NIBBLES

Craigie on Main celebrates a decade

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Tony Maws, who first opened Craigie on Main a decade ago, is celebrating with turning his bar into COMB, celebrating the casual side of Craigie with servers in jeans and an exclusive a la carte menu all its own.

The menu will offer “elevated bistro fare” plus snacks and spreads. Among the dishes will be fried onion rings, herbed goat cheese, pork rillettes, a Turkish-spiced stew with Maine mussels and garbanzo beans, and house-made squid ink Mafalde pasta with ham and hedgehog mushroom ragout, all priced from $6-$18.

Additionally, Maws plans Buffalo Sundays, kicking off January 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. , priced at $40 and including a beer and unlimited Buffalo bites.

Rosés used to be thought of as Summer sippers. Today, however, they’ve moved into the year-round scene in a big way. We look at three that we found to be worthy of sipping whether the weather is hot, cold or in-between!

Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé – Georges DuBoeuf 2018
The fruit for this wines comes from some 200 producers, partners, Chief Winemaker Denis Lapalus says, who “give us their baby and we raise it.” This vintage is less acidic than those of earlier years, he points out, calling it “classic and balanced.”
Mulderbosch 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé– The grapes for this wine come from “specially farmed vineyards” and the wine is fresh and aromatic with hints of fresh watermelon, strawberries and cherries. It’s 12.5% ABV. The wine receives “cool fermentation with aromatic yeasts” and has fresh fruitiness. It received three starts in Patten’s SA Wines and is the color of sliced watermelon, it’s winemaker says. The final product offers hints of cherries, strawberries and white peach.
Dark Horse 2017 Rosé from California is dry, crisp and bright, a “fruit forward Provence style wine,” the San Modesto,CA winemaker declares. The wine is 13.5 % ABV, available in cans and bottles.

D’Artagnan, established meat purveyor since 1985, offers fresh Japanese Wagui whole tenderloins, rib eyes and striploins, A5 rated and humanely raised. The beef contains no antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products ever, the company stresses. At this time of year, holiday “helpers” such as truffle butter, mushrooms and more. Go to http://www.dartagnan.com.

Sweet additions for holiday meals

BOSTON – The holiday season is the time for enjoying sweet endings to meals and we recently discovered a number of dessert goodies made by Frankie Boyer, a talk show host for BizTalk Radio who, in her role there, seeks to “empower listeners to live healthy, vibrant lives.”
Boyer, who won The Excellence in Health Journalism recently, makes delicious “goodies” including gluten and sugar-free truffles, Whoppi Pies with mascarpone whipped cream, toffees with sugar but no gluten, cakes with no gluten or refined sugar that are “nutrient dense,” and various types of cookies as well as other gluten and sugar free dessert items.
Each item, she notes, may be made with CBD and Cannabis as well. Check out http://www.frankieboyer.com.

Say goodbye to plastic bags in Boston

BOSTON – The City of Boston recently passed an ordinance to lower the environmental impact of single-use plastic bags from local stores, working with retailers to transition away from them. New bags will cost at least five cents each and the city is urging consumers to bring their own reusable bags. The program begins in December. For more information, visit boston.gov/plastic-bags or email Stephanie Acquario at stephanie.acquario@boston.gov, or call 617-635-1761.

Businesses violating the new ordinance will be issued a warning for the first violation and if the same establishment is found to be in violation again, will be charged a $50 fee. Any additional violations in the same calendar year will result in a $100 fine.

The ordinance may be seen at https: http://www.boston.gov/departments/environment/reducing-plastic-bags-city-boston.Call Weights and Measures Department at 617-635-5328 with additional questions.