What to Eat (and Drink) This Weekend
Brato Brewhouse sourdough bread, bratwurst, and pickles. / Photo by Alli Caulfield
Sausage, Grilled Cheese, and Rustic Pale Ale
Brato Brewhouse is a forthcoming venture from a duo currently satisfying upscale pub grub cravings at Cambridge Brewing Company. Tonight, chef Jonathan Gilman and brewer Alex Corona present the first tastes of their rustic, pickle-cheese-and-bratwurst-fueled menu at Dorchester Brewing Co. Gilman has prepared two different sausage sandwiches, the signature bratwurst with piccalilli mustard, and guajillo chili chicken sausage with avocado mayo and bread-and-butter mango. There will also be a Landaff grilled cheese with spring vegetables on a house beer sourdough bread, and a pimento sandwich on Old Bay sourdough, too. Grilled cheeses are $5, sausages are $8, and a cup of pickles will be $3. Corona has brewed Zunten, a pale ale with grassy, fruity, Jarrylo hops, to complement the spread.
Brato + DBCo Pop-Up, priced a la carte, Friday, May 12, 6 p.m., Dorchester Brewing Co., 1250 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Facebook.
Somerville Session Lager
Somerville musicians take the stage—er, porch—this weekend for one of the city’s most Somerville of traditions, PorchFest. That calls for a beer—preferably a crushable one that lends itself to day-drinking, and it would be great if it supported local arts, too. Enter Aeronaut Brewing Company. The Somerville business has a new brewery-only release especially for the occasion, a lager with a “wafting citrus bouquet” of Mandarina Bavaria hops.
PorchFest, Saturday, May 13, noon-6 p.m., various locations, somervilleartscouncil.org, Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler St., Somerville, 617-987-4236, aeronautbrewing.com.
Interior with an Etruscan Vase, Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954), 1940, Oil on canvas / *The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Gift of the Hanna Fund / *Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art / *© 2017 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / *Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Food Imitating Art
If mom loves Italian Renaissance art, the eclectic vibrance of Matisse paintings, and/or coastal European cuisine, there’s only one place she’ll want to spend Mother’s Day weekend: the Museum of Fine Arts. The courtyard New American Café has a dining option inspired by the exhibit Botticelli and the Search for the Divine, with Tuscan white bean dip, Nutella panna cotta, and more. If mom’s more of a Matisse fan, find globally influenced French fare celebrating Matisse in the Studio at Bravo.
New American Café, Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard, Level 1; Bravo Restaurant, Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, Level 2, 617-369-3474, Museum of Fine Arts, Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org.
The Boston Harbor Cruise ship the Majesty. / Photo provided
Brunch on a Boat
The Boston Harbor Cruises Harbor Islands Fleet set sail this weekend—and that means brunch by Barbara Lynch is on the menu. The acclaimed chef has partnered with the day trip dream-makers on a series of new menus from Salt Water Events. Find her fare, executed by chef Stephen Oxaal, at the concessions stands on George’s and Spectacle islands, and on board the ferries and cruise ships. This Sunday, there’s a special Mother’s Day sightseeing cruise, complete with a Salt Water Events brunch buffet. There are eggs for everyone, from a soft scramble with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, to poached eggs with choron (a tomatoey Béarnaise sauce) and crack-and-peel boiled eggs; plus breads, New England Charcuterie, Madeleine pancakes, crispy roasted fingerlings, labne and house-made granola, chilled farro salad, and much more. The two-and-a-half-hour tour leaves from the Inner Harbor and travels around Gallops Island.
$37.95-$74.95, Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise, Sunday, May 14, noon-2:30 p.m., 1 Long Wharf, Boston, bostonharborcruises.com.
UPDATE, Friday, May 12, 4 p.m.: A previous version of this post included the Bacon & Beer Festival at Fenway Park. That event was just postponed until Saturday, June 10, because the Red Sox are moving up their game to a 1 p.m. start time this Saturday due to forecasted heavy rains.
