Let it Flow: Tour de Champagne Boston

By: Finance Foodie

This past Saturday, I attended the Tour de Champagne at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. This multi city tour gives guests an opportunity to experience various labels of champagne paired with cuisine from local renowned chefs. Below is a play by play of my evening:

8:30pm: Finally arrived on site, 1.5 hours late – cabbie took me to 1 Bennett St in BOSTON, not CAMBRIDGE. Check in and am definitely ready for a drink after a rough start to the night.

8:45pm: Decided to hit the food booths first, as drinking on an empty stomach can lead to dangerous and embarrassing behavior.

8:50pm: First stop: Todd English’s Bonfire. No Todd English (does he even cook anymore?) but plenty of roast beef sandwich bites served with a horseradish consummate pipette. The roast beef sandwich was skewered on the horseradish filled pipette. To consume, you had to stick the pipette into your mouth and squeeze. An interesting play on a roast beef sandwich, and the combination was surprisingly tasty

9:00pm: Next up was Upstairs on the Square, which served the only dessert of the night: a banana shortcake with salted peanut brittle. The saltiness of the peanut brittle was a great contrast with the sweetness of the caramel, whipped cream, and bananas. Generously portioned as well.

9:15pm: Visited the Aujourd'hui @ The Four Seasons table. They offered a wonton hiramasa yuzo with cucumber and orange beurre blanc. Most complex and innovative dish of the night. Light and clean cucumber and hiramasa nicely offset the heavier fried wonton.

9:20pm: Stomach is half full…time to fill the other half with champagne! First up is Varnier Fannière – Brut. Retail price: ~$35/bottle. Tasted a bit like nutty fresh bread.
9:30pm: Next up: the Nicolas Feuillatte booth. I tried all three varieties: the Blue Label Brut, the Rose, and the Palmes d'Or. Both the Brut and Rose retail for around $30-35/bottle. The Brut was very acidic and dry. The Rose was fruity and crisp, plus I though the pink color was pretty. The Palmes d’Or, the most expensive of the three (retail: $100/bottle), was a dense and rich vintage. Spend 15 minutes chatting and drinking with the very knowledgeable and highly talkative Nicolas Feuillatte rep.
9:45pm: 9:45pm: Started feeling tipsy and almost stepped on an older gentleman’s toe with my stiletto. Decided it’s time for more food.

9:50pm: Stop by Rialto’s table. They have Fiore di Nonno burrata with an artichoke and green olive relish. The burrata was flavorful and the crispy cracker on the bottom adds a nice crunch to the dish. The oily green olive relish was so nice and shiny, it could have been used as emergency lip gloss.

9:55pm: See the Veuve Clicquot booth. This is my champagne brand of choice. Apparently it was everyone else’s brand of choice as well, since the booth ran out of the bubbly early. Me=not amused.

10:00pm: Hit up the VIP after-party at Regattabar Jazz Club.

10:15pm: Snacked on chocolate covered strawberries, drank Moet from the bottle, and watched the lively (tipsy) couples cut the rug on the dance floor.

10:16pm: From the lady sitting at my table: “I just got laid off….job or no job, I was going to come to this event…I love the Champers [Ed Note: Champagne]!” You go on with your bad self.

All and all, a lovely and exciting Saturday night in sleepy Boston.