Edible Events: February Edition

Barbara Lynch will be pulling together some of the top culinary talent in the country for The Blizzard Bash. Photo courtesy of BL Gruppo.

February might bring to mind impish cherubs and rose pedals strewn across the boudoir, but I’ve searched the culinary gamut for far more interesting fare. Instead, look ahead for a high-powered industry swank-fest, Spaghetti Westerns, and a Fat Tuesday fest good enough for New Orleans.

The Blizzard Bash
Chef Barbara Lynch’s first annual Blizzard Bash will be held on February 7^th and 8^th and will feature some of the finest chefs, winemakers, and bartenders from across the country, all participating on behalf of the Barbara Lynch Foundation. The festivities commence on February 7^th with a five-course menu prepared by Grand Chefs: Daniel Boulud (Daniel, NYC), Mark Ladner (Del Posto, NYC), Joseph Lenn (Blackberry Farm, Tennessee), Michel Tusk (Quince, San Francisco), and Barbara Lynch herself. If the $1000 a plate price tag is too steep, don’t fret, as the event on Friday the 8^th is sure to be equally as epic.

Spanning the entire Children’s Museum,  some of  Boston’s best chefs, including Will Gilson (Puritan & Co.), Jamie Bissonnette (Toro), and Tim Cushman (o ya) will be serving one-of-a-kind gastronomic fare alongside out of town notables like Susan Spicer (Bayona, New Orleans), Chris Cosentino (Incanto, San Francisco), and Missy Robins (A Voce, NYC). Also, several fully-provisioned bars will be peppered throughout the museum where cocktail royalty Jackson Cannon and John Gertsen will be sharing the spotlight next to the likes of David Wondrich (cocktail columnist for Esquire and Imbibe), Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Portland’s Clyde Common), and Josh Harris and Scott Baird (San Francisco’s Bon Vivants and Trick Dog). If that isn’t enough, there’s also beer from Pretty Things, music from Boston Red Sox DJ (and ramen specialist) TJ Connelly, and plenty of great wine.

“There have certainly been cocktail conventions all over the country as well as food and wine festivals,” Ted Kilpatrick, Bar Manager at No. 9 Park, told us. “I think Barbara in realizing what she does well, which is putting forth great restaurants that also have strong cocktail components, has embraced that and created a really unique food festival, in one of the dreariest months in New England, to really liven things up a bit.”

The Barbara Lynch Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was started in the summer of 2012 and is dedicated to making Boston communities healthier. Their first initiative, Meet the Worms!, has been a huge success in its efforts to teach children the importance of nutrition, exercise, and community involvement. Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Gala Dinner: $1000 per person, February 7^th, Menton (354 Congress St., Boston) grandchefgala2013.eventbrite.com. The First Annual Blizzard Bash: $195 General Admission/$345 VIP. Tickets purchased after 1/14-$225 General Admission/$375 VIP. February 8^th, Boston Children’s Museum (308 Congress St., Boston) blizzardbash2013.eventbrite.com.

Scott Haas at Legal Sea Foods Park Square
Food writer and clinical psychologist Scott Haas is partnering with Legal Sea Foods for a night of great food and a reading from his new book, Back of the House. Previewed in this magazine’s February issue, Haas spent two years following chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, taking a peek behind the kitchen pass to explore what it really takes to survive in the high-pressure atmosphere of a successful restaurant. Guests will enjoy Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche, mesquite grilled tuna with chanterelles and a tamarind glaze, and a strawberry parfait with marcona almond brittle, all in the confines of Legal’s wine cellar. Haas will personalize copies of his book, which is included with the price of admission. $49 per person (includes book, tax, and gratuity), Wednesday, February 6^th at 6:30pm, 26 Park Square, (617) 530-9397, Reservation required, www.legalseafoods.com.

Mardi Gras at The Beehive
If you’ve experienced Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street, you know that the sights and sounds are actually are far cry from the savory images of boudin and Sazeracs. So “laissez les bons temps rouler” at The Beehive with the traditional jazz style of BT New Orleans 2^nd Line Brass Band and Hurricanes made with real juice and Bacardi rum. Chef Rebecca Newell will also have a special cajun menu featuring fried oysters with jalapeno remoulade, green gumbo with Gulf shrimp and collard greens, pork roast with dirty rice, and of course, king cake. No cover, cash bar, a la carte specials, Tuesday, February 12^th from 5:00pm-2am, 541 Tremont Street, (617) 423-0069, www.beehiveboston.com.

Winter Warmer Nights at Sweet Cheeks Q
Chef Tiffany Faison understands that you don’t want to leave your toasty, incubated hole during the frigid winter months. That’s why she’s teamed up with Harpoon Brewery to offer a menu of special comfort foods like short rib pot pie, veggie chili, Texas-style shepard’s pie, and gumbo made with Harpoon’s Winter Warmer. Everyone will also receive a free commemorative glass and a pint of Harpoon’s latest seasonal offering; a hearty ale brewed with nutmeg and cinnamon. We say that a glass of Winter Warmer and a plate of Faison’s addictive biscuits with honey butter is better than a space heater any day of the week. $25 per person, Tuesday-Wednesday through March 6^th from 5pm-11pm, 1381 Boylston Street, (617) 266-1300, www.sweetcheeksq.com.

Spaghetti Western Mondays at The Blue Room
Cure the Monday night blues with vintage Clint Eastwood, Bully Boy Whiskey, and a mash-up of some of Boston’s best cocktail personalities. Starting with A Fistful of Dollars on February 4^th,The Blue Room will be screening each of Sergio Leone’s classic Dollars Trilogy films to go along with Italian-American bites from Chef Robert Grant and badass cocktails from dueling guest mixologists. The list of visiting bartenders includes: Tyler Wang and Ted Kilpatrick (No. 9 Park), Katie Emmerson (The Hawthorne), Evan Harrison (Brick & Mortar), and cocktail author and historian Fred Yarm. A la carte cocktails and bar bites range from $9-$13, Every Monday in February, One Kendall Square, Cambridge, (617) 494-9034, www.theblueroom.net.

Chinese New Year Celebration at Saus
The Faneuil Hall frites and waffle shop will mix things up in honor of the Chinese Near Year, offering sriracha and honey-laced Belgian beer, waffles topped with condensed milk and crushed peanuts, and, perhaps most exciting of all, spicy salt and pepper chicken with crab rangoons. All items served a la carte from February 11-14, 33 Union St., Boston, 617-248-8835, eatfrites.com

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