More Fun at Wit & Wisdom

I love the way the team at Wit & Wisdom keep things interesting for their guests! Last year, they started this fun Wednesday-night theme dinner thing called Curated at their Kitchen Table (a 12-seat counter with full view of their huge kitchen). We attended the Italian dinner last year and were fed several courses by Chef Zack Mills including pasta cacio e pepe and braised veal shank, and Pastry Chef Dyan Ng's riff on zabaglione, all with wine pairings by Sommelier Julie Dalton. For 2017, they're switching things up a bit.

The Kitchen Table Series will still take place on Wednesdays, and they will still be multi-course events, but the themes will rotate through the skills of chef (savory themes), pastry chef (dessert themes), and sommelier (beverage themes).

Today, February 1 is the inaugural event, and it has a boozy theme: Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget. It's $29 per person, and there will be light bites and snacks provided by Chef Zack to go along with Julie's tastings.

The Kitchen Table Series will take place every Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. beginning February 1. For more details and to reserve your spot at the Kitchen Table, please call Shannon Toback at 410-223-1464.

Here are the scheduled themes to date, and prices. (The second price is the cost of the additional beverage pairing.)

February 1: Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget (Beverage) $29

February 8: Can I Have S’More? Campfire Desserts (Pastry) $45/$25
To entice you, here's the menu for this meal:
Grilled Banana - crispy pastry, maple cream, lime
Choux - yogurt meringue, milk chocolate & hazelnut ganache
Grilled French Toast - pineapple, white chocolate, orange

February 15: Happily ever AFTER….Valentine’s Day (Savory) $59/$39
Caviar Parfait - smoked salmon, crispy potato cake, beet gastrique
Main Lobster Bisque - brandy, lemon creme fraiche, tarragon
Seared Diver Scallops - caramelized fennel, celery root, fondant potatoes
Butter-poached Prime Beef Filet - herb frites, melted spinach, foie gras jus
Maple - puff pastry, passion fruit cremeux, butter ice cream

February 22: Battle of the Booze (Beverage) $29

March 1: DFB...Dessert for Breakfast! (Pastry) $45/$25

March 8: General Tso-Fancy (Savory) $59/$39

March 15: Greek on Fleek (Beverage) $29

March 22, 2017: Picnic “Chic”: Picnic Inspired Desserts (Pastry) $45/$25

March 29, 2017: “Out like a Lamb” A Border Springs Lamb Tasting (Savory) $59/$39

April 5, 2017: The 'Old' Old World (Beverage) $29

April 12, 2017: Spring: A Seasonal Voyage (Pastry) $45/$25

April 19, 2017: Take me out to the Ball Game (Savory) $59/$39

April 26, 2017: Yes Way Rosé (Beverage) $29



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Gunther & Co Sneak Peek

Mr Minx and I were invited to a sneak peek of the new Gunther & Co. restaurant in Brewer's Hill the other night. We left quite excited about the restaurant's potential and feel it will become a sure-fire hit for owner Nancy Hart and chef Jerry Trice.

A glance at the outside of what was once the boiler room of Gunther Brewing Company doesn't even begin to hint at how cavernous and attractive the restaurant is on the inside. Brick everywhere, a huge open kitchen with bar seating, and a living wall of plants--which functions both as decoration and an air-cleansing device--are main features. A rustically lovely private dining room on the mezzanine level, with views of the dining room below, would be a fab place for a birthday party or rehearsal dinner, or a simple gathering of friends. The front bar area, too, with its large windows and creative cocktail menu, should be a popular spot for both neighborhood folks and visitors like us who hail from the far reaches of Towson and beyond.

While we didn't get to have a sit-down meal this time around, we were treated to selections from various of Gunther & Co.'s menus. They'll be offering weekend brunch, weekday lunch, dinner Monday through Saturday, and a special Sunday supper. There's also a selection of items available from open to close that includes more snacky things like oysters and cheese, plus salads and a burger.

We started off with two kinds of oysters, giant Pemaquids from Maine, and more petite Wild Ass Ponies from Assateague Island. "Meet the Beet-Alls," featuring beet liquor, rhubarb bitters, and the artichoke liquor called Cynar, was just one of bartender Shaun Stewart's inventive cocktails on offer. We went on to sample the dumplings, delicious pockets of shrimp and lemongrass with a finely cut kaffir lime garnish and a ponzu soy dipper, and crunchy garlic toasts topped with a flavorful beef tartare garnished with egg yolk and radish. While it won't be served in exactly the same way we received it, the tartare will be on the apps menu (and is well worth trying!) There were also crisp-crusted little biscuits filled with pork and mango chutney and fabulous tea-smoked duck breast served with grilled oyster mushrooms and an orange-ginger sauce. A flatbread cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven and topped with smoked salmon, capers, chopped hard boiled egg, and arugula was an example of Gunther & Co.'s flatbread of the day.

For dessert, we tasted pastry chef Aja Cage's light buttermilk panna cotta with citrus and granola, and an ultra rich chocolate pavé with scoops of smooth butter pecan ice cream on the side. I'm slightly disappointed we didn't get to taste the vegan carrot cake with matcha glaze, but we'll just have to go back and get a full-sized serving of that goodness.

Gunther & Co., shortly to become Baltimore's favorite restaurant, opens this Friday, May 20th. The bar opens at 4pm, and dinner service starts at 5.



Gunther & Co.
3650 Toone Street
Baltimore, MD 21224
http://eatatgunther.com

Posted on Minxeats.com.