparkling wine lover, it’s definitely worth it to go the VIP route. It also makes it easy to grab a table or a couch to do your chowing down.

Taste of the Nation offers such a tasty variety of bites from the best chefs around, and the driving force behind it is crucial to our nation’s future. There’s a reason it’s one of my favorite events of the year, and I can’t wait to support it again next year. Share our Strength has many opportunities to help throughout the year, and I hope that this is the year I become more involved with this lifesaving organization.

I was provided a complimentary ticket to Taste of the Nation but was not required to write about it. All opinions are my own.

 

Tags: Boston, events, No Kid Hungry, Share our Strength, sparkling wine, Taste of the Nation, wine

The December holiday season is definitely a favorite of mine and a great time to do something a little extra special.  In past years I have reunited with college friends over fancy afternoon tea at the Boston Harbor Hotel; not having seen each other for awhile this year, we decided to meet for bubbly at The Reserve, the new Champagne bar at the Langham Hotel.

Reserve Champagne Bar

Upon entering The Reserve, which is part of the newly redesigned hotel lobby, I was surprised at the drastically different décor from the old hotel. The Langham’s new atmosphere is chic and modern with traditional touches. It’s plush, luxurious, yet muted. It contains a Champagne bar; I am in love.

Reserve Champagne Bar

Over the course of the afternoon, we enjoyed sparkling wine (the Champagne is a wee bit pricey; for a special occasion I would spring for it), a Cremant from Louis Bouillot and sparkling pink bubbles from Roederer Estate in California, a place we visited on one of the most beautiful drives ever. Reserve Champagne Bar

Reserve Champagne Bar

We were provided some nuts and cheese crackers to nibble on while we sipped and sat back, and we also ordered the house-made potato chips with dips. I remembered how much I loved the chips when I had a luxury dining experience at Bond a few months ago; I could not stop eating them!

Whether you visit the Langham for brunch, the chocolate bar, cocktails at Bond, or glasses of bubbly at The Reserve, the experience is always second-to-none and sure to impress, from the service to the food and drinks, all the way through.

I was so glad we made time to relax at The Reserve and would most definitely spend a Sunday afternoon there again. It’s definitely one of those places where life slows down, and you can sit back and think about how good it is.

Cheers!

Tags: bars, Boston, champagne, Langham Hotel, luxury living, Restaurants, sparkling wine

Congratulations to Matt, winner of the Freixenet giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered, and a big thank you to Freixenet USA for allowing me to host these giveaways. If you haven’t tasted their delicious, fantastically-priced cava, definitely grab a bottle the next time you are out!

It’s not quite Friday, but since I have a special post scheduled for tomorrow, the kind people from Freixenet are letting me kick off my final prize pack giveaway today, giving everyone an extra day to enter (and to celebrate the weekend!)

Freixenet MINI

Just a reminder of what you’re entering to win from Freixenet:

– Freixenet Chiller Bag

·4 Stemless Govino Acrylic Flutes

·2 Freixenet Cordon Negro Mini Bottles

·Cocktail Recipe Booklet

·4 Cocktail Stirrers

·Plus 10 sweepstakes entries for the Freixenet Drive a MINI Cooper Giveaway!

 

To enter:

By entering you are acknowledging that you are 21 or over.

 

Since tomorrow is the final Friday of summer, you can enter to win by telling me your favorite sparkling wine moment of the summer.

I’ll choose a winner Monday evening. Good luck!

My favorite wine event of the year, Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival is this weekend; I’ll be sure to be sipping bubbly there to end the summer and kick off the fall!

If you are in the Boston area, check out the schedule for the MINI Mobile Tour:

Thursday, Sept 20 – BJ’s Wholesale Club – 901 Technology Center Drive in Stoughton, MA

Friday, Sept 21, 6pm-10pm – Les Zygomates (www.winebar.com) – 129 South St in Boston, MA

Saturday, Sept 22, 11am-2pm – BJ’s Wholesale Club – 85 Cedar Street in Stoneham, MA

Saturday, Sept 22, 6pm-8pm – Avila (www.avilarestaurant.com) – 1 Charles Street South in Brighton, MA

Saturday, Sept 22, 9pm-1am – Cityside Bar (www.citysidebar.com) – 1930 Beacon St in Brighton, MA

Sunday, Sept 23, 12pm – 3pm – Devlin’s (www.edevlins.com) – 332 Washington St in Brighton, MA

Tags: contest, Freixenet, giveaway, sparkling wine, wine

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera