Chef And Menu Report: Week Of 01/04/15

Boston
As of Tuesday, January 6, Bronwyn's Industry Prototype Nights — the late-night dinner series where chef Tim Wiechmann debuts his new food experiments — will be held every Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Each week's dinner will be inspired by different themes related to Germany and the Central/Eastern Europe region, and will be paired with regional wine, spirits, and beers. The dish and cocktail are both $10 with additional beer specials ($12 liter; $20 boot). The upcoming nights are:

• Tuesday, January 13: Hungarian Palacsinta – The traditional Eastern European pancake, filled with braised veal and pickles.
• Tuesday, January 20: Bronwyn's Pig Week – Smoked pork shank sandwiches with spicy pickles.
• Tuesday, January 27: Giant Bockwurst – The late-night German classic sausage roll with ketchup and house-made mustards.

Haru is heating up the winter months by offering a selection of limited-time-only cocktails and bites through March. These seasonal delights come fivefold with two new cocktails and three new dishes, like the Cucumber Gimlet (muddled, fresh cucumber, lime, and cilantro shaken with homemade simple syrup and the 34-times-distilled Purity vodka), and the chicken dumplings appetizer, which are pan-fried and accompanied by Haru's signature dumpling sauce

Chicago
For those who have had trouble snagging a reservation at Momotaro, The Izakaya (Momotaro's downstairs drinking bar) just made five 4-top tables available for reservation on OpenTable. At these five tables, guests can order off of the upstairs dining room menu or the downstairs Izakaya menu – the only seats in the entire restaurant where guests can order items from both menus.

New York
Bistango at the Kimberly Hotel began serving brunch on Saturday, January 3. Brunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and all dishes on the menu can be prepared gluten-free. Some of the dishes offered include a selection of their signature flatbreads; the Bistango Burger comprising a Pat Lafrieda short-rib patty, pepperonata, provolone, and garlic aioli; and uovos al forno made of wood-oven baked eggs, braised short ribs, spicy tomato, and salsa verde.

On Tuesday, January 13, iconic Union Square seafood-focused restaurant Blue Water Grill will be hosting a five-course Nino Franco Wine dinner, where fresh seafood and local fare from the neighboring Union Square Greenmarket will be paired with the celebrated Italian Prosecco producer. It will begin at 7 p.m. and will feature dishes like sashimi fluke with roasted hazelnuts and blood orange, and maple cured Mangalista pork; Tickets cost $125 including tax and gratuity, and reservations are required.

As of Wednesday, January 7, Breads Bakery in Union Square is now offering a delicious and seasonal poppy cake for only $19.

Escape the deep freeze with Everyman Espresso's Snow Day; the "espresso Toddy" is made from honey, lemon, floral pimento bitters, and a double shot of Ethiopian Haru espresso, which imparts notes of lemongrass, ginger, and starfruit into the beverage. It's is available at the Soho location, as is their newest winter beverage menu, which comprises the  Espresso Old Fashioned (Haru espresso, simple syrup, Hopped Grapefruit bitters, stirred), One and One (a single espresso and a single cortado, side by side), Hong-Kong Style Milk Tea (Hojicha, steamed milk, and honey), and hot chocolate (Mast Brothers chocolate and steamed milk).

January marks the 5th anniversary of the opening of chef Jesse Schenker's recette in the West Village. To celebrate, Schenker will be launching two special dinner series: a Sunday Supper series as well as a week-long "Greatest Hits" menu. The supper series kicks off this Sunday and will occur every Sunday thereafter; The menu features four courses for $40, and guests can choose from the entire recette menu with highlights like spot prawn crudo, roasted root vegetable raviolo, Tilefish with taro root puree, and rabbit "bread pudding," normally priced at $16, $23, $27, and $27 respectively. The "Greatest Hits" menu will be available throughout the week of Monday, January 12; the menu comprises seven of Recette's most popular dishes throughout the last five years (like roasted foie gras with chicken skin and peppercorn biscuit) for $80 per person. A celebratory glass of sparkling wine and an amuse bouche will kick off the meal.

Portland
On Thursday, January 15, Aviary will hold its first event dinner of the year, offering guests a seven-course menu of all-vegetarian items. The focus on vegetarian dishes will showcase the breadth of Aviary's menu and their passion for creative vegetable preparation. The menu is available 5 to 10 p.m. for $45, excluding drinks and gratuity; please note that a la carte options will not be available this evening. Some of the dishes will be warm vegetable salad with romanesco, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, lime pickle vinaigrette, and black garlic; and Chanterelle ravioli with quince, celery root, smoked tapioca, herb jus, and crispy sage.

Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant and City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.