A Long Time Coming

Hello Everyone,

Sorry about the sporadic nature of this blog, but I would like to think that we may be onto something more consistent now. We have quite a bit of news, so I will run through it quickly then get to a few choice bits.

1) Celebrations is now open on Mondays. We are open Monday-Saturday beginning at 5P.M.
2) We are opening Celebrations Downtown at 19 Spanish Street (the old Dalhouise Downtown) on April 1
3)Our new menu will begin later this week. Totally overhauled with a number of new dishes and a wonderful new look.
4)Check out the wine list next time you stop in. Some really special wines have been added, both top end and anytime drinking.
5)Please ask about some of our new beers at Marquette. Some are new to the state and drink like a dream.

As for upcoming events we have quite a few this month.

March Events

1)17th-Wine Class-Celebrations-Sensory Evaluation-$35 per person plus tax-6:30
2)17th-St. Patrick's Day "Epic Feast"- Marquette Dining Room-$20 per person plus tax and gratuity-6:30
3)22nd- Silver Oak Dinner-Celebrations- $125 per person plus tax and gratuity- 7 Courses paired with Silver Oak and Twomey wine-6:00
4)30th- Beer Class-Marquette Terrace-New Holland Brewery-$15 per person-6:30

Boulevard Beer Dinner and Beer Class

It feels nice trying to get back into the swing of things with the new site up. There are still a few things that need to be tweaked, but it all seems to be going well so far. Please feel free to share you comments about the new site.

Anyway, on to better things. This month (September) brings us a few wonderful items in the world of bubbles (beer not champagne). First, on the 18th, Boulevard Brewing from Kansas City is joining us for a release party/dinner at the Marquette. Beginning at 6:30 we will pour their unfiltered wheat and have appetizers, this will be followed with their new line of "Smokestack" beers. These are not smokey in any way, they are 750ml (same size as a bottle of wine) and cork and cage finished (like champagne). They are their top tier beers and we are pairing food with them. Please check the BEER EVENTS tag on the website. Speaking of website, you are able to reach it with either www.celebrations-restaurant.com, www.marquetterestaurant.com, or www.girardeaurestaurantgroup.com.

As a second note of interest, on the 29th we are having the HOPS!!!! beer class at the Marquette. Please join us for this fun evening exploring the wonders of hops plant. The Hops class begins as always at 6:30.

Beer Tasting June 30th

Just a reminder to everyone. Monday June 30th is our next beer class. This month features European Ales (with one suprise from outside of the western world). Please join us at 6:30pm for a tasting of six delicious and rare beers along with appetizers and a conversation style class.
Reservations requested

Marquette Restaurant
332-0769

Lunch at Marquette Restaurant Starting July 7th

Thats right everyone. After many requests we are going to begin serving lunch Monday-Friday from 11:00am-1:30pm. Please check back soon for menu items.

New Menu at the Printers

It has been a long time coming but the Summer Menu is about to arrive. We have given the old menu a major overhaul and trimmed some fat for the warm days ahead. Some of the new items to look forward to are a Smoked Shrimp and Cucumber "Roll", Spanish Style Clams finished with Ham, Tomato, and Smoked Paprika, and a Grilled Leg of Lamb Entree served wtih Herbed Spring Pea Spaetzle and Mint Tomato Pico. We are also changing our Crisp Bacon Salad, now before everyone gathers their arms for a revolt I would like to mention the new Barbecued Hinkebein Hills Farms Bacon Salad. Slow roasted cured Bacon finished with a housemade barbecue sauce served with Wilted Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes, and Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette. Check back soon for more items.

Farmers Market Gearing up for Fun

As I prepare to go to the market today I think about the seasons. With the weather this year they haven't been as evident as usual (even for the unpredictable patterns we have here in Missouri), yet the crops come in fairly on schedule. Last week everyone was searching for tomatoes and peppers, not quite yet though, hopefully another week or so and we will see them start to come on strong. The cucumbers and onions have been fantastic, as the rain hydrates and the sun gives intense flavors. I look for this year to have wonderful flavors and what appears to be a strong tomato crop. I hope everyone can make it to the two great markets we have in town.

Wednesday at the FFA Pavilion 8am-12PM
Thursday at the Plaza Galleria parking Lot 2:30-close

Back in Action!

It has been right about two months now since the last post. Far from where I was hoping to be as far as keeping on a solid regular schedule. Tech problems prohibited the site from being updated, but they are all taken care of. So, with seemingly nothing in our way, we shall wonder down this path again.

Something that has been asked of this blog is to offer ideas for wines that are outside of the radar. These wines may well be odd grapes or off the path regions. I am not going to limit them to wines that we have on hand, and some we may even have a hard time getting.

A few wines that I have been drinking for the past bit are the 2005 Argiolas Costera from Sardinia. It is made from the Sardinian cousin to Grenache and is an amazing value. A medium bodied wine that made in any other region would cost well over $20 retail.

La Piece Sous le Bras is a little country wine from Provence. It is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cinsault. A great price for a wonderful food wine. Search this wine out!

The Cariane Malbec Reserva is a full flavored rich bargain from Argentina. This wine will drink well for the next 6-7 years so don't be afraid to lay this down for a while. Imported from our friends Pinnacle in St. Louis.

Getting back on track feels great. We will keep you posted about all up and coming events.