Pio Cesare Wine Dinner - February 26th

Pio Cesare Wine Dinner
Thursday, February 26, 2009 – 7 p.m.

limited seating: 30 guests

Executive Chef Bill Crouse and Wine Director, Michael Mohammadi, have chosen a five course, Piemonte-inspired meal complete with wine pairings. Michael has picked the wines of one of Piemonte's best producers, Pio Cesare, to highlight the diversity of the wines in the Piemonte region and showcase how well they can pair with a variety of cuisines. From fresh and bright Arneis, to a pair of Cesare Barolo, this will be a night of learning about the wines of Piemonte and enjoying Piemonte inspired cuisine

About Pio Cesare Vineyards

Pio Cesare has been producing wines for more than 100 years and through generations. The tradition began in 1881, when Pio Cesare started gathering grapes in his vineyards and purchasing those of some selected and reliable farmers in the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco districts.

At Pio Cesare, there has always been a conviction that great wine can come only from the finest grapes and the winery's output has always been limited through adherence to the highest standards. Pio Cesare limits its production by using only the most mature and healthy grapes. The ripening of the grapes is carefully monitored and the harvest is rigidly controlled with each grape selected by hand.

MENU
1st Course
Antipasti
Grilled Fennel and Grapefruit Salad
Grilled Ribola Cheese wrapped in Mortedella
Wine: 2007 Pio Cesare Arneis

2nd Course
Grilled Quail
with a lemon, marjoram infused olive oil
over truffled beech wood and trumpet mushrooms
Wine: 2006 Pio Cesare Dolcetto d' Asti

3rd Course
Oven-Roasted Duck and Pate
stuffed in homemade tortelli finished with truffle and veal reduction
Wine: 2006 Pio Cesare Barbera d' Asti

4th Course
Chef's Award-Winning Barolo Braised Pork Shoulder
wrapped in house-cured bacon over white corn polenta and gremolada
Wines: 2004 Pio Cesare Barolo & 2003 Pio Cesare Barolo

5th Course
White Chocolate Ganache
with blueberry sorbetto and candied hazelnut dust
Wine: 2007 Pio Cesare Moscato d' Asti

Cost per Person
$99
(pricing includes food, wine, tax and gratuity)

Guaranteed reservations are required: call Monika Pawlak at 410 625-0534 or e-mail her at pawlak_monika@hotmail.com.

Cancellation policy: Any cancellations less than 24 hours prior to the event will be billed. No other promotions or discounts are applicable to this event.

Charles Theater: Celebrating the life of Luciano Pavarotti

Showtimes at the Charles Theater:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 12:00 NOON.
WEDNESDAY, FEBURARY 4 AT 6:00pm.


Staring Placido Domingo,Sting,Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Bocelli, Cynthia Lawrence and Sherrill Mines, Flutist Andrea Griminelli Jovanotti and Laura Pausini, Thirteen year old violin sensation Aleem Kandour and Italian rock star Zucchero.

"Salute Petra" is a wonderful charity tribute concert to the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. This event was presented on October 12th 2008, Pavarotti's birthday, in front of an exclusive invited audience of royalty, classical and popular music stars at the world heritage site Petra, Jordan. The combination of inimitable and mesmerizing settings with performances from some of the world's most respected and revered musicians made it one of the musical events of the decade.

The performance was set against a breathtaking natural amphitheatre and featured Placido Domingo and José Carreras, who famously performed with Pavarotti as the Three Tenors for more than 17 years; Domingo and Carreras sang together for the first time since Pavoratti's passing. This extraordinary event also featured performances by Sting, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Bocelli, Cynthia Lawrence and Sherrill Milnes, flutist Andrea Griminelli, Jovanotti and Laura Pausini, and thirteen year old violin sensation Aleem Kandour. Italian rock star Zucchero performed 'Misere' as a duet with Pavarotti on screen. The sublime Prague Philharmonic Orchestra served accompanied all the stars.

Here is an interesting duet: Freddie Mercury & Luciano Pavarotti singing Too Much Love Will Kill You

Spanish Wine Tasting - Thursday, February 12th

Wines of Spain You May Not Have Tried
Thursday, February 12th
$30 inclusive
6:00 p.m.

