allium to Host Slow Food Benefit Dinner
Great Barrington — On Thursday, September 25, allium, Mezze Restaurant Group’s newest restaurant, will host a dinner to benefit Slow Food of Western Massachusetts with reservations available from 5 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.allium will offer a three-course prix fixe menu celebrating the bounty of the Berkshires including baby greens from Equinox Farm tossed with a red wine vinaigrette from house-made vinegar, wood-grilled Berkshire-raised pork, Anson Mills organic polenta served with Earthborn Farm carrots and crispy buttermilk onions. Homemade ice cream with High Lawn Farm cream will be crafted in house. This special meal will also feature Berkshire-grown and -produced ingredients from Farm Girl Farm, North Plain Farm, Rawson Brook Farm, Blue Moon Shrooms, Indian Line Farm, Cricket Creek Farm, Blue Hill Farm and Berkshire Mountain Bakery.
allium’s menu spotlights locally produced items and autumn is no exception. In addition to seasonal produce, Chef Joe Nastro changes his menu based on regional ingredients available with a focus on locally produced breads, meats and dairy products.
Nastro has been a strong supporter of the Slow Food movement and locally produced food with earlier roots as a farmer in the Northeast. “Restaurants and patrons need to support farmers and producers who represent the food economy of our region,” said Nastro. “If we look after our neighboring farmers, we give back to our community in a tangible way and sustain local agriculture for future generations,” he added.
The September 25 dinner will cost $45 per person with an optional wine pairing available for an additional $28 per person. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food of Western Massachusetts and members of the organization will receive a 10 percent discount. Price does not include beverages, tax or gratuity. Seating is limited and reservations are highly recommended. For reservations, call allium at 413-528-2118.
Opened in May 2007, allium merges Berkshire ideals with urban amenities and focuses on the bounty of the region – local, farm-fresh ingredients. The restaurant serves New American cuisine with a seasonal menu and features an exceptional, well-chosen wine list to accompany dinner selections. Chef Joe Nastro, who joined allium after four years in the Primo kitchen, takes great care to provide local and seasonal ingredients paired alongside seasonal and small-production wines. In addition to recognition as Boston Magazine’s Best New Restaurant of 2007, allium has recently been awarded a 2008 Editors’ Choice award in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England.
allium serves dinner nightly beginning at 5 p.m. Fall hours are Sunday through Thursday until 9:30 p.m. and Friday/Saturday until 10 p.m. All major credit cards are accepted. Located in downtown Great Barrington at 42 Railroad Street, allium is a member of Slow Food and Berkshire Grown. For more information, call 413-528-2118 or visit alliumberkshires.com.
Slow Food, founded in 1989, is an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life. Through a variety of initiatives, the organization promotes gastronomic culture, develops taste education, conserves agricultural biodiversity and protects traditional foods at risk of extinction. For more information, visit slowfoodwesternmass.org or slowfoodusa.org.
