Morello said he’s slightly surprised by how well the concept has been received. “We have more than 30 restaurants, which is a great showing for the first year. I think when you offer a good product, it’s exciting to be able to partner with others who feel the same way.”

Morello said the theme behind his offerings at the kickoff party is smoke. One non-traditional element of each dish will be lightly smoked, including bourbon and tomatoes. At the restaurant, which Morello owns with his wife, there will be four flights of wine from its Napa wine station, which keeps wine temperature controlled and under pressure with argon gas, rather than in bottles. “This lets us offer amazing wines that most people can only buy by the bottle. It’s the freshest glass of wine—like opening a new bottle every time,” said Morello.

The Serenitee Restaurant Group is varying its Wine Week offerings by restaurant. At Alchemy in Gloucester, Sommelier Matt Rose has created a tapas pairing menu and is offering wines by the glass from the cellar list that are only available by the bottle during the rest of the year. At Latitude 43, you’ll find a raw bar pairing menu featuring oysters and sushi. And at Hamilton’s 15 Walnut just before the event (Thursday night), there’s a $50 five-course farm dinner with half glass wine and beer pairings for every course for $3 each.

At 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar (which will also be serving up samples on Saturday), Chef Tony Bettencourt is focusing on the relationship between food and wine. “Old world wines, or European wines, tend to pair better with food, but I wanted heighten the awareness of the lesser known varietals that people may not see as often,” said Bettencourt. “By pairing the dishes with these wines, diners can experience firsthand how pairing the right wine with food can make each better.”

The complete schedule of events is here, and if you make it to the kickoff party on Saturday, please make it a point to say hello–we love to meet readers and talk about our favorite restaurants.

The North of Boston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (NBCVB) has just launched a free iPhone app to “Help ‘Lobsta’ lovers and clambake connoisseurs to find their fill North of Boston.”  Funded by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, the app is based on the Seafood Trail originally listed on the cultural tourism website Escapes North.

“People are hungry for instant info in the palm of their hands. We are thrilled to provide an easy way to learn about all that Essex County has to offer in terms of food and fun,” said NBCVB Executive Director Sue Ann Pearson. “It not only helps promote Massachusetts as a premiere travel destination, but also highlights the many wonderful culinary options to explore in the North of Boston area. Visitors and locals can download the Seafood Trail app to discover where to eat, what to do, and other tasty tidbits.”

And did we mention they provide an easy link to a certain local food blog? All kidding aside, we are very excited to be a part of the project because it fits so well with our mission—to promote the food scene on the North Shore.

One of our most frequently asked questions is where to find good seafood. And to answer that question we always need ask a few of our own. Where do you want to eat? What kind of seafood are you looking for? What kind of atmosphere? Now you can peruse all the options right there on your phone.

What’s cool is that the app not only lists restaurants by town, but also has mapping, GPS locations, direct links to the restaurant websites, and an easy click-to-call function. The eateries listed run the gamut from clam shacks to more upscale options, and it notes nearly beaches and parks to round out your coastal day trip. NVCVB plans to continue developing the app and adding more information, so if you’re looking for seafood North of Boston, download before you hit the road!

You can find the app here at Escapes North.

First up is Salem’s Spring Fling on Saturday from 6:00 to 9:00 in Salem Old Town Hall. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door and include craft beer from Magic Hat, Ipswich, Stone Cat, Cape Ann Brewing, Clown Shoes, and more. There will also be wine from Pamplemousse and Market Wine & Spirits and food and desserts from several Salem favorites, including 62 Restaurant, Lobster Shanty, Victoria Station, Café Polonia, Gulu-Gulu Café, and Greenland Café. This is an over-21 event featuring music from Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket. Tickets are available at several Salem locations and online here.

Also that night is the Art Auction to benefit the Marblehead Festival of Arts. The silent auction begins at 5:00 at Abbot Hall, followed by a live auction at 7:30. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door; they include hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting during the first part of the evening, and dessert and coffee later on. More information is here.

