A Taste Tour of Italy's Wine Regions with Michael Mohammadi

Wine Tasting

A Taste Tour of Italy’s Wine Regions
Thursday, September 11th
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Limited to 18 guests

$25 per person*

(plus tax and gratuity)

Reservations Required – 410 625 0534

It is with great pleasure that Sotto Sopra would like to introduce Michael Mohammadi as your host for this evening’s wine tasting. Michael is Sotto Sopra’s very own wine superman, by day he is a medical researcher working on his Phd in Physiology and at night, a food and wine journalist, check out his very popular http://www.foodandwineblog.com/.

Michael with the vines of Fuligni: one of the premier producers of Brunello di Montalcino

For his first tasting at Sotto Sopra, Michael wants to take you on a tour of Italy through their wines from Tuscany, Piedmont, Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as a selection from Southern Italy.

Come taste 7 Italian wines, meet the gregarious and knowledgeable Michael Mohammadi, and enjoy a couple lite bites during the tasting. Stay for dinner and pay ½ price for any bottle of wine sampled during that evenings tasting.


About Michael Mohammadi

Michael Mohammadi has a passion for cooking and once dreamed to graduate from culinary school. He keeps recipes simple and tries to highlight the flavors of the main ingredient. He loves the challenge of pairing the right wine with any dish.

His culinary influences are vast, ranging from German, to Persian (his heritage) to traditional American or Mediterranean. Michael would define his cooking style as “simple with a twist” and almost always make a dish with a wine pairing or experience in mind.

He has traveled Italy and has a love and passion for Italian wines. His other passions include writing, spending time with his three dogs, and watching the Lions, Red Wings, Tiger’s, or Michigan Football. He loves to run and hike and especially likes cold weather mountaineering and camping, as well as back country skiing.

FoodandWineBlog.com

Michael is focusing on the Baltimore area wine and food scene, but will include reviews and information from his travels around the world. The whole point of this site is to make wine and fine dining informal and fun. For information on how Michael rates wines and his personal tastes, see the “Wine Ratings” page.

Cost per person
$25.00 (plus tax and gratuity)*
Reservations Required: 410 625 0534
Limited to 18 guests

*no other promotions or discounts apply

Opera Night - Sunday September 28th

The new fall season of Opera Night begins on Sunday, September 28th at 5:30 p.m. Come relish an evening of a 6 course Italian gourmet dinner and vibrant, live performances of your favorite arias.

Our Performers

Ms. Kathleen Dougherty, Soprano
Ms. Diane Abel, Soprano
Mr. Paul McIlvaine, Tenor
Ms Alice Mikolajewski, Piano

Menu

Fall Pear Salad
with Gorgonzola cheese, pecans and honey vinaigrette

Roasted Squash Soup
with shitake mushroom confit

Mint Risotto
served with lamb ragu

Spiced Apple Sorbetto

Crispy Seared Sea Bass
with zucchini, yellow squash, caponata and oregano oil

Fig Frangipane Tart
with vanilla bean gelato

Enjoy live opera performances and a 6-course gourmet Italian dinner

$57 per person
(excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)

FOR RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION:

Call (410) 625-0534 or email Monika at: mailto:pawlak_monika@hotmail.com

Upcoming Opera Nights: October 26th, November 23rd, December 14th

A Little Night Music at Sotto Sopra's Opera Night

Enjoy a small clip of performances by Soprano Diane Able and Tenor Paul McIlvaine at one of our monthly Opera Nights.

September's First Thursday Moving to 2nd Thursday

Due to the Labor Day holiday week we are postponing our First Thursday wine tasting to Thursday, September 11th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Your wine host for the evening is Michael Mohammadi, editor of the Food and Wine Blog. Michael is planning the wine tasting as we type and we will post the information as soon as it is available.

Michael Mohammadi

Dinner with Daniela - Now Monthly

Effective immediately, our lovely Daniela will be preparing her dinners for you on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. The next dinner is September 9th.

Making Pasta for Two

$35 4-Course Chef-for-the-Day Dinner

Chef-for-the-Day Dinner
Thursday, August 21st
Open Reservations

Megan & Jackie Knipp in Rome

Sotto Sopra’s Chef-for-the-Day program is growing and expanding. Our next Chefs-for-the-Day are the mother and daughter team of Jackie and Megan Knipp. They both talked with our executive chef Bill Crouse and he has accessed their skill level and created a menu they will be preparing on Thursday, August 21st that will be available for everyone to enjoy. This four course dinner is $35.00 with a complimentary shot of limoncello with the dessert.

