Mar 18 2008
Eco Appetito
I posted the announcement for Eco Appetito a few weeks ago. Instead of a Friday night date night this past week, Amber and I decided we’d head down to Cinque Terre on Sunday and sample some of their wonderful food, get some of the first taste’s of Peak’s new Maple Oat Ale, and support a good cause. We are oh so glad we did.
Parking was a bit hard to come by early Sunday afternoon, so we ended up in the parking garage on Fore Street and walked down the hill to Cinque Terre. There were already 15 or 20 people there when we arrived, but Amber and I were definitely among the earliest arrivals. The event details said that 150 tickets were available, and I’m not quite sure they sold out completely, but there were probably 125 guests or so throughout the afternoon. With all of the downstairs tables and most of the upstairs tables removed, it didn’t feel at all crowded.
The food, as expected, was excellent. Amber and I are still developing our seafood palettes, so we shied away from the Winterpoint oysters. The pesto, white bean, and parsnip soup shots (soup served in an espresso cup) were very good. Other passed appetizers included delicious wild mushroom fritters (with just a bit of bite to them), venison and mushroom with dijon mustard, and a white bean spread with roasted rabbit. The venison was some of the best I’ve ever had, and the rabbit was excellent as well. Upstairs, there was a ravioli and gnocchi station in one corner, a French press coffee station in another, and an artisan cheese station in a third.
The ravioli making was featured on a recent episode of 207 and included carrot, beet, and swiss chard. The ravioli and gnocchi were both excellent, though the consensus at our table was that the ravioli was the clear winner.
We met several interesting people at the event. Drew Dumsch, FBES’s Executive Director, chatted with Amber about ecology education (teacher talk) and some of the programs offered by the school. We spoke with the residential director’s fiancé for a while about his move out from Seattle, life in Maine, and the new Peak ale. The highlight, however, was sharing ravioli and conversation with local artist Elizabeth Fraser and her partner Maureen over several plates of ravioli and a few beers. Ms. Fraser painted a portrait of Spring Point Light that was auctioned off as part of the silent auction fundraiser. She also did paintings of Cinque Terre and Vignola as thank you gifts for the owners who donated their time, space, and staff to the event. We’ll definitely be checking out Elizabeth’s studio on Munjoy Hill during the May First Friday Art Walk and are considering commissioning a portrait of our pooch, Cindy Lu.
The plans for the second annual Eco Appetito are already underway, and I sincerely hope they’ll continue the event. It was great fun and well worth the cost of admission.