This weekend is the beginning of an epic Salem Restaurant Week, which runs Sunday through Thursday and has been extended to run the following Sunday through Thursday as well (April 10 to 14). Meals are $15 for two courses and $25 for three courses. A complete list of restaurants is here.

Last but not least, this weekend marks the end of prohibition in Salem. Well, the winter kind, anyway. All the restaurants with partial and seasonal liquor licenses can begin serving again on April 1, and they are celebrating. The Lobster Shanty is throwing an opening day open mic shindig and rolling out a new menu, and 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar is unveiling their spring cocktail list. 62 will be serving complimentary hors d’oeuvres from 5:00 to 7:00 in the lounge. After 7:00, they’ll serve a complimentary signature spuntino with each drink purchased from the new cocktail menu in the lounge.

From 8:30 to 11:00 over at Howling Wolf, there will be free Mexican wings and buffalo wings. Lee Hawkins will be singing the blues, and there’s a raffle for Red Sox and Revolution tickets. And starting at 8:00, there’ll be live music by Clay Ventre and the Bond Girls and complimentary passed hors d’oeuvres at Café Polonia.

So ignore any white stuff that happens to be falling from the sky today and get out there and enjoy!

We’ve also got some great things to do from our pals in the  North Shore Bloggers Consortium:

Seth is all over Lynn at Lynn Happens.

Jane Ward has some great ideas for  this weekend.

Kimmy has her weekend picks in addition to another great recipe over at Lighter and Local.

It turns out that Minglewood Tavern, which takes it’s name from the Grateful Dead song New Minglewood Blues, is still attached to Lat 43 but has been given a separate identity and a complete makeover. This isn’t surprising given the fact that both establishments are owned by Mark McDonough’s Serenitee Restaurant Group (previously North Shore Restaurant Group). McDonough is well known for his creativity and fearlessness in retooling eateries to better serve local neighborhoods.

Eastman told us the team essentially gutted the entire tavern and outfitted it with features that make it even more funky and comfortable. The centerpiece is a large bar custom built by Walker Creek Furniture of Essex and finished with salvaged 205-year-old barn boards. Another new feature is a beautiful stone hearth built with local granite that serves as inspiration for the new menu, which Eastman describes as creative pub fare. Flatbread pizzas and other oven-baked items like enchiladas and lasagna will be on offer. Other menu items, like the sushi that Lat 43 is known for, will still be available.

There is a full roster of weekly specials and events planned, and Eastman is especially excited about Thursdays, when various brewers will be on hand to meet and talk beer. And speaking of beer, Minglewood is serious about it; they’ll offer twenty brews on tap.

Minglewood opens tomorrow night, and they’ll have a grand opening celebration starting at 6:00 pm with tastes from the new menu and live music from the local band Phat Maxx. We heard a rumour that Good Morning Gloucester’s infamous Joey C will be on hand mixing up his signature drink, the Hop Skip and Go Naked, which is served in a mason jar. How can you pass that up?

Minglewood Tavern
www.minglewoodtavern.com
25 Rogers Street, Gloucester
(978) 281-0223

First off, tonight the Trustees of the Reservations hold the first of their 3rd Annual Celebrity Chef Dinner Series at Castle Hill hosted by the Trustees of the Reservations. Tonight’s dinner features Chef Robert Grant of The Butcher Shop in Boston, and the Dec. 2 dinner will feature Chef Sam Hunt of 15 Walnut in Hamilton.

On Sunday, there are fun things happening all over the North Shore. In Peabody, you’ll find the North Shore Bazaar 2010. While it’s not limited to food and drink, there will be more than 25 vendors offering organic, fair trade, locally resourced, or locally produced gifts and services. Lunch will be available as well.