When making your reservations, please advise us that you are coming for the “Chef-for-the-Day” dinner. Call us at 410 625 0534. Guests will have the option of ordering from our regular dinner menu.

Chef-for-the-Day

Tasting Menu
created by Executive Chef Bill Crouse and prepared by Jackie and Megan Knipp


1st Course
Grilled Eggplant and Mint Bruschetta
finished with a Tuscan Olive Oil

2nd Course
Spinach Pappardelle
spinach pasta with tomato and basil ragout and fresh mozzarella

3rd Course
Crispy Red Snapper Fillet
with crab, bell peppers and grilled zucchini

4th course
Roasted Peaches
stuffed with walnut mascarpone cheese and crème anglaise
accompanied with a complimentary shot of limoncello

Cost per Person
$35.00*
(excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)

*No other special events, promotion or discounts are applicable with this dinner.

Family Night at Sotto Sopra
Thursday, August 21st

open reservations

Sotto Sopra is kicking off their Family Night Dinners where children 10 years of age and younger dine for just $5.00 (cheaper than a babysitter). Our first family dinner will be on Thursday, August 21st. We Italians love to have everyone at our tables, the joys of family and sharing a good meal.

PLEASE let us know you are bringing the family when you are making reservations 410 625 0534

Children’s Menu
$5.00*
(children 10 years or younger)

Entrée – choice of

Macaroni & Cheese Italian Style
penne pasta with mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Breaded Chicken Parmigiano

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Fried Fish Fillet

Side Dish – choice of

Broccoli
French Fried Potatoes

Dessert – choice of

Fruit Salad
Gelato

Let us know what you think about Family night at Sotto Sopra ~ we are open to suggestions.

*no other promotions, special menu or discounts apply

applicable with our regular dinner menu

How to Cook Branzino

This is an excellent video that shows you how to cook branzino in parchment. Enjoy.

You Really, Really Like Us

Forgive me for quoting from Sally Field's acceptance speech - I can't resist. It is that time of year when the ballot comes out for the City's Paper "Best of" and hope if you really, really like us you will vote for Sotto Sopra as your favorite Italian Restaurant. Link in HERE for the ballot.

If you want to vote for us as your favorite restaurant as well, we won't stop you.

August's Italian Language & Culture Dinner Club

Sotto Sopra's

Italian Language & Culture Dinner Club

Monday, August 18th - 7:00 p.m.

Reservations Required ~ Limited Seating

My how our Italian Language and Culture Dinner Group is growing and what fun we’ve all been having. Chef Crouse will surprise us with summer-centric Italian cuisine to be shared family-style.

Do you have your own Victory garden and the bounty is overwhelming why not share with you other dinner guests. Bring in your tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, fresh herbs and any other gems from your garden.

We are open to suggestions for future gatherings of the Italian Language and Culture Club - please send them to ciao@sottosopra.us

Speaking Italian is part of the fun though optional.

Cost per person: $51.00

(price includes food, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, tax and gratuity)

~Family Style Service ~ Communal Dining~

The Italian Language and Culture Club meets the 3rd Monday of every month

FOR RESERVATIONS: Call Monika Pawlak-Bosio at 410 625 0534

Not on the Italian Language Club E-mail List - send an email to ciao@sottosopra.us

no other promotions or discounts are applicable for this event

Cold Herb Marinated Green Beans

Cold Herb Marinated Green Beans
Serves 6

2 Tb Fresh parsley
2 Tb Fresh chopped basil
1 ts Fresh oregano
5 Tb Red wine vinegar
2 Tb Finely chopped onion
2 Garlic cloves-peeled & crushed
1 lb Green beans
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste (Kosher or sea salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Choose a large bowl enough to accommodate the green beans later and put In the parsley, basil, oregano and vinegar. Let steep for 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, mix and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Snap off the ends of the green beans, rinse them in cold water, and drop them into boiling salt water. Drain the string beans while still very firm. Add the warm green beans to the bowl and marinate for a minimum of 1 hour and as much as 5 or 6 hours. Mix thoroughly from time-to-time. Serve the beans at room
temperature, adding the olive oil and salt/pepper to taste before serving.

Suggestions:
You can serve on a bed of radicchio or with sliced summer tomatoes. In the spring substitute the green beans with asparagus

Initial recipe by Marcella Hazan recipe from Marcella's Kitchen