Tag: Keith Carolan

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The Gift of Terroir: Wine and Beer Dinners To Look Forward To For 2017

111 Wine Dinner Table Set Up

Wine culture offers an air of exclusivity that can sometimes deter novice curiosity. We all know that the best way to learn about wine is to drink it, but to educate one’s palate in the wine world requires a great deal of time and resources. I can’t justify cracking a $125 bottle of 2007 Beringer Reserve if I don’t understand what I’m tasting. Pairing dinners present perfect opportunities to sample boutique wines while cultivating an appreciation for the craft.

Aside from familiarizing amateur sommeliers with the good stuff, pairing dinners often provide a taste of the winery itself. Attendees gain access to precious anecdotes and old chestnuts as told by special guests, namely: winemakers, distributors, and chefs.

Preparing one of the courses at a 2016 dinner at VIA Italian Table.
Preparing one of the courses at a 2016 dinner at VIA Italian Table.

Plenty of restaurants in and around Massachusetts have recently added paired dinners to their repertoire, but The 111 Chophouse and VIA Italian Table have been hosting events of this sort for a long time. This year, VIA will delve deep into the art of beer pairing in addition to its traditional wine dinners.

VIA’s General Manager, Keith Carolan explains that he maintains three steadfast expectations for each of VIA’s events; in his humble opinion, dinners must prove: exclusive, educational and memorable.

A course at one of 111 Chop House's 2016 Wine Dinners.
A course at one of 111 Chop House’s 2016 Wine Dinners.
Exclusive

Seats are so limited and we feature wines and beers that people don’t simply have access to. For example the CasaSmith dinner in March, VIA is the only place in Massachusetts that you can enjoy all of Charles Smith’s Italian varietals under 1 roof.

Educational

This December the “Kings of Italy” refers to the most highly touted wines from some of the most highly touted producers Italy has to offer, Barolo, Brunello and Amarone. Instead of limiting the dinner to one region or one producer, hopefully it can shed some light on various regions of Italy that some people may not be accustomed to. The same can be said for all of the beer dinners. In a genre like Craft Beer that is so popular right now, we find that all of our guests learn something new every course, because we have local owners and Cicerones explaining the brewing process and culture of each brewery.

Memorable

Not only are we offering great wines and beers, but we give our chefs the creative license to explore things they haven’t previously attempted and work on dishes that haven’t been featured on our menu. The results have been fantastic.

Here’s a peek at the 2017 lineup:

The 111 Chophouse

Beringer Private Reserve Dinner – February 28th– $150.00
Robert Craig Dinner – March 28th– $125.00
Etude Winery Dinner – April 25th – $125.00
Far Ninete-Nickel & Nickel Dinner – September 19th – $150.00
Joseph Phelps Insignia – October 17th– $150.00
Pahlmeyer – November 14th – $160.00

 

VIA Italian Table

The Wines of CasaSmith Dinner – March 7th – $70
Wormtown Brewery Dinner – April 4th – $70
New Belgium Brewing Dinner – June 6th – $70
Jack’s Abby Brewing Dinner – October 3rd – $70
The Wines of Antinori Dinner – December 5th – $90

Ditch the wrapping paper this holiday season; instead of splurging on a highbrow bottle from the ritziest package store in town, consider offering your loved ones a distinguished experience.

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July’s Italian Pig Roast at VIA

VIA’s executive chef, Bill Brule, Roasting a Pig for VIA's Italian Pig Roast.

The history of the pig roast spans a multitude of generations and cultures. While there is evidence of whole roasting a hog over a rotisserie as far back as the “Bronze Age,” the common theme for this cooking technique is centered around community and celebration. While the concept of a pig roast is not new, it takes a passionate chef to make it exciting. That is exactly what VIA’s executive chef, Bill Brule, has accomplished with this month’s Italian Pig Roast.

house butchered, slow roasted suckling pig with Tuscan roasted potatoes and a rich pork reduction sauce from VIA's Italian Pig Roast.
house butchered, slow roasted suckling pig with Tuscan roasted potatoes and a rich pork reduction sauce from VIA’s Italian Pig Roast.

As the name states, VIA Italian Table is recognized for its Italian dishes—both traditional and modern. To that end, chef Brule, has evolved VIA’s menu far beyond the annual fall Pig Fest offerings by paying homage to the most common cured meat in Italy: pork.

VIA general manger, Keith Carolan, explained. “With the Italian Pig Roast, we go back to the core element where pig takes center stage. We utilize every aspect of the animal with every detail of each course.” He continued, “this is the first time we’ve been able to do a tasting menu at VIA where we break the mould of what all the other Italian restaurants are doing. We focus on the whole hog and we channel our European inspiration to create a large table experience around it.”

Diners can expect to come together and celebrate at VIA’s Italian Pig Roast. “Obviously, summer is a time for barb-b-queuing, but it’s also the perfect time to take authentic Italian flavors and adapt them through a primordial process.” Whether it’s starting with the crispy pork meat balls or crispy fried pork skins, you’ll prepare your taste buds for either the house butchered, slow roasted suckling pig with Tuscan roasted potatoes and a rich pork reduction sauce or the pieces of slow roasted pork with green beans, pea tendrils accompanied with orecchiette pasta tossed in a light black pepper and parmesan cream sauce.

Chef Brule combines flavors and textures that will bring you back to experience “la famiglia” all month.

Each day in July, the Italian Pig Roast will be available at VIA Italian Table and includes a choice of an appetizer or dessert, a sumptuous roasted pig entrée and a perfectly paired glass of either Scarpetta “Frico Bianco” Friulano & Chardonnay, Scarpetta “Frico Rosso” Sangiovese, or Wormtown’s Hefeweizen, Warthog Wheat. Better yet? This $43 value meal is available for $29.99… reason enough to try every course combination this summer