Rockport Music is hosting a wine tasting at 4:00 on Sunday, offering attendees the opportunity to sample nine of the best French, German, and Californian wines, accompanied by a culinary creation, and then evaluate and vote on the best overall pairing of wine and food. California’s Benchmark Wine Group will lead the tasting, and Chef Ron Weisheit and Pastry Chef Rhonda Weisheit of Newburyport’s Pralines & Pepper will provide the food and some insight into the pairings.

Also on Sunday evening, the 17th Annual Taste of Lynnfield will be held at the Peabody Marriott, hosted by Lynnfield Educational Trust (LET), a non-profit that provides financial support to enhance the educational experience for all children in the Lynnfield Public schools.

This year, attendees will have the opportunity to sample the culinary talents of some outstanding area restaurants, including The Blue Ox (Lynn), 15 Walnut (Hamilton), Masa (Woburn), Jalapeno’s Mexican Restaurant (Gloucester), Turbine Wine Bar (Lynn), The Red Rooster (Lynnfield), T&L Wine Cellar (Lynnfield and Peabody), Cafe Jag’s (Wakefield), FINZ (Salem), New England Beverage (North Reading), Focaccia (Wilmington), Guilio’s Bakery (Wakefield), Mount Vernon at the Ship (Lynnfield), and Carrabba’s Italian Grill (Peabody).

Last but far from least, don’t forget that Sunday marks the first night of Salem Restaurant Week. Salem has had an unprecedented number of restaurants open this year, and if you’ve been itching to get out and try some of the new kids on the block, this is your chance. The deals are good enough that after you try something new, you can go back to an old favorite as well.

And here, as always, are the weekend picks from our pals in the North Shore Bloggers Consortium.

Abby shares her picks, including an apples and wine fest in Ipswich, over at 5th Joy.

The wonderful Jane Ward tells us what’s up in Newburyport and Amesbury in Food and Fiction.

Choices from all over New England from The Two Palaverers.

Media giant Seth gives up the best of Lynn at Lynn Happens.

Joey’s got all that’s going on in Gloucester over at Good Morning Gloucester

In addition to the three-course prix-fixe dinner $25 (not including drinks, taxes, or gratuities) restaurants offered in past years, some participants are offering a two-course menu for $15. Now that’s a deal.

To add to the fun, Destination Salem is giving away almost $1,000 in restaurant gift certificates to Salem restaurants. Every day this month, Kate Fox will post a picture of one of the participating restaurants on its Facebook page. The first 50 people to tag themselves in the picture will be entered into a random drawing for a gift certificate for that restaurant.

For more information, click over to Destination Salem or go to their Facebook page.

2 Beer Guys, which started out as the  personal project of Sean and Ian to educate themselves about the nuances of various beers, has blossomed into much more. They now host beer tastings, teach Beer 101 classes, maintain a website on which they have published hundreds of brew reviews, and publish a blog with up-to-date information on local and national beer events. These guys know their stuff and truly enjoy getting involved with the community.

Which brings us to North Shore Beer Week. If you’re thinking you’ve never heard of this event, you’re right—this year marks the first of what the Beer Guys hope will evolve into a great annual event.

After being involved in the organization of Portsmouth Craft Beer Weekend this winter, Sean and Ryan told us they got excited about creating a larger celebration to encompass their home turf. In partnership with Seaboard, a local beer distributor, they began to knock on doors to spread the word and gain support of local venues. Bookended by existing events, and during traditional Oktoberfest time, the last week in September seemed a perfect fit.

The celebration kicks off on September 25 with the 5^th Annual Riverfront Brewfest, hosted by the Haverhill Brewery. They’ll run two sessions featuring sampling from roughly 20 breweries as well as live bands and their popular cask cellar.

The following week includes beer tastings hosted at many local restaurants and liquor stores, two craft beer education classes by the Beer Guys, the Oktoberfest celebration at Henry’s Market in Beverly with the judging of the Homebrew Competition, and a couple of beer dinners including the Green Land Café’s Harvest Beer Dinner. The final event of the week will be the Great Brewers 2010 Grand Prix of Gloucester, which features a beer garden from 11:00 to 5:00 on October 2 and 3, with many participating breweries.