Spain is one of those wine producing countries that is sneaking up on the world. While there have always been world class wines produced, such as Priorat and Rioja, Spain also excels at providing great wines that are great values from many lesser-known regions. Come join me for a tasting of 6 wines from Spain (including one of my favorites from Priorat!) as well as a few light bites from Executive Chef Bill Crouse.

Stay for dinner and receive 25% off any of the wines from the tastings.

Our tastings have been at capacity these past few, so if you want to join in RSVP soon!

Reservations required: Call Monika Pawlak at 410 625-0534.

As always,

Cheers!
Michael Mohammadi
Wine Director

Opera Night - February 22, 2009

Opera Night
Sunday, February 22, 2009
5:30 p.m.

Don’t let the cold keep you away from a great evening of live opera performances and a delicious 6 course Italian meal perfectly executed by our executive chef, Bill Crouse. We make opera fun and interactive – join the party – treat your sweetheart.

A night of live Opera performances
featuring:

Mrs. Diane Abel, Soprano
Mr. Paul McIlvaine, Tenor
Mr. Tom Hetrick, Piano

MENU

Lentil Soup
with sausage and Swiss chard

Grilled Asparagus and Poached Egg
with Prosciutto and Parmesan cheese

Prawn Risotto

Basil Sorbetto

Roasted Turkey Breast
stuffed with sausage, fennel and rosemary
served with sweet potato puree and broccoli rabe

Lemon and Mascarpone Tart

$57 per person*
(excludes alcohol, tax & gratuity)

Book early – Opera Night sells out!

Reservations required: Call Monika at 410 625 0534 or email her at pawlak_monika@hotmail.com

SAVE THE DATES:
Future Opera Nights
Sunday, March 29th
Sunday, April 19th
Sunday, May 24th

*no other promotions or discounts apply to this event

Thursday, Jan 22 Chef for the Day Dinner

Katie Baxter & Brandon Cohen
Chefs-for-the-Day Dinner
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Open seating starting at 6:00 p.m.

This young couple have taken the Chef-for-the-Day challenge and under the tutelage of our Executive Chef, Bill Crouse preparing a fabulous 4 course dinner. Katie attends Towson University and Brandon goes to John Hopkins. Both love good food and have a penchant for Italian and Spanish cuisine.

Katie and Brandon invite you to enjoy their menu:

1st Course

Fennel And Crab Soup
with potato, corn, scallions

2nd Course

Occu de Bull (Bull's Eye)
Duck and Quail Ravioli
with quail egg and black pepper cream sauce

3rd Course

Roast Leg of Lamb
with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rosemary jus

4th Course

Chocolate "Lava" Cake
accompanied with mint gelato

Cost per Person
$45*
(excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)

Reservations are required:
Call 410 625 0534 or email Monika Pawlak at pawlak_monika@hotmail.com

Our regular dinner menu will be served that evening as well.

*no other promotions or discounts are applicable to this dinner

Italian Language & Culture Dinner Club - Feb, 09

Italian Language & Culture Dinner
Monday, February 23rd
7:00 P.M.
Communal Dining – Family-Style Service

We’re Back!

Things are hectic during the holiday season and Restaurant Week so we postponed our monthly Italian Language and Culture Dinner until Monday, February 23rd.

If you are an Italophile, a lover of all things Italian, this dinner is a must do. Come practice your Italian language skills, share your Italian travel stories and more. Chef Crouse will create fabulous Italian dishes, family-style, for all to enjoy. If you don’t speak Italian, you are welcome as well.

Food is always abundant - Here is a look at a couple dishes being served that evening - chef will add dishes as to what looks good from the market and purveyors that day.

Wild Mushrooms with Soft Polenta
Broccoli Rabe with Beans and Sausage
Baked Whole Red Snapper with Olives and Capers
Gianduia Pot de Creme

Food, Wine and New Friends

$55.00 per person*

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

Seating is communal.

Reservations are required – Call 410 625 0534 or e-mail Monika at pawlak_monika@hotmail.com.

*no other promotions or discounts are applicable to this event.

Dinner with Daniela
Italian Home Cooking at its Best
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Open Reservations

Daniela Useli creates a rustic, home-styled dinner from her native Sardinia. The menu reflects the bounty of her native island - come, enjoy the taste of Sardinia.

Our standard dinner menu will be available for those looking for more contemporary choices.