The full schedule of events can be found on the website. The calendar function is a little awkward, so be sure to click on each day to see all the events.

The Dish is an avid supporter of small local brewers, and restaurants that support the craft beer movement. We are constantly delighted by the variety and quality of beers available. The North Shore is definitely a haven for beer lovers, so if you’re one of them, get out there and show Beer Week your support.

Both days this weekend at Russell Orchards in Ipswich there will be strawberry picking, hayrides, strawberry shortcake, facepainting, music, balloons at their annual strawberry festival.

At Connors Farm in Danvers, the festival is on Saturday only and features live music, food from Champions Barbeque, strawberries dipped in chocolate, Homemade strawberry shortcake, costume characters, strawberry picking, pony rides
face painting, and hay rides.

The following weekend, the Swampscott Strawberry Festival is being held on Sunday the 27th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Town Hall lawn.

If you’re looking for a farmers market to visit or more information about your local market, there is information at the Federation of Mass Farmers Markets and a list of Northeast farmer’s markets here. You can find our list of North Shore farmer’s markets is here, with links on several that we’ve reviewed.

Mary Reilly of The Savory Kitchen has a great idea for those pea tendrils in your CSA box. She’s cooking her way through her CSA share each week and sharing her recipes and non-recipe recipes. Mary also teaches cooking classes at the gorgeous Jewett Farms Studio, and there are slots left in the July 23 class on Indian cooking at home (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm), the July 31 canning class (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), and the August 13 cooking from the farmers’ market class (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm). For descriptions, go here; classes are $90.

If you’ve got a youngster that likes to cook, you may want to take a look at Shubie’s Tweens and Teens summer classes. They’re for ages 11 to 15 with Chef Laura Tyrrell. Pies and tarts is July 6, fresh pasta is July 13, cakes and frostings is July 20, and garlic bread, monkey bread, and bagels is July 27. All classes are $50 and run from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. If you sign up for all four classes, you get $30 off. Call (781) 631-0149 for more information.

The PEM is hosting a beer and chocolate tasting in conjunction with its Mayan exhibit on July 8 from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Maya inspired cuisine will be served, and attendees will sample seven unique beers and Taza’s stone ground organic chocolate. More information is here, and the cost is $75 for members and $85 for nonmembers.

Euphoria Lifestyle has opened in the 100 building in Cummings Center, Beverly, serving smoothies and wraps and promising Pinkberry-style fro-yo in about two weeks. We’ll check it out and let you know how it is (tough job, but someone’s got to do it). For future reference, it’s right near Danvers Bank and does not have an outside sign.

In Peabody, we’ve spotted a few restaurant happenings. On June 1, Top Steakhouse opened in the former O’Fado space at 72 Walnut St. Since this Brazillian style steakhouse will be competition for the popular Fire Bull, we’re wondering if the area can support two churrascarias just a few blocks from each other.

We also saw a banner up for Maki Sushi Bar, going in next to Peabody Estate Buyers on Main St. They are in the midst of fitting up the interior, no word on when they will open. Also on Main (toward the Salem line), we saw a banner for Peabody Bread and Baking Co. where Rosie’s Bakery was. We’ll stop in the next chance we get.

And last but not least, a recent Guy Fieri trip (he’s a Food Network celebrity chef) included visits to our own Lobster Shanty in Salem, Rino’s Place in East Boston, Greek Corner Restaurant in Cambridge, plus a few Maine locations. Pictures are here. Can’t wait to see the Shanty episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, air date and time still to be determined.

A few weeks ago, Bolivian coffee importer Cafe Valverde Coffee Roasters replaced Fuel coffee shop at 196 Essex Street in Salem. This was apparently the starting flag, signaling a host of new openings.

This week saw the openings of Greenland Café and Coven Dessert Bar and Artisanal Market in Salem and the much-anticipated 5 Corners Kitchen in Marblehead.

Marblehead will see another new storefront soon, when Hooked Seafood & Grill opens in the old Super Sub space on Pleasant St. in June. Sticky Rice, the on-again off-again Thai restaurant on Hawkes St., has been sold to a new owner and is slated to re-open under the name Sticky Rice Bistro.

Salem has become a hotbed of restaurant activity recently and is looking forward to several openings in addition to the two this week. Since publishing its menu online, there has been a ton of buzz about Howling Wolf Taqueria, which will open at 76 Lafayette St. in early summer. The plentiful burritos and veggie options look to be winners.

Also on Lafayette Street a new restaurant serving pub fare, The Lafayette Grill, is scheduled to open in the old Casa Blanca space, which neighbors are hoping will be a step toward cleaning up the troubled area.

In the former Edgewater Café space on Washington St., the Adriatic Restaurant and Bar, which will feature a mix of Italian and European food, is finishing up renovations and hiring waitstaff and will open doors shortly. (added 5/17/10:  a great video of Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll interviewing the owners of both Coven and Adriatic can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INGDTKQo4Ww )

Another seafood venue has taken over the empty Derby Fish & Lobster space at 215 Derby St. and will be opening under the name Seaport Grill. No word yet on how soon.

And if that’s not enough new food for Salem, the recently renovated jail space is reportedly in talks with a restaurant, but nothing official has been announced yet.

Vinnin Square is seeing its share of the action as well. On the Salem border, Rizzo’s Roast Beef and Pizza of Peabody will be opening a second location in the plaza next to Staples. And on the Swampscott side, it looks like City Bar and Grill, which acquired a liquor license during the winter, has finally started to fit up the former Friendly’s/Finagle spot. Any independent venture would be welcome in the square, which feels overrun with chain restaurants and fast food outlets.

Over in Beverly, North Shore Restaurant group has taken on the new eatery being developed at the revived North Shore Music Theater. Named BackStage Bistro, it promises “top notch American cuisine” with theatre props from favorite past performances as decor and a show-tune sound track.

We hear that Mark McDonough and Co. will also be making some big changes to Alchemy in Gloucester, giving it a more comfy, lounge-y feel and emphasizing small plates and platters to share.

Also in Gloucester, Giuseppe’s, a new restaurant and piano bar will be moving into the former Elliot’s space in the Blackburn building. Their website promises the place will be “very musical, very Italian and

On Cape Ann, rumor has it that the Market Restaurant in Annisquam will be re-opening May 29 under the management of two former Chez Panisse chefs, which certainly sounds worth investigating.

There have also been murmurs about a tapas and healthy-fare venue opening in Essex. In a town synonymous with fried seafood, we’re sure this will be a welcome addition.

Looks like we’re going to have an exciting summer trying out all the new tastes, and perhaps some we don’t know about yet. Give us a shout at email@northshoredish.com, or leave a comment if you know of any more our readers would be interested in.

Upcoming Events: An ongoing calendar of events. We’re still tweaking this a bit, but you get the idea. Please feel free to let us know of any events we might be missing that would interest our readers.

Resources and Reads: An evolving list of local links, blogs, and websites that we love and find useful and hope that you will, too.

Restaurant and Market Article Index: All of our location-specific posts listed in alphabetical order by name.

Below this, you can’t help but notice that we’re now displaying a handful of advertisements from local sponsors. North Shore Dish has been a labor of love for the past year and a half, and all expenses to keep it running have been out of pocket. We are thrilled to have the support of some great folks who value the North Shore food scene and our efforts to bring you the latest news and reviews. Please take a moment to check them out.

Last, you’ll see a few changes in the Follow area. Larger, clearer buttons, the RSS/e-mail subscribe works better, and yes, we now have a Facebook fan page for those of you who like to get your updates there. Go ahead and “like” our page and tell your Facebook friends about us…

We are always working to make North Shore Dish the best we can for our readers and hope you enjoy these small improvements.