Antipasto

Polpette di Tobia
Delicate pork and mussels meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce


Il Primo ~ La Pasta

Ravioli di Patate
Handmade ravioli stuffed with potato, fresh mint leaves, pecorino cheese, Italian parsley, onions, thyme, and garlic, sautéed in butter and sage

Il Secondo ~ Carne

Filetto di Manzo al Barolo
Beef tenderloin cooked in a Barolo-wine, served with a side of broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic & red-pepper sauce

Il Dolce

Torta d’Uva
Delicious Rum-flavored grape cake


$38.00 per person *
(Excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)
*other promotions and discounts are not applicable to this dinner

When placing your reservation, let us know that you will be partaking of Daniela’s dinner. Call 410 625 0534 or e-mail pawlak_monika@hotmail.com to reserve your table.

Daniela’s next dinner is Tuesday, March 10th – Save the Date

Ah, L'Amour

Monika liked this YouTube video, hope you enjoy it as well.

And the Dining Examiner said:

Written by the Dining Examiner on http://www.examiner.com/x-277-Baltimore-Dining-Examiner

Top Chef Season 5 featured two chefs from Baltimore, Melissa Harrison and Jill Snyder. Both are shining the light on our local contemporary Italian restaurant, Sotto Sopra.
First, Chef Jill Snyder, formerly of Red Maple, is working closely with Executive Chef Bill Crouse broadening her knowledge of Italian cuisines.

Chef Melissa Harrison, formerly of Baltimore and BICC graduate, has posted three of her favorite restaurants here in Baltimore on the Top Chef website and Sotto Sopra was among the three, others being Charleston and the third, the Italian-American cuisine of Little Italy, Chiapparelli’s.

Top Chef Restaurant Finder - Click HERE

Chef's Tasting Menu for January

Chef's 3 Course Tasting Menu

Wednesday Evenings: January 7th , 14th, and 21st

$38.00 per person

(excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)

Open Seating - Reservations Suggested

Every month, Chef Crouse creates a menu for you to enjoy from Sotto Sopra favorites to seasonally inspired dishes. This month you won't be disappointed with your choices. Our regular dinner menu is also available for these evenings dining.

Chef’s Tasting Menu

Primo

choice of 1

Grilled Squid Salad
capers, onions, arugula, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes

Soft Polenta
with truffle infused mushroom ragu

Grilled Asparagus and Poached Egg
with San Danielle prosciutto, truffle oil

Grilled Romaine Salad
with toasted anchovy dressing, sun-dried tomato bruschetta

Soup du Jour

Secondo

choice of 1
Ravioli di Brosato
with scallion cream, black peppercorns, arugula

Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Gambi
with bortarga, roasted tomatoes and spinach

Salmone alla Lavanda
with chive mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli

Gnocchi di Ricotta
with fresh tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese

Sausage Stuffed Chicken Breast
with brussel sprouts, speck ham and natural jus

Terzo

choice of 1
Chocolate “lava” Cake
with vanilla gelato

Apple Strudel
with cinnamon crème anglaise

Gelato

Reservations are highly suggested - call 410 625-0534

no other promotions or discounts apply to this event

Wakeboarder of Piazza San Marco

January Wine Tasting- Wines NOT from Montalcino

January Wine Tasting
Toscana Part 2 – Wines NOT from Montalcino

Thursday, January 8, 2009
Starts: 6:OO p.m. – approximately 1 hour
Limited to 20 guests - reservations required
$30 inclusive

Michael Mohammadi of http://www.foodandwineblog.com/ leads our wine tasting. Our first Tuscan wine tasting focused on the wines of the small Italian hillside village of Montalcino. For our first tasting of 2009, we will taste 6 wines from Chianti, Montepulciano, and the Maremma with a focus on learning the difference in climate and landscape across Toscana (Tuscany). Don’t miss out; join us for an evening of Sangiovese and much more. Sotto Sopra’s tour of the other wine producing areas of Toscana will beginning at 6:30 and will last roughly 1 hour.

As always there will be lite bites prepared by Chef Crouse but do consider making dinner reservations. Those who stay for dinner will enjoy 50% off the wines that were in the evening’s wine tasting.

To make reservations for the wine tasting call 410 625 0534 – be sure to tell them you are coming for the wine tasting and you can also make dinner reservations for later that evening